The Cherry Tree
As autumn approached our neighbour asked if I could give him a “coup de main” to remove a dead cherry tree, in the middle of one of his vineyards. We had a wood-burning stove in our house and the additional wood from the dead tree would be welcome
The following morning my neighbour called me to help load his truck with the equipment required for the work. On entering his cellar he asked me to pick up a wooden box with some cloth draped over the top, when I started to lift the box the cloth fell off.
I had worked in the Diplomatic Protection department at Scotland Yard prior to my retirement, and was used to seeing examples of terrorist equipment, but the sticks of gelignite contained in the box, came as a shock. I tried to remain calm and asked in what I thought was an unaffected tone “WHAT ARE THESE FOR?” He explained that they were to get the roots of the tree out. Because of the nature of the soil – a type called schist, it was necessary to use explosives to remove dead vines. Schist is made up of layers of fragments of rock with very little earth and it is the reason that the wine in the Department of Herault is so good. His theory was that the vines like to suffer, with extremes of weather and poor soil, this forces them to put down strong roots and as a result makes the vine stronger. I was to discover that it was an impossible task to try to dig in schist, and the only way for the farmers to remove their dead trees and vines, was to dynamite them out of the ground. Every year the farmer reports to the Gendarmerie and seeks a permit to purchase the necessary dynamite. It was a nerve racking experience driving the truck to the top of the mountain, where he planned to remove the tree, as the road was very rough, and intended only for the farmers to reach their fields. I had noticed that the dynamite was old and appeared to be in a bad state. When we reached the tree, my neighbour promptly bored a deep hole alongside the tree and inserted three cartridges of dynamite. We then retired behind a large tree further away. I had remembered to take with me an old 8mm film camera, and with that sticking out from the side of our tree, he detonated the dynamite. A large amount of rocks and dust came crashing around as a result of the explosion, but when we looked the cherry tree was still in place. On closer inspection there was a large crater next to the tree, but otherwise the tree was solidly in place. “Not to worry,” said he “We will put another three cartridges on the other side now, and that will finish it”.
We searched for several hundred meters in all directions on the side of the mountain, but still couldn’t find it. But not to worry, thought I, when I get the cine film developed we will be able to see in which direction it disappeared.
I duly sent the film off and waited for its return, but that film never did come back. I often wondered if it had been passed to some anti terrorist branch of the police, to investigate a possible terrorist training site. I subsequently worked on that mountain for several years with my neighbour, and we never did find the remains of that tree. It remains a mystery as to what happened to the cherry tree.