Bush Farming in the North Island

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 19, 13 August 1891, Page 4

Bush Farming in the North Island

(Dunedin* Star.) (Continued.) _j , When a man wants a block of hush felled he generally calls for tenders, and by the majority the lowest tender- is usually accepted. This is often bad policy, as the chances are that the lowest tenderer has to " slumick " the bush in order to make a reasonable wage. There is nothing worse for the firing of the bush than to "~ have it badly felled, or, as they call it, "slumiked*" " Slumiking" bush is an easy matter, and, worse still, it cannot be noticed as a rule until the 1 bush- has began to dry ; then, that which, has not been cut can be easily detected. So that it will be aeen that to pay the bushman a fair wage and have your bush felled properly pays -the best. in the end, for, aa all farmers know there is nothing like a clean burn. Before the actual bush- felling takes place all the undergrowth has to be cut. In cutting this undergrowth they use a slasher, which is something like the ordinary billhook, only, instead of having a hook, it is straight, then again the slasher is made much longer. Underscrubbingls also.let'by tJoiitract. This work is very often ; " flumiked " too. The opinion among some farmers is that, the jiuderscrubbing is of more importance than the telling, and that they .would sooner have/the 'bush badly felled than badly linderscrubbed. _..--—- --{To he Continued.)