The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1911-09-21
END OF HIRED FARM
HELP IN SIGHT
Flowing With Dynamite
May Solve Problem
Demonstration of Latest Agrlcultur
al Discovery at Lakewood Satur
day.

Horace Spear of Lakewood is the
hrst Somerset county farmer to try
out the latest agricultural theory
farming with dynamite. He had
ABOUT nifty neighbors out to his place
Saturday afternoon, watching the
work OF some experts sent out by the
b. /. Du Pont de Nemours Powder
Co. of Wilmington, Del. These men
gave some mighty interesting demon
STATIONS, and almost convinced the
spectators that the days of the hired
man are numbered. They not only
blew rocks, stumps and trees to
smithereens at will, but actually
used the giant powder to pillow the
ground.
The story they told was that some
time ago Governor Coe |. Crawford
of Kansas was trying to farm a
ranch where a stratum of imperyious
clay underlaid the top soil. 1t was
too deep down to be disturbed by the
ordinary subsoil pillow. and yet it
caused lots of trouble. 1t made all
the water run off the surface in
spring, and then there wasn't enough
to properly mature the crops when
the dry weather finally struck on.
Governor Crawford wrestled with
the problem a long time, and then
thought of trying dynamite. He
sunk holes into the ground with a
crow bar feet deep and about Is
feet apart each way. Half a stick
of dynamite was forced down to the
bottom of each hole and there ex-
ploded. The effect was astonishing.
Hardly noticeable upon the surface
at all, the force of the explosion was
to shatter the hard pan in all direc-
tons, vastly increase the water
holding capacity of the soil and con-
sequently the size and quality of the
crops. Others then tried the scheme,
and with such success that the dyna-
mite manufacturers are now making
systematic efforts to introduce the
practice all over the country.
j. H. Peckham of Boston, James
Linus of New York city and W. C.
Hartig of Wilmington, Del, were
the dynamite artists Saturday, and
they certainly knew all the fine points
of the business. Just by way of
calling the neighbors in they hung
several pounds of dynamite to the
limb of a tree and set it off The
neighbors from far and near began
appearing at once.
Then they poked a few holes down
among the roots of big elm tree
that was standing out in a pasture
that Mr.. Spear had undertaken to
cultivate. The holes were properly
loaded and the wires connected up.
One push on the magnetic handle and
the whole tree rose in the air and
fell to the ground ready for the buck
saw. Roots and all were torn clear
out of the soil leaving everything
ready for the pillow. Some big boul-
ders were treated to several charges
underneath and a mud cap" on TOP.
The latter was simply three or -four
sticks of dynamite covered with
moist mud. All were exploded to-
gether by means of the battery, and
then the boulder looked as if shat
tered by some mighty giant
Most of the men however had
seen more or less blasting with dy-
Mantle, but the sub soiling was
something new. The holes into the
ground were sunk with a very long
shanked wood agur, and went down
about three feet. A half stick OF
piece of fuse and pushed to the
bottom of the hole. Fourteen holes
were put in over an area of about an
eighth of an acre in the field across
the road from Mr.. Spears house, and
when all was ready the fuses wee
lighted. With each explosion a lit
tie pile of earth would be thrown up
as if around wood chuck hole, but
the ground around would tremble
from the mighty blow. A similar
process is recommended in planting
orchards, and if the results at Mr.
Spears farm come up to expectations
next year, the dynamite market bids
fair to be quite active.