4
Aaturdav, April 15, 1916
THE FALLS CITY NEW 8
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Getting the Dollar From Under the Stump
Deepening the Farm For Bigger Crops
How Up to Date Farmers Are Easily and Economically Realizing;
on Land Hitherto Impossible of Cultivation.
The Third Dimension of the Farm an Important Factor to (ireater
Crops and Bigger Dividends.
A R O IT ««MMO.OOO i c m of land
/ * ttuloilol in farms throughout
the United States are unim-
proved
Figuring that each
acre could be made to produce at least
<¿5 worth of produce per year, there
ta approximately $10,000.000i000 pro
duction being lost annually. Quite a
tidy figure. And when we take into
consideration that in many cases it re
quires only the removal of sundry
stumps and boulders to make this land
profitable, it certainly looks as though
something might ho done to save the
waste. “ Stumpiug with dynamite" is
both an economical, quick and labor
saving method as well as one that is
growing in popularity daily.
The method involved in the blasting
of a stump is to confine a quantity of
explosive in such a manner that wfien
exploded the expanding gases will :ft
the slump out of the ground. To se
cure beet results the charge should be
placed In the soli well uuder the base
of tbe stump at the point where the
resistance offered to the force of tbe
explosion will be equal on all sides.
Where the soil is of a heavy clay or
plastic nature a alow acting powder is
preferable, auch aa farm powder or
stumping powder Where the earth is
sandy or loose and la apt to permit
the easy escape of gases a fast explo
sive, such as 40 to 00 per cent dyna
mite should be used. The coodltlou of
the soil with respect to tuolslure also
has a great luduence upon the amount
of work that a certkin quantity of pow
der will do. After heavy rains when
the soil Is saturated to the base of the
slump and the su I mo II I s Just damp Is
a most favorable condition
No set rules as to the amount of
powder necessary to blast a certain
kind or slae of slump can l>e given,
since different conditions govern all
cases. Two slumps of the same slae,
kind and age of cut, w lieu oue Is grow n
on well drained soil where the roots
must penetrate a great depth for water
and the other Is grown ou soil where
there is always water uear the surface,
will demaud different treatment for
extraction. The older stumps, e»|>ccial-
ly If from titntwr free from reslu. re
quire less powder. The exact amount
uecessary for set conditions can. how
ever, be readily determined with a lit
tle experimenting.
Few tools and supplies are required.
A oue and one-half Ineh wood auger
with a shank about four and oue-half
feet loug. a medium sized crowbar, a
round pointed shovel and a wooden
tamping stick, together with the ih > w -
der. fuse and caps, will serve to OU
the bill
ISH farmers are beginning to
realize thal a farm goes
farther than length sud
breadth. Depth Is a vital
factor, and Incidentally this third dl
tuetislon has a clearly Identified Influ
cnee upou the producing value of the
earth's surface.
Thus "vertical farming." a newer
method of agriculture. Is rapidly da
vcloplng Merely to scrape the bris
tles from s hogs hide Is not euough.
Deeper cutting Is essential In order to
leach the bacon And experience has
shown that to simply plow or turn the
lop soil Is very often ouly the ecrateh-
Ing of the surface when It comes to
bumper crops.
t Tien the productivity of a farm la
limited by the tight « lay or hard pan
underlying the top soli. Costly luiple
incuts fur tilling this upper soil and
W
Inking care of Increased horizontal or
surface acreage are all right In ihelr
way, hut to go deeper luto the farm,
to lucres mi Its fertility aud productive
ness by Increasing Its depth, la a mai
ler that the practice of vertical farm
ing accomplishes quickly and ecouorn
Ically, aud very often a single car
tridge of explosive will convert several
yards of otherwise useless sulwoll Into
half sii nere of uew root feedlug sur
face Thus, instead of spreading out
and embracing more territory, vertical
farming enables the farmer to really
concentrate and by Intensive methods
conserves lu both labor aud expense
At the same time the resulting In
crease In crops emphasizes Ibe profit
able features of the process
And there Is a practical reason for
this. Ity hresklng up tbe subsoil oxy
gen Is admitted luto the ground, and
tbe i wilt up nutural fertilizing elements
Explosives In Road Building
Straightening Streams
With Dynamite
One of the newer methods of rued
building that ta fast winning the In-
ilureamant of the better reread contrac
tor la that of employing dynamite for
reducing tbe heavy work.
