Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1929-08-01
PAST AND PRESENT METHODS OF
LAND CLEARING

First settlers OF the Pacific North
west, particularly of Oregon and Wash
ington west of the Cascades, found
little prairie or arabic land suitable
lor growing crops. The small tracts
we're soon occupied, and homeseekers
coming later had to take up timbered
donation land claims on which were
standing. in most cases, enormous
gIowths of Douglas fir.
The stumps had to be removed be-
fore the soil could be cultivated. In
the early days the earth was dug up
away from the stump with mattock
and shovel, limbs and bark were piled
around the exposed roots and the
whole was set on fire.
Later, the semi char pitting methods
came into use. This consisted of digg-
ing around the stump and shoveling
the soil away below pillow share depth
and piling around the roots enough
small-cut wood TO produce a great
heat. On top Of this wood was placed
bark from the stump and then earth
was piled nearly all over the stump,
leaving small opening to start the
fire When it had good start, the
opening was covered to keep the heat
underground and the stump burning.
Should the fire break out, the dirt
would collapse and put 1t out The
advantage of this method is that II
bricks" very little of the soil and the
ashes help to fertilize it.
When the railroads penetrated this
section the farmers could buy stump
blasting explosives. The first type
put out was q dynamite containing
about five per cent of nitroglycerin.
It. would not explode in a damp hole,
and this precluded its use during the
wet season
The approved practice in those days
was to cover the explosive with q thin
layer of dry earth, then place the
primer on top and lamp the hole.
Tamping a hole loaded with this low
explosive was task, but it had to be
done thoroughly to secure satisiao-
tory results. Some OF the old boys who
knew all about the dry-dirt method
often "lorded' It over their more un-
fortunate brethren who burned more
charges than they detonated
The farmers clearing land in that
period used only enough explosives to
lift the stump and crack it into four
or five sections that could be pulled
out with OK team and piled and burned
When a stump is blasted, tight
earth Is broken up. thus making 1t
possible for the soil to receive and
store more moisture for crop-growing
needs. Therefore, the use of explos-
ives perform a double service: IL rids
the land of stumps and also skaters
and loosens the soil packed by the
weight Of the tree during its growth.
Modern stump blasting explosives
are packed in cartridges. generally
= by inches They can be used
in holes containing water with good
results. so that the blaster can work
during the wet season.
The latest of these explosives are
known as low-density dynamites
Cartridge for cartridge they will do
work equal to the older types, and
as the unit price is lower, their use
results in large saving in the explosive
cost per acre When a stump is blast
ed out it is broken into many pieces
that can easily be gathered into piles
for burning.
Stamping powder in cartridge form
makes II possible to gauge the charge
FOR different stumps or under differ
ent soil conditions more readily than
when loose bulk powder is used