n the 21st of June. A
grass head-land, in a wheat-field, had been mowed during the forepart of
the day, and in the afternoon I went and took a handful here and a handful
there out of the swaths. When I had collected as much as I could well
carry, I took it to my friend's house, and proceeded to prepare it for
bleaching, according to the information sent me from America by my son;
that is to say, I put my grass into a shallow tub, put boiling water upon
it until it was covered by the water, let it remain in that state for ten
minutes, then took it out, and laid it very thinly on a closely-mowed lawn
in a garden. But I should observe, that, before I put the grass into the
tub, I tied it up in small bundles, or sheaves, each bundle being about
six inches through at the butt-end. This was necessary, in order to be
able to take the grass, at the end of ten minutes, out of the water,
without throwing it into a confused mixture as to tops and tails. Being
tied up in little bundles, I could easily, with a prong, take it out of
the hot water. The bundles were put into a large wicker basket, carried to
the lawn in the garden, and there taken out, one by one, and laid in
swaths as before-mentioned.

I.--It was laid _very thinly_; almost might I say, that no stalk of grass
covered another. The swaths were _turned_ once a day. The bleaching was
completed at the end of _seven days_ from time of scalding and laying
out. June is a fine month. The grass was, as it happened, cut on the
_longest day in the year_; and the weather was remarkably fine and clear.
But the grass which I afterwards cut in Sussex, was cut in the first week
in August; and as to the weather my journal speaks thus:--

August, 1822.

2d.--Thunder and rain.--_Began cutting grass._
3d.--Beautiful day.
4th.--Fine day.
5th.--Cloudy day--_Began scalding grass, and laying it out._
6th.--Cloudy greater part of the day.
7th.--Same weather.
8th.--Cloudy and rather misty.--_Finished cutting grass._
9th.--Dry but cloudy.
10th.--Very close and hot.--_Packed up part of the grass._
11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th.--Same weather.
15th.--Hot and clear.--_Finished packing the grass._

K.--The grass cut in Sussex was as _well bleached_ as that cut in
Hertfordshire; so that it is evident that we never can have a summer that
will not afford sun sufficient for this business.

L.--The part of the straw used for platting; that part of the stalk which
i