676 JAMAICA. 



weather proves warm and ferene, the plant will appear above ground 

 in a few days, and, with moderate fhowers to bring it forward, will 

 be fit to cut in fix or feven weeks. The ground mufl; be hoed and 

 ^leaned as foon as the young plants appear to loofen the foil about 

 them, and facilitate their growth. In fome parts, they do not come 

 to perfedlion under two or three months ; and are generally obfervcd 

 to aufwer beft when cut in full blolTom, as the leaves are then thick, 

 and fu-Ueft of juice. The French diftinguifh the time by fqueezing 

 a plant in the hand; and, if the leaf cracks, they fuppofe it to have 

 acquired the due maturity. The vats for manufadturiiig it are ge- 

 nerally three, placed in a regular flight, like fteps, one afcending to 

 the other. The highell, which is the largefl, is called the fteeper. 

 and the dimenfions about fixteen feet fquare, and two feet and an half, 

 in depth. This opens by one or two holes, made through a junk of 

 hard timber (built in the front-wall towards the bottom) into the 

 fecoiid, which is of greater deptli ; and the fecond opens in the like 

 manner into the third, or fmaileft. Thefe latter are called batteries, 

 or beaters ; and fome make them both of equal fize, which, in pro- 

 portion to the dimenfions above given, ought to be twelve feet length, 

 by ten breadth, and four and an half depth in the clear. They are 

 built with malbnry, and Hned with a flrong terrafs, like the deeper, 

 or of clofe-grained plank (not cedar) of two inches and an half thick, 

 well faftened to the frame with large fpike-nails, and caulked, to 

 prevent leaking. Vats of thefe given dimenfions are proper for about 

 (even acres of the plant. > idKn: 



When every thing is in readinefs, the plant is cut, and regularly 

 laid in the fteeper, with the ftalk upwards (which hartens the fer- 

 mentation), till this vat is three-parts full. A number of rails are 

 then laid the whole length of the vat, at the diftance of about eigh- 

 teen inches from one another : thefe are ftrongly wedged down, by 

 means of timbers, which- are made to prefs upon them, to prevent 

 the plants from buoying up when water is put upon them. The 

 fofteft water anfwers beft for the purpofe ; and as much is let in as 

 the weed will imbibe, covering it with a furfiice of four or five 

 inches. In this ftate it is left to ferment. In twenty-four hours it 

 grows fo hot, that no one can bear the hand in it; and, if the pro- 

 cefs goes on well, it will bubble like water in a pot upon the fire 



and 



