half an inch of the surface of the earth; then take a plough of the largest size, with a sharp coulter and a double team, and plough a furrow outward, beam-deep, around the edge of the bed; stir the earth with forks, and carefully pick out all the roots, removing the earth from the bottom of the furrow; then plough another furrow beam-deep, as before, and pick over and remove the earth in the same manner; thus proceeding until the whole is completed.

Washing and drying.—­As soon as possible after digging, take the roots to some running stream to be washed.  If there is no running stream convenient, it can be done at a pump.  Take large round sieves, two-and-a-half or three feet in diameter, with the wire about as fine as wheat sieves; or if these cannot be had, get from a hardware store sufficient screen wire of the right fineness, and make frames or boxes, two-and-a-half feet long and the width of the, wire, on the bottom of which nail the wire.  In these sieves or boxes, put half a bushel of roots at a time, and stir them about in the water, pulling the branches apart so as to wash them clean; then, having a platform at hand, lay them onto dry. (To make the platform, take two or three common boards, so as to be about four feet in width, and nail deals across the under side).  On these spread the roots about two inches thick for drying in the sun.  Carry the platforms to a convenient place, not far from the house, and place them side by side, in rows east and west, and with their ends north and south, leaving room to walk between the rows.  Elevate the south ends of the platforms about eighteen inches, and the north ends about six inches from the ground, putting poles or sticks to support them—­this will greatly facilitate drying.  After the second or third day’s drying, the madder must be protected from the dews at night, and from rain, by placing the platforms one upon another to a convenient height, and covering the uppermost one with board.  Spread them out again in the morning, or as soon as danger is over.  Five or six days of ordinarily fine weather will dry the madder sufficiently, when it may be put away till it is convenient to kiln-dry and grind it.

Kiln-drying,—­The size and mode of constructing the kiln may be varied to suit circumstances.  The following is a very cheap plan, and sufficient to dry one ton of roots at a time.  Place four strong posts in the ground, twelve feet apart one way, and eighteen the other; the front two fourteen feet high, and the other eighteen; put girts across the bottom, middle, and top, and nail boards perpendicularly on the outside as for a common barn.  The boards must be well seasoned, and all cracks or holes should be plastered or otherwise stopped up.  Make a shed-roof of common boards.  In the inside put upright standards about five feet apart, with cross-pieces to support the scaffolding.  The first cross-pieces to be four feet from the floor;