Bush and Grass Fires.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1617, 25 January 1886, Page 2

Bush and Grass Fires.

The insertion by the station-manager -Of the Agricultural ; Company > pp a cautionary advertisement regarding th« lighting of grass fires on the estate reminds us that the New" Zealander is unaccustomed: to, raging conflagrations that - devastate scores of miles of countryi' and has not therefore at hand the devices by i which more practised people protect I themselves from the deyqunhg elethehtß, In Australia the commonest device is to burn strips round property so that' the firJß may be easily checked at these. 'm" the evenings of early summer, as soon as. the grass is dry enough several neigh, bors club togefthfer do ;the^necessar« burning*. * The s'tackiand'stock yards an2j the house are carefully defended. Then* it the roads are not j well .beaten, strips nre burnt along tfcfese where' they adjoin props. It is sometimes advisable to burn strips across large areas of grass, and to connect,; by burning , beaten roads, with creeks, and. thus, make as many barriers to the spread ot fire ae' possible. Th*. method of saying a flock of glieep m the face of a vast fire that cannot btf*traW"flanked is that of the child's reading book m regard to Prairie fires. Round up th« flock and kindle a' fir© to the leeward of it. The edge o£ this fire which is, next, the flock will bo feeble because It ig ! against the wind. „ With a 'green bough or a coat it can be beaten' out aod> the flock put upon the burnt space. — Tha. plough is a good but far . slower and more toilsome means of defence than the ! burning. Yet^whbn tb^e wi^das;ttoo high 'and the sr^i|^fw^^to^tort-turning, the plough mayKdb' gOo^jseryioe on an emergency, f ' ' ' ." ' ;>i v > | Bush fires are, however, different from grass fires, and there is oo way of stopping them. Still, a house need not be built ]m 7 the "hlfdst > of ,a heap of -, logs. Most of the settlers have beenthere from five to eigh r t %ears.i -They; kpojr that bush fires : happen every y§ar m that -neighbbrhbod.^ They are m fttoi part §E the process, of olearing the .bush. , Tiit«o people should therefore have rollisd ! 6r§ burned away the logs for • fifty/ roupd^heir. houses by, this If this had'be'eti dohei and if thejong oogksfoo^T grass which is: extensively . ; j;rown* m .those parts had been kept down for an eqnaif;;distgnoe, : we ; believe very feif ; ljouses would hare, .been biiraedl ' ' J ' ' '