FUEL-WOODS OF THE FARM 87 
more needed inthe rain. If there be many kinds of materials 
available, some sort of division of labor may be arranged for 
the collecting of it. 
2. The materials gathered should be carried out to an 
open space on the lee side of the woods, and tried out in fire- 
making. Let the fires be so arranged as to secure a minimum 
of inconvenience from smoke. Each student should make a 
small fire (not over 18 inches in diameter), using one kind of 
material only. Let those more experienced at fire-making 
try more difficult materials—say green elm, for aclimax. Let 
each effort result in a fire and not asmudge: it,should catch 
quickly and burn up steadily and clearly with little smoke. 
To this end materials 
should be selected of proper Gente 
kind and proper size for a ae 
ready ignition, must be so 7 'Sio"tor tne Peat, De we, cate 
arranged as to admit air ““%” 
below, must ‘‘feed’’ inward as the center burns out’ and 
must not be increased in size faster than the increasing heat 
warrants. 
With the individual fires burning steadily, let observations 
be made on the readiness of ignition of other woods, green and 
dead, wet and dry, sound and punk. Different kinds of bark 
will show interesting differences in readiness of ignition. 
Demonstrations: At a common fire of larger size a num- 
ber of demonstrations may be made. 
1. The long-burning qualities of different kinds of wood 
may be roughly shown by placing pieces cut to like size and 
form on a wire rack such as is shown in figure 46, setting 
the rack upon a broad uniform bed of coals, and noting the 
time at which each piece is completely consumed. 
2. The fire-holding qualities of the same kinds of woodmay 
be shown by like treatment of a similar lot up to the point of 
their complete ignition—then removing them from the fire 
