Fic. 47. 
88 
Rubbing sticks for 
‘fire-making: a, drill-socket, 
to which pressure is applied 
with the left hand (a pine 
knot with a shallow hole in 
it will do for this); b, the 
drill, an octagonal hardwood 
stick about fifteen inches 
long; the top should work 
smoothly in the drill socket; 
¢, inelastic bow for rotating 
drill. It is moved horizont- 
ally back and forth with the 
right hand; itscord, d,is.a 
leather thong with enough 
slack to tightly encircle the 
drill once; e, fire board of 
dry balsam fir, or of cotton- 
wood root, or even of bass- 
wood. Observe how the 
notches are cut with sides 
flaring downward; a little pit 
to receive the point of the 
fire drill is at. the apex of 
each one; x is a used-out 
notch; 21s yetin use; 3isa 
new unused notch. The 
rotating of the drill with 
pressure from above rubs off 
a_ brownish wood 
which falls beneath the 
-notch and smokes, and then, 
ie gentle fanning, ignites. 
A dry piece of punk should 
be placed beneath the notch 
to catch it, and some fine 
tinder (such as may be 
readily made by , scraping 
fine, dry cedar wood) should 
be added to catch the first 
flames, 
owder » 
NATURAL HISTORY OF THE FARM 
and timing the: disappearance first 
of flame, and then of red glow. 
3. The burning quality of the 
same kind of wood in different con- 
ditions, green and dead, ‘sapwood 
and heartwood; dead wood wet and 
dry, sound and punk; pieces from 
knot and from straight-grained por- 
tions, etc., may be tested as ‘in 
paragraph 1. 
4. Ancient methods of starting a 
fire may be demonstrated in the inter- 
vals while waiting for the pieces used 
nt, 2, and 3 to burn out. With the 
apparatus shown in figure 47 any- 
one can start a fire by friction of one 
piece of wood upon another and care- 
fully nursing the first resulting spark. 
Flint and steel and tinder may also 
be tried. 
5. Some interesting peculiarities 
of. certain woods may be shown at a 
common fire: 
(a) By having green chunks 
‘burning at one end, the liquids ‘in 
the wood may be made visible. 
Green elm will exude water at the 
other end; red maple will froth; 
hickory will exude a very limited 
quantity of delicious ‘‘hickory honey.” 
(b) By burning pieces of chestnut, sumach, etc., the crack- 
ling of woods may be demonstrated. 
ing habit of hemlock. 
also the ember-throw- 
A shower of sparks may be had by 
throwing on green, and leafy boughs of hemlock and balsam. | 
