L I Q^ 



earth on the beds ; wliich raifcs them about two inches above 

 the heads of the fets, which, by lowering the intervals, 

 ferves in wet feafons to drain the beds. It is generally con- 

 trived to get this work done by the lad week in September ; 

 but in favourable years, the middle of Oftober is not too 

 late. If the weather proves mild, no further trouble is 

 taken with them during the winter ; but if it is likely to 

 freeze hard, the beds are covered with peas-haulm, or long 

 dung, or fome fuch matters, to forward the growth of the 

 roots in the fpring, and proteft them during the winter from 

 the frofts. Early in the fpring, on the firft appearance of 

 the weeds, the lifpiorice is allowed a thorough hoeing ; and 

 this is feveral times repeated in the dry weather of the fum- 

 mer. The winter following, they are again covered with 

 long dung^ and in the fprnig, before the roots begin to 

 ihoot, the fpaces betwixt the rows on the beds are looiened 

 with a fpade, and the intervals dug: immediately after 

 which, the land has a flight drefling of coal-foot given, 

 which is fown by hand : this (hould be thick enough to make 

 the land look black, which, by the firft rains walhing it in, 

 greatly pufhes and invigorates the plants. The fecond and 

 third fummers, it is only neceflary to keep the crop clear of 

 weeds. 



About the third year after planting, the roots of the 

 liquorice will be in a ilate to take up ; and the proper feafon 

 for this is any time from the beginning of November till 

 February, as they (liould neither be taken up before the 

 ftalks are fully decayed, nor deferred till late in the fpring ; 

 othervvife the roots will be apt to flirink and diminifli in 

 weight. 



Manner of taking k/.— The mode of taking up the li- 

 quorice roots is by trenching the ground, beginning at one 

 end, and opening a trench clofe to the firft row three fpades 

 deep, or to the depth of the roots ; at which work, three 

 or four fpadcfmen are generally employed at each trench : 

 one goes on with the top fpit, a fecond with the next fpit, 

 another with a third fpit, and the fourth fpadefman com- 

 monly gets to the bottom of the roots, having a mattock to 

 affift him occafionally in clearing them ; and, as he takes 

 them up, throws them on the top of the ground. In this 

 way they proceed from row to row, till the whole plantation 

 is taken up. The fmall f;de-roots are then trimmed off', 

 and the beft of them divided into lengths proper for frefti 

 fets, and the main roots tied in bundles for the purpofe of 

 fale. It is of much confequence to fell them as foon as pof- 

 fible after they are taken up, as they are apt to lofe much 

 of their weight by keeping. 



After a crop of this root has been taken up, if it was 

 planted on frefti land, the fame ground is generally prepared 

 to yield another crop ; and this takes up nearly a year. In 

 doing which, it has given it, during the winter, a thorough 

 good drefling of well-rotted dung, mixed with lime : of this 

 large quantities are laid on, ftill having regard to the condi- 

 tion of the foil, and ploughing it well in the enfuing fummer. 

 In fuch loofe foils as are proper for this plant, there is no 

 occafion to dig the land for this crop a fecond time, the 

 taking up the roots having ftirred it to a fufficient depth : 

 this, with three or four fummer ploughings, is as much as 

 is TiecefTary. In other refpefts, it is managed the fame as 

 for the preceding crop. 



But if the land wliich has borne a crop of liquorice root 

 was not frefli when it was planted, but had been fome time 

 in tillage, it is fcarcely ever chofen to plant again with the 

 fame crop, without allowing feveral years to elapfe. 



ylfter-Cuhure. — In whatever way this crop is cultivated, 

 it fhould be kept perfedly clean by effeftual hoeing in May 

 and June ; and for this reafon it is better not to fow onions, 



10 



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or ;Miy other fmall plants,' upon the land with this fort of 

 plants. In the liquorice huft^andry, the land ftiould likcwife 

 be very highly manured, and be kept well water-furrowed 

 for the fpring mouths. 



In order to difcover how much liquorice-root is wafted 

 by being kept in dry places, a choice was made of a piece of 

 fingle root thirteen inches long, and full three-fourths of an 

 inch diameter throughout, which weighed five ounces ; and 

 nine fmall roots, thirteen inches long each, and from one- 

 fourth to one-eighth of an inch in diameter, which weighed 

 alfo five ounces. All thefe were put into a drawer in a dry 

 room, the beginning of February, and were weighed the 

 beginning of Auguft following ; when the largeft fingle 

 i-oot weighed two ounces and three quarters, and the nine 

 fmall roots alfo weighed full two ounces and three quarters : 

 fo that in fix months thefe roots loll almoft half their weight. 

 They were green and juicy when put into the drawer, and 

 were now pretty dry and hard ; but not quite fo dry and 

 hard as fome of the fame liquorice that had lain all that time 

 in tlie open room. But liquorice may be kept in moift fand, 

 or laid in the earth as long, with very little wafte or lois of 

 weight. 



As liquorice is an upright growing plant, and not apt to 

 lodge, and its roots dcfccnding deep, it is very proper for 

 the horle-hoeing culture ; in wliich it will probably arrive to 

 greater perfeftion than in the ufual method of cultivating it, 

 as defcribed above. 



However in Yorkfliire, where liquorice is cultivated in 

 rich fandy foils, its roots fometimes penetrate to the depth 

 of three or four feet, fometimes more ; but the digging of 

 the ground all over to that depth, when it is taken up, is 

 very expenlive. Asa faving in this refpect, the planters, in 

 digging up the ground, lay it in a proper form, and re- 

 plant it, making one digging fcrve for both purpofes, which 

 is a good method ; but tlicy fet the plants much too clofe : 

 whereas, if they planted them in rows, at about four feet 

 diftance, and horie-hoed it, the weeds might be deftroyed, 

 and the land greatly improved, efpecially if trench-hoed ; 

 and the produce would probably be very great, after fo full 

 a preparation of the land. And in addition to this, it may 

 be obferved, that this method of cultivation is much cheaper 

 than by hand-work, which is the ufual method. 

 Liquorice Vetch. See Astragalu.s. 

 Liquorice Vetch, Knohbed-rooted. See Glycine. 

 LiQUOKiCE, Wild. See Annus. 



LIR.A, or Lire, a money of account in Italy, and alfo a 

 filver coin, particularly at Milan and Venice. 



LIRELLA, the diminutive of lira, a ridge or furrow, is 

 ufed by Acharius for the peculiar fruftificat'on, or recepta- 

 cle, of the genus Opegrapha (See Liciienes.) Its colour is 

 generally very black, though fometimes hoary with a fort of 

 cfflorelcence ; its form oblong, fefiile or immerfed, fimplc, 

 aggregate or branched. The diHv is ufually narrow and 

 linear, occafionally fomewhat dilated ; tli.- margins parallel, 

 various in thicknefs and elevation, lu Englilh this recep- 

 tacle is termed a cleft. 



LIRIA, or LlikIA, in Ancient Geography, a town of 

 Spain, in the province of Valencia ; iS miles S. ot Segorbe. 

 This is a very ancient town, wliich is f?.id to have exilted 

 before the arrival of the Phecnicians in Spain. Under the 

 Carthaginians it bore the name of Edcra, and under the 

 Romans of Edeta and of Laurona, when it was the capital 

 of the country of the Edetani. There arc fome Roman 

 monuments remaining. The tov.n was almoil deftroyed 

 during the wars of Sertorius and Pompey ; but being after- 

 wards rebuilt, it was taken by the Goths from the Romans, 

 from the Goths by the Moors, and from them, in 1252, by 



James 