Grading through bard ground or rock,
for Instance«, I* tedious and requires
lima and labor. The use of dynamite
for blasting such material ta a welcome
relief. Doth rock and bard clay may
> lie loosened In the cut by well placed
' charges of explosives If hole« are drill-
••d Into th# ground a little way up tba
j Imnk aud loaded. Careful spacing and
loading for electrically fired blast* will
- result In bringing down both classes of
I msterlals In th* beet possible manner
Tbe ancient Egyptian* were noted
for tbelr crops because, as history
states, they “sowed their seeds In the
Nile." This does not mean that they
actually cast tbe seed In the river. At
certain seasons of the year the Nile
overflows its banks, depositing on cither
shore a rich silt or earth that Is highly
conducive to buuiiier crops, and the
wise ancient Egyptians, realizing this,
profited thereby.
Water is a necessity. The tiniest
brooks up to the largest rivers play an
Important part In the scheme of things
inasmuch as they are nature's way of
T£N MONTHS AFTER iaOOWOPTH Qf C E L E E ? P t B AC RE,
AM U N P R O F IT A B L E 5 T U M P ¿0 V E .K E P F IE L D
ihelr flow. Numerous irregularities
cause them to menuder about tu ap
parently wasteful ways, nnd uinn's
carelessness has added to these trou
hies by allowing driftwood nnd loose
earth to form dams and sandbars.
All of these things help to hold the
flood of waters back and cause either
flooding or swamps, which not only oc
cupy lund that could be more profitably
used for farming, but also form flue
breeding places for mosquitoes uml
other obnoxious pests.
Incidentally
they cause an annual loss running into
millions of dollars per year.
In this day of enlightenment such
things are both wasteful nnd. one
might add. criminal, especially so In
view of the fact that almost instant
relief may be had by a few well placed
charges of dynamite. Not only will
Diagram of Stream Trouble! That May these blnstB straighten out the kinks
and bends and remove ledges and
Be Corrected by Blasting.
sand bars, but they will deepen and im
both irrigation and drainage. But be prove the channels as nature has real
ing formed according to nature's dic ly Intended. Incidentally by straight
ening the winding course of a creek
tates their courses do not always jibe much area of tillable land can be ob
with man's desires or needs.
mined and farm operation In inauy In
Rock ledges Impede their progress. stances made much easier
Overhnneing stumps unit trees retard
Digging a Ditch In a Flash
Things move quickly nowadays. The
village of yesterday Is tomorrow’s
metropolis Speed is a requisite, and
newer methods that smack of rapidi
ty and labor and money saving are In
demand.
Ditches that once consumed many
days of baDd or machine labor are now
being blasted out In almost the twin
kling of an eye. By degrees man la
learning to adopt some of nature's sim
ple, but mighty forces. And the gul
lies and valleys that old Mother Earth
has created by her natural upheavals
and eruptions are being duplicated in
a smaller way by some of the more
progressive and up to date farmer*.
Digging ditches with dynamite i*
simply a newer and more Improved
method of trench building. The meth
od employed I d wet work Is simply to
punch holes from eighteen to twenty-
four Inches deep along the line desired
to ditch and then load each hole with
a charge of 50 per cent straight dyna
mite.
Long stretches of ditch can be loaded
and fired at one time One cap placed
of the lower soils are released and
utilised A reservoir for the storage of^
water hi crested, and a good horns for*
the roots Is produced. Good roots
are essential to good pianta. Men
who look below lb# aurfere realize
these facts. They know also 1 hat ■
I »hi ii I produces only In proportion lo
the extent of air, water and nourish
m ill given I s roots. Thus la Iba new-
er uietlust of vartical farmlug both
logical and profitable.
t his method of farming vertically le
In Itself easy, simple ami labor saving.
