188 THREE ACRES AND LIBERTY 



Following the burners came the manure spreaders; five 

 carloads of manure had been purchased and was delivered 

 before it was needed. When the manure was spread upon 

 the land (one half carload to the acre), the plow started its 

 work smoothly and with none of the strain and jerk on man 

 and beast usual in new land. The soil was turned over 

 with the greatest ease, for the explosions had shivered and 

 torn out even the smallest roots, so the plow ran through 

 the ground much more easily than in sod land. 



Our friable, sandy loam, with a light admixture of clay, 

 pulverized and aerated by the explosions, was in market 

 garden condition at once and without the year's loss of 

 crops assured by old methods. 



A tooth harrow was next run over the plowed section, 

 and gleaners followed the harrow, picking up the fine roots 

 as they were brought to the surface. As piles of these fine 

 roots grew, they were burned and the ashes immediately 

 spread upon the land. The tooth harrow was run again 

 across the rows, the disk harrow following chopped and pul- 

 verized the earth into the finest possible condition. Thirty- 

 five and one half working days after Larry and his gang 

 arrived, rye was drilled into three and one half acres. 



The condemned freight cars were placed upon skids and 

 drawn to the desired position over soaped planks. They 

 were raised from the ground to give good under ventilation. 

 The north and east sides are filled or banked up with sand 

 which came out of the well. This keeps out the cold winds, 

 and, in the case of the chicken-house car, allows the fowls a 

 shaded shelter on hot summer days. 



The chicken-house car was placed facing the southeast. 

 The western end has a large glazed sash placed on it, and 

 two in the southern side. One half the car was partitioned 



