METHODS OF FELLING. 233 



rope, and that the long lever requires much space to work in. 

 These difficulties are not, however, so great as they would 

 appear to be, if a chain is used instead of a rope, and the roots 

 are thoroughly exposed before working with the machine is 

 attempted. Once this has been done, only three or four men 

 are required to extract the stump, and in Silesia it has been 

 found to save 33 per cent, of manual labour. 



ii. Uprooting Trees. 



When trees are uprooted (fig. 123) much of the stump is 

 obtained with the stem, in the same operation. The roots are 

 exposed by digging, and the stem is then thrown in different 

 ways, but in all of them a thorough exposure of the roots is 

 essential. If all the horizontal roots are then severed, the stem 

 is attached to the ground by the taproot or main roots only. 

 If, as with spruce on shallow soil, there are only horizontal roots, 

 merely severing these suffices to fell the tree ; but wherever 

 there are strong deep-going roots which it would be a most 

 laborious operation to sever, the work is effected as follows : — 

 A rope is fixed, as high up as possible, on one of the main 

 branches of the tree, and on that side of it towards which 

 the tree is intended to fall. A number of men then tug at this 

 rope, and by alternately pulling and yielding, they make the 

 stem oscillate backwards and forwards. One man is left at the 

 base of the tree to cut through any roots which may still resist, and 

 to place poles under the base of the tree as it rocks, and prevent 

 its return to the vertical position. In this way, without any 

 great amount of trouble, the tree can be made to fall, tearing-out 

 at the same time all the stronger roots. 



The forest-devil, Wohmann's thrust-pole, and the common 

 screw-jack may also be used to overturn trees by the roots. 

 The mode of using these machines has been already explained, 

 and is shown in figs. 116, 117, and 118, but in the case of the 

 forest-devil a stem or stump must be at hand to be fastened 

 to the implement, stronger than the tree which is to be over- 

 turned. 



All roots on the side where the tree is to fall must be cut 

 close to the stem in order to lighten the work, and it is a good 



