Rob--

JoeBob's right about a "stump rotter" solution. Check with a good local hardware store. Also, there'll be less for it to do if you cut the stump off as close to flush with the ground as possible. Be especially careful if you do this with a chainsaw.

As an additonal aid to decomposition (or maybe it's just structural weakening), use the tip of a chainsaw bar to cut groves & cross-groves in whatever's left exposed. If you're very careful, you can actually get below ground level this way. You can then use an axe, or even a hatchet to chop out much of the remainder.

We lost our apple tree last May in the tornado, as did our neighbor (the trees were about 20 ft apart). After I cut ours up, I worked on the stump in the manner I described (though I didn't get a chemical agent).

Several weeks later, after the neighbor removed his tree, my wife commented that I needed to go out & do something about the stump I'd left on our apple tree--it really looked bad, and that I needed to be sure that heavy clump of grass about 20 feet this side of it was cut up, as well.

We walked over to it, where I pointed out that the "clump of grass" was all that was left of my stump; the one she was complaining about was that of my neighbor! <img src="images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Also, I'd recommend against using black powder, or any other explosive, too. My wife's granddaddy used to "blast" ground hogs by pouring a gallon or so of gasoline down the hole, & throwing in a match. She said the resulting explosions shook the house, & the fireballs were sometimes spectacular.

Be careful, whatever tools you use.

David