316 GRUBBING. 



clears away the earth from off the root to the distance 

 of five or six feet from the centre of the stump: 

 cutting through the diverging 1 spurs close to the out- 

 side of the opening. This done, he next considers 

 where he had best insert his wedges ; and here, if he 

 has not an intimate knowledge of the physical struc- 

 ture of the whole root, he will certainly waste much 

 of his time and strength in vain. He should be aware, 

 that to the original axis of the seedling tree, all the 

 exterior accretion has been in the course of time im- 

 posed ; and that the sides of the stump can only be 

 split off in the same order and direction in which 

 they were laid on. His best plan is to endeavour to 

 split the crown into segments, and then reduce each 

 of these segments by taking off slivers from the out- 

 side. But in forming these segments, much judg- 

 ment is necessary. Every species of timber has a 

 natural cleavage ; and this it is that directs the posi- 

 tion of the wedges. Right lines, from the pith of 

 the stem to the centre of each spur or large root, are 

 the proper places for insertion of the wedges. Spurs 

 cannot easily be separated from each other, after they 

 are united in the collet ; because the grain lies hori- 

 zontally from one to the other below. If the division 

 into segments (which is usually done seriatim) be 

 accomplished, the rest of the labour is easy ; as these 

 are reduced by pieces consecutively detached from 

 the outside. 



Pieces of large size, when split away from the 

 crown, are often held by tap, or downright roots 



