The Third Part of the Prosperity of Germany

Part Three.

the lye is made stronger from the lime, having the power of fire, an excellent force for puttingrefying vegetables and animals and changing them into burning saltpeter.

Another method for preparing excellent saltpeter in large quantity from Lime & Wood Lye.

Take. Take equal parts of the aforementioned lime and wood ashes. Mix these species exactly with double the amount of horse or cow manure in a wooden vessel, or a trough, with human urine or that of some animal, to the consistency of the lime that bricklayers use, especially the thicker variety, so that a mass is formed. A fairly large quantity of this should be prepared. Then, let a certain arch be constructed from boards, which has a width and depth or height of approximately 3, 4, 6 or more feet, and a length that is double, depending on the condition of the location and the quantity of saltpeter to be prepared. Let the arch thus constructed be encrusted on every part with the prescribed mixture to the thickness of a hand's breadth, in a similar way as we see vaults constructed from stones and lime over wooden arches. With everything now set up in the proper manner, let a fire be placed under the vault imposed on the arch, at first very gentle, so that the arch—being the foundation and support of the vault—is not immediately ignited and burned, but