Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1911-08-22
TO TEST CHARPITTING.
DALLAS LUMBER & LOGGING
COMPANY WILL TRY PLAN.
Manager Gerlinger VIII Hire Expert
To Experiment on Torty-Acre
Tract.

If the plans of George Gerlinger,
manager of the Dallas Lumbere& Log
ging company, carry Alright, Polk
county is to be given an object les
son in the practical details of char
pitting according to the latest improv-
ed methods. He has been watching
the results as carried on elsewhere,
and wishes to try it out on the COM
pany's logged-off lands above Falls
City, He is going to obtain the best
man available to superintend the ex-
pertinent, and with that end in view
he has called on the State college of
Washington, located at Pullman, for
the services of man who thas had
sufficient experience and knowledge of
charpitting to take charge of the
work of clearing up, d AaQlraare tract.
If the results attained afe, SatisfaeT-
tory, the method will ibe2continued ia
clearing up some 500 or 800 acres of
the logged-off lands in the western
portion of the county. 1t will cost
considerable money to carry out the
demonstration on the scale planned |
by Manager Gerlinger, but he has
faith in the scheme and will give il
fair trial.
Two-Fold Benefit.
In carrying on the experiments, he
has two-fold object in view. Aside
from the direct benefit to the COM
pany, several hundred acres will be |
made tributary to the wealth of the I
county, and the farmers and owners
of timber land will be given an oppor-
tunity to see and learn at first hand |
the principles and operations involved /
in getting rid of stumps. In all those
cases where there is doubt as to the I
feasibility of the system, the failure I
is attributed to lack sf knowledge as
to the manner i'll which it is necessary
to do the work.
Until recently the huge task Of TAX
ing out stumps from slashed or log
ged-off areas was one of the most ar
duous jobs that confronted the
home builder in d timbered country,
and many a young man has settled
down in the forest, lived life Of toll,
grown old and has passed away amid
the blackened stumps that defed the
of his axe, saw and mat
tock. But it is now claimed that the
system has come to man S
aid and that the perfection of the
system is rendering the work simple
and cheap.
Cemeteries Filled.
It has been said that "The ceme-
cries are filed with the bodies of men
who have died before their time
worked themselves to death grubbing
,ut monster stumps.
f. B. Holbrook, of Portland, who
ome months ago set himself at the
ask of clearing 5000 acres by the
lew labor saving method, says: "The
tump land problem cf Oregon is
tearing an end. Perfected char
,itting means millions of dollars to
oregon" He maintains that he has
established beyond doubt one great
invaluable point-that a man with a
nattock and box Of matches can
ispose of the biggest stump in Ore
on. Stumps five feet through have
cen obliterated by couple of hours /
abor-mild labor at that.
Failures in charpitting have been /
umerous. Farmers have read direc- !
ions carefully as sent out by com /
lercial organizations and otherwise. !
'ut gathering the precise modus OPP !
randi from printed page is not i
eemed practicable. 1t is a matter /
catching the knack. {
A considerable amount Of expert i
renting in charpitting has been done g
y the Washington agricultural exper- I
nent station, and Manager Gerlinger 3
opes to avail himself Of the results
{ their experience.