232 THE PRACTICAL PLANTER. 



die the small branches fall an inch in dia- 

 meter are barked) into their ropes, and bear 

 them, the large ones, and the trunk, if lift- 

 able by one person, to the barkers, who are 

 seated on the grass at a convenient distance. 



Small branches and twigs are held by 

 one hand on the stone, and beat with the 

 mallet until the bark be split, which is then 

 stripped off, and laid regularly aside, as in 

 reaping of corn, till a bundle of convenient 

 size be formed. The trunk and branches as 

 large as the leg, &c. are laid along on the 

 ground ; the upper side is beat, with force, 

 from one end to the other ; the bark is 

 started, at the thick end, by thrusting or 

 driving in the wedge, which, being run 

 along the whole length, rips it open in an 

 instant; the wedge is applied on both sides 

 of the incision, in manner of the knife in 

 skinning a sheep, observing to beat before its 

 point with the mallet, until the bark is com- 

 pletely loosened. 



Thus, a skilful barker will skin a tree or 

 branch as completely as a butcher will a 

 beast. But, the point most particularly to 

 be observed in this art is, to take off the 



