36 



AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURE. 



notch in the sills (B) if possible, as s,hown in the illustration. 

 The corners are all the better for being of heavy timber, 

 and set well in the ground, say two feet deep, and well 

 rammed. Each corner of the building, whatever size it 

 may be, should be stayed firmly by cross pieces, and every 

 care exercised to have the posts straight ; otherwise there 

 will be trouble when the covering is put on. 



The Finished Building. The covering of that shown 

 in the illustration is of bark. The accommodation is live 

 rooms one 

 large general 

 room and two 

 bedrooms in 

 front, and 

 two rooms in 

 the lean - to 

 behind. The 



floor is of Cottage of Saplings and Bark. 



earth raised six inches above the level of the ground, and 

 rammed solid. But boards are better for flooring. 



Splitting Timber. A tree in 

 which the grain of the timber 

 runs straight can be split into 

 thin shingles, palings, posts, 

 rails, or other materials. The 

 illustration shows how this is 

 done by first bursting the log 

 into two or more " flitches " or 

 slabs, and then selecting the 

 parts for the purposes to which 

 they are best suited. 



Section of Log for Splitting. 



Bursting the Log. This 

 is the first operation after 

 barking the fallen tree, and 

 sawing it into the lengths 

 required. Wedges (a and bj 

 are driven into the log 

 along the lines we require. 



