CLEARING THE CROP 153 



Bark Peeling. 



Prior to the outbreak of war in 1914, the price of bark 

 dropped so low that it did not pay to do any peeling. 

 In wet seasons, when so much work was needed to harvest 

 the bark, it was often a dead loss. This drop in price was 

 due in a great measure to the import of large quantities 

 of foreign bark and to the increased use of chemicals. 

 Oak bark, however, which is richer in tannin than that of 

 other trees, is still used for the very best leathers. 



The bark with the largest percentage of tannin is that 

 found on coppice shoots, the next best being that on the 

 branches of trees, the rougher bark of the bole containing 

 only a small percentage. 



The bark of Larch, Spruce, Birch, Alder, and Willow, 

 is also used for tanning different kinds of leather. 



The best season for peeling is just when the sap is 

 rising, generally in April, May, or early June, according 

 to the species. 



The tools used for the work are axe, saw, hand-bill, 

 mallet, and peeling irons. 



The bark should be stripped off the butt of the tree 

 for about 3 feet before it is felled. After the tree is down, 

 boys and women can strip the branches, while men with 

 heavy peeling irons work on the bole. To strip the bark 

 from the bole, it is cut through all round with a heavy 

 bill or axe at every 2 feet 6 inches or 3 feet, and longi- 

 tudinal cuts also made every 15 or 18 inches of the 

 circumference, according to the size of the tree. 



The large peeling iron is then inserted in the top 



