Page:The Annual Register 1758.djvu/370

 356 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1758.

have always found the cffeifl the fame.

As foon as the haulm of the madder begins to decay in aiitiimn, the roots may be taken up for ufe, becaufe then the roots have done growing for that feafon, and will then be plumper, and iefs liable to llirink, than if they are dug up when the plants are growing ; for I have always found that the roots of every kind of plant, which are takea out of the ground during the time of their growth, are very apt to fhrink, and lole much of their weight in a fliorc time.

When the feafon for digging up the madder roots is come, it fhould be done in the following manner, viz. A deep trench fhould be dug on one fide of the ground next to the firft row of madder, to make a fufficienc opening to receive the earth, which muil be laid therein in digging up the TOW of roots, fo that it fhou'd be at leaft two feet broad, and twofpits, and two fliovelings deep, and fhould be as ciofe as poiTible to the roots, without breaking or cutting them in doing it; then the row of roots mult be care- fully dug up, turning the earth into the trench before mentioned. In the doing of this there (hould be to every perfon who digs, two cr three perfons to take out the roots, that none may be loft, and as much oi' the earth (hculd be ihaken out of the roots as poffible ; and aher the principal roots are taken up, there will be many of the long fibres remaining below ; therefore, in order to get the roots as clean a? pofT.ble, the whole fpot of ground ihould be dug of the fame depth as the firft trench, and the pickers muA follow the diggers

to get them all out to the bot- tom. As the digging of the land to this depth is neccfTary, in order to take up the roots with as little lofs as poiTible, it is a fine preparation for any fucceeding crop ; and I have always found that the ground, where madder hai grown, produced better crops of all kinds than land of equal goodnefs, which had not the like culture.

After the roots are taken up, the foouer they are carried to the place of drying, the finer will be their colour ; for if they lie in heaps, they are apt to heat, which will difcolour them, or if rain fhould happen to wet thim much, it will have the f:me cited, therefore no more roots fnould be taken up than can be carried under Iheher the fame day.

The firft place, in which the roots Ihould Ic laid to dry, mull be open to admit the sir, but covered on the top t6 keep out the wet. 1{ a building is to be eredted new, fuch as the tanners have for drying their Ikins will be as proper as any, for thefe have weather-boards from top to bottom, at equal diftances, to keep out the driving rain, but the fpaces between being open, admit the air freely : and if inftead of plank floors, or ftages above each o'vher, they are laid with hurdles or baflcet-work, upon which the roots are laid to dry, the air will have freer paflage to the under-fide of the roots, which will dry them more equally.

in this place they may remain three or tour days, but the roots fhould be turned over once or twice, that every part may dry equally, by which time the earth, which adhered to the roots, will be fb dry as eafily to rub cH', which

fhould