46 O F M A N U R E S. Part I. 



As foon as thefe turfs are cut, they employ women to pile them 

 fhelving one agalnfl another, with the grafs fide inward. 



When the weather is fine, the air will dry them in a couple of 

 days, fufficiently for making the furnaces and burning them : but 

 if it fhould prove rainy, you muft be careful to turn the turfs, for 

 they muft be thoroughly dried before you make the furnaces we are 

 going to fpeak of. 



In forming the furnaces, they begin with raifing a fort of cylin- 

 dric tower, of betwixt three and four feet diameter. As the walls 

 of this little tower are made of the turfs, theiir fize determines the 

 thicknefs : but in building them they always lay the grafs down- 

 Wards ; and they make a door, about a foot wide, on the windward 

 fide. 



On the top of this door they lay a large piece of wood, which 

 ferves as a lintel. Then they fill all the infide with fmall dry wood 

 mixt with ftraw ; and finifli the furnace by making a vault of the 

 fame turfs, like the top of an oven. 



Before the vault is entirely finiflied, they light the wood that 

 fills the furnace, and then immediately clofe up the door with furfs, 

 and flop the opening that was left at the top of the vault ; taking 

 care to lay turfs on all the places where the fmoke comes out too 

 plentifully, juft as the charcoal-makers do : for without that pre- 

 caution, the wood will conlume too faff, and the earth not be 

 fufficiently burnt. 



If you were to cover the furnaces with earth, all the crevices 

 being too clofely ftopp'd, the fire would be extinguifh'd : but by 

 ufing only turfs, and always laying the grafs downwards, there is 

 air enough to keep the fire burning. 



When all the furnaces are made, the field feems covered with 

 little hay-cocks ranged in quincunx's : but you mufl watch the fur- 

 naces till the earth is red hot, to ftop with turfs any cracks that may 

 happen, to repair fuch as may be in danger of falling, and to light 

 again fuch as may be exdnguifhed. When tlae earth feems all on 

 fire, they want no farther care : even rain itfelf, tho' before much 

 be feared, will not hinder their being fufhciently burnt: fo you have 

 nothing more to do but to let them go out of themfelvcs. 



At the end of twenty-four or twenty-eight hours, when the fire 

 is extincl, all the heaps are reduced to afhes, except fome of the 

 tops which will remain not fufficiently burnt, they not being enough 

 expofed to the adtion of the fire : and 'tis for this reafon that we 



advife 



