Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1912-08-16

of subsoiling has been the subject of
extensive experiments, namely with
dynamite. The result of these expert
ments, when same were conducted un-
der proper conditions, have been quite
remarkable. Cotton yields have been
doubled, tripled and quadrupled by sub
soiling with dynamite. Corn has re-
sponded splendidly to this treatment
Cereals, hay, fruit trees, tomatoes,
beans, watermelons and various other
crops have all shown substantially in
creased yields when the subsoiling has
been done in dry weather, preceding
the rainy season. In the North the
best time for subsoiing has proven to
be from May to November for showing
results the next year, and IN the South
from October to February 1st.
The publicity given to these astonish-
ing results which point to revolution
in farming methods, has naturally crea-
ted much inquiry in the minds of the
farmers as to the cost of subsoiling and
the length of time before subsoiling
land will have to be again SUBSIDIZED in
order to keep it open. This question is
obviously difficult to answer, because
of the lack of longtime results, as,
with the exception of a few pioneer
users of dynamite, most of the remark
able results noted have occurred within
the last year or two. Fortunately,
however, there were enough of the
pioneer users to prove that the effect of
subsoiling lasts for many years. The
cost averages about $500 an acre, in
GLIDING dynamite, caps, fuse and the
labor of making the holes and doing the
blasting. In most cases the cost is re-
covered within the year, out of the in
creased yield, but in other cases where
the increased yield would not be worth
more than $500 an acre, it is i'm
portant to know how long this increased
production is going to keep up SO as to
justify the expense.
One of the first uses of dynamite for
subsoiling was in tree planting. Twen-
ty-one years ago w. R. Gunnis planted
an orchard with dynamite at La Mesa,
Calf. This orchard matured more rap
idly than orchards set out with spade,
resisting drouth and other unfavoreble
conditions with marked success, and
although the tract has been subdivided
and used as residence property, some
of the trees are still thriving.
But one obstacle seems to remain to
the general adoption of dynamite for
subsoling, and that is the fear that
some farmers entertain about using
dynamite. Dynamite has obviously the
power to injure-so has gasoline, or
shotgun, or high spirited horse, but
all these utilities are handled regularly
by thousands of people without injury
and the same is true of dynamite.
There are thousands of farmers
throughout the country using dynamite
without injury We occasionally hear
of farmer being hurt or in rare in
stances killed by the use of dynamite,
but the records show that out of APP
proximately 800, 600 regular users of
dynamite throughout the country, in
Guiding miners, quarrymen, contractors
and farmers, there was casualty list
in 1910 of less than of Il. This low
accident record is due to the careful
following of instructions put out by all
manufacturers of dynamite.
1t is simply necessary to remember
that dynamite is a powerful explosive
and handle it accordingly, but there is
no reason why any man of common
sense cannot use dynamite for a life
time without injury" Dynamite is so
difficult to explode that in practice it is
necessary to discharge it by the explo-
sion of a illuminate cap. Because of
its insensitiveness to shock, dynamite
will not explode if dropped on the
ground, as many people enormously be-
leve. The ordinary dynamite cartridge
is 8 inches long, II inches In diameter
and consists of a paper shell enclosing
the dynamite, which looks like brown
sugar.