200 FORESTRY IN LITHUANIA. 



Of the dexterity of the Lithuanians in what I may call 

 woodcraft is thus incidentally alluded to by Mr Anderson 

 in his account of Seven Months' Residence in Jtussian 

 Poland in 1863, which has been already cited : 



' The birch tree is, to the Polish peasant, the most 

 useful tree of the forest. His furniture, cart, plough in 

 fact, all his agricultural and garden tools are made of 

 this wood. It seems hard and strong enough for all 

 purposes, and serves even for the teeth of his harrow, and 

 for the lower part of his spade, as well as for its handle. 

 He constructs, also, out of the same material, long forks, 

 with which he contrives to throw up to a great height the 

 sheaves of corn gathered into their barns. In this work 

 two men stand with their backs to the place where the 

 sheaves are to be stored ; they then stick both their forks 

 into the same sheaf, and, upon one of them giving a 

 grunt, up it goes, flying over their heads, to its destina- 

 tion.' And again : 



' Considerable ingenuity is sometimes displayed by the 

 peasants in the execution of their work. 1 once saw a 

 man, who had invented a kind of turning-lathe, in order 

 that he might rapidly finish the nave of a cart-wheel 

 upon which he was engaged. He had fixed the piece of 

 wood on which he was at work upon two iron pivots. 

 He then twisted a rope twice round the piece of wood ; 

 attached one end of the rope to a strong birch sapling 

 which he had fastened in the ceiling ; and, in a loop at 

 the other end, he put his foot. He then set in motion 

 the wood, upon which he was at work ; and the spring, 

 given by the sapling, acted as a lathe. He had in his 

 hand a stick, with a strong crescent-shaped piece of iron 

 fixed to it; and with this he worked away, just as if he 

 had the best turning-lathe and chisel in the world.' 



