CLEARING FARM LAND 7 



Power shovels were used to dig draindge ditches and trenches where stone walls 

 were to be buried. Shovels were also used to remove boulders and stumps and 

 to load stone walls on trucks in cases where walls were hauled away. Some 

 ap;le trees have been removed with small shovels, which were used also in the 

 construction of cranberry bogs. Dragline excavators were used to remove top- 

 soil from cranberry bog land and in digging drainage ditches on Soil Conservation 

 District projects. 



Other equipment which was used in various phases of land improvement 

 activity included dump trucks, chain saws, and ordinary farm equipment such 

 as tractors, plows, harrows, dumpcarts, and stoneboats. 



Clearing Brush ana Trees 



Many areas of land with various combinations of brush and tree growth have 

 been clearea in recent years for a variety of purposes. One of the first instances 

 of woodland clearing with power machinery was on a tract of sandy loam soil for 

 vegetable crops. Pine and deciduous trees to 18 inches in diameter, plus oak, birch, 

 and brush were cleared from 300 acres with a bulldozer owned by the farmer. 

 Trees were pushed out and cut for lumber and cordwood. Stumps and brush 

 were piled in windrows with the bulldozer and burned. The land was then 

 plowed to a depth of 15 inches with a brush-breaker plow, after which a deep 

 tiller was used to bring roots and sticks to the surface to be picked up and hauled 

 away. Costs of clearing this large area varied with the type of tree cover. Pine 

 land was cleared more rapidly than oak or birch trees and brush. Costs were 

 calculated at about $50 per acre to clear and plow pine land, and from $75 to 

 $100 per acre for oak and hardwood cover of trees, stumps, and brush. One acre 

 of scrub pine was cleared per day with the bulldozer but 12 to 15 hours were 

 needed to remove the hardwood growth and stumps. Farm labor was used and 

 the bulldozer was farmer owned, which reduced the cost per acre below con- 

 tractor's charges for similar work. 



Bulldozer costs for clearing deciduous trees and brush on a farm of upland 

 stony loam soil for a new apple orchard ranged from $85 to $100 per acre plus 

 $25 per acre tor treatment and seeding to obtain a new sod for young trees. 

 Costs were high because of the stony soil, the hardwood cover, and the thorough- 

 ness of the job. About 12 hours of bulldozer work per acre were needed in clear- 

 ing this land. 



In one case, woodland clearing at a contract price of $150 per acre for the bull- 

 dozer, gave poor results because the operator was not experienced in clearing 

 for agricultural uses. Operations were stopped on another farm because too much 

 topsoil was being removed with the brush and stones. 



On farms where brush was cleared for poultry range and trees left for shade, 

 the charges for bulldozer work were about $50 per acre. Where brush was 

 cleared for seeded range or for pasture, the costs ranged from $45 to $100 per 

 acre for bulldozer work and from $50 to $110 for total clearing. Woodland was 

 cleared for orchards, vegetables, and cash crops at $85 to $150 per acre for the 

 bulldozer work and about $10 per acre for picking up roots, sticks, and stones 

 before the land was plowed. Costs of clearing for these crops were greater be- 

 cause a more thorough job was necessary in order to get the land in shape for 

 plowing. W'here pasture and poultry range were harrowed before seeding, less 

 care was necessary in the clearing operations. 



