112 THE FOREST LANDS OF NORTHERN RUSSIA. 



where the bark has not closed over the wood, this being 

 considered a sign of rot 5 also, that there shall be no 

 branches within these 16 arshines, or 37 feet 4 inches. 



' The lip may generally be seen wherever the root-rot is 

 discovered by the sound the tree gives out when it is 

 struck with the back of the axe, which, when all is right, 

 should be a perfectly sound, hard, and somewhat deep note. 

 The lip is situated generally high up the tree, and it is 

 often the effect of a branch having died and fallen off, 

 leaving a bare place. 



'These logs are carefully bracked, or approved and 

 assorted, by the bracker, who measures the breadth at the 

 top, marks the number of vershocks which it is in diameter 

 by certain chops on the edge, and then, by means of a 

 hammer cut with his initials, his initials are stamped in at 

 the top and bottom of the log. 



' When a ten-vershock tree, or twelve inches in diameter, 

 is felled, sometimes another length can be taken off one 

 of seven vershocks, twelve and a half inches in diameter 

 at top, from the same tree. This, however, is seldom 

 done, and it does not pay, for neither is the bottom 

 length good nor the top of much value. The bottom 

 length is too broad grained and very liable to rot, the 

 top is generally full of knots. 



' In the spring the Splavtchick, or floater, comes with his 

 artel, or company of men, and pushes the trees into the 

 rivers, and sees that they go down to the place destined 

 for their being counted by the Government official. If by 

 chance a tree runs ashore, he is bound to get it off. He is 

 provided with a boat-hook, and if it happens that he is on 

 one side of the river, and the tree is stranded on the other, 

 he gets on to a log which may be floating by him, and 

 though standing on this round surface in the water, he is 

 able by means of his boat-hook to paddle across the river 

 without losing his balance. 



' When the logs come to Podporog, they are caught by 

 the booms stretched across the river; here they are 



