218 
NATURAL HISTORY 
strip them with the nicest regularity. When these Junci 
are thus far prepared, they must lie out on the grass to bo 
bleached, and take the dew for some nights^ and afterward^; 
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, aud especially by 
the seaside, the coarser animal oils will come very cl^3ap. 
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 
