34 
known to burn freely. The fire should be diverted on one side and 
kept up as much as possible so as to drive out the sap or the 
moisture gradually. Burning olf 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 ana 
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 chareoal, 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. !n 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 else, a little practical experi- 
ence is of more value that 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 ex- 
pected within the coastal zone, naturally sheltered sites should 
as much as possible be sought for. This will apply equally well 
to inland districts, where the hot scorching North-Easterly winds 
at times blight the tender foliage of plants. Fruit trees must have 
shelter. If nature does not offer it, artificial means will have to 
be resorted to. Deep gullies and damp, drafty hollows are as 
unsuitable for them as the denuded summit of exposed hills; it 
often happens that the blossoms will not set in either situation. 
Fruit land requires more thorough treatment than soil set 
apart for general farming cultivation. 
_ In planting a vineyard or an orehard, it should always be 
borne in mind that the work is being done for a long succession 
