lOO Notes atid Gleanings. 



which we have lately had. One such heap has, therefore, been finished ; a good 

 lot of grass in a heating state had been mixed with vegetables, weeds, earth, 

 at different times ; and now all such grass available has been added, and the heap 

 has been covered over with the earthiest matter at command. Inside, the mass 

 is fermenting strongly, and little or no gases are escaping ; and, when cut down 

 in winter, such a heap will only be inferior to the best half-decomposed farm- 

 yard-manure. 



My second kind of rubbish-heap is one that undergoes the fiery process. It 

 consists of prunings, that, either from their spines and thorns, cannot be handled, 

 or are so small and leafy as to be unfit for furnace-lighting ; as cuttings of ivj-, 

 periwinkles, and all sorts of root-weeds and seed-weeds, such as the white con- 

 volvulus and the sow-thistle, which would not do to be taken to the above rot- 

 heap, as the roots would just be in the best position for extending themselves 

 throughout the mass ; and if chickweed, groundsel, thistle, had the flower- 

 buds formed and opened, there would often be moisture enough in the stems, and 

 heat enough in the heap, to perfect and scatter the seeds, and not enough to 

 destroy them : consequently, up they would come again when taken out to the 

 garden, and placed near enough the surface for sun and air to act upon them. 

 In such cases, the useless spray comes in well for a fire, on which a great heap of 

 such half-rotting weeds is piled : and when fairly heated, and the heat kept in 

 with old-used earth mixed with the weeds and rubbish of prunings, a large heap 

 of burnt earth and ashes is obtained ; and such, for surface-dressings and keep- 

 ing vermin at bay, is little inferior to lime. The smouldering of the heap, when 

 fairly started, tends to char instead of quite burning up much of the vegetable 

 matter. The fire is the best means for reducing all such rubbish into little 

 space, and securing from deleterious materials a good dressing for any, and 

 especially strong loamy and clayey ground. 



A third heap, but scarcely a rubbish-heap, consists of larger prunings more 

 free from leaves, dried hollyhock-stems, pea-stakes too rotten for further use 

 and for lighting furnaces, for which purpose tjiey are inferior to fresh dry fagots ; 

 in fact, any thing wooden, from small twigs to shoots as thick as the thumb or 

 wrist. These, firmly packed together, may be charred. One of the easiest 

 modes of doing this is to cover the outside with a few inches of large weeds, 

 tree-leaves, or even long grass, or any thing of that kind, and then cover this 

 over with the commonest refuse earth. The rough inside covering prevents the 

 earth falling through into the charring mass, and will be more easily obtained in 

 a garden than a covering of turf, which is next to essential to charring large 

 lumps of wood for kitchen-purposes. To char this twiggy rubbish, much the 

 same process must be gone through as for charring wood for stove-purposes. 

 The charring can only take place when enough of air is admitted to keep up a 

 smouldering combustion without flame. For this purpose, light where you will, 

 the fire will take hold at the top of the heap ; and, when it has taken good hold, 

 it must be securely banked up with earth there, to prevent flame issuing 

 forth ; and a few holes farther down in the heap must be made to let a little air 

 in, to keep up the smouldering combustion. As the matter there becomes 

 charred, the upper holes are shut up, and others made lower down until you 



