35 



BURNING OFF. 



With some varieties of trees it is much easier to get them down 

 than to get rid of them after they are down. This is particularly 

 the case when the timber has not been previously killed by ring- 

 barking. The usual method of getting rid of the timber is by 

 burning it, first cutting the smaller limbs up into convenient 

 lengths for handling with an axe or crosscut saw. The larger limbs 

 and butts of the smaller trees should be also cut up and pulled up 

 to the largest trunks by horse power. The mistake is sometimes 

 made, by those who have not done this work before, of stacking up 

 all the small timber on the trunks and setting fire to the whole lot 

 at once. This should not be done except in the case of trees that 

 are dead and consequently dry, and that are known to burn freely. 

 Burning off is at best, under the most favourable circumstances, a 

 tedious process, and though it may seem very slow work, it is quicker 

 in the long run to economise the smaller stuff and add a little to 

 the fires as needed. It occasionally happens, in spite of the 

 greatest economy, there are still butts unburnt which are too 

 large to be moved whole and which cannot be split by the wedge 

 and maul. When this occurs, it has to be decided whether it is 

 cheaper to haul more timber to the spot or break up the butts by 

 means of explosives. 



Another way which has been recommended to me, but which 

 I have not tried, of getting rid of the huge butts of red gums and 

 other trees that are full of sap and refuse to burn except under 

 the most intense heat, is to throw earth up to them and treat them 

 in the same manner as if burning charcoal. In burning off, in fact, 

 in the whole operation of clearing for the plough, it should not be 

 forgotten that it is one hundred per cent, labour, and in order to 

 cheapen the process as much as possible, not cheap labour, which is 

 very often dear labour in the long run, but mechanical appliances 

 and every other available means should be employed to assist the 

 capable labourer in his work. In the rudimentary, but necessary, 

 work of clearing, brains should come into play as well as hands. 

 The foregoing remarks are not intended as a complete discourse on 

 the whole art of clearing, but merely to indicate to the newcomer 

 the several methods which may be followed with advantage. In 

 this, as in everything eJse, a little practical experience is of more 

 value than a whole library of theory. 



PREPARATION OF LAND FOR PLANTING. 



The locality of the future orchard or vineyard having been 

 selected, and the land cleared on a site best suited for the purpose, 

 a few words on the preparation of the land will be found of use. 



In this country where high winds must occasionally be expected 

 within the coastal zone, naturally sheltered sites should as much as 

 possible be sought for. This will apply equally well to inland dis- 

 tricts, where the hot scorching North-Easterly winds at times blight 

 the tender foliage of plants. Fruit trees must have shelter. If 



