The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1911-07-15

Pullman has issued a bulletin by H.
w. Sparks, one of our Stevens county
men, now supervisor Of demonstra-
tion farms at the state college. This
bulletin gives in detail his experience
in investigating methods of clearing
logged off land, and the following is
his official report and instruction on
the char-pitting method which is now
being generally used, it being the
best, quickest and cheapest method
ever discovered:
DIRECTIONS FOR USING THE
CHAR-PIT METHOD OF DE-
STROYING STUMPS.
We first give directions for the
method as adapted to clay SOILS Start
ing in after "a good burn" on the
stumps, if the operator will follow as
soon as the ground is cool, he
will find many stumps with sufficient
fire as not to require any more than
perhaps few fragments of bark
or other light material added to them
to secure good start. which should
be covered Immediately with earth.
stumps not so burning should be
treated as follows:
First, remove the bark to the
ground, then if the sap wood is wet
or green, chop into the inner, dry
wood. Now procure some fuel for the
good start; in the dry season any half
rOtted material that can be secured
easily will answer, providing there is
enough dry material to start the fire.
Pile this fuel around the base of the
stump in such manner that the fire
will follow. The fuel should be con-
tinuous and fairly uniform in quaint
ity and quality. 1t does not make any
difference whether the wood is set on
end or laid lengthwise. Where some of
the fuel is long and there is a portion
sufficiently straight to allow the pill
ing of long pieces without leaving too
much space between the fuel and the
stump, this may be done so as to save
labor or breaking up the wood. AS to
the amount of fuel to be used, much
depends upon conditions. If the fuel
Is piled to reach about fifteen inches
high and about the same distance out
at the ground line, this will be suffi-
cient. Our experience indicates that
it is best to have less rather than more
kindling material If it is so arranged
that the fire will burn evenly, thus
allowing the cover to settle uniform
ly. If the fuel burns out quicker in
some places than in others, the cover
settling down as the fuel is burned in
these places leaves breaks in the
cover, thus permitting the heat to
escape.
Place some of the finer material to
act as kindling next to the stump and
under<he main supply of fuel to lead
the fire and start the burning next to
the stump, keeping the fire as near
as possible to that which it is to burn.
To further conserve the heat, cover
the fuel with the soil most conven-
lent. In friable, loose soil the man
ner of putting on this cover is i'm
pOrtant: If carelessly done, or If an
operator stands at distance and
throws the soil, there will be break
ing up into the finer subdivisions of
soil which will fall into the crevices
Of the fuel and perhaps considerable
portions of it drift in between the
fuel and the stump, thus protecting
the stump from the fire. Hence, the
best results will be secured by laying
each shovelful of earth on the fuel
without throwing. and if the soil
shows tendency to break up, fill in
around the stump at the top Of the
fuel with the most convenient mate
rial at hand, small pieces of bark,
rotten or wet wood, ferns, twigs, or
anything that will hold the fine ma
terial up at the start. Build the soil
covering up from the bottom and
cover the top right. Be careful at
the top of this covering to close all
the holes. A few shovelsful of finer
earth sifted over this portion Of the
covering will be found to be an ad-
vantage. Allow the air to enter free
ly at the bottom, since as the burn
ing proceeds, that air becomes heated
and raises to the top of the covering,
where it will escape if there are any
holes, but If confined within the
space, the cover soil becomes hot and
that heat is radiated back to the
stump. If the soil covering settles
down to the horizontal or nearly so,
this heat is radiat~d back to that por-
tion of the stump which we wish to
burn, namely, the roots, and this Is
the special reason for keeping the
fuel down to the lowest minimum for
successful firing.
Cover all the fuel except a small
opening to the windward side where
some kindling should be placed for
the purpose of conveying Il fire
around the stump. Leave this open
ing on the windward side Of the
stump so that when the wind blows
it has tendency to drive the fire in
under the cover AS soon as this fire
is we'll under the cover, which may
easily be told by the operator from
the amount Of smoke issuing through
the covering at different places, cover
that opening in the same way as the
rest of the fuel was covered. Some
times, II it has not been convenient
to reach the newly fired stump at the
proper time and the fuel has burned
out pretty well at this opening where
1t has been exposed to the strong air
currents, 1t may be necessary to fill in
with few small sticks or pieces of
bark, which takes the place Of that
burned out, before banking up.
The stump may now be left to care
for itself for several hours, while
other parts Of the work are done. The
operator should make regular visits
to each Of the stumps to see that they
are progressing as desired. II he
finds holes breaking through the COW
ering any place, these should be filled