Their tools were very imperfect,as they con
sisted only of rude hoes, made by tying the
shoulder blade of a deer or bear, or a large
clam-shell, to a pole or stick ; and stone ax-,
es with which they girdled trees, or scraped
the charred surface of the logs to hasten their
burning. Tho land, when selected, wa3 clear
ed by keeping up a fire around the foot of each
tree until it was burned so that if would die.
When a tree fell, it was burned into lengths
so that it could be rolled into heaps and burn
ed into ashes. Thus, in the course of years,
a piece was wholly cleared of its timber. In
some instances the trees was girdled and left
standing uptil dry, when they were burned
down as above described.
