AGKICUIiTURE ON THE RHINE. 123 



are termed, has been stated to us on good authority * to 



be as follows : — 



£ s. d. 

 A crop of rye, 12 bushels to the acre .226 



Ditto broom 10 



Grazing, 10 years 



Wood for charcoal, 60S cub. ft. per morgen 



(in charcoal) , . . .2126 



Bark, at 1 ton per morgen . . .2126 



£7 17 6 

 It is probable that the grazing in the " hauberg" brings 

 in no gain to the peasants, who lose their dung that would 

 otherwise accumulate in their yards, besides the loss of 

 milk that ensues from driving the cows up the hill to 

 these indifferent pastures. The whole sum divided by 

 seventeen, the number of years in the rotation, gives 

 9s. 3d. per annum, as the return drawn from mountain 

 land too steep for the plough, and situated under a very 

 inclement climate. 



The manner in which charcoal is burnt in the woods of 

 Siegen is the following : — A plot of ground of a circular 

 form is prepared by removing all stones from the surface, 

 and making it perfectly level. The bottom is stamped 

 hard, and if not raised by the accumulation of charcoal 

 dust from former burnings, must have a ditch drawn 

 round it to carry off water. In the centre is fixed an 

 upright stake, round which the wood, split into pieces of 

 three inches or little more in diameter, is piled on end. 

 The wood is chosen as equal in sizes as possible, and is 

 placed piece by piece in the round, the longer pieces 

 10 to 12 feet high in the centre, and the shorter gradually 



* Vorlander, quoted by Schenk in his * Statistics of 

 Siegen.' 



