Scouting, Volume 28, Number 9, October 1940 Page: 19
34, [2] p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Adverse Conditions
By WARREN N. WATSON
Chairman, District Camping Committee
Fairfax County, Virginia
Author of
'EARLY FIRE-MAKING METHODS AND DEVICES'
Another dependable and well-
known method, similar to the fuzz
stick, is the shaving splint. A
description follows: From flat dry
splints about one-fourth inch thick
whittle thin shavings five to ten
inches long, leaving each shaving
connected to the stick by stopping
the knife on the downward stroke.
After you have whittled five to
eight shavings, cut off the bunch
by a twist of the knife blade.
Make about six of these bunches.
Place two sticks on the ground
(two inches or more in diameter),
laying them in a V so that the
wind blows in open end of V.
Take three bunches of shavings,
press together butts up, light
lower end of shavings, lay them
against the V of the two sticks
and feed with additional bunches
of shavings and then fine splints.
Either of these methods will give
a fire with a minimum expendi-
ture of time and energy.
Kinds of Wood
The kinds of wood used de-
pend upon the section of the
country and the location. Use soft
wood for kindling and quick, hot
fires for boiling, and hard wood
for long lasting fires and coals for
broiling and frying. Select sound,
dead limbs or trees, avoiding
punky or wet ground wood. Five
minutes spent in chopping real
wood will repay a thousand fold.
You don't save time by picking
up down wood, which is usually
damp to the core or rotten. Split
wood burns faster than round
branches.
The burning and splitting prop-
erties of woods vary widely. It is
a necessary part of woodcraft to
know the best woods and to iden-
tify them. The common soft woods
for kindling include pine, spruce,
balsam fir, hackmatack, hemlock,
bass, soft maple, and cedar. Among
v - -
SNiMifip
the best of the large variety of
hard woods are hard maple, beech,
the birches, hickory, white oak
and dogwood. Laurel gives a hot
almost smokeless fire. From Con-
necticut to Georgia, blight-killed
chestnut is abundant. The thick
trunks are frequently water-
logged while the limbs and smaller
trees are usually dry. Chestnut
burns rather quickly and, like
hemlock and white cedar, it snaps
and throws sparks. Split yellow
birch and white ash are among
the best woods for burning green.
Wood cut from trees on the ridge
is drier than wood from the low-
lands; likewise green wood cut in
winter when the sap is down is
drier than that cut in summer.
White pine knots are almost im-
perishable and can be found in
down trees or knocked out of
rotten logs. The part of the limbs
close to the trunk of the Virginia
and certain other pines is usually
full of pitch. Know the best kind-
ling material and the burning and
splitting properties of the woods
in your section of travel.
Rain—or Snow
Fire making during a rain is
not easy; use a fire shelter, such
as under a dense evergreen (but
not too close to the tree or over-
hanging branches), a bough shel-
ter, or a tent ground cloth or
poncho over poles. When the snow
is too deep or solid to clear away
with your snowshoes, tramp it
down and build your fire on a
bed of green poles. To reflect the
heat into a lean-to, drive down
two stakes at a slight angle back
of the fire and lay up green limbs
against the stakes.
OCTOBER, 1940
See the New Pamphlet, "Training for Mobilization," Page 16
Page Nineteen
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 28, Number 9, October 1940, periodical, October 1940; New York, New York. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth313064/m1/19/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.