October in Machias turns the hills above Ischua Creek every shade a hardwood knows how to make, and the first snow is never as far off as it looks. Stewart's Stump Grinding & Trenching works this stretch of Cattaraugus County — dairy lots, camp roads, and the yards ringing Lime Lake. Stumps get ground below grade and the hollow filled with their own chips, so next summer the mower rides over the spot without a bump. Tree removal comes first where a dead ash stands over a driveway, and trimming keeps the good ones off the barn roof and the service drop. It is a fine thing to hand a place back with nothing left to mow around.