Bush-Farming in the North Island

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 23, 22 August 1891, Page 4

Bush-Farming in the North Island

(Dunedin Star.) , # ( Continued ) As a rule, when a settler begins to work his section he bas either a partner or brings a man with him. It must be fearfully lonely work for one by himself in the hush. It is a ■wonder 1 those who labor alone dou't go melancholy mad. The first consideration of the sejtler when he gets to his section is to bjild a whare, very simple in the construction, .vhich would probably require about a week to put 'up; but of course it depends upon u the bize w nether it takes a week or a 'month. After the whare is up and he has stored enough provisions to^ last his mate and himself somt time, the real work begins. For th( n«-xt eight months they are con tinually working in thVbush. Bushfelliug is very hard wurk, some of tut trees being so large that it takes twf men half a day's constant chopping befoie they can get one down. Tin largest trees are rata, rid^u (or red pine), totara, 1 white and yellow pine, pukatea. Several others are alsc very largo, but differ very much in size. The most common tree is the , tawa.. Where plenty of this is to be found the land is generally considered to be good,, and it is also said to be one 'of the chief factors in making a good burn. The usual rate of b.ushr felling is about three acres a week for two men; so that they wjll fall between them close on 100 acres in the eight months. Bush-fellinggenerally begins during March or .April,,'^aud: is often continued up to November. About the" -beginning of November the mosquitoes make their appearance, and, - although one can bush-fall during that month, it is almost an impossibility to fell in December, as they btoome so troublesome. If a Jjjishfeller is ' foic^d into felling bush until' December, he wears a piece of mosquito netting round his f ace as, a protection against their attacks. The general charge for bush-felling is from 30s to 35s per 'acre, .including under-s crubbing. But, if. the unde - bcrub'bing 1 is let separately, the usual charge is 25s for felling, and ahout 8s for "scrubbing, per acre. But of ou'rse,' the charges are sometimes lowrefy and sometimes higher, in ac<c »rdanc'e with the kind of bush, the Lgh.t," bush being ielied much more cheaply than the- heavy. It was mainly on account of the great variety of bush that the Bush-fellers' Union, which was being formed at Feilding -last year, Was abandoned, not being •able io make a uniform charge per acre throughout. When the settler has felled as much bush as he possibly can for the first year, the next few. months are not very busy ones. These are December, January, and ti uo February. After that he is on 4 ie look out for a favourable day to " fire" his fallen bush. Success depends much upon the kind of weather there has' been for the few weeks before; the burning, and, again, it is needful to have a fairly strong wind. If 'a settler has had six weeks' dry weather, or even less, and he gets a good wind blowing in the direction he wants, then he " fires " his fallen bush. ' The result is, if the bush has been .well felled, a complete clearance, leaving nothing but the very largest - of the' trees. {To be Vontinned.)