Cultivation of Arable Land. JToad Preparation of. cs&amp;lt;) 



duce of feed is much greater. The plants are likewife fometimes fed down by 

 fheep during the winter feafon ; but this, from its tendency to weaken them, is 

 equally improper. 



In the preparation of the woad feveral procefTcs are r.cc:fTary after being ga 

 thered into the bafkets : it is, in the improved method, conveyed in one-hojfe 

 carts, fo contrived as to be lifted from the axis, and, by folding doors in the bot 

 toms, to difcharge their contents upon the floor above the, mill, on being 

 hoifted up to their proper fituation : round this floor holes are formed for putting 

 the plants down through, in order that they may drop under the grinding wheels. 

 The mills for this purpofe have feveral wheels for grinding the plants, which 

 have lefs diameters on one fide than the other, and are about three feet in width, 

 being conftructed with iron bars for crufliing the woad. They are wrought by 

 horfes, or any other power, as may be the moil convenient. The materials are 

 preferved under the grinding wheels by proper contrivances, which, as foon as 

 they are fufficiently reduced, force it out of the tracks upon the ftone floors on the 

 fides ; thus making way for new parcels without the mill being flopped. The 

 bruifed woad is then thrown into rooms on the fides of the mill, deftined for its 

 reception, by means of fhovels. In thefe it remains till the juice is fo much drained 

 off as to leave it in a proper condition for being formed into balls ; which is done 

 by labourers, with apparatus for the purpofe, and then laid upon trays to be conveyed 

 to the drying ranges, in which they are placed upon grating fhelves that Hide 

 on ledges in the drying houfes. Thefe are placed on the fides of galleries for the 

 convenience of being eafily placed upon them and removed again. It is kept in 

 thefe till it is fufficiently dry to be laid up in other rooms, until the whole of the 

 crop has undergone the fame operations,and the workmen are ready to manufacture it. 



In order to prepare it for ufe in the art of dyeing, it is neceffary for it to take on 

 a proper ftate of fermentation. This is accomplifhed in the courfeof feven or eight 

 weeks, and, in the technical language of the art, is termed couching. It is effected by 

 regrinding the balls, in the fame mill as before, to a fine powder,and then fpreading 

 it upon the floors of the rooms in which the balls were formed, to the thicknefs of 

 about three feet ; where it is thenmoiftened with water, fo as to keep it in a proper 

 flow ftate of fermentation ; and fo managed by turning as that it may pervade the 

 \vhole in an equal manner. In this bufmefs the direction of an experienced work 

 man is neceffary. In the turning, it is of much importance that the parts of the 

 materials be perfectly divided, which can only be effected by a nice management of 

 the (hovel.* 



* Young s Corroded Agricultural Report of Lir.colnfliire, 

 L 1 2 



