[ 25 ] bottom, till it has all drained off this water will have dissolved a great part of the Salt-petre that was in the earth, and runs off very foul, and is what we call the lye. Secondly, Of the boiling to fit it for filtering. Take any kind of boiler and put your lye into it, in the foul state which it was drawn off of the earth, cover your boiler with a lid, and boil the lye away with a brisk fire, to about one fifth of the quantity, if it should be reduced something more or less, it is not material, this first boiling being only to prepare the lye for straining, which is better done while it is hot, than while it is cold, and the reducing of it in quantity makes the operation of filtering it more expeditious. Thirdly, to filter or strain the lye. Prepare yourself with a cask which must be proportioned to the quantity of your lye, put a false bottom in it, about two or three inches above the true bottom, or otherwise make a kind of lattice with strips of boards or small twigs, in the same manner as is used in setting common lye tubs, on the top of this false bottom or lattice work, a layer of straw must be placed, the straws being cut of a proper length to extend across the tub, and must be laid about two inches thick, as even and parallel with each other as conveniently can be; over this another such layer of straw must be put so as to cross it, and of about the same thickness : This straw must bee pressed down, and confined by some slips of boards laid across it, tight within the tub, on this spread straw an inch or two in height, then add some live ashes about five inches thick; lastly, have a piece
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