BUSH FIRES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 931, 26 September 1910, Page 10

BUSH FIRES.

MEANS OF FIGHTING THEM. './// , XXX// XX-:,; i There aro still many parts of New ; Zealand in which tho settlors': property Z is/iiv ; serious/danger- .during ; tho. / hot months, of being destroyed by bush fires/.' // '-;X\X. '.■;/';/;' -■' /fXX' X The importance of the matter to our own :,farmers gives a/particular, interest ; to an article in • the 'l'asnianian "Agricultural Gazette"-by T. S. Marshall, tho chief-officer! of tho; country fire brigades of'.Victoria. . ..•••; Among tho causes, of bush fires Mr. Marshall considors : tho wax • lliatch as one: of : the/principal.-,./-/To;; does ho blame it that ho advocates /prohibiting its / sale/ in -. bush districts, during the hot months, and also of inflicting/ /a. heavy; penalty on /'/anyone, known to.light, way side,- picnic, or other such fires/' /./://- - /./;/k/-" v////. : •/:'•■.. Ho strongly urges- tho .making of .fire . breaks//as. 'means. : of:, checking . lire.Ho proceeds: ! .- Fpr prevention against grass or crop fires, hre-breaks : aro prepared ,in- vari,ous.ways:—. . ; 1. By .ploughing/1,: 2,' and.,sometimes /more, chains wide round the .property ■{This /is/: perhaps .-.the; most-, eft'ectiye' of all breaks, although it is contemled- by .some, that in tho wider breaks too much land' is laid waste.;., A. friend' of. mine /in Now/• South Wales /.■ uses,:' the widest breaks, -his', argument • being-. that /it;'is better to . lose that much- land than to i lose the wholo of one's ,property, and ho'. emphasises this, by .the ;■ fact that; while fires - have' raged round - his /land, r and/ caused disaster to his 'neighbours'- /places, 'not ,once-has a fire csnt-ered any. portion of his property. six/furrows"; wide,/ : and one or. more,chains , away plough a /similar-.number of/furrows / parallel with the first set, and burn tlio iiiter- . vening space when - tlio grass is v. dry enough. 3. 'With ai/cart, - having ■ a -tank of i water, with punip and spray,, damp, the ground about/ eight or/ten/feet/'wide - or"two/awaj' : damp; the' 'burn, a's-in'clause'/2./ r : UtVis -wonderful /iow'p/little ..water;;.is required to form such'.a . break,-/and how .effective tho sprayer ;is.■■■■-.■ An ordinary: watering-can, fuii/'along/the./grass i; more effective than half a .dozen buc-i kets of water thrown bodily at it. - ///4.? Main./and'other.'^.'roaSs./ are- splendid ■breaks,'- but, to.'make them /thoroughly effectived/they•; lihust;; be/kept;vfreo ■ of, grass and clear of fallen timber. . 5. Stone walls , make a. good break, .as they, stop the advance of th'e fi.ro ,sufficiently/, long to-give;-,tho/beiitefs; .a chance. , • Bosides making •• breaks 'to • secure large areas, it is also wise to similarly, protect ;• the /, homestead / aridoutbuiid-.' /ings./j///.;// : ./://'//..:/'i//;:/;;//;-/-//'-Mr. Marshall's words as to tho placing of stacks . are :.-:.worth . ;;"St^ks//shpuld-'be/plac^ / ;at/^ so far apart-from/each other as ..-to •admit; of: an effective/break /being/made, botweon, arid, in case' of . fire, to /allow room to/work, these breaks being, of course, . prepared \l ing stacks close ,to each' other is most ;be/ sej;.;/iorifire.- tho whole :lot is. almost suro.. to &O J', Kjf ■' ( "3 . In recent-years bush, .fire''brigades', havo sprung ,up, in/many rural/.places, in Australia. >

.: j''/ . "The equipment '.necessary 'to./fight'a. ;■ ~iji- lush/fir^ ! v ; ;.,*..is a- : 'fxr6-. . •. cart,' .with. tank, / pump, - arid : hose; v ; .Jeather or basil beaters,: rakes, axes, /V:/^nd/'wii^^utters.-'One,/ 'I have seen has a' semi-rotary pump, J;A yporked..by -hand^'^attached .t6.',a;.'1i30-gal- : lon- taiik . mounted • .on ' a' strong.- yet \ light,-'- carriage, capable of/being drawn' by one horse,-.or-two,' : if necessary, at 'a good i.rate,".even over..'rougiucountryi: ::,//;:and .wherever',d;dray can%o.:///.lt .takes, four men to work'it-r-one to drive, one . to' pumK and t two to manipulate tho • hose. '. The .tank, ,by means of its sue-' tion, : ,can =bo • filled from a -waterholo ■■»./«': dam,';/or;;by :'.. : 'hand:/by/..bucke .. fatter, process being the quicker. .A ~ jet. through a quartbr-irich nozzlo. can be: thrown :20 feet; , ; v A- / sprayer can take the place of the i nozzle, and with . ,it >100 gallons/of /waterwill - spray eight: Ho, ten feet wide aloiig a distance of over _'.two/:iiiiles;-.v. of ; '■■>: making/life.-b^edks,^.putting; out' fires'on: logs, 'arid saving fences, this ■orother - 'like carts are: most valuable..' About . .. fifty carts are now in nse in Victoria, including a few in New South W.iles, and they have, been,found to. bo most effective. Mr; Turner, manager of Admiral Bridges's station at Trawalla, , informs, mo' that they havo threo of. ■ these carts, oh the property, and. lie ./v ; . .adds/tKat,-:unless. the./day .is/very/bad indeed, the' sprayer can put out fires y/;/ two to three miles'/with 100'• gallons of / . water, and; that, they aro of tl:c greatest use, especially in .burning fire-brealis and in the case of bush fires. In /: some' cases "■ 6rdinary/W'dra;ys, Vcarrying '•;. 200-gall°n tanks -of /water, follow on • .: after the ; ;fire-carts-; to. replenish/ their tanks if necessary." • '. . Of course, what applies to Australia /. does not necessarily, hold in New Zea- :; ■ : " tlie.:; sei-iousness i'of - the bush-; ■/.;. re danger—still in places • an': ahnual. : menace—is/;such .-that '. every'. farmer / should/ consider means of : protecting : . bis/home: and property. : ■//;..