so Dec, 1910.] 



Building Hints for Settlers. 



781 



The above dimensions may, of course, be varied considerably to suit 

 <:onditions. No matter how well made the roller is there will be consider- 

 able giving in the joints, particularly when rolling big mallee ; hence the 

 use of clamps in construction of the frame as they allow of taking up 

 and adjusting any movement. 



In use, a horse team will give the best results, but the risk of staking 

 a valuable horse on a " snag " — a projecting sharp stump — is so great 

 that bullocks are generally preferred. Up to 20 acres a day may be 

 -covered in easy country. Teams vary from 10 to 16. 



The roller is not very effective when there are many " spring-backs," 

 such as voung mallee, broom, &c. Some have tried fixing angle irons 

 to the roller to chop and bruise the light stuff so as to make a better burn. 

 Others have tried logs or even railway rails, hitching a team to each end 

 and thus dragging down the scrub, but it cannot be said that these arrange- 

 ments are satisfactory. A considerable amount of work in cutting the 

 ■" spring-backs " by hand is inevitable. In large mallee, pines, &c., the 

 roller can be replaced by hand -cutting. This method obviates risk of 

 snags in subsequent cultivation but it is surprising what large sizes of 

 Tnallee can be rolled by a little judicious " nicking " ahead of the roller. 



ft..w' 



ms^ 





ROLLING DOWN THE MALLEE. 



Rolled scrub, being all laid in one direction, gives a much better burn 

 than hand-cut, and as a good burn is the greatest of benefits, the roller 

 is seldom abandoned. 



Rolling costs from 3s. 6d. to 5s. per acre and the subsequent snagging 

 about pd. to IS. 6d. 



The Government is rolling mallee scrub in the Murrayville (Pinnaroo 

 to Cow Plains) district by means of a traction engine drawing three rollers, 

 totalling 58 ft. in width of cover. More rollers could be pulled but the 

 difficulty of spreading the hauling cables prevents this. A spreader ot 

 •over 30 ft. in width, made of two 6-in. H girders supported by specially 

 strong wheels on the outsides and an ordinary wheel in the middle, carries 

 the cables pulling the rollers. The cost of running is low, being only 

 about IS. per acre; but with repairs, shifts, &c., it mounts up a little 

 over 3s., not much cheaper than by bullocks. 



Traction engines with the ordinary wheels are useless, either in soft 

 ^or sandy ground. In the sandy country the difficulty is overcome by 

 using Bottrill's patent Dreadnought attachments, which, although expen- 



