lo Dec, 1909.] 



Building Hints for Settlers. 



803 



with the udvent ot' hot sun and drying winds the slu'et of bark would 

 <[iiickly set and become ligid as a board and couhl not afterwards be 

 flattened out. In dry hot weather, therefore, after dressing, lean the sheet 

 of bark against the tree and underneath make a fire with the bark removed 

 in dressing. In a few minutes the sap in the bark will Ix-come lieated and 

 this will render the sheet both tough and pliable, when it may be at once 

 carefully flattened out on the ground and a small log placed on top to keep 

 it flat ; in two days it will befit for carting and stacking. 



When the bark is ready for stacking, a few spars are placed on the 

 ground, and the sheets of bark laid side by side on these, the next layer of 

 sheets being piled crosswise to the first layer and so on. It is not advisable 

 to place too many sheets in one stack, and the stacks should be reversed, 

 that is, top sheets placed on bottom and bottom sheets on top after the 

 lapse of a few days. It may be necessaiy to alter the stacks twice ; if left 



DI!KSSI\(;. SOFTENIXr; BY FIRE. 



as originally stacked the pressure on the bottom sheets is too great, and they 

 may split while shrinking. The .shrinkage in width of sheets of bark is con- 

 siderable, being about 2 inches to the foot, thus, a sheet of bark measuring, 

 v.hile green, 3 ft. 6 in., will shi-ink to about 3 feet in width. When required 

 for use, the ends of the sheets of bark are trimmed square, and the sides may 

 also require tiimrning to an e(iual width at both ends, as the bai-k is always 

 wider, when stripped, at the end nearest the base of the ti-ee. It may be 

 remarked, in passing, that the usual mode of taking only a single sheet of 

 bark from a standing tree is a wasteful one. It would be preferable to 



