071 the method of burning Mud or Clay. 113 



increases the body of fire below, and thereby prevents the 

 danger of extinguishment ; and secondly, it keeps the 

 top of the .heap within your reach, which it is necessary 

 to keep pretty heavily dressed. To ascertain how the 

 heap is burning, I carry with me a strong stick or cane, 

 which I run into the heap, and thereby discover the dis- 

 tance from the outside to the ashes ; and as it generally 

 happens that one side of the heap burns much more ra- 

 pidly than the other, it is necessary to dress tlint side the 

 heaviest. I use no flues to give air, being satisfied that 

 the mud burns much better when the air is excluded. 



In the year 1816, I burned six or seven hundred cart 

 loads. A part of this was done in small heaps, on a 

 piece of high marsh overrun with elders : the marsh was 

 ploughed about four inches deep, and the surface burned 

 and spread over the same ground. From this experi- 

 ment I derived litde or no benefit, and I am therefore in- 

 duced to believe that paring and burning are injurious, 

 even where the whole quantity of ashes is spread over 

 the same ground. 



During last season, I burned altogether in small heaps 

 of from three to eight cart loads each, which saved the 

 expense of cartage. I prefer this mode for another rea- 

 son ; the process is much more expeditious when the 

 burning is done in small heaps, than in large ; in the 

 first case the manure is ready in two or three weeks, in 

 the latter it requires two or three months. 



About two bushels of oyster or marine shells may be 

 beneficially burned with each cart load of mud. When 

 this is done, the mud must be in large heaps. After 

 the heap is well on fire, give a very light dressing of 

 shells over the surface of the heap, so as to permit the 

 fire to communicate from below the shells to the dressing 

 of mud above them. 



It is proper to state, that wood is only necessary at 