A half cartridge charge of farm pow
der placed well down Into tbe light
subsoil at Interval* of about a rod.
tntnped properly and fired carefully
will do the work quickly and econom
ically. Subsoil blasting, however, can
be don# euccaaafully only whan tba
subsoil Is dry.
Few tools are required for tbe work
in a cartridge of dynamite ,in the mid
dle hole of tbe line of charged boles and
fired will do the work.
A single row of holes can usually be
depended upon to excavate a ditch from
seven to nine feet wide and about thir
ty to forty inches deep. Where larger
ditches are required tbe holes can be
made deeper and loaded heavier, or
two or more lines of holes, spaced from
three to four feet apart, can be used.
Incidentally tbe holes can be made In
tbe roughest kind of swamp or in flood
muck beds, where other method* of
ditching are practically impossible.
When the soil Is dry or the weather
is too cold to use tbe propagated meth
od of bleating described above low
freezing farm or stumping powder Is
used in bole* spread farther apart,
often in large ditches as far as four
or five feet. In this case each bole
must be primed with an electric cap.
as the explosive shock will Dot propa
gate In dry ground.
The cheapest lineal foot of small
ditch Is obtained by using the electric
firing method and farm or stumping
powder.
Blasting Ground For Tree Planting
Much has been written on how to
plant a tree or trees, but If the experi
ences of scores of famous orchui«lists
have any weight on the topic, tlu-n the
practice of using dynamite preliminary
to planting young trees hus fully
proved its merits.
The writer has personally seen spe
cific examples of the value and excel
lence of tree planting with dynamite
ou a private orchard in Delaware, the
Blasting for tree planting Is best done
In the fall, because at this time of the
.«ear It Is easier to cateb the subsoil
in dry condition. Klustlug In the spring
for spring planting, however. Is much
belter than planting In dug holes, not
withstanding tbe fact that the subsoil
D apt to be wet or «lump.
If the hole« are blasted In advance of
the time of setting the trees they are
left without further attention until
TOP 5 OIL
B H O H IN
V /¿ )
,U>L
c.
Z,
I
pacxcd
SUBSOIL
THE BLAST THOROUGHLY CRACKS THE SOIL, BUT USUALLY
LEAVES A CAVITY OR POTHOLE AT THE BOTTOM— THIS MUST
BE FILLED.
difference in growth between the un- tree planting time, unless It I h desir
dynamlted tree and tbe »ree olanted able to add some manure or fertilizer
In blasted ground being ho unmistak to he diffused through the soil. This
ably in favor of the latter that no ad Is an excellent practice, especially in
poor soil. If the earth Is sour, sticky
equate comparison could l>e made
Furthermore, there are so many sane clay a few pounds of lime scattered In
and logical reasons for this method of the hole will materially assist in floc
tree planting that even the most skep culating the clay and keeping It per
tical could not fail to be convinced. manently granulated and sweet.
Obviously when a tree has to use a
Immediately after the blast the soft
large part of Its energies in forcing its f Masted ground should be dug out down
roots through the hard *oll it can
to the location of the charge, where
not be expected to make the same
a hole will usually be found al>out
rapid growth and oome into such
the size of a bushel basket. This
Burrowers— Beware!
Gophers aud prairie dogs are thr
bane of western farmers, while In the
«•ant woodchucks arc the type of bur
- rowing animals that cause the tillers In loosening «dials and rock to facili
of the soil lo forget softie of the things tate hand or dteam shovel work dyna
the dominie tclli them on Smnlnys.
mite la also vwry effective, while stump*
Don Leonardo Rule, a California may b# blasted from tba roadbed Just
rancher, says "dynamite ts the proper aa though they were being removed
from a field tz> be cleared and cultivated.
1 medicine to give grouutl squirrels. g«s
phers, prairie dogs, etc.”
