ACTUAL FIRING OF THE TRACES. 443 



rest of the burning grass, and so long as this is secured, fire-trac- 

 ing offers no greater difficulty here than when the fire has to be 

 controlled on both sides. Hence the rule of burning against the 

 wind is of even still greater importance here than when the firo 

 has to be put out on both sides of the trace. Hence also the 

 necessity of always drawing the fire-brand obliquely backwards 

 into the trace each time a new length of the cushion of dry grass 

 is fired. An inner paralled line of fire can never be dispensed 

 with except when the wind drives the flames away from the broom- 

 men, in which case indeed such a line would be worse than a super- 

 fluity as it would only cause the fire to spread away too rapidly. 

 The distance of this inner line of fire from the cushion of dry 

 grass will depend on the force and direction of the wind, being 

 shortest in still weather and greatest when the wind blows perpen- 

 dicularly across the trace. The day's work should not be closed 

 until a cross road or watercourse or some other equally effective 

 barrier to fire has been reached, otherwise the fire that has spread 

 away from the trace may be subsequently turned back and find its 

 way into the preserved forest across the still uncleared portion of 

 the trace. 



All the preceding remarks apply also when a road or water- 

 course or impenetrable belt of bushes flanks one side of the 

 trace, but with this addition that a line of fire (not of course 

 requiring any broom-men to beat it out) must be run along that 

 side and advance at the same rate as if the fire had to be specially 

 put out on that side also. 



III. FlRST BURNING OF TRACES ON STEEP OR HILLY GROUND. 

 In hilly country a trace may run (a) along the crest of a main 

 ridge, or (6) along the crest of a spur, or (c) along the bottom of a 

 long gulley or ravine, or (d) more or less along the line of steepest 

 descent on a flat hill-side or (e) more or less along horizontal con- 

 tours. Before proceeding to consider each of these five cases sepa- 

 rately, a remark of common application to them all must be made, 

 viz., that everything likely to roll down in full combustion on to pre- 

 served slopes below, such as cones, dry billets of wood, &c., should 

 be removed before the trace is fired. It should also be remem- 

 bered that fire will progress upwards even against the wind, and 

 the rapidity of its progress upwards may be alarmingly great even 

 in a still atmosphere, if only the grass and vegetable debris strew- 

 ing the ground be abundant enough and readily inflammable. 



