Uses of 
     
     birch bark. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Log house price. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Land clearing 
     
     methods. 
     
    
   
   
    
     A sa w—mi/l at 
     
     Vernon River. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The roads through 
     
     the woods. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Recent/y 
     
     burnt land. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Forest fires. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Succession 
     
     after fire. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Old burnt wood. 
     
    
   
   
    
     G [rd/in 9. 
     
    
   
   
    
     that the birch bark at least of small trees would still peel — a great advantage to the 
     
     Settlers as it makes an excellent watertight covering for houses This birch bark 
     
     seems a kind of universal article —— beside thatching houses it makes Canoes, bowls 
     
     & all sorts of dishes — I saw troughs of it standing at the foot of the Sugar Maples — 
     
     and when you come to a spring, it will make a cup in a minute — | see Birch bark 
     
     is also put below shingles. [pp. 14-15] 
     
     — the expense of [a Log-house] depends in a great measure on the timber being near 
     
     or far —- if the Spruce logs are at a distance & much hauling of the oxen it would 
     
     come to more [than the £5 he allotted] — here they are convenient. [p. 16] 
     
    
   
   
    
     Monday Aug. 15th. Laird's method ['Jo Laird in Vernon River — a Loyalist Settler 
     
     from Carolina’] of clearing the usual one here, is to cut down the trees in winter, burn 
     
     them as they lie, which burns off the branches and bushes: — then the remaining logs 
     
     are piled & burnt more completely —this is done in Summer & a crop of Wheat may 
     
     be sown with only harrowing — it is more usual however to begin with Potatoes if the 
     
     burning can be accomplished in Spring & then Wheat, with which he sows grass seeds 
     
     — after 5 or 6 years the Stumps come out easier by half than at first, but it is eight 
     
     years before they are quite easy — sometimes obstinate roots of pine or hemlock 
     
     remain even after that time. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Along Vernon River, are a considerable number of Loyalist allotments, & their clearings 
     
     joining each other give some extent to the prospect — there is a continued track of 
     
     clearing in this way to near the Saw Mill at the head of tide water 
     
    
   
   
    
     The roads are very indifferent, mere bridle paths - no where the stumps rooted out, 
     
     they might in some parts be passable for a Slay in Winter, but scarcely anywhere for 
     
     a Cart in summer -— full of deep wet places, & they go on in direct lines marked out 
     
     by the compass, it is mere chance whether they go along swamp or dry land. When 
     
     it chanced to be dry it is tolerably good — in the swamps they are mere sloughs, 
     
     except where bridged (i.e.) Spruce logs are laid crossways to the road, close to each 
     
     other so as to form a causeway for several years — but these when old break, & are 
     
     dangerous [pp. 17-18] 
     
    
   
   
    
     On the road from Vernon River, I passed a piece of land accidentally burnt a few 
     
     months ago — i.e. in Spring or beginning of Summer — this frequently happens at that 
     
     time — from the spreading of the fires made by the Settlers in clearing, or many other 
     
     accidents — in Autumn there is too much moisture & the fire will not spread — it runs 
     
     along the ground, & burns up the dead wood, leaves, & bushes — the large trees are 
     
     scorched, but retain their leaves, but next year get none & die. Laird said that in a 
     
     year or two the raspberry bushes & other underwood begin to get up and grew so 
     
     thick as to choak every other growth, & by degrees young wood gets up very thick 
     
     & renders the woods useless as to pasture. Near Charlotte Town & at many other 
     
     places, | afterwards saw instances, of old burnt wood grown up in this way into a 
     
     thicket more impervious than the original woods & the dead stumps rising out of the 
     
     bushes —— or perhaps (if very old) decayed & fallen over. — Laird thinks that if the 
     
     ground immediately after the fire was sown with clover, the grass would keep down 
     
     the brush wood, 81 the cattle being attracted from all sides would bring it to an 
     
     excellent pasture, & keep it clear — & that in this way might be cleared fully as well 
     
     as by girdling — there would however be the same inconvenience as in girdled land, 
     
     that pasturing stock would be exposed to accidents from the falling branches — Even 
     
     independent of grass seeds it appears to me, that fire might be made a useful 
     
     instrument of improvement. Where the land has been burnt 6, 8, or 10 years ago, the 
     
     old stumps appear as if they were ready for rooting out, & by the help of the long 
     
     lever of the stems may be got up easier than the stumps of chopped wood — the 
     
     young growth too that has come up, is not so large as to have roots of much 
     
     obstinacy, & might be grabbed out, or perhaps burnt again & in two or three years 
     
     would come out with great ease — in this way old burnt lands could perhaps be 
     
    
   
   
    
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