TANNING MATERIALS AND TANNERIES 



163 



(c) While chestnut oak bark must be peeled in spring immediately when the sap begins to rise 

 (April- May), hemlock bark may be peeled at any time from May to September, peeling best in July. 

 Peeling of oak bark in the "second sap," towards June 15th, is not advisable. 



(d) Chestnut oak trees in the bottoms peel earlier than those higher up on the slopes. 

 The bark on the uphill side of a tree is thinner than the bark on the downhill side. 



(e) Trees exposed to the weather (isolated, on unprotected slopes) have shorter boles but heavier 

 bark than those growing under the reversed conditions. 



Dying trees will not peel. 



II. Peeling process: - 



(a) Girdle the tree about four feet above the ground; remove bark from stump and roots; fell the 

 tree in such a way as to leave the bole well raised above the ground. 



(b) Notch (with AXE) a line along the tree and rings around the tree every four feet. Have two men 

 with "spuds" peel the ringed sections, and see 



C 



A bark spud. 



that the pieces peeled are as wide as possible 

 and, as near as possible, four feet long. Large 

 pieces will dry well and will save expense in 

 handling. Handling costs more than peeling. 



(c) Lean the peeled pieces against the 

 felled bole, flesh side in, as high above ground 

 as possible, and see that the air circulates freely 

 aro und them. 



(d) See that the bark is as little 

 shaded as possible. Peel before leaves are 

 out. Never leave bark to dry in a moist gully. 

 Never place flesh of bark flat on a solid object. 

 Three days of dry and windy weather will cure 

 the bark when it is properly peeled and "stood 

 up." Fully cured bark will break, without long 

 slivers, square across its face. Bark is sure 

 to deteriorate if a long rainy season sets in. 



(e) The minimum diameter of trees and 

 branches to be peeled depends on the price of 

 bark and the price of stumpage. Far from the 

 roads, it does not pay to peel pieces of less 

 than 10 inches diameter. 



(f) The cured bark is carried to the sledding roads, is sledded to the waggon roads, and is waggoned 

 to the depot. 



(g) The expense of oak bark peeling, in the Southern Appalachians, is per cord of 2,240 lbs.: - 



Cutting and peeling and curing ... •vl-25 to."?r50 



Carrying and sledding 90cto-:fr45 



Sleds and sledding roads 15c to 30c 



(h) White oak bark imparts to the leather a gray color, and yellow oak bark imparts a bright 

 yellow color. Both these kinds are little used. 



(C) TANNING EXTRACTS IN PARTICULAR:— 



I. Tannin extracts are manufactured from bark (oak and hemlock), chestnut wood, quebracho, man- 

 grove, and oak wood. Quebracho wood contains 24 per cent; chestnut wood 8 per cent; white oak wood 

 4 to 6 per cent of tannin. 



Chestnut oak tree cut for tanbark on Biltmore Estate, North Carolina. 

 The bark Is placed to cure against the tree from which it came. 



