CHAPTER XXIII 

 BARKING OAK 



PREVIOUS to the war the price of oak bark about 2 10s. 

 per ton rendered it questionable whether from a purely 

 financial point of view the operations of stripping and 

 harvesting should be undertaken. Now, however, with 

 bark at fully three times that figure, the operation is to be 

 recommended. 



The period of bark-stripping and harvesting is one of 

 the most anxious seasons of the year with the forester, as 

 the quality of the bark is so largely dependent upon the 

 weather during the time that intervenes between the strip- 

 ping and stacking, or delivery, and not less so upon the 

 carrying out of the work at the proper time, to secure easy 

 and expeditious peeling. In most cases the time when the 

 bud is just expanding into leaf is that which gives the 

 greatest weight of bark of the best quality, with the smallest 

 amount of labour. By deferring the work, even for a few 

 days, there is often a loss in weight amounting to as much 

 as 10 per cent., and a great deterioration in quality. 



Even in the most favoured situations it is 'seldom that 

 the season for stripping extends beyond twenty-eight days. 

 The advantages of early stripping are so well known that 

 any comment on the subject is unnecessary ; suffice it to 

 say that, immediately the bark commences to " run " 

 freely, no time should be lost in making a start, and the 

 work should be prosecuted with vigour and dispatch until 

 completed. 



The proper time to commence barking cannot, however, 

 be fixed with any amount of certainty, much depending on 

 the season, whether early or late, as well as on the district 



220 



