194 



OLD WEST SURREY 



The leather was no doubt moulded wet on a wooden form, 

 which must have been in three pieces like a boot-tree — the 

 upper piece to define the shape of the shoulders and neck, 

 and the middle one to slip out first to liberate the others 

 before the ends were sewn in. As they went out of use they 

 were very commonly used with an opening cut in one side, 

 to hang up in farm stables to hold cart-grease. The fact of 



The Saw-Pit 



their having been saturated with the mixture of grease and 

 wood-tar no doubt accounts for the survival of many of them 

 in fairly sound condition. 



Now, when everv builder has his steam-saw, the old 

 country saw-pits have gone out of use. But in the older 

 days it was good to see and hear the rhythmical working of 

 the great pit-saw, and to note the clever, handy way the 

 men would shift the mighty tree-trunks with lever and 

 rollers. And the saw-pit was generally in some pretty place 



