ON HARVESTING BARK. 131 
Across the house, at the distance of every eight feet, splits of 
wood should be erected, four tier in depth, forming shelves to 
dry the bark. The bark, on its removal from the timber, is 
immediately collected and spread three or four inches deep ; 
the smallest should occupy the lower ranges, and the large 
bark the upper, with the outsides of the large bark uppermost. 
Around this drying-shed an open space should be reserved, 
capable of containing several ranges of shelves, which, when 
supports and rails are formed, may be set up in a few minutes, 
and should be taken advantage of in favourable weather. 
Where no drying-shed is used, the bark is harvested in the 
open ground, and commonly at or near to the spot where it 
was produced. This is indeed the more common practice. A 
set of straight limbs are supported on forked sticks along the 
surface of the land, and about three feet from it ; against these, 
first the small pieces, then the larger are piled, and over all, 
forming a roof, the trunk bark is placed, sheltering the whole 
from the effects of the weather. If the bark be of small size, 
and showery weather occur while it is exposed, damage must 
ensue; but if a considerable proportion has been yielded by 
stout timber, it may, if put up thus with care, be preserved 
with safety even during unfavourable weather. Of course the 
most open and airy convenient situation should be preferred. 
Another method may be described thus :—A few of the 
forked branches are inserted into the ground, with the prongs 
uppermost, to support rails or splits of wood from twelve to 
eighteen inches asunder, similar to the shelves described for 
the drying-house ; with this difference, that in the open 
ground the rail on the one side should be placed a few inches 
lower than the other, so that the surface of the bark, when ex- 
posed on the rail, may form a declivity sufficient to discharge 
water. It is found that rain on bark during the operation of 
peeling, or immediately thereafter, while it possesses its own 
sap, does it little or no injury, though afterwards, when but 
partially dry, it infuses or extracts its virtues. Having 
erected the timbers, the small bark is laid first on the rails to 
the depth of about three or four inches, above which a cover 
