FAKMixr, WITH nv^^\^rIT^:. 121 



A Member: I have a question I would like to ask because I have 

 seen this demonstration recently in hard pan. And I also saw it in 

 Kumho that was saturated with water. Practically it did not work out, 

 in my mind, as theoretically it should. Instead of breaking this hard 

 pan and gumbo up, it packed it so hard you could not cut it, and could 

 not do anything with it. Alter I saw this the thought occurred to me 

 that you ought to have yor hard pan subsoil dry instead of wet." 



A. Yes, sir; it is best. »But as regards gumbo, it is harder than hard 

 pan and we do not like to fool with that. We do not make any claim 

 on the gumbo, but if we are pinned down to it, the best we will say is 

 that we will do the best we can. But the facts of the matter are that 

 we have shot gumbo in Nebraska, right here In your own state, and 

 have been very successful in opening it up. And we have reclaimed that 

 ground in some instances. 



Q. What percentage of dynamite do you use? 



A. Twenty-five per cent for subsoiling, and the same for tree plant- 

 ing, and 40 per cent in blasting. We have found those amounts to be 

 the best. 



Q. What have you to say as to the value of blasting and the use of 

 dynamite in an old orchard, and in the soil under old trees? 



A. I am very glad that you called my attention to that point. That 

 is a very important thing. We call it the rejuvenating of old orchards. 

 It Is all right, I saw it worked, and it was very successful. My idea is 

 to go down about four feet into the ground and shoot. The best thing 

 I have found for this is to use a stick of 25 per cent dynamite. 

 Q. What does this 40 per cent dynamite usually retail for? 

 A. About 17 cents. A cent higher than the 25. 

 Q. And your 60 per cent? 



A. It is 18 cents. We do not recommend the use of the 60, except 

 in shooting ditches. The price of it here is a little higher than that, it 

 is about 20 or 21 cents. 



Q. Your 40 per cent dynamite, you say is 16 cents? 

 A. Sixteen or 17 cents, something like that. We do not try to re- 

 strict it. If we should tell fevery dealer the price he should sell it at, 

 Uncle Sam would break up the DuPont Powder Company in about fifteen 

 minutes. We suggest to them what they should charge, but that is as 

 far as we go in the matter. 



Q. In breaking up the old orchards, would it not be better to use 

 the slow explosives? 



A. Twenty-five is slow enough, and 40 is too quick. They tell me 

 that the nitrate of ammonia which forms the nitrogen in the ground, will 

 give color to the fruit, but how true that is I do not know, and I would 

 not want to go on record as saying it was true. 



Q. About how much nitrogen would there be? 



A. I should not imagine there would be very much. If you want to 

 plant the tree about 18 inches, put the charge down 18 inches, and it 

 will break the ground 24 inches. It would be better, in fact it is better. 



