[117] 



On burning Clay, By TVilliam Shotxvell. 



New York 9th mo. fSepU) 1820. 



Agreeably to my promise, I hand the direction 

 for burning clay for manure ; the process is so simple, 

 that it is hardly possible for any one to miss it. 



In the first place, plough a piece of clay ground when 

 pretty wet, as deep as you conveniently can ; let it re- 

 main till a dry season, when a cross pile of wood, four 

 feet in length, two feet in height, and sufficiently compact 

 to burn well, is to be built. You are to build a bank 

 of clay sods, two feet thick, around the wood, <md about 

 two and a half feet high ; and then to set fire to the 

 bottom of the wood in several places ; when completely 

 on fire, a light covering of sods is to be put over the 

 top, which by degrees continue, until you have nearly 

 closed up every avenue for the smoke to escape. Now 

 begin throwing lumps of clay .and sods on such parts as 

 you find the smoke escaping through. Should the fire 

 be making too rapid a progress, you are to select the 

 clay with which you will generally be able to keep it 

 within bounds, especially if there should be moisture in it. 

 But in case you are not able to keep it down, you should 

 with shovels throw on fine clay ; on the other hand, if 

 the process is too tardy, let a larger portion of sods be 

 substituted, but during the whole process care must be 

 taken to lose as little smoke as possible. At night, when 

 leaving the kiln, you should give it a double coat of 

 fine clay, which will generally retain the smoke till early 

 on the ensuing morning. It will be found most con- 

 venient to make the kilns to contain twenty to thirty 

 loads, as there will be less labour in carrying the clay 



