334 
saplings, small branches or twigs, are held by one 
hand on the stone, and with the other beaten by 
the mallet until the bark be split on the wood : 
it is then peeled off, and laid regularly aside, till 
a bundle of a considerable size be formed. The 
larger branches, young trees, and full grown tim- 
ber trees, are laid along on the ground: the 
upper side of the tree to be barked is beat with 
force by the mallet from one end of the tree to 
the other. The bark is then started at the thick 
end, by thrusting or driving in the wedge, which 
being thrust along the whole length, the bark is 
speedily ripped open. The wedge is then applied 
under the bark at both sides of the incision. The 
firm parts are then successively beaten by the 
mallet, and the wedge gradually pushed along 
till the whole be completely severed from the 
timber. The point most particularly to be ob- 
served in this art, is the taking off the bark in 
as long shreds as possible, for the conveniency of 
carriage to, and drying it on, what are called the 
horses. These are formed of long branches, and 
two or more pieces of about a yard in length, 
sharpened at one end, and having a knag or fork 
at the other to receive and support the long 
branch. The horses may stand within 4 or 5 
feet of each other, and so as to have a declivity 
from one end to the other, that the occasional 
rains may the more easily run off. A dry ele- 
vated spot, in an airy place, is the most proper 
for erecting the horses upon, in order that the 
bark, when laid upon them, may have a free 
circulation of air when drying. At the end of 
each day’s work, the bark is carried to and laid 
across the horses, to the thickness of 6 or 8 inch- 
es. The larger boardy pieces of bark are built 
into small pyramidal stacks, or set up on end 
leaning against the horses. If the weather be 
very dry and fine, the bark should be turned 
twice a-day. or at least once a-day. Gentle 
showers are found beneficial to it, while severe 
rains, of long continuance, are very hurtful. A 
careful hagman will take pains to lay the strong 
boardy pieces of the bark in such a manner as to 
defend the more tender parts from severe rains. 
Great care is to be used to preserve the colour of 
the inner bark ; because the colour of this is 
generally looked to as a principal criterion of its 
value. When it is sufficiently dry to be in no 
danger of fermentation, it should be carried to a 
dry house or shade. Where such cannot be had, 
it should be stacked up in the same manner as 
hay. It may he proper to notice here, that stacks 
of bark should not be so large as to incur the 
risk of their fermenting. Narrow and long stacks 
will answer best. After being built up, they 
should be instantly thatched, however promising 
the weather may be. Straw, bog-reed, long 
heath, or broom, may with equal propriety be the 
material employed as thatch.” 
This method of peeling, drying, and harvesting 
BARKING. 
yet it admits of obvious and easy improvements, 
both in peeling the larger bark, and in drying 
and harvesting the whole. The great objects are 
to beat the bark as little as possible, to take it off 
in clean, large pieces, to dry it without dark- 
ening its colour, and to store it without incurring 
a risk of fermentation. The beating of small 
branches and very small stems with the mallet is 
often indispensable for barking ; and a little 
beating of comparatively sapless larger branches 
and stems may also be unavoidable ; but, in 
general, the beating of all good stems and toler- 
ably large branches, is quite unnecesary, and has 
a certain tendency to blacken the inner or fleshy 
layers. Incisions are made round the stem, at 
distances of from 24 to 3 feet, with a sharp in- 
strument, resembling a hedge-bill ; an incision is 
made along the stem, so as to cut the circular 
incisions at right angles ; and the stem being, if 
possible, raised against some support, an instru- 
ment called a peeling-iron—about 6 inches long, 
1} inch broad in the face, sharpened like a wright’s 
chisel, a little bent in the broad way, and having 
a wooden handle of about 4 inches in length—is 
so facilely and dexterously applied, that the whole 
of each section of the bark is taken off, in as 
clean, regular, and uniform a condition, as a skin 
from the carcass of a sheep or a calf. The best 
method of drying is on temporary rustic lofts, of 
about two feet in width, and of length snfficient | 
Each loft is | 
to hold one day’s peeling of bark. 
formed by driving forked stakes into the ground 
for bearers, about 3 feet high in the back row, | 
and 23 in the front, and by laying loppings be- 
tween the forks so as to constitute a rustic slop- 
ing floor. The smaller pieces of bark, or those 
from branches and minor stems, are laid, to the 
depth of six inches, on the sloping floor, with 
their thick end toward the higher side ; and the 
broad and large pieces are placed over the whole 
in such a position as to carry off any rain which 
may fall. 
bark should be turned, to prevent it from heat- 
ing or moulding ; and in about ten days, it will 
be sufficiently dry to be stacked or otherwise 
stored. The width of each pile, in stacking, 
ought not to exceed 8 feet.—The barking of all 
other tanniniferous trees, excepting the birch, is 
performed in the same manner as that of the oak ; 
and the barking of the birch simply includes the 
additional process of peeling off and rejecting the 
outer, shreddy layers of dead bark. 
_ The barking of vines and fruit-trees has, for a 
considerable number of years past, been some- 
what extensively and very successfully practised, 
both in England and on the continent, for im- 
proving both the quality and the size of fruit. 
At the winter pruning in February, the gardener 
or orchardist, with his common hooked pruning- 
knife, cuts off all the outer bark of every apple 
or pear tree above 8 or 10 years old, but remov- 
| is still regarded as perfectly eligible, and may, in | ing a thicker stratum from an older tree than 
most circumstances, be advantageously practised; | from a younger; and when he judiciously or care- 
co 
» 
In three or four days, the whole of the | 
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