trees, are good. Any kind of sound dead wood not in 

 contact with the ground is generally good, but wood 

 so far decayed that it has become pulpy is worthless 

 because it gives no heat, but makes much troublesome 

 smoke. 



The fire may be started by using dry leaves or grass, 

 but quicker results are generally obtained by breaking 

 fine dry twigs from standing trees. A good camper 

 generally starts his fire with one match, and he should 

 have the water boiling ten minutes after he lit the 

 wood. If he wishes to fry meat or potatoes he must 

 see to it that he gets a good supply of coals on which 

 to put his frying pan, and a good bed of live coals is 

 also needed for toasting bread or broiling meat on a 

 spit. Within half an hour, an experienced man can 

 prepare quite an elaborate camp supper. 



The best wood for producing coals is dry oaks, hick- 

 ory, ironwoods, elm and other hardwoods, but often 

 they are not obtainable and are sometimes not quickly 

 cut or broken into the required lengths. In this region 

 it is often most expedient to use poplar, willow, pine 

 and all kinds of driftwood. Pine makes a quick, hot 

 and smoky flame, and willow especially is a poor pro- 

 ducer of coals, but in camp one always takes the kind 

 of wood that comes handiest. Standing dead or down 

 birch is always worthless. It never dries in its dense 

 white bark, and while the wood is very durable as lum- 

 ber, if kept dry, left dead in its natural state it de- 

 cays quicker than any other wood in the Northern 

 forest. A dead white pine, either in the water or on 

 land, may remain sound for half a century, but a dead 

 birch will turn into a fungus-eaten pulp within about 

 three years. 



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