On burning Clay for Manure. 295 



kindled, is thrown the clay, in small quantities at a time, 

 and repeated as often as necessary, which must be regu- 

 lated by the intensity of the burning. The air pipes are 

 of use only at first, because, if the fire burns \v r ith tolera- 

 ble keenness, the sods forming the pipes will soon be re- 

 duced to ashes. The pipe on the weather side of the kiln 

 only is left open, the mouths of the other three being 

 stopped up, and not opened, except the wind should 

 veer about. As the inside of the inclosure, or kiln, be- 

 gins to be filled up with clay, the outer wall must be 

 raised in height, always taking care to have it at least 

 eighteen inches higher than the top of the clay, for the 

 purpose of keeping the wind from acting on the fire. 

 When the fire burns through the outer wall, which it oft- 

 en does, and particularly when the top is overloaded with 

 clay, the breach must be stopped up immediately, which 

 can only be effectually done by building another sod 

 wall from the foundation, opposite to it, and the sods 

 that formed that part of the first wall are soon reduced to 

 ashes. The wall can be raised as high as may be con- 

 venient to throw on the clay, and the kiln may be in- 

 creased to any size, by forming a new wall when the pre- 

 vious one is burnt through. I have had them so wide 

 as to afford space for a horse and cart to turn on them ; 

 but, when they are so broad, it requires the workmen to 

 walk on the top of them when feeding with clay, which 

 I would not recommend, because, the more loosely the 

 clay can be laid on, the more rapidly it will burn. I did 

 not take all the trouble above stated with my kilns — 

 having the advantage of a quantity of old moss sticks and 

 tree roots, which I split, and kindled a large parcel of 

 them, and surrounded the fire with a quantity of dry turf, 



