44 THE BOOK OP THE ROSE chap. 



fair planting condition, but even then it should be 

 trodden as little as possible. Anything that will 

 mechanically keep the particles apart is good for 

 digging into actual clay : long strawy manure, leaf 

 mould, any vegetable refuse, road-scrapings, grit, 

 light sandy or gravelly soil, or even coal ashes, will 

 all help ; but the best of all is the burnt clay itself, 

 mixed well into the land. 



The clay should be burnt as follows. A large col- 

 lection should be made of all manner of vegetable 

 refuse, weeds, and rubbish that will not easily burn, 

 sticks and wood both green and dry, but nothing 

 except just the kindling that will not burn too 

 quickly, Eose prunings and hedge clippings, rotten 

 wood and old stumps, &c. Two or three large old 

 roots that will smoulder a long time may be placed 

 in the middle, and the heap arranged of such a 

 mixture of fairly inflammable and damper materials 

 that the fire will neither go out nor break into fierce 

 flame. In and upon and around this heap, when 

 well on fire, should be placed the clay in quantity 

 proportionate to the amount of fire. Constant 

 watching will be necessary to add fresh clay when 

 it is needed and to prevent the fire going out or 

 breaking through too fiercely anywhere, the object 

 being to char the clay black and not to burn it red. 

 I recommend, as the best instruction possible for 

 this as for all mechanical operations, seeing it once 

 done by an old and experienced hand. The clay 

 burnt red as a brick will be useful as a disintegrator 

 at all events ; but the black charred clay will also 

 have a considerable manurial value, and it is 

 generally agreed that there is nothing like it for 



