THE USE OF FLINT BLADES TO WORK PINE woop. 603 
mounted more advantageously in an intermediate piece, like those 
which were generally made for the axes of stone in handles found in 
the Swiss lake cities. First of all, by that means, it became possible 
to fix them immovably in the helve; and secondly, which was most 
essential, to place between the edge and the handle the distance appro- 
priate for the use of the implement. The intermediate pieces which I 
used were of elm or beech 0.12 to 0.13 meter (43 to 5 inches) long, 0.4 to 0.5 
meter (16 to 20 inches) wide, and 0.3 to0.4meter thick. These were split 
at one end toinsert the blade, and the interstices were filled with a kind 
of pitch used by saddlers. After having wrapped with a piece of leather 
the two sides of the blade which protruded beyond the cleft, this was 
tightly bound with cord. The other end of the intermediate piece was 
rounded and slightly pointed so as to be more easily introduced into 
the corresponding hole in the handle. This hole was bored obliquely 
in the middle of the thickest part of the handle, in such a way that the 
blade formed an obtuse angle with the upper extremity of the handle. 
This arrangement was found to be necessary, for otherwise it would 
not have been the middle of the edge which struck the tree but the 
outer corner; that is to say, the one farthest from the hand. This 
point would have soon been probably broken, which would not be the 
case when the edge was properly set in an oblique position. This solid 
hafting was like those used in Denmark in primitive times, and the 
dowel of wood in which is set a blade found in the fiords of Kolding 
and represented on page 392 of the memoir of S. Miiller, served as 
an intermediate piece. 
With these blades thus hafted I have executed the works here de- 
scribed on green pine, not that the kind of wood plays an important 
part in these experiments, for it is to be supposed that blades cutting 
one kind will do as much on all other kinds of the same hardness; but 
as most of the forestsof Denmark during the stone age consisted nearly 
exclusively of pines, as Prof. Steenstrup has demonstrated, I have made 
my investigations on the Pinus silvestris of different sizes cut down in 
the woods of Frijsenborg in the beginning of January, and I have con- 
tinued them from the 27th to the 31st of the same month. 
I. A stick of pine wood 0.0555 meter in diameter, which was fixed per- 
pendicularly on a work-bench, was cut in two in three-quarters of a 
minute; it did not break off until it had been reduced to 0,007 meter 
in diameter; the severed piece was sharpened like a pile. 
Il. Another stick, 0.1225 meter in diameter, placed in the same posi- 
tion was cut inten minutes. It was broken off by force when it was not 
more than 0.02 meter in diameter. 
III. A stick placed in the same position was cut in eighteen minutes; 
it broke off when it was 0.05 meter. It was necessary to strike 1,578 
blows to dothe work. At the 1,485th strike a little fragment separated 
itself fromthe edge. Even at the beginning the edge struck accidentally 
