GRASS SOIL POTASH. 



257 



southern half of East Falkland, where, as I mentioned, the 

 soil is good, there is abundance of long, but brownish grass 

 over all the country, and at the roots of it there are sweet 

 tender shoots, sheltered from the wind, much liked by cattle. 

 In that district there are several varieties of grass growing on 

 fine dark-coloured earth, mixed with light white sand ; and, 

 although, from never being cut, it has a rugged and brown 

 appearance, its nutritive properties must be considerable, as 

 the finest cattle are found feeding there. Mr. Bynoe remarked 

 to me, that wherever the surface of the ground had been broken 

 by cattle, he found a very dark-coloured earth mixed with 

 sand or clay, or else clay mixed with gravel and sand. That 

 the clay is good for bricks has been mentioned ; but I have 

 not said that there is stone of two or three kinds suitable for 

 building, and that any quantity of lime may be obtained by 

 burning fossil shells brought from the coast of Patagonia, 

 where the cliffs are full of them, or by collecting the shells 

 scattered upon the Falkland shores. Another natural produc- 

 tion, of more value than it has hitherto been considered, is the 

 common sea- weed or kelp ; * and I am told by Sir Woodbine 

 Parish that the archil or orchilla weed was obtained there by 

 the Spaniards. 



It is to be remarked, that the soil of East Falkland has been 

 very much improved in the neighbourhood of the settlement, 

 as well as around the estancia, or farm, where the tame cattle 

 are kept, in consequence of the treading and manuring it has 



* The manner of extracting potash from sea-weed is as follows:— ^ 

 When a sufficient quantity of kelp has been collected, it is spread out in 

 a place where it will be dried by the sun and wind, and when dry enoug-h 

 to burn, a hollow is dug in the ground three or four feet wide ; round its 

 margin are laid stones, on which the weed is placed and set on fire. 

 Quantities of this fuel being continually heaped upon the circle, there is 

 in the centre a constant flame, from which a liquid substance, like melted 

 metal, drops into the hollow beneath. This substance is worked, or 

 stirred, with iron rakes, and brought to an uniform consistence while in 

 a state of fusion ; and when cool, it consolidates into a heavy, dark- 

 coloured alkaline substance, which undergoes in the glass-houses a second 

 vitrification, and then assumes a perfect transparency, 



VOL. II. S 



