TREES OF AMERICA. 229 



branches or fallen trees ; they are cut into 

 billets of two or three feet long, and three 

 inches thick, and then piled in a circle, so 

 that the ends all point to the centre of the 

 pile ; the pile is raised on a low flat hillock, 

 having a ditch around it ; the top of this hil- 

 lock is a little hollowing towards the centre, 

 and there is a trough cut from the middle of 

 it to the ditch on the outside. The pile is 

 generally about twenty or thirty feet wide, 

 and ten or twelve high ; but considerably 

 wider at the top than at the bottom, like a tin 

 pan : when all the sticks are piled, the top is 

 covered with pine leaves and turf ; this is to 

 prevent it from burning too fast ; then fire is 

 set to it, and as it smoulders and burns, the tar 

 runs down to the centre of the hillock, and 

 thence through the trough into the ditch 

 on the outside, from which it is ladled into 

 casks. A kiln that is to yield a hundred and 

 twenty barrels of tar, is eight or nine days 

 burning." 



" Uncle Philip, what is tar used for ?" 

 "Principally for covering or coating the 

 bottoms of ships, to make them water-tiglit ; 

 also for tarring ropes to keep them from rot- 

 ting ; and a great deal is made into pitch 



