Today in Pictures

[Guest]

Well over an inch , still raining, ditches running

[blackpowder]

Definitely jealous.

[blueversi]

May be last time till April to see grass

Ground has been white since October 23rd here.

[foragefarmer]

Cool December rain but warm and dry with the smell of dirt under the canopy of the old 7

Just wondering, isn't it tough going brush cutting with the warm weather? We've always done it in the dead of winter when the ground is frozen solid as the poplars and willows shear off at ground level so easily.

It's also easier piling windrows with the ground frozen as the blade travels on top and you don't get roots pulling out full of dirt.

I'm just curious is all.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

I've never understood the idea behind brush cutting. Although as I understand it, that was the accepted method.
What do you do with the stumps after that? I've always considered it much easier to use the leverage of the tree to pull the stump and Roots out as one piece, instead of trying to hack the stumps out in bits and pieces. If the ground isn't frozen, and isn't too wet, it can be done with very little dirt ending up in the pile. And far less clean up.
In the era of breaking plows, do I understand correctly that they would just try to slice through the stumps? I remember hearing about towing the breaking plow with a long chain and when it would hit a stump they would back up the length of the chain and keep pulling the chain tight until it sliced through. The thought of doing that on an open tractor with a hand Forged chain haunts me.

[blackpowder]

Too dry is perfect. No frost.
Rake blade takes roots and all. Not too much dirt. Even the duff burns.
One re-pile shortly after burning. Bury the rest. Disc and seed.
Reminds me of drought years. Scary.

[blackpowder]

I've wondered about the origin of shearing it off myself.
Lack of heavy equipment?
10 kids to pick roots?
Everyone did it that way here at one time.

[Guest]

When we did it our old cat skinner would tramp trees before it froze , roots would come up with trees , then pile after it froze good, not many roots left

[foragefarmer]

Willows are very hard to shear off if it's not cold enough, they are so rubbery that the blade of the cat will just skim over them if it's a bit to warm.

When piling, you never have to worry about the blade cutting into the ground when it's frozen solid. Also the ground seems to remain fairly level when brushing with frozen ground.

I've been picking sticks and stones since 10 years old and I've just about had enough of it.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Willows are very hard to shear off if it's not cold enough, they are so rubbery that the blade of the cat will just skim over them if it's a bit to warm.

When piling, you never have to worry about the blade cutting into the ground when it's frozen solid. Also the ground seems to remain fairly level when brushing with frozen ground.

I've been picking sticks and stones since 10 years old and I've just about had enough of it.

Thanks for the explanation. Willows makes more sense. They will take a chunk of ground out bigger than the tree itself, dirt and all. And the rubbery roots seem to go on forever if you start pulling on them.

So do you just work through the stumps/roots that were left behind? Rototiller, breaking plow, or breaking disc?