Locust is a good, lasting fuel; it is easy to cut,
and, when green, splits fairly well; the thick
bark takes fire readily, and the wood then burns
slowly, with little flame, leaving pretty good coals ;
hence it is good for night- wood. Mulberry has
similar qualities. The best of the oaks for fuel,
especially when green, is white oak; it also splits
very readily. The scarlet and willow oaks are
among the poorest of the hardwoods for fuel.
Cherry makes only fair fuel. White elm is poor
stuff, but slippery elm is better.
In some respects white ash is the best of green
woods for campers' fuel. It is easily cut and
split, is lighter to tote than most other hard-
woods, and is of so dry a nature that even the
green wood catches fire readily. It burns with
clear flame, and lasts longer than any other free-
burning wood of its weight.
Most of the softwoods are good only for kin-
dling, or for quick cooking-fires. Liquidambar,
magnolia, poplar (tulip), catalpa, red cedar, and
willow are poor fuel. Seasoned chestnut and pop-
lar make a hot fire, but crackle and leave no
coals. Balsam fir, basswood, and the white and
S4 CAMP COOKERY.
loblolly pines make quick fires but are soon spent.
The gray (Labrador) j^ine is considered good fuel
in the far North, where hardwoods are scarce.
Seasoned tamarack is fairly good. Spruce is poor
fuel, although, being resinous, it kindles easily and
makes a good blaze for "branding up" a fire.
Pitch pine, which is the most inflammable of all
woods when dry and "fat," will scarcely burn
at all in a green state. Sycamore and buckeye,
when thoroughly seasoned, are good fuel, but will
not split. Alder burns readily and gives out con-
siderable heat, but is not lasting. The wood of
the large-toothed aspen will not burn when green,
yet when dry it burns freely, does not crackle,
lasts well, and leaves good coals. The best green
softwoods for fuel are white birch, paper birch,
soft maple, cottonwood, and quaking aspen.
As a rule, the timber growing along the mar-
gins of large streams is softwood. Hence drift-
wood is generally a poor mainstay, unless there
is plenty of it on the spot.
The best kindling is fat pine, or the bark of the
paper birch. Fat pine is found in the stumps and
butt cuts of pine trees that died on the stump.
The resin has collected there and dried. This
wood is usually easy to split. Pine knots are
the tough, heavy, resinous stubs of limbs that
are found on dead pine trees. They, as well as
fat pine, are almost imperishable, and those stick-
ing out of old rotten logs are as good as any.
The knots of balsam fir are similarly used. Hem-
lock knots are worthless and will ruin an axe.
The thick bark of hemlock, and of hardwoods
generally, is good to make glowing coals in a
hurry.
In a hardwood forest the best kindling, sure to
FIRES. 35
Page 16
Presented as published in 1910. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Locust is a good, lasting fuel; it is easy to cut, and, when green, splits fairly well; the thick bark takes fire readily, and the wood then burns slowly, with little flame, leaving pretty good coals ; hence it is good for night- wood. Mulberry has similar qualities. The best of the oaks for fuel, especially when green, is white oak; it also splits very readily. The scarlet and willow oaks are among the poorest of the hardwoods for fuel. Cherry makes only fair fuel. White elm is poor stuff, but slippery elm is better.
In some respects white ash is the best of green woods for campers' fuel. It is easily cut and split, is lighter to tote than most other hardwoods, and is of so dry a nature that even the green wood catches fire readily. It burns with clear flame, and lasts longer than any other freeburning wood of its weight.
Most of the softwoods are good only for kindling, or for quick cooking-fires. Liquidambar, magnolia, poplar (tulip), catalpa, red cedar, and willow are poor fuel. Seasoned chestnut and poplar make a hot fire, but crackle and leave no coals. Balsam fir, basswood, and the white and
loblolly pines make quick fires but are soon spent. The gray (Labrador) j^ine is considered good fuel in the far North, where hardwoods are scarce. Seasoned tamarack is fairly good. Spruce is poor fuel, although, being resinous, it kindles easily and makes a good blaze for "branding up" a fire. Pitch pine, which is the most inflammable of all woods when dry and "fat," will scarcely burn at all in a green state. Sycamore and buckeye, when thoroughly seasoned, are good fuel, but will not split. Alder burns readily and gives out considerable heat, but is not lasting. The wood of the large-toothed aspen will not burn when green, yet when dry it burns freely, does not crackle, lasts well, and leaves good coals. The best green softwoods for fuel are white birch, paper birch, soft maple, cottonwood, and quaking aspen.
As a rule, the timber growing along the margins of large streams is softwood. Hence driftwood is generally a poor mainstay, unless there is plenty of it on the spot.
The best kindling is fat pine, or the bark of the paper birch. Fat pine is found in the stumps and butt cuts of pine trees that died on the stump. The resin has collected there and dried. This wood is usually easy to split. Pine knots are the tough, heavy, resinous stubs of limbs that are found on dead pine trees. They, as well as fat pine, are almost imperishable, and those sticking out of old rotten logs are as good as any. The knots of balsam fir are similarly used. Hemlock knots are worthless and will ruin an axe. The thick bark of hemlock, and of hardwoods generally, is good to make glowing coals in a hurry.
In a hardwood forest the best kindling, sure to