218 NATURAL HISTORY 



strip them with the nicest regularity. When these Junci 

 are thus far prepared, they must lie out on the grass to be 

 bleached, and take the dew for some nights, and afterwards 

 be dried in the sun. 



Some address is required in dipping these rushes in the 

 scalding fat or grease ; but this knack also is to be 

 attained by practice. The careful wife of an industrious 

 Hampshire labourer obtains all her fat for nothing; for she 

 saves the scummings of her bacon pot for this use ; and if 

 the grease abounds with salt, she causes the salt to precipi- 

 tate to the bottom, by setting the scummings in a warm 

 oven. Where hogs are not much in use, and especially by 

 the seaside, the coarser animal oils will come very cheap. 

 A pound of common grease may be procured for four pence; 

 and about six pounds of grease will dip a pound of rushes ; 

 and one pound of rushes may be bought for one shilling : 

 so that a pound of rushes, medicated and ready for use, 

 will cost three shillings. If men that keep bees will mix 

 a little wax with the grease, it would give it a consistency, 

 and render it more cleanly, and make the rushes burn 

 longer : mutton suet would have the same effect. 



A good rush, which measured in length two feet four 

 inches and a half, being minuted, burned only three 

 minutes short of an hour : and a rush of still greater length 

 has been known to burn one hour and a quarter. 



These rushes give a good clear light. Watch-lights 

 (coated with tallow) , it is true, shed a dismal one, " dark- 

 ness visible ;" but then the wick of those has two ribs of 

 the rind, or peel, to support the pith, while the wick of the 

 dipped rush has but one. The two ribs are intended to 

 impede the progress of the flame and make the candle last. 



In a pound of dry rushes, avoirdupois, which I caused 

 to be weighed and numbered, we found upwards of 1,600 

 individuals. Now, suppose each of these burns, one with 

 another, only half an hour, then a poor man will purchase 

 800 hours of light, a time exceeding thirty-three entire 

 days, for three shillings. According to this account each 

 rush, before dipping, costs one-thirty-third of a farthing, 

 and one- eleventh afterwards. Thus a poor family will 