Boulders also ays easily shattered by
Take an Inch uml n half or two suitable loading axid when of hard rock
Inches of dynamite. Put It In a hit of may he crushed into surfacing atone.
cloth or several thicknesses of paper The side ditches as well oe Ibe loug
to form a small round cartridge Tie outfall ditches cm also be blasted In
the cloth or paper firmly about one keeping with the nature of the ground.
end of a piece of fuse twelve or four In fa ct there are no limits practically
to the many uses and advantages of
teen Inches long, but do not use a cap.
Insert one of these charges well Into dynamite for road building when care
the mouth of every hole and puck ful and thotiffhtful attention la given
loose dirt around the fuse, leaving to the work.
Incidentally the planting of shade
enough of the end outside to light eas
By. ligh t tbe fuse nnd go on to tbe trees for roadside improvement and at
tractiveness la greatly facilitated by
next hole. There will be no explosion
There being no cap or olher deto the judicious use of a little dynamite.
nator. the dynninlte will simply bnrn. It la a recognized fact that trees plant
filling the hole with dense, poisonous ed in blasts*! holes grow much more
Dime* that will almost Instantly stifle rapidly nnd progress more favorably
nnd then kill every living thing Inside. than those plnnted In th* average spftd*
dug ground.
Priming a Dynamite Cartridge
To properly prime a dynamite or
farm powder cartridge fo«u things are
essential the cap. the fuse, the <ar-
fridge nnd n crimping tool Tbe ineth-
*>d In Itself Is very simple
First crimp the priming cap about
the fuse, using the crimping tool as
ls no Immediate danger In handling l
stick of farm powder If the user wll
ua# but an ordinary amount of can
and Intelligence
A common Incorrect method of prim
Ing la to punch a hole right througl
I he cartridge, pass the rapped fuai
Crimping th* Cap te the Fuee.
shown In the Illustration Next punch
a diagonal hole In the cartridge with
the end of the crimping tool, making
the hole deep enough to entirely bury
Tying Fuse and Cap «* Cacti
the cap Insert the cap Into this hole
and tie the fuse to tbe side of the car through It. then Inaert In anoth
onal hole below the first hole.
Ing la necessary to hold tbe c#j
«•artridge This method la can
lug the fuae through the r»ir
It I* unsafe aud unreliable T
is likely to break at the stiar
and tha powder train spit fit e
THE ROOTS ARE FIRMLY EMBEDDED IN RICH TOPSOIL. SURROUNDED
BY MELLOW, WELL DRAINED SUBSOIL.
Loading.
Th* Ditoh.
■ LAfiTING DITCHES THROUGH SWAMP.
early bearing as a tree would that luifi
had the ground In which It was plnii'c<l
thoroughly prepared by dynamiting l>e-
foreband.
No tree should be plnnted over hard-
pan or Impacted subsoil without first
resorting to blasting, so that, the «oil
may be made open and porous Such
blasting not only creates channels. In
creases absorption of soil moisture and
iwrmlts deeper rooting, but It also In
duces better growth and larger yields.
must be filled to prevent settling of the
tree after planting. The roots should be
placed in a natural position In good top
spil, covered with more top soil and
treade«! down firm. The hole can then
be filled to a little above tbe surface
with subsoil.
The fact that nearly all commercial
orchardlsts use this method proves
that It pays In reduced first year loss,
earlier fruiting and larger and better
yields.
Making Cap Hel* In Cartridge.
»ridge securely with • stout piece of
cord.
If the Job la done carefully and por-
rectly the entire outfit will look like
Illustration No. 4 . and the priming will
be complete.
Ignorance, fear or carelessness are
’ he cause* of moat accident*. There
Th# Finished Cartri
|ge—Primed.
th# break, setting fire to th* rartrldgt
Instead of exploding. R. or the tom
may miss fire altogether, leaving ai
unexploded charge In the »iole, or H
may hang fire for half aft b u r or hall
" d*y
» *fit 1 qg • accident
ploalraa U d° not>pmy,,n »«ndUng «