XI. THE FUEL-WOODS OF THE FARM 
“We piled with care our nightly stack 
Of wood against the chimney back,— 
The oaken log, green, huge, and thick, 
And on its top the stout back-stick; 
The knotty fore-stick laid apart 
And filled between with curious art 
The ragged brush; then hovering near 
We watched the first red blaze appear, 
Heard the sharp crackle, caught the gleam 
On whitewashed wall and sagging beam, 
Until the old rude-fashioned room 
Burst flower-like into rosy bloom.” 
—Whittier (Snow-Bound). 
One of the first of the resources of nature to be brought into 
human service was fire. Lightning and other causes set wild 
fires going, and the savage following in their wake, found that 
they had done certain useful work for him. They had cut 
pieces of timber into lengths and shapes that were convenient 
to his hand. They had roasted wild roots and green fruits, 
and the flesh of wild animals overtaken, and had made them 
much more palatable. They had left piles of glowing embers 
beside which on a chill day he warmed himself. So he tooka 
hint from nature, added a few sticks to the live embers, and 
kept the fire going. Strange that no other animal has done 
this simple thing! Afterwards he found out how to start a 
fire by rubbing wooden sticks, later by striking flint on steel, 
and still later by friction matches. The wonder of the savage 
has become commonplace. 
Since cooking began, the word fireside has been synony- 
mous with home. Fire has been the indispensable agent of 
many comforts, and womankind have been the keepers of it. 
The wildwood has furnished the fuel. In the wood there is 
great variety ofit: fine twigs and coarse, and bark and splin- 
ters, all ready for use; and dead trees down, and green trees 
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