394 
Brick- Making. 
and a handy man can mould in one day, viz. from five 
in the morning until eight at night, five thousand. To 
assist him in the preparation of the soil, &c. from the 
heap (which is usually dug after the season for brick- 
making is over and laid up) there is generally a gang con- 
sisting of six persons ; one man (but sometimes a wo- 
man) tempers and prepares the soil, which is done with a 
hoe made long, in the shape of a mattock, a shovel, a 
scoop, a thick plank or board, and a cuckhold ; with tlie 
hoe he pulls down the soil from the great heap, which is 
chopped backwards with the shovel, to turn it as often as 
may be necessary, to mix and thoroughly incorporate the 
ashes and soil together (because it is to be understood 
that at the time the soil is dug out, and made into this 
heap, a layer of coal ashes is alternately placed between 
a layer of soil, as often and in such quantities in each 
layer as the quality of the soil and other circumstances 
may make necessary.) The scoop is used to throw water 
over this portion that is pulled down with the hoe, in or- 
der that it may become more and more in a tempering 
state, more soft and ductile; and with the board he 
kneads it together, over which a certain quantity of sand 
is tlirown, and it is then covered with pieces of sacking 
or matting to keep the sun and air from it. A boy of 
ten or twelve years of age scoops or cuts off a slice with 
an instrument or shovel having a short handle, and the 
blade of it made concave, called a cuckhold, which he 
brings on his arms to the moulding table, which is plac- 
ed under a moveable shed, upon which a girl of the same 
age rolls out a lump somewhat bigger than will fit the 
mould, the table having been previously strewed with sand. 
The moulder, after dipping his mould into dry sand 
placed at on^ corner of his table, throws the lump pre- 
pared by tlie girl into the mould, and with a flat smooth 
stick about eight inches long, previously dipped in a pan 
