The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1880-10-20
Deand yolusa County, Florida Wednesday, October co. $780,


Orange Culture as an Investment.
NUMBER VI.
Written for TIE Florida Agriculturist.
WHAT I KNOW OF TAKING OUT
STUMPS.
In late number of the AGRICUL.
TURIsT | noticed an inquiry by "Sag.
ittarius," III regard to the different
modes OF removing stumps. Iregret
that l can tell your readers of but
one plan, as l have not experimental
with any OF those socalled scientific
modes, and as this is the place for
stamping" to come in, / will de.
scribe mY own plan here. / have
dug out few stumps, that stood too
near--as then thought-to orange
trees to burn them out In regard
to digging I found it to be very hard
labor; and if the stump was OF good
size it became an elephant on hand
after it was dug for the pit dug had
TO be quite deep and the stump nat.
urally took the lowest part of it, and
1t became a serious task, without
special implements, to hoist them to
tbe surface. Burning out is much
better plan, and this is the way, my
settler that am instructing, will go
to work. In the first place | should
have told him when clearing that
with small, very thick sapped trees,
the better way is to dig the tree out.
This plan gives him the natural lever
age OF the tree itself and removes the
stump from the pit at the same time,
but it is advisable only with small
trees, say nine inches and under, and
''saI4y trees. The great difficulty in
burning stumps is with the sap. Now
we will begin by digging hole on
the south side Of the stump, this hole
should be at least three feet square
on tou and deep enough to get we'll
below the collar. The sides, should
be carried down at an angle thai. will
y
eighteen to twenty inches square, the
bottom should not be fat, however,
as it should slope right to the tap
root; the incline getting less abrupt
as it goes down. After digging the
hole. chop through the sap where
possible as you in most cases can do,
it will facilitate and hasten matters
considerably. If you are going to
have but one man to burn them,
prepare in this way fifty stumps,
then take the ends that are lett of
your log piles, and if they have long
"peaked" ends cut those ends off, so
that you can insert the end of the
log under the collar roots OF the
stump. Each log should be from
four to six feet long, or shorter; but
it will take more OF them it they are
shorter. Place one OF these logs
"handy" to each stump; now have
at least large cart load oflightwood,
ends of limbs, chunks, etc., to every
ten stumps, prepare fat pine kindlings,
and place three or four little sticks
in each stump hole, and also few
pieces of lightwood; do all this Sc
fore you start fire. Now you$are
all ready " II 60 with you, as l like
this sort of thing. We will take
and light a good big handful OF this
split fat wood that you have prepared,
and away we 60. Our stumps are
all ready, and if we hurry. in thirty
minutes we have fifty fires in full
blast. Skip around lively now, we
must get in new supply OF wood
before this kindlings burn out, for
we did not put in much in the start
as it would bother us in getting slit
up," and we are doing this against
time;;" now they are burning up in
fine style, good; now in with the
logs, lively. Now you can go to
breakfast; | will stay with them un>
til you come back. 1t is now 6:3O
and we have been out ninety minutes.
very good. We will now get two
good long hand.spikes. tor this work
would soon spoil our "Peevy hooks
as the fire would shrink the timber
and the rings would drop off and be
lost; two small, dry, heart rails will
do capitally. Now go from one
stump to another in rotation, and
punch off the Goals on the tap root.
then stick the end Of your haad-spike
under the lower end of the log ard
shake it up; this will clear the Goals
from it, and it will burn bright; keep
il cr0xvdad rirht to huSiunsS adding