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will aliow. There ought to be a 

 due Proportion between the Height 

 and the Breadth of the Kiln and 

 the Beguels of the Steddle where 

 the Fire is kept ', viz.. It the ICiln 

 be twelve Feet iquare on the Top, 

 it ought to be nine Feet high from 

 the Fire, and the Steddle ought to 

 be iix Feet and an half fquare, and 

 fb proportionable in other Dimen- 

 iions. 



The Hops muft be fpread even 

 upon the Oaft a Foot thick or 

 more, if the Depth of the Curb 

 will allow it. But Gare is to be ta- 

 ken not to over-load the Oaft, if 

 the Hop be green or wet. 



The Oaft ought to be firft 

 warm'd with a Fire before the 

 Hop are laid on j and then an even 

 fteady Fire muft be kept under them : 

 It muft not be too fierce at firft, 

 left it fcorch the Hops\ nor muft 

 it be fufter'd to fink or flacken, 

 but rather be increas'd till the Hop 

 be nearer dry'd, left the Moifture 

 or Sweat which the Fire has rais'd, 

 fall back or difcolour them : When 

 they have lain about nine Hours, 

 they muft be turn'd, and in two 

 or three Hours more they may be 

 taken off the Oaft. It may be 

 known when they are well dry'd 

 by the Brittlenefs of the Stalks, 

 and the eafy falling off of the Ho^- 

 Leaves. 



The Butch and Flemings have 

 another Method of drying their 

 Hops : They make a fquare Kiln 

 or Room about eight or ten Feet 

 wide, built of Brick or Stone, ha- 

 ving a Door at one Side, and a 

 Fire-place in the Middle of the 

 Room, on the Floor, about thir- 

 teen Inches wide within, and thir- 

 teen Inches high in Length from 

 the Mouth of it almoft to the 

 Back-part of the Kiln, a Paflage 

 being ieft juft enough for a Man to 



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go round the End of it. This they 

 call a Horfe, flich as is commonly 

 made in Malt-kilns, the Fire pa{^ 

 fing out at Holes at each Side, and 

 at the End of it. 



The Bed or Floor, on which the 

 Hops lie to be dry'd, is plac'd about 

 five Feet high above; about that 

 is a Wall, near four Feet high, to 

 keep the Hops from falling. 



A Window is made at one Side 

 of the upper Bed, to ftiove off the 

 dry Hops down into a Room pre- 

 par'd to receive them. The Beds 

 are made of Laths or Rails fawn 

 very even, lying a quarter of an 

 Inch diftant from one another, 

 with a Crofs-beam in the Middle 

 to fiipport them ; the Laths are let 

 in even with the Top of the 

 Beam, and this keeps them even 

 in their Places. This they call an 

 Oaft. 



The Hops are laid on this Bed 

 by Baskets full, without any Oaft- 

 cloth, beginning at one End, and 

 fo going on till all is cover'd half a 

 Yard thick, without treading them j 

 then they even them with a Rake, 

 that they may lie of an equal 

 Thicknels. 



This being done, they kindle 

 the Fire below, either of Wood or 

 Charcoal j but the latter is accoun- 

 ted the better Fewel for Hops: 

 This Fire is kept as much as may 

 be at an equal or conftant Hear, 

 and only at the Mouth of the Fur- 

 nace, for the Air will fufficiently 

 difperfe it. 



They do not ftir them till they 

 are throughly dry'd, i. e. Till the 

 Top is as fully dry'd as the Bot- 

 tom; but if they find any Place 

 not to be fo dry as the reft (which 

 m.ay be known by reaching over 

 them with a Stick or Wand, and 

 touching them in feveral Places) 

 they obierve where they do not 



rattle. 



