34 



has to be done quickly and on a large scale, the tree-puller is almost 

 indispensable ; but on a small piece of land, and especially when it 

 is intended for vines or fruit trees, I am inclined to think that the 

 slight extra cost of clearing entirely by hand is money saved in the 

 long run. 



A third method is by the use of explosives, and this I have 

 found both expeditious and profitable, especially on ring-barked 

 country where the timber is dead. I have always used dynamite in 

 preference to either powder or rackarock, the only other explosives 

 I have tried. It is not necessary to use sufficient explosive to blow 

 the tree down, but merely to loosen the ground about the roots and 

 create a vent under the butt of the tree. When the timber is dead, 

 a fire-stick will generally do the rest. A hole should be bored with 

 a two-inch auger, not in the butt of the tree, but immediately under 

 it, in the fork of the roots. From Jib. to |lb. of dynamite will be 

 quite sufficient to shake up the roots and create a vent for the fire 

 under the largest tree. Last summer I had to have some ground 

 cleared. It was stiffish clay land, and the ground was very hard, 

 and I found a considerable saving in time, and consequently money, 

 was effected by using a small quantity of dynamite, as I have 

 described, to loosen the ground round the trees. Dynamite may be 

 had in 51b. packets, costing 8s. 9d.; detonators cost 9d. per doz., 

 and fuse Is. per coil. 



At one time it was thought the royal road to clearing had been 

 found in the use of saltpetre and -kerosene. I have tried the follow- 

 ing method myself, but must say have only found it to be advan- 

 tageous with timbers that will in any case burn readily. A hole, 

 eighteen inches deep, is bored with a 1 J inch auger down the centre 

 of the stump after the tree has been felled. Into this hole 

 two or more ounces of saltpetre are put, or it is filled up with 

 kerosene and plugged up. In fine weather, in the spring, the plug 

 is removed, and about a quarter of a pint of kerosene is put in if 

 the saltpetre has been used, or the hole is again filled up with the 

 oil, if oil has been previously applied. This being set on fire, it is 

 said the stump will continue to burn away quietly until both stump 

 and roots are consumed. Personally, I am of opinion that a little 

 dynamite properly applied, or one of the other methods of clearing 

 mentioned in this chapter, are cheaper and more satisfactory in the 

 end, where the hard burning wood of Western Australia is con- 

 cerned. 



There is a fourth method which is certainly the most expe- 

 ditious, but it requires a large amount of capital, and would only 

 pay where a large area of country had to be cleared. I refer to the 

 use of traction engines fitted with long wire ropes, by means of 

 which the trees can be pulled down as they stand without any 

 preliminary preparation, and then " snigged " up into rows eight 

 or ten chains apart, and there left for all time or to be burnt off at 

 leisure. If this process is followed, there is nothing to do but to fill 

 up the holes and set the stump-jump plough to work. 



