210 On Burning Clay. 
to have a good effect upon it. At one time it was covered with water, 
and at another, rendered impenetrable by being too dry. After witnes- 
sing the effect on a similar clay, at the place before named, I commenced 
burning, and in a few days produced a composition three feet deep, 
equal, if not superior, to any soil in this country. — The clay is rendered 
as pliable as burnt chalk, and seems to be possessed of the medium 
of holding just a sufficient quantity of moisture, and no more : as far 
as I have witnessed, every thing appears to thrive in it; and I have 
every reason to think, that when clay abounds in peach borders, &c. 
that very much may be done by way of improving them. As an in- 
stance, I last summer applied a quantity of burnt clay to some old peach 
trees, and on examining their roots in the autumn I found abundance 
of good young roots, growing in complete bunches; and I believe, 
that were these borders composed of three parts of this material, they 
would not be attacked with those diseases so prevalent in the spring, 
would be more likely to make their wood with shorter joints, and ripen 
much better and earlier than they could do in a compost, strongly ma 
nured. 
My manner of performing the process, is as follows : — I throw out a 
trench eight feet wide, and about three feet deep ; into this I place as 
much small wood, or faggots, as will fill the trench to the level of the 
ground, upon this I place a quantity of sti-onger wood, such as the 
roots of old trees, &c., which must be regulated according to the quan- 
tity of clay about to be burnt : when the whole is completed, I take 
the advantage of fine weather to light the fire ; when this is done the 
whole is covered up with that part of the clay which came last out of 
the trench, as of course it is the strongest ; as the fire advances, more 
is throAvn on the heap, making an embankment with the top soil, and 
all that part which contains any vegetable matter. As the fire increases, 
the clay contiguous to the fire is dug up, and thrown on the top; and 
should the weather prove dry, there will seldom require any addition 
of fiiel. I have often been of opinion that I could add to the mass, until 
it reached to the height of a garden-wall ten feet high. 
As the violence of the heat subsides, I spread out the soil, which^ 
from the carbonaceous principles it receives in the process, is rendered 
in point of richness, fully equal to soot. Indeed, I calculate that the 
ground so heated will require no manure, for at least four or five years, 
as every species of vegetable appears to grow much too strong for 
the first two years, with doing nothing more than giving a slight 
raking. The clay here, probably is superior to that in some other 
places, owing to the quantity of calcareous matter it naturally con- 
tains, I conceive a portion of it is converted into lime, in the process 
of burninsr. 
