St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1889-08-24
WITH THE WOODSMEN.
The Hemlock Peelera, What They Do and
How They Do IL.

WITH THE WOOOSMeN.
The Hemloek Peelera. What They Do ana
How They DO IL.
The men were ut work some distance
up the side of the mountain, which
was q spur of great Peakamoose. and !
was guided up by a man who was taking
them some addition to their dinners.
The road ceased altogether soon after
we left the shanty. and it was not long
before even the path disappeared. SO
that we had to force our way through
the thick woods up the steep slope.
guided only by the sounds Of chopping
and the crash OF falling trees which
came TO our ears
Most of the men were young fellows,
with tall, strong. active frames and
frank. honest face. One or two Oi
them wore red flannel-shirts which
looked very picturesque among the
green trees. aud all OF them made 50
merry over their hard work that the
telling Of huge trees and looping Of
stout branches seemed rather play
than labor.
When bark-peelers 60 into the woods
they divide themselves into parties OF
four or five who work together. Each
one OF these parties contains choppers.
fixcrs and spudders.
The beginning Of the operations be-
longs to the first class. The chopper
chooses the first good-sized heml0ck
that is seen, and it is attacked near the
root with sharp and skillful axe until
it tumbles headlong in just the desired
direction. The fall Of one Of these trees.
especially if it be a large one. is an
impressive sight The chopper cuts a
broad opening on one side fully half
through the great trunk. yet the tree
stands firm and pays no attention Il
the blows. nor to the heavy
chips that continually fly away
from its dark. red heart.
wood. Then the chopper goes around
on the other side. and cuts new cash.
a little lower than the FIRST one. since
he intends the tree to fall to that side.
Here. too. he cuts deep in before there
are any signs OF conquest. As the axe
begins to touch the center, however.
the topmOst limbs are seen to tremble.
then to sway. and u cracking sound
follows the repeated blows which warn
the poor tree that its time has come.
Then there is a tottering, little lean
ing toward the weaker side. which has
the lower cut. and the wOOdman. keep.
ing his eye upward and his feet ready
to jump, hurls one last powerful stroke
into the Ovcrstrained fibcrs. They
fly apart with a loud noise. the great
crown bows toward the earth. gains
swifter motion as it desccnds. and
comes crashing down upon the weak
and rcsistless brushwood with q noise
like the muffied roar Of a whole bat.
terry and u force which shakes the
earth.
Now comes the work OF the '.fixerA "
They leap upon the butt OF the fallen
giant. and. striking at the lowest limbs.
first cut OF every branch until all are
Topped away to where the trunk grows
too narrow to be worth trimming. As
fast as little space Of the trunk is
cleared one OF the men cuts q notch
through the bark and around the trunk
-''rings" it, rs he would say. Four
feet further on he cuts another ring.
and then Sits the bark lengthwise from
one ring to the other. on three or four
sides OF the tree. This goes on every
four feet, as fast as the tree is trimmed.
until the whole length has been thus
fixed"
Last OF all comes the ''spuddcr." "
whose duty it is to pry Of the great
flakes OF bark which have been notched
and split for him. He takes his name
from the tool he uses. which Is . sort
of small. heavy. sharp-edged spade.
with a short handle; perhaps to call 1t
a round-bladed chisel would describe
it more nearly. To pry OF the bark in
this way seems very easy. but they told
me it was the hardest work Of all. and
that It required considerable skill to
do it properly.
When the bark has been removed il
must be made up into regular piles 20
as to be measured. for it is estimated
and sold by the cord. This is hard
work. for the green and juicy bark is
very heavy and rough to handle.
Sometimes a tree will be found 90
large as to furnish a cord. or even
more. alone; but the average rate ol
yield is mnch less. go that experts cal
cnlate that four trees must be cut
down to obtain cord Of bark.
1t is only when the new wood ID
forming just underneath, and the cells
are soft and full Of sap. that the bark
can be stripped from the log in large
pieces Peeling. therefore, can be car
ried on only during May and June.
The cords of bark piled then are left "a
dry all the summer and fall, and are
hauled out in winter by ox-teams with
sleds. when the deep snow makes q
smooth track over even SO terribly
rough road as the one have men,
toned.
The bark -peelers were very jolly
lot Of fellows. singing and joking a
they worked. and at dinner there wa
one incessant rattle Of stories and fun.
They work hard. eat heartily. 60 q
bed rs soon as it is dark, and rise u
dawn.
1t is interesting workout it leaves
q ruined forest behind!-Erncst 1nger.
coll, in St. Nicholas
Increased Wear on His Conscience.