12 
On the Farming of Essex. 
The process of burning the soil for purposes of manure being 
peculiar to this district, it will not be out of place to give a de- 
scription of it here. 
Two methods prevail — the one the burning in large masses, 
and the other in small heaps; and two descriptions of soil are 
collected for that purpose, the one consisting of the green strips 
of uncultivated land lying round the sides of arable fields, which 
are dug up in spits, about 8 inches in depth, and partially dried 
by the sun and air before burning ; by the other, the whole sur- 
face of the field is ploughed up, with as thin a furrow as possible 
from a grass, sainfoin, lucerne, or other layer, upon which a large 
quantity of vegetable matter has accumulated, this, being partially 
dried by exposure during summer, is collected into heaps con- 
taining about 4 square perches, and by a process peculiar to 
the district is burned so as to be reduced about one half in bulk ; 
the ashes and unconsumed matter being carefully spread after- 
wards as manure for the succeeding crops. The labourer com- 
mences by placing some large pieces, by which he frames an 
artificial furnace, open to the windward side ; he then places some 
dry stubble and ordinary wood or thorns upon the top, and par- 
tially covers with some of the driest of the collected earth ; the 
fire is then applied, and as it progresses the whole is speedily 
covered with the earth, and by degrees the remaining earth is 
applied ; taking care not to allow the fire to burn through to the 
external surface of the heap without applying a fresh supply of 
the earth, and at the same time avoiding laying it on too thickly, 
so as to press down the heap closely in the first instance. With 
attention and assistance, many of these fires are kept burning at 
once, night and day, until the whole field is gone over ; and, with 
proper skill and attention on the j)art of the workmen, very little 
escajies the action of the fire in the first instance, but should any 
escape it is collected and carried forward to the next succeeding 
row and there consumed. It is difficult to burn the earth col- 
lected from around the sides of fields in the same manner, and the 
heaps are therefore increased to a larger size, the same process 
only being necessary of constantly applying fresh matter wherever 
the fire is seen bursting through, for should that be the case to 
any extent, unless fresh wood is applied and relighted, the fire of 
the whole soon becomes extinguished. The objection to burn- 
ing in large heaps arises from the strength of the fire being so 
much increased as to burn the earth red, and sometimes almost as 
hard as brick. Attempts have been made in districts where 
gravel is scarce to burn it for the purposes of road making, but 
the action of the frost soon reduces it to its original state, so as to 
make it in thc! end totally useless, unless a coating of gravel is 
afterwards a])plicd. 
