﻿79 
  

  

  THE 
  TRUTH 
  ABOUT 
  TREE 
  PLANTING 
  WITH 
  DYNAMITE. 
  

  

  [Note 
  by 
  the 
  Secretary. 
  — 
  As 
  planting 
  with 
  dynamite 
  has 
  been 
  especially 
  

   recommended 
  for 
  nut 
  trees, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  their 
  long 
  tap 
  roots 
  which 
  have 
  the 
  

   habit 
  of 
  growing 
  down 
  until 
  they 
  reach 
  permanent 
  water; 
  as 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  

   some 
  difference 
  of 
  opinion 
  among 
  horticulturists 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  merits 
  of 
  tree 
  plant- 
  

   ing, 
  in 
  general, 
  with 
  dynamite; 
  and 
  in 
  order 
  that 
  nut 
  growers 
  may 
  know 
  how 
  

   to 
  use 
  this 
  method 
  as 
  advised 
  by 
  the 
  dynamite 
  makers, 
  in 
  case 
  they 
  may 
  wish 
  

   to 
  try 
  it 
  in 
  setting 
  their 
  trees, 
  the 
  foUovring 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  method 
  advised, 
  

   from 
  the 
  pen 
  of 
  Mr. 
  George 
  Frank 
  Lord 
  of 
  the 
  E. 
  I. 
  du 
  Pont 
  de 
  Nemours 
  

   Powder 
  Company, 
  is 
  here 
  printed.] 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  past 
  two 
  years 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  considerable 
  discussion 
  

   in 
  the 
  agricultural 
  press 
  on 
  the 
  merits 
  of 
  dynamite 
  in 
  tree 
  planting. 
  

   The 
  majority 
  of 
  orchardists 
  who 
  have 
  tried 
  the 
  new 
  method 
  are 
  en- 
  

   thusiastic 
  over 
  the 
  results, 
  but 
  now 
  and 
  then 
  we 
  hear 
  someone 
  con- 
  

   demning 
  the 
  practice, 
  and 
  stating 
  that 
  they 
  have 
  tried 
  it 
  with 
  poor 
  

   results. 
  It 
  would 
  appear 
  from 
  investigation 
  that 
  the 
  theory 
  of 
  the 
  

   use 
  of 
  dynamite 
  in 
  tree 
  planting 
  is 
  a 
  good 
  one, 
  but 
  that 
  the 
  practice 
  

   is 
  sometimes 
  incorrect, 
  and 
  hence 
  fails 
  to 
  produce 
  the 
  desired 
  

   results. 
  

  

  Purpose 
  of 
  Dynamiting 
  for 
  Tree 
  Planting 
  : 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  first 
  place, 
  to 
  secure 
  successful 
  results 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  

   understand 
  clearly 
  what 
  the 
  dynamiting 
  is 
  to 
  accomplish. 
  Some 
  

   orchardists 
  and 
  farmers 
  have 
  the 
  idea 
  that 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  the 
  

   dynamite 
  is 
  to 
  excavate 
  the 
  hole 
  for 
  the 
  tree 
  and 
  save 
  them 
  the 
  

   trouble 
  of 
  shoveling 
  out 
  the 
  soil. 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  wrong 
  theory. 
  

  

  The 
  object 
  of 
  dynamiting 
  for 
  tree 
  planting 
  is 
  to 
  break 
  up 
  the 
  

   subsoil 
  at 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  from 
  three 
  to 
  five 
  feet 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  create 
  a 
  soil 
  

   sponge 
  or 
  water-absorbing 
  area 
  twelve 
  or 
  twenty 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter 
  

   around 
  and 
  underneath 
  the 
  spot 
  where 
  the 
  tree 
  is 
  to 
  stand, 
  so 
  that 
  

   the 
  heavj^ 
  rainfalls 
  and 
  melting 
  snow 
  of 
  spring 
  may 
  be 
  conserved 
  

   in 
  the 
  subsoil 
  to 
  take 
  care 
  of 
  the 
  tree 
  during 
  the 
  long 
  dry 
  summer. 
  

  

  If 
  the 
  force 
  of 
  the 
  dynamite 
  is 
  used 
  merely 
  to 
  blow 
  out 
  the 
  soil 
  

   and 
  make 
  digging 
  unnecessary, 
  it 
  is 
  unreasonable 
  to 
  expect 
  the 
  

   dynamite 
  to 
  do 
  this 
  underground 
  work. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  when 
  

   the 
  charge 
  is 
  properly 
  placed 
  at 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  about 
  three 
  feet 
  and 
  

   tamped 
  in 
  just 
  enough 
  to 
  confine 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  force 
  of 
  the 
  explosion 
  

   in 
  the 
  subsoil, 
  the 
  blast 
  will 
  not 
  only 
  crack 
  and 
  pulverize 
  the 
  sub- 
  

   soil, 
  but 
  will 
  also 
  break 
  up 
  the 
  ground 
  around 
  the 
  bore 
  hole 
  clear 
  

   to 
  the 
  surface, 
  and 
  throw 
  it 
  into 
  the 
  air, 
  possibly 
  a 
  foot. 
  It 
  is 
  then 
  

   a 
  very 
  easy 
  matter 
  to 
  excavate 
  the 
  hole 
  for 
  planting. 
  

  

  