MACHINERY. Apparatus for the treatment. and handling of clay prior to its manufacture into bricks, tiles, etc. When clay is thoroughly and evenly tempered, it is then in best condition to make a good brick. Hence, since clay in its natural state is found in such a variety of conditions, the question of properly preparing it for the machine, with the least expense and the best results, becomes a matter of importance. It is seldom, if ever, the ease that a bed of clay is found with moisture so evenly distributed in it that it is just in the right condition to work the season through. A very common as well as successful plan is to soak the clay in pits. Two pits are used, one being filled and soaked while the Aber is being made into brick. Clay that is either too dry or too wet does not work satis factorily alone, or as well, alternately mixed, as if the entire mass was uniform in temper when put into the machine. This difficulty is overcome by carefully soaking in clay-pits, or by equivalent preparation by pug-mills and crush ers. When pits are used, the clay should be leveled off in the pits, and the lumps broken op after every few loads. A sufficient amount of water should then be thrown upon it, and this operation repeated until the pit is full. By this
means the clay will neither be too soft at the bottom or at the top, but evenly tempered throughout. A little experience and observa tion will suffice to obtain good results in tem pering the clay. To facilitate the coiivenienee of soaking the day-pit. a tank should be erected high enough so that the water can be thrown from it by the use of a hose, and in this way one person can easily supply the necessary amount of water without any hindrance to the other part of the work. In a very few cases the clay comes from the bank in the right condition to go at once into the machine. In this case it is best to have a platform arranged over the machine, on a level with the top, so that the clay can be dumped on this platform, and with the least possible labor thrown into the ma chine. In dry weather, when the clay-bank has a tendency to dry up badly, it is a very good practice to arrange to partially soak the clay in the bank by means of throwing water over the bank, or if possible irrigate it by digging trench es over the bank and allowing the water to flow through them.