324 



PEA 



PEA 



tunity for digging it, as the labour- 

 ers are but little incommoded by 

 water. They who dig peat for 

 fuel, should have long angular 

 spades, the blades of which should 

 be spiked like a carpenter's bur, 

 with which it may be easily cut 

 out of the pits, in pieces four in- 

 ches square, and twenty inches in 

 length. These should be laid sin- 

 gly on the surface to harden. 

 When they are partly dry they 

 are piled open, athwart each other: 

 And in a few days of drying wea- 

 ther, they will be fit to cart, and 

 store for fuel. This fuel must be 

 constantly kept in a dry place. 



It has been found by trials that 

 the ashes of peat is a very impor- 

 tant manure, of three times the 

 value of wood ashes. Fifteen 

 bushels are allowed to be a suffi- 

 cient top-dressing for an acre. It 

 is an excellent manure for cold 

 grass lands ; and for all such crops 

 in any soil as require much heat. 

 They should be sowed by hand, 

 as they can thus be more evenly 

 spread. It may be done in winter 

 with the least danger of hurting 

 plants by its heat, li sown in 

 summer, it should be just before 

 rain, when it should be immedi- 

 ately deprived of its burning qua- 

 lity. 



The method of burning peat to 

 ashes, I will give from the Museum 

 Rusticum, as I have had no expe- 

 rience in it myself. 



" As soon as it is dug, some of it 

 is mixed in a heap regularly dis- 

 posed with faggot wood, or other 

 ready burning fuel : After a layer 

 or two of it is mixed in this man- 

 ner, peat alone is piled up to com- 



plete the heap. A heap will con* 

 sist of from one hundred to a thou- 

 sand loads. 



" After setting fire to it at a 

 proper place, before on purpose 

 prepared, it is watched in the burn- 

 ing: And the great art is to keep 

 in as much of the smoke as possi- 

 ble, provided that as much vent is 

 left as will nourish and feed the 

 fire. 



" Whenever a crack appears, 

 out of which the smoke escapes, 

 the labourer in that place lays on 

 more peat ; and if the fire slackens 

 too much within, which may be 

 known by the heat of the outside, 

 the workmen must run a strong 

 pole into the heap, in as many 

 places as is needful, to supply it 

 with a quantity of fresh air. When 

 managed in this manner, the work 

 goes on as it should do. It is no- 

 ticed, that when once the fire is 

 well kindled, the heaviest rain does 

 it no harm whilst it is burning." 

 To preserve the ashes for use, this 

 writer proceeds thus : 



" It is necessary to defend the 

 ashes from the too powerful influ- 

 ence of the sun, air, dews, rain, 

 &c. or great part of their virtue 

 would be exhaled and exhausted. 

 If the quantity of ashes procured 

 is not very great, they may be easily 

 put under cover in a barn, cart 

 lodge, or hovel ; but large quanti- 

 ties must necessarily, to avoid ex- 

 pense, be kept abroad ; and when 

 this is the case, they should be or- 

 dered as follows : 



"A dry spot of ground must be 

 chosen ; and on this the ashes are 

 to be laid in a large heap, as near 

 as possible in the form of a cone 



