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centre of his land, facing the south, the ground lying on a 
descent so as to admit the sun to the back part; and here 
the Woad should be put down as gathered and spread thin 
at one end, keeping children to turn it towards the other 
end. In the course of a week every day*s gathering will be 
dry for the couch which should be at the other end; there¬ 
fore it will be necessary to calculate how long the shed 
should be ; but this can be erected as you gather, and then 
it will soon be known. I never used the thermometer to 
discover or determine the heat which is necessary to pro¬ 
duce that change of smell which finishes a couch of Woad 
properly for the dyer (I suppose from 100 to 120 degrees 
ofFahrenheit) but I am convinced that it cannot be regularly 
obtained but by temperance and time. Good Woad, such 
as the richest land produces, if properly prepared, will be 
of a blackish green and mouldy ; and when small lumps are 
pulled asunder the fracture and fibres are brown; and these 
fibres will draw apart like small threads, and the more 
stringy they are and the darker the external appearance 
and if of a green hue, the, better the Woad ; but poor land 
produces it of a light brownish green. 
The fibres only serve to shew that it has not suffered by 
putrefaction. 
Considerable fortunes have been acquired by the culture 
of Woad in the north of England, and those who have not 
in possession land sufficient of proper staple will give an 
extra rent for leave to break pasturage ; and such as is old 
and is sod worn out and full of ant hills from long feeding, 
is equally good when lime is applied to destroy these and 
other insects which here exist, more than such as is in full 
proof to bear grass; for here they generate and become 
destructive so as often to render it very necessary to plough 
such land, corn it and form a new turf; and though this is 
so often prohibited yet it is often consistent with the best 
principles of husbandry. Here Woad is every thing and 
corn after it to a certain degree, which experience will de- 
