FARMING BY DYNAMITE. 



By William Cullen, M.I.M.M. 



This question has recently aroused a great deal of interest 

 in South Africa, and the newspapers have recorded quite a 

 number of demonstrations which have been given by the different 

 manufacturers of explosives. The idea is not new by any means, 

 and has been practised for quite a number of years in England 

 and to a lesser extent on the Continent, but it is in the United 

 States of America that the greatest development has taken place. 

 Indeed, one might safely say that the idea is almost exclusively 

 American, so general has the use of dynamite become in farming 

 operations there. Some six or seven years ago the writer, who 

 had been watching events on the other side, tried to interest the 

 Transvaal Agricultural Department in the question, but receiving 

 no encouragement, he let it drop. The very general interest now 

 being taken is evidence of the fact that South African agriculture 

 is endeavouring to keep pace with the times, and although no 

 one can dogmatise at this stage, some one or two fairly definite 

 conclusions have already been reached. These will be referred 

 to presently. When the Union legislators were in the Transvaal 

 towards the end of last year, Sir Meiring Beck, in responding 

 to a toast at one of the official functions, stated that there was 

 more potential wealth in the first 12 inches of South African 

 soil than in all the mines, and he was right. " Farming by 

 dynamite," as it has now come to be called, enables one, however, 

 to go down much lower than \2 inches. But what is the 

 use of this? one may well ask. Well, the answer is very simple. 

 Most arable lands ultimately develop what is called a " hardpan " 

 The plough, as a rule, does not. get down further than 10 inches — 

 seldom so much. True, by deep ploughing it is possible to get 

 down 15 to 16 inches, but after all this is only comparatively 

 deep, and even then the so-called hardpan is ultimately formed. 

 In most cases this becomes almost waterproof, and prevents rain 

 soaking into the ground. As a consequence it also prevents 

 roots getting down ; therefore the area from which they draw 

 their nourishment becomes limited. If anyone cares to take the 

 trouble to drive a crowbar, or jumper as it is called out here, 

 by means of a hammer into land which has been ploughed for a 

 succession of years, it will be found that the first 9 to 12 inches 

 is easily traversed, but as soon as this small distance is passed 

 the jumper goes down with ever-increasing difficulty, showing 

 that a new stratum has been struck. This is called hardpan — 

 an American term, if I am not mistaken — and it is quite easy to 

 understand how it is formed. Once this hardpan is opened up by 

 dynamite or any other means, the rain soaks in, an immense 

 leservoir of stored-up water is formed, and the roots seek their 

 way downwards instead of extending laterally. The soil also 

 becomes aerated, which is a very necessary condition for healthy 

 plant growth. 



