75 



is to be burned, the common plan of collecting sods 

 into heaps within a few feet of each other is the 

 best ; for thus no car work is wanted. I have read 

 of an English steward, in the county of Galway, 

 who totally regardless of the simple process followed 

 liy the poor peojde round him, whose heaps were 

 close to each other for the advantage of spreading the 

 ashes, made huge piles of sods, about four to an 

 acre ; now, besides the double labour of first draw- 

 ing the sods to those heaps, and afterwards wheehng 

 in barrows, or carting oiit the ashes, the ground did 

 not receive the same benefit ; for the greatest pro- 

 duce is always on the spot, where the heaps have 

 been burned. This Englishman was an uncalculating 

 blockhead, very iindeserving of fifty guineas a year, 

 besides as much bacon and beer as his stomach could 

 hold. None of yoih would be so stupid ; indeed I 

 have frequently observed that many of the EngUsh 

 farmers are dull and obstinate in the extreme, and 

 more wedded to their own farming practices, ho^v- 

 ever faulty, than my countrymen are, who will more 

 frequently catch and follow a useful hint. The Eng- 

 lish steward, thoiigh he saw a simpler and readier 

 plan than his own, would not follow it ; this, I con- 

 ceive, was entirely owing to hacon and heer ; the 

 bacon first made him exceedingly dull and heavy, 

 and too much beer afterwards caused his obstinacy — 

 nothing like potatoes aftey all ! 



There is, however, a very useful plan for producing 

 ashes from clay, even of the worst description, which 

 is as follows : — Let an oblong enclosure, of the dimen- 

 sions of a small house be made (say 13 feet by 10) 

 with green sods raised to the height of 3 or 4 feet ; 

 two narrow channels are next to be cut inside, from 

 end to end, passing out through the sod walls, and in- 

 tersected by two or more (according to the length of 

 the enclosure) channels of the same kind; those are 

 to be loosely covered with flags or flat stones. On 

 the points where these flues cross each other, dry 



