24: QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Jaw., 1899. 
remains to be done but to chop the saw out, unless it has a removable eye, 
and then of course it can be withdrawn through the cut, so long as it has 
motion at all. Having now entered the saw as deeply as the hang of the tree will 
allow, or,in the case of a perpendicular tree, almost to the centre (although to 
one-third of the diameter is preferable), the sawyers go to the opposite side of 
the tree and again enter the saw. Now it is that great care nd nicety are 
required. If the new cut is begun too low, either there will be” ereat labour 
in wedging the tree off at the last, or it may fall towards the lower cut, and loss 
of life may ensue. If the cut be too high, over half the first log will be some 
inches longer than the remainder, and as a consequence the rails, posts, or 
whatever is to be split from it will be- of unequal length and form a “job 
lot,” entailing extra work on the fencer. 
I have known men to hit the first (or belly cut) so exactly with the back 
cut, that, except for the unavoidable splintering of the last fibres of wood 
holding the tree up, none could have told that the two were nota single cut, 
I had a mate who always drew a charcoal line round the butt of the tree, and 
worked to that line so truly that we rarely had a difference in the stuff split 
from the butt log. 
Now come some of the niceties of felling, which are adopted to ensure the 
safety of the timber-getter and also the soundness of the log. Many a tree 
has split up before being two-thirds cut through, by badly managing the final 
eutting, especially in a high wind. But I would not advise anyone to attempt 
to fell heavy timber during a gale of wind. I have tried it on two or three 
occasions, and always with loss. 
The usual result is what is technically known as a “kick up.” 
This is caused in the following manner :—The tree is a slightly leaning one; 
a heavy breeze is blowing; a deep belly cut hasbeen putin. The back cut has 
got well in, and the tree is a free running one. ach pull of the saw weakens 
the remaining wood. Suddenly a gust of wind seizes the top of the tree, which 
leans over and splits from the depth of the back cut to a length of perhaps 
15 feet. Then one of two things happens. Either the back half of the 
tree, breaking off from the lower half, makes a wild flight into the air and 
comes down suddenly with terrific force, some distance to the right or left of 
the stump, or else it does not break right away, but remains suspended. In 
either case the tree is useless to the splitter. I shall presently show the great 
danger which exists in this and other cases to human life. Meanwhile I will 
proceed to fell the tree which has been waiting for us. Having got the sawin 
to a little over its own depth (in a tree 3 feet in diameter, say) in the back cut, 
if you hear no cracking sound you may go on sawing till you reach a depth of 
15 or 16 inches. Now, without withdrawing the saw, move round to one side 
gradually, continuing to cut as you go. This is cutting out the “quarters.” 
You do this on both sides till your quarter cuts join the belly cut. The quarters 
must be deeply cut in, as it is this work which prevents the tree, if a free one, 
from kicking up and splitting. Now you go back to the back cut, and as 
there is now plenty of room behind the saw you insert one or more wedges. 
Although the time to decide where a tree shall fall is before commencing 
to cut (the belly cut always being put in on the falling side), yet the needful 
direction can be given by the judicious use of wedges. Another great help 
is to cut a notch out of the stump, leaving the butt projecting about 3 inches. 
This notch serves a double purpose. It leads the tree in the direction in 
which it is to fall, and it quite prevents the tree from slipping back on the 
stump (as often occurs), and rushing backwards over it for many feet like a 
battering-ram. Ihave known men killed by a tree doing this, and I saw a 
most miraculous escape of a mate of mine when we were felling an enormous 
ironbark at the Pimpama, at Ormeau. This tree was nearly 6 feet in diameter, 
and rose perfectly perpendicular to a height of about 50 feet to the first 
branch. We cut this tree completely through, so that it actually spun on the 
wedges, which would take no effect on it. We, of course, stood at the 
