17th & 18th Century Education.

Period Foods. Tall Trees & Mushrooms Blog.

A great post on the Polyporus mylittae.

http://morrie2.wordpress.com/2011/02/04/polyporus-mylittae-an-ancient-edible/#comment-49

A Longhunter Challenge!

I challenge anyone to find primary documentation that a longhunter existed in the 18th century. By this I mean the word or term longhunter or long hunter actually being used in the 18th century. So far I have found no proof that this term was ever in existance before the 20th century!
So what was this so called longhunter supposed to be? I mean we now see adverts for "longhunter shirts" and "longhunter packs", and the list goes on as if this longhunter was something special, out of the ordinary compared to a woodsman. Well in fact the modern meaning of a so called longhunter is that he hunted for a long time, or he was in the woods hunting for a long time. Woodsmen who hunted commercially for meat and deer skins are now called longhunters because they were in the woods hunting for a long time, i.e. months at a time.
But this does not make them any different from any other woodsman who hunts, they did not wear different clothes or use different guns. My point here is, that if the term longhunter was not in use in the 18th century, then why are we using it now? Fine to say a woodsman has been gone for a long time, fine to say he has been out there hunting for a long time now, but to call him a longhunter? At what point is an ordinary hunter supposed to become a long one?
Personally I think it is time we stopped using this term "longhunter" until someone can come up with proof that the term was in use in the 18th century. Until then they are woodsmen and hunters regardless of the length of time they are in the woods.

Making A Leather Water Bottle.

Another great post in three parts on Ross's blog Wood Trekker at:
http://woodtrekker.blogspot.com/2011/02/guest-post-leather-watter-bottle_02.html

Hide Covered Coracles - The New Prototype

A great post on Guy Mallinson's blog at: http://guymallinson.blogspot.com/2011/02/hide-covered-coracles-new-prototype.html#comment-form

Woolman In The Woods.

This was the first night that we lodged in the woods, and being wet with travelling in the rain, as were also our blankets, the ground, our tent, and the bushes under which we purposed to lay, all looked discouraging; but I believed that it was the Lord who had thus far brought me forward, and that he would dispose of me as he saw good, and so I felt easy. We kindled a fire, with our tent open to it, then laid some bushes next the ground, and put our blankets upon them for our bed, and, lying down, got some sleep.



Journal of John Woolman, 1760.

Life in the woods.

In the woods we were under some disadvantage, having no fire-works nor bells for our horses, but we stopped a little before night and let them feed on the wild grass, which was plentiful, in the mean time cutting with our knives a store against night. We then secured our horses, and gathering some bushes under an oak we lay down; but the mosquitoes being numerous and the ground damp I slept but little.

Journal of John Woolman. 1720-1742.

Either they did not know how to use the locks on their guns to make fire, or they had no guns!