WHERE TO PLANT. 



49 



But then the stumps of the pine trees remain in the ground, 

 -and it is a sad mistake to leave them there, as so many do ; they 

 are not only a constant eye-sore (that is the least of the objections) 

 but no matter how often and how carefully the land is cultivated, 

 these stumps scattered all over it, will harbor ants and weeds, 

 especially that curse of a cultivated field in the South called 

 "maiden cane" grass, which it is almost impossible to eradicate, 

 once it is established, its roots run down to a depth of several feet, 

 and every joint makes a new plant; for this enemy the pine 

 stumps afford first-class rallying points; it is simply impossible to 

 destroy it in a field where they are. 



And even if the maiden-cane can be kept at bay, as the or- 

 ange trees grow larger, the pine stumps encroach upon the space 

 they require, and by this time, when it is at least deemed advisa- 

 ble to get rid of them, fully one-half will have to be chopped out 

 laboriously, because the orange trees near them would be injured 

 if they were burned out. 



Better, by far burn them out in the first place, and have 

 your land smooth and clean, and no broken or crooked lines among 

 your orange rows, because of stumps interfering with setting 

 them out in their j^roper places. 



It will cost you fifteen or twenty cents apiece to do this, but 

 it is cheaper in the end. 



A still better method, because cheaper and just as effective, 

 is one that is more rarely practiced than the other two, only be- 

 cause it is newer, and not generally known as yet in Florida. 



This is to dig a hole quite deep against one side of the pine 

 tree, cutting off the large roots there and laying bare the tap 

 root, and then build a fire in the hole beneath, and against the 

 tree ; by keejoing the fire constantly smouldering, and in contact 

 with the tap roop, the latter is burned off, and the tree, having 

 thus lost its balance, topples over and comes crashing to the 

 ground all at one time, and it only remains to burn the tree, fill 

 up the hole, and the land is clear and smooth, ready for the plow 

 for all time to come ; no falling branches or trees, no weed-gath- 

 ering stumps. 



This method of clearing costs from twenty to thirty dollars 



