Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932, 1912-06-08
DYNAMITE TAKING PLACE
OF THE PLOW.
Ground Shot Up by This Means Pro-
duces More to the Acre.

Cdil DldSi StulipS ana DOulucTS rom
the land, he can drain marsh land and
land so by shaking it up and making it
porous that trees, grain and vegeta-
bles grow with phenomenal rapidity.
This new agricultural science has
! been used extensively for only two or
three years. AT first the farmer was
dubious and afraid of dynamite. He
considered it dangerous explosive,
used only by anarchists and safe
breakers. But the more progressive
members of the agricultural frater-
nifty tried the ''new-fangled scheme"
and found it good. Crops were dou-
4 bled to the acre, trees planted in dy-
namited ground spread their roots
! through the loosened earth, drank in
the moisture and nourishment and
/ thrived wonderfully.
Experiments were made with corn
and other vegetables planted at the
same time in fields side by side. one
| OF which had been dynamited, the
other only plowed. The product in the
/ dynamited ground soon outstripped
I the other
Last year 100000 American farmers
used dynamite This year the experts
! tell us 100000 farmers will use it
knowledge is growing. Consequently
new profession has sprung up-that
of the professional blaster Many
/ farmers want their fields dynamited,
but don't care to handle the explo-
sives themselves They would rather
employ an experienced man, skilled
in the use OF dynamite, do the work
for them. even if it does cost little
more
The professional blaster is a man
used TO handling dynamite, who
knows how to explode it in the way
that it will do the most good and no
harm. He frequently goes about the
country advertising his coming be
forchand in rural newspapers. Often
he branches out. becomes a contract
or and has several crews of expert
enced blasters under him. There are
great many more young men learn
ing agricultural blasting in this coun
try to day than there are learning to
build aeroplanes.
Dynamite. while dangerous ex
plosive. is not half as dangerous as
most persons think it. Handled by
skilled person. who Is used to ii
and knows how to take the proper
precautions. there is little or no dan
ger Anarchists. as a matter OF fact,
do not use dynamite in bomb-throw-
ing, and neither do burglars use ii
in cracking safe. What they use
is nitroglycerine. There is an errone-
Gus and widespread impression that
dynamite cartridge will explode if
dropped on the ground or thrown
against the body of a person. The
efforts of the government and the
leading railroads to perfect plans and
methods for draining the vast area
OF swamps now covering millions of
acres of rich verdant soil have di
rected the attention of the general
public toward the importance OF in
creasing the cultivated area of the
country
The importance OF any farm, coun-
~, state or nation, varies almost di
rectly in proportion to the extent OF
its cultivated area Many southern
States can be doubled in productive
area by proper drainage of swampS
and clearing of cut-over lands. The
area OF swamp and cut-over lands III
this country is generally in excess OF
the total cultivated area Hence any
means of bringing these lands into
cultvable shape is of the highest i'm
portance.
1t often happens that swamps and
marshy lands are caused by nard pan
underneath. There is no outlet by
which the water can run off and as
it cannot sink into the earth it stands
there, rendering the lake useless and
breeding disease. By using dynamite
these conditions can be removed
The hardpan is usually only a few
feet below the surface of the marsh
top soil, With an extension anger a
hole is bored to the bottom of the
hardpan. Into this hole several dyna
mite cartridges are lowered and
'tamped." The top cartridge is
PINNED with a blast cap.
In ditching with dynamite the first
thing done is the locating of the pro
posed ditch Then the width and depth
are decided on. Holes are punched
at intervals of about two feet along
the course of OF the center of the
ditch, In each of these holes a car
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