On the Trail | Page 7

the fisher's track,
and Fig. 12 is that of a sheep. Pig tracks are much like those of sheep,
but wider. When you have learned to recognize the varying freshness of
tracks you will know how far ahead the animal probably is. Other

tracks you will learn as you become more familiar with the animals,
and you will also be able to identify the tracks of the wild birds.
CHAPTER II
WOODCRAFT
=Trees. Practical Use of Compass. Direction of Wind. Star Guiding.
What to Do When Lost in the Woods. How to Chop Wood. How to Fell
Trees.=
=Trees=
While on the trail you will find a knowledge of trees most useful, and
you should be able to recognize different species by their manner of
growth, their bark and foliage.
=Balsam-Fir=
One of the most important trees for the trailer to know is the balsam-fir,
for of this the best of outdoor beds are made. In shape the tree is like
our Christmas-trees--in fact, many Christmas-trees are balsam-fir.
The sweet, aromatic perfume of the balsam needles is a great aid in
identifying it. The branches are flat and the needles appear to grow
from the sides of the stem. The little twist at the base of the needle
causes it to seem to grow merely in the straight, outstanding row on
each side of the stem; look closely and you will see the twist.
The needles are flat and short, hardly one inch in length; they are
grooved along the top and the ends are decidedly blunt; in color they
are dark bluish-green on the upper side and silvery-white underneath.
The bark is gray, and you will find little gummy blisters on the
tree-trunk. From these the healing Canada balsam is obtained. The
short cones, often not over two inches in length, the longest seldom
more than four inches, stand erect on top of the small branches, and
when young are of a purplish color.

From Maine to Minnesota the balsam-fir grows in damp woods and
mountain bogs, and you will find it southward along the Alleghany
Mountains from Pennsylvania to North Carolina.
=Spruce=
The spruce, red, black, and white, differs in many respects from the
balsam-fir: the needles are sharp-pointed, not blunt, and instead of
being flat like the balsam-fir, they are four-sided and cover the
branchlet on all sides, causing it to appear rounded or bushy and not
flat. The spruce-gum sought by many is found in the seams of the bark,
which, unlike the smooth balsam-fir, is scaly and of a brown color.
Early spring is the time to look for spruce-gum. Spruce is a soft wood,
splits readily and is good for the frames and ribs of boats, also for
paddles and oars, and the bark makes a covering for temporary shelters.
=Hemlock=
This tree is good for thatching a lean-to when balsam-fir is not to be
found, and its bark can be used in the way of shingles.
The cones are small and hang down from the branches; they do not
stand up alert like those of the balsam-fir, nor are they purple in color,
being rather of a bright red-brown, and when very young, tan color.
The wood is not easy to split--don't try it, or your hatchet will suffer in
consequence and the pieces will be twisted as a usual thing. The
southern variety, however, often splits straight.
[Illustration: Horse-chestnut.
Sugar-maple.
Alder.
Ink impressions of leaves.]
[Illustration: Balsam-Fir.
Spruce.

Hemlock.]
[Illustration: White oak.
Linden.
Ink impressions of leaves.]
[Illustration: Pitch-pine and cone.
Sycamore leaf and fruit of sycamore.
(The buttonball.)]
=Pine=
The pine-tree accommodates itself to almost any kind of soil, high, low,
moist, or dry, often growing along the edge of the water.
The gray pine is sometimes used for making the skeleton of a canoe or
other boats, and the white pine for the skin or covering of the skeleton
boat; but for you the pine will probably be most useful in furnishing
pine-knots, and its soft wood for kindling your outdoor fire.
The trees mentioned abound in our northern forests. The birch in its
different varieties is there also, but rarely ventures into the densest
woods, preferring to remain near and on its outskirts. However, none of
these trees confine themselves strictly to one locality.
Oaks, hickory, chestnut, maples, and sycamore are among the useful
woods for campers.
Learn the quality and nature of the different trees. Each variety is
distinct from the others: some woods are easy to split, such as spruce,
chestnut, balsam-fir, etc.; some very strong, as locust, oak, hickory,
sugar-maple, etc.; then there are the hard and soft woods mentioned in
fire-making.
When you once understand the characteristics of the different woods,

and their special qualifications, becoming familiar with only two or
three varieties at a time, the trees will