Fire

With the warmer temperatures early in the year the smell of smoke hangs in the air here in the country surrounding Hickery Holler Farm. The farmers are practicing the common use of prescribed burning to clear the ditches and grasslands surrounding their fields. They do this to keep down the invasive species of trees that try to invade the grasslands such as locust and fast growing cedars. It also reduces the fuel for wildfires later in the year. It is normally done early in the spring when the ground is wet such as after a rain or light snow.  

You have seen the pictures before of O Wise One burning small sections on our farm to control small Locust trees that come up on the borders of our hay fields. If left to grow they become invasive and have horrible thorns such as the ones pictured below.  

  We have more flat tractor, four wheeler and mower tires to these thorns than anything on the property. Burning helps to kill the small trees that want to come back on property we have cleared for pastures and hay.

You can see in this picture the difference between burning and not burning grassland. Notice how nice and green the grass comes back that has been burned. Before settling fire was a natural and common occurrence on the prairies. 

But when you lose control of that fire this is the result. I am afraid O Wise One is down for awhile with second degree burns on both hands and first degree on his face.  Just a reminder to those of you out there that own farms. Fire can be a very dangerous weapon for us in our fight to maintain our acreage. Most of us are lulled into thinking that with the implementation of 911 in most places that help is just a phone call away. For us the fire department NEVER made an appearance. Why you might ask. Because with the closing of local businesses most of our able bodied young men have gone to the city for employment. Our volunteer fire department has lost most of it's trained young men to the call of employment out of the area. Welcome to small town America.

 Blessings from The Holler 

The Canned Quilter