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THE FARMERS HANDBOOK. 



the fire shall start, as it were., all at once. Dry bushes, torches saturated with 

 kerosene, or even a plentiful supply of matches, are used to start the fire 

 in numerous places on the running front, so that the wind may drive it 

 forward as one unbroken sheet of flame. This is performed by lighting the 

 edge of the scrub every few yards, and running on ahead to escape the 

 heat. If it is desired to confine the fire strictly to the area felled, it should 

 also be set alight beforehand on the leeward side, so that it will burn slowly 

 against the wind and meet the windward flame some considerable distance 

 from the edge. With a fair breeze, the fire travels very rapidly, and it is- 

 only a matter of a couple of hours before a whole block of 100 acres is burnt 

 out. 



Should the area to be fired be in close proximity to farm buildings, it is 

 advisable to provide beforehand suitable fire-beaters and a few vessels of 

 water. It frequently happens that the wind changes after the fire has been 



A paddock of cocksfoot, rye grass, and white clover ; twelve months after the scrub was fired and nine- 

 months from the time of planting seed 



burning some time, and any precautions made along these lines need never 

 be considered too much trouble. After the fire has burnt itself out, any 

 timber which may not have been burnt, and which can be easily handled, 

 should, in the course of a few days, be heaped up against large logs and set 

 fire to. The land surface will thus be cleaned up and the sowing of grass 

 seeds later facilitated. As most of the scrub timbers consist of softwood, 

 logs that are not burnt can be left alone. In the course of a year or so they 

 will readily rot, and a fire-stick applied on a hot, dry day will speedily 

 get rid of them with a smouldering fire. In this connection it is advisable 

 to exercise extreme care, for the weather that suits this operation also favours, 

 fire running through the somewhat dry grass of adjacent pastures. 



