even on the highest ridges, good water can be obtained by digging
wells, which seldom require to be sunk more than twenty feet; and in
many townships, not half that depth is required.

After the emigrant has selected a proper location, his next object is
to choose the best situation to build his shanty, and chop his first
fallow. Most settlers like to commence as near as possible to the
concession-line or public road; but sometimes the vicinity of a stream
of water or good spring is preferred. In fact, circumstances must, in
some measure, guide them in their choice.

The best time of the year to commence operations is early in September.
The weather is then moderately warm and pleasant, and there are no
flies in the Bush to annoy you.

A log shanty, twenty-four feet long by sixteen, is large enough to
begin with, and should be roofed either with shingles or troughs. A
small cellar should be dug near the fire-place, commodious enough to
hold twenty or thirty bushels of potatoes, a barrel or two of pork, &c.

As soon as your shanty is completed, measure off as many acres as you
intend to chop during the winter, and mark the boundaries by blazing
the trees on each side.

The next operation is to cut down all the small trees and brush--this
is called under-brushing. The rule is to cut everything close to the
ground from the diameter of six inches downwards.

There are two modes of piling, either in heaps or in wind-rows. If your
fallow is full of evergreens, such as hemlock, pine, balsam, cedar, and