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thing that I know of, except by those who prepare salts of 
ley, for the manufacture of potash. As the elm yields a 
large quantity of ashes when burned, in proportion to other 
trees^ it is often felled by the salts-boilers. 
C. — What is the process of making salts ? 
F, — One man^ or more commonly two^ go into the woods 
with holders, and a kettle or large caldron^ and make a 
kind of camp^ very much like a sugar camp. As winter is 
the usual season of operation, they often make a rude hut^ 
or some little protection from the cold. They commence 
their business by felling such trees in the neighbourhood as 
suit their purpose ; unless they have another object in view^ 
the clearing of the land for cultivation, in which case they 
cut and burn indiscriminately all the timber, except such as 
is saved for some peculiar purpose, such as cedar for fencing, 
&c. Having cut enough to begin, and divided it into logs, 
they pile them on one another by rolling them up an in- 
clined plane, made by stakes from the lower logs to the 
ground : they then fill the interstices with dry brush, sea- 
soned wood, &c. and set fire to the whole, taking care to 
have sufficient wood that will burn to consume that which 
would not burn without assistance. The ashes are collected 
from time to time, and put into a holder, shaped like an in- 
verted cone, with the bottom open ; a little straw is placed 
over the hole at the bottom, a receiver placed beneath, and 
water poured on the ashes : the water filters through and 
runs into the receiver, having extracted the alkali contained 
in the ashes, which stains it of a dark colour, like that of 
brandy. This is called lye, or ley, and is boiled down till 
the water is evaporated and the alkali is left, which is the 
potash in a very impure state ; it is of a black colour, and 
is called salts of lye. This is sold to those who keep a poU 
ashery, where it is cleansed from its impurities, I believe by 
burning in a furnace, and becomes the potash of commerce. 
