Clearing Land
By John L. Peyton
The only safe time to burn brush is when snow is on the ground. But you can’t do it in midwinter when the snow is too deep. And spring isn’t good either because some patches dry out while others are still covered. So the best time is late fall and early winter. And the most efficient practice is to burn the brush as it is cut.
You can burn the green brush on a good hot fire, but it must be carefully tended. Otherwise it will burn through the pile in one spot and go out, or get so low that it takes a lot of work to revive it. If several people are cutting and carrying, it will keep one busy poking up and rearranging the fire.
People who had just come over from the old country were likely to feel that burning brush was a sin. At home every little stick had been used to heat the house. But in America there was so much brush and so little help that it paid to save only the bigger stuff for fuel.
The man in the picture is chopping hazel brush. This is tough and springy cutting. It works best to grab a handful and bend it over to strain the fibers for a clean cut. But you have to be careful not to drive the axe in to the ground. And even more careful to avoid those other nearby stems that can deflect the blade into a hand or leg. Hazel brush fights back, too, by springing up and slapping your face. It leaves its mark on you.
Go to the "Clearing Land" Painting now...
Clearing Land
By John L. Peyton
The only safe time to burn brush is when snow is on the ground. But you can’t do it in midwinter when the snow is too deep. And spring isn’t good either because some patches dry out while others are still covered. So the best time is late fall and early winter. And the most efficient practice is to burn the brush as it is cut.
You can burn the green brush on a good hot fire, but it must be carefully tended. Otherwise it will burn through the pile in one spot and go out, or get so low that it takes a lot of work to revive it. If several people are cutting and carrying, it will keep one busy poking up and rearranging the fire.
People who had just come over from the old country were likely to feel that burning brush was a sin. At home every little stick had been used to heat the house. But in America there was so much brush and so little help that it paid to save only the bigger stuff for fuel.
The man in the picture is chopping hazel brush. This is tough and springy cutting. It works best to grab a handful and bend it over to strain the fibers for a clean cut. But you have to be careful not to drive the axe in to the ground. And even more careful to avoid those other nearby stems that can deflect the blade into a hand or leg. Hazel brush fights back, too, by springing up and slapping your face. It leaves its mark on you.
Go to the "Clearing Land" Painting now...