270 
To test the quality of Charcoal, prepared from wood of differ- 
ent sorts, M. Seitz, the inspector of the Royal Garden of 
Munich, had Charcoal made from Oaks, Limes, Ashes, Beeches, 
Alders, AVillows, Elms, and Firs. These were kept separate, 
and placed in compartments in a hotbed. Their effects in the 
culture of plants under circumstances exactly alike, was then 
proved, and scarcely a difference could be discerned. If a 
difference was perceptible it was in favour of the Fir Charcoal. 
Bone Charcoal, however, excelled them all, when used for strik- 
ing plants. 
Charcoal will be easily obtained in any part of the country, 
and in any state of pulverization that may be required for horti- 
cultural purposes, when a demand for it has been created ; still 
some persons, who possess offal wood, may be desirous of 
making it. The operation is a very simple one, requiring only 
that the wood be burnt without exposure to the atmosphere, just 
as coal is burnt for obtaining common gas. As a correspondent 
of the Gardeners’ Chronicle (J. Lowder) has given a plain ac- 
count of his practice, we will copy his description of it from that 
useful publication for the benefit of our readers. He says, “I 
cut up a quantity of wood into billets of about eighteen inches 
long, and placed three or four wheelbarrowfnis upon a handful 
of straw and a few dry sticks, and set fire to the straw’. As the 
wood began to ignite I surrounded it with sods from the side of 
the road, tolerably dry, and common road dirt (throwing on the 
latter in lumps, so as not completely to exclude the air), until 
the wood was covered all over. Soon the whole heap was 
burning together, and, as the fire made its appearance through 
the dirt, or rather as the dirt became burnt, I threw on more 
dirt. At night I added as much as I thought would be burned 
by the morning, and thus the heap was kept burning for several 
days. Upon clearing away the burnt earth, I found the wood 
I had used for lighting the fire completely charred, but not a 
stick consumed. Thus, I have accomplished two objects by 
one operation ; I have made Charcoal as well as a regular pro- 
fessor of that art ; and have also prepared a capital compost 
of burnt earth and sods, which I intend to enrich by dosing it 
with liquid manure. I have made several heaps since I 6rst 
made the attempt, and have not failed in a single instance. 
The wood I used is Black Poplar, as I happened to have a 
