260 The Natural History of Selborne 



the height of summer ; but may be gathered, so as to serve the 

 purpose well, quite on to autumn. It would be needless to add 

 that the largest and longest are best. Decayed labourers, women, 

 and children, make it their business to procure and prepare them. 

 As soon as they are cut, they must be flung into water, and kept 

 there, for otherwise they will dry and shrink, and the peel will not 

 run. At first a person would find it no easy matter to divest a 

 rush of its peel or rind, so as to leave one regular, narrow, even rib 

 from top to bottom that may support the pith ; but this like other 

 feats, soon becomes familiar even to children ; and we have seen an 

 old woman, stone blind, performing this business with great des- 

 patch, and seldom failing to strip them with the nicest regularity. 

 When these junci are thus far prepared they must lie out on the 

 grass to be bleached, and take the dew for some nights, and after- 

 wards be dried in the sun. 



Some address is required in dipping these rushes in scalding fat 

 or grease ; but this knack also is to be attained by practice. The 

 careful wife of an industrious Hampshire labourer obtains all her fat 

 for nothing ; for she saves the scummings of her bacon-pot for this 

 use : and, if the grease abounds with salt, she causes the salt to 

 precipitate to the bottom, by setting the scummings in a warm oven. 

 Where hogs are not much in use, and especially by the sea-side, the 

 coarser animal -oils will come very cheap. A pound of common 

 grease may be procured for fourpence, and about six pounds of 

 grease will dip a pound of rushes, and one pound of rushes may be 

 bought for one shilling ; so that a pound of rushes, medicated and 

 ready for use, will cost three shillings. If men that keep bees will 

 mix a little wax with the grease, it will give it a consistency, and 

 render it more cleanly, and make the rushes burn longer ; mutton- 

 suet would have the same effect. 



A good rush, which measured in length two feet four inches and a 

 half, being minuted, burnt only three minutes short of an hour ; and 

 a rush of still greater length has been known to burn one hour and 

 a quarter. 



These rushes give a good clear light. Watch-lights (coated with 

 tallow), it is true, shed a dismal one, "darkness visible" ; but then 



