SUBDUING THE LAND 123 



Some stumps may be partially burned by boring a hole 

 from the top of the stump down diagonally through the 

 side, pouring kerosene into this slowly, so as to saturate 

 the walls of the hole, and then applying a match. The 

 hole serves as a chimney to give draft to the fire, which 

 causes the stump to burn. Stumps or logs in the pile 

 which refuse to burn may sometimes be started anew 

 by thus using the auger and a small amount of kero- 

 sene. But the more frequent use of fire in removing 

 stumps is to cover them with brush and waste timber 

 and burn part of the stump while burning the other 

 wood. Remaining portions, as large roots, may then be 

 dislodged by pulling them with the stump puller. 



The cost per acre of clearing land of stumps varies 

 from a few dollars to a hundred dollars or more. The 

 kind of growth, the thickness of the stumps, the kind 

 of soil and subsoil and the value of the wood products 

 secured while clearing the land are the leading items 

 to be considered in estimating the net cost. There is 

 more labor connected with removing stumps from a clay 

 or from a stony soil than from a sandy soil and subsoil. 



The species of tree is also a most influential factor in 

 the cost of clearing lands. The poplar stump, for ex- 

 ample, is soft, easily broken, and not large, and may be 

 removed when green with comparatively little trouble; 

 and if killed, it will rot in a few years so as to be very 

 easily removed. The white birch, tamarack, basswood 

 and jack pine stumps are also easily removed. 



The white pine, on the other hand, grows large, has 

 very extensive though not deeply penetrating roots. It 

 is solid, its wood is full of pitch, which serves as a pre- 

 servative, and it will remain for a generation and still 

 be hard to remove. Large stumps of this tree often 

 require from one to five dollars' worth of labor and 

 materials to remove them. Some hickories and oaks, 

 develop large stumps with strong tap roots, holding 



