310 FELLING. 



length of the branches, the tree threatens to fall out 

 of its course ; this is discovered by one of the wedges 

 going easier than the other, or the saw pinching on 

 one side and not on the other ; in this case the saw 

 must be worked more on the side to which the tree 

 threatens to swing, and thereby giving way first at 

 the final driving of the wedges, allows the tree to fall 

 in the intended place. 



It also happens sometimes, from unskilful manage- 

 ment, high wind, or unfavourable leaning of the tree, 

 that when the saw is nearly home, and the wedges 

 have not a sufficient bearing, that the tree will sud- 

 denly fall over them ; this is an accident often attended 

 with danger to the workmen, and should be carefully 

 guarded against. 



When the tree is fallen, all the branches and head 

 are cut off, leaving the measurable timber. The 

 branches, if too small to be measured as timber, are 

 cut into lengths of six or eight feet for billet wood ; 

 the smaller are chopped into three or four feet length 

 for stack wood, and the brush is tied up in fagots 

 about fourteen inches diameter, for the purpose of 

 heating ovens, or burning bricks. These fagots and 

 stackwood, being about the same length, are usually 

 disposed of together ; two pieces of the latter being 

 counted as one fagot. 



In felling oak, the same steps are taken as above, 

 but with the addition of stripping off the bark from 

 the butt and branches before fagoting, as far up as 

 they are of any size. The bark is first cut through 



