The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-08-02
VARIOUS METHODS OF
CLEARING SAGE BRUSH
Burning, Disc Plow and Crubbins
Machine Methods Are Thor.
oughly Explained

land NAV be managed in sew
eral ways only few OF
the most promising and successful
methods will be- given. The brush
NAV be grubbed off by hand. While
successful in getting rid of the brush,
the method is slow. 1t is adapted
to two sets of conditions: 1st, where
labor is cheap; End, where the area
to be cleared is small or where the
large brush is scattering.
A method which has been practic-
ed in chose localities where snow is
not abundant in the cold season, is to
draw a heavy railroad rail over the
brush when the land is frozen hard
Four to eight horses are required ac-
cording to the size of the rail and
brush With the land in this condi-
ton Che brush breaks off at or be-
low the surface and can be raked
and burned.
The brush may be burned off while
standing where the conditions are just
right These are adequate fire pro-
lection so as not to endanger the
surrounding properly and very dry
brush 1t is only an occasional sea-
son that the brush becomes dry
enough for successful burning, but
when the conditions are right there
is no way of as quickly getting rid
of sage brush.
One of the most practical ways OF
removing the brush is accomplished
by heavy disk plows. The plows are
set to cut about two or three inches
beneath the surface. Thus the brush
is cut off. 1t may then be raked and
burned. Owing to the fact that this
method takes considerable power and
the sage brush is rather severe on
horses legs, some sort of power
tractor is advisable wherever feast
BILE. Under most conditions of work
this method will be found cheap and
effective.
A home made grubber has been
used to some extent which has proved
successful where sufficient power was
available. Such 9 grubber is made
out of heavy planks, timber or logs.
One side is made straight and the
other set at an angle. The front of
the angle edge is shod with a heavy
steel lay or blade. This blade is
sage brush with a slanting cuu from
two to three inches below the sur
| face of the ground. The rear cor
ner of the machine is provided with
a blade cutter which penetrates the
soil to 10 inches and prevents the
machine from sluing sidewise. Weight
is essential to TINS machine. If 1t is
not heavy enough the desired weight
may be obtained by weighing it
down with sacks of earth or with
STONES. This machine when properly
made and handled is very effective.
There is machine now on the
! market which resembles a blade
road grader With plenty of power
| it works we'll
A machine much used is made to
work similar to the old fashioned
revolving rake This machine is pro-
vided with IAN opposite or double
| ended set of tool steel teeth of about
! IL to = u inch stock. The outer
ends of the teeth are forged so that
| they bend forward at or nearly at
| right angles, forming hooks. These
catch and pull out the brush or are,
at least supposed to. When the ma
chine fills with brush it is released
and revolves the other set of teeth
into action. There are a great many
of these machines used. On light
brush thsy work quite well in the
hands of careful men. On rank.
heavy brush they are not very sat-
isfactory.
After the successful removal of
= L,a nd ;, a,,J
pldwed Slight inequality may be
rem owed by dragging with a heavy
timber drag, the front edge of which
is steel shod. Consid erable inequali-
ties may be best reduced by the
fresno, a kind of broad scraper
adapted for moving quickly, large
amounts of earth short distances
Frequently no preliminary leveling is
necessary. Sage brush land should
be plowed deeply. If the land can
be turned 5 to 10 inches deep or
even deeper, better results will OBJ
tain than from shallow blowing. For
the most part sage brush lands are
compacted. They support very little
vegetation other than sage brush
Consequently they respond well to a
first deep blowing.
Where deep blowing is thorough
ly done, better crops are often oh
tanned and the land is well worked
after the first season than after three
years of shallow blowing. 1t is Of
ten said that three years are neces-
sary to subdue the land If shallow
blowing is done it may take that
long, but with deep blowing good
crops should be grown at once if suf-
ficient water is supplied.-Alvin
Kevser in the Enferprise Montrose