Island having no limestone upon it). Therefore, with these facts before us, it was determined to spread 

 half a carload (or 10 tons) of old strawy manure to the acre and procure some Canada wood ashes, 

 which contain 40% vegetable lime, for use where the soil proved too acid. The manure was ordered, 

 five carloads, and delivered on October 3d. The Italians proved their interest in the work, and their 

 willingness and eagerness to help was never better shown than when 18 of them unloaded and cleaned 

 two cars (nearly 60 tons) in 59 minutes. The 3 remaining cars were unloaded by 14 men in 2yi hours. 

 It was accomphshed this way: 



"Larry," said the Senior Partner, "tell the men to unload as quickly as they can and I will give 

 them an American smoke. The railroad men say it will take three hours and I do not wish to delay 

 the train crew so long." 



"All right, Boss, we see." The word was passed around with the above result. 



The box of cigars was delivered; then came the morrow. 



"Good morning, Larry, did the boys like the cigars?" 



"Yes, sir, we keep 'em, feast day." 



"But, Larry, were they really good?" 



"Yes, sir, not so good like Italian cigar, Italian cigar stronger." 



"What do you pay for yours?" 



"I buy fifty cigar, thirty-five cent, him very good." 



"Are they American?" 



"No, Boss, him come from Italy." 



A team of horses with wagon, plow, and driver was hired from the neighboring village of Rocky 

 Point. First was hauled to the northern boundary all cord-wood the Italians had been able to secure 

 when clearing the land of standing timber and underbrush preparatory to dynamiting. When this 

 was accomplished we possessed 18 cords of rather small wood; not much for 10 acres surely. 



October 4th Mike Cooper (American for Miguel Coperillo) began spreading manure on acre "1" 

 and immediately plowing it in. It was our intention to sow winter rye on as much of the land as could 

 be prepared before cold weather prevented further work, in the hopes of having a few inches of green 

 humus to plow under in the spring. 



By this time such a hue and cry went up about the expense of using dynamite for clearing land 

 that we had Larry pick his three best men to take stumps out by hand. We chose average stumps 

 for them, and the best they could do was one stump each in from 2^4 to 3X hours, and requiring the 

 united efforts of all three to roll the root out after it was loosened. They succeeded in getting out only 

 the bare stump, leaving all roots, large and small, to check the plow and prevent or seriously hinder 

 cultivation. 



Dynamiter Kissam, with "Dell" Hawkins' assistance, blew regularly from 75 to 110 stumps a day. 

 The dynamite splits them so completely that they can be burned at once, and in fact one of the unwritten 

 laws was that all stumps blown each day should be burned and the ashes spread before work stopped. 

 The stumps taken out by hand required cleaning, splitting, and drying before they could be burned; 

 an added expense. Thus the comparison figures on 100 stumos: 



DYNAMITE. 



Average 60 pounds^Dynamite at 15c. per lb $9.00 



Labor of Expert and Helper 5 . 50 



100 fuses at 45c. per 100 feet 75 



100 caps at 75c. per 100 75 



$16.00 



HAND LABOB, 



100 average stumps requires 3 men 33 days at $1.33 per day $131 . 67 



Stump pullers were out of the question, there was no standing timber for the block and fall to be 

 fastened to, the time necessary to hitch to stumps buried just under the surface, frequently with rotted 

 heart, together with the cost of the puller, hire of horses and men, made it way beyond the power of 

 competing with dynamite. 



The daily bombardments seemed to interest people in the surrounding country very much. When 

 questioned as to what was being done at the Experimental Station they would reply: 



"Aw they're plantin' dynamite and raisin' hell, and that's all they ever will raise." Now that 

 the farm has raised other than that warm locality they say it is "Fullerton luck," but we know better. 



By the tenth of October all the 10 acres had been cleared of underbrush and dynamite work was 

 progressing well. Fuses gave out, causing some delay, as manufacturers are not overly prompt in 

 deliveries. Two teams were working upon the cleared section, one plowing, one disc harrowing. Fol- 

 lowing this process came spring tooth harrowing, which gathered up the finer roots of sweet fern and 

 huckleberry so that they could be piled and burned. 



All this time water had to be carried from the depot, a mile and a half away. Two small Italian 

 boys were kept busy all day traveling back and forth. Water must be had for the farm, and it was our 

 desire to experiment in a small way with irrigation. There comes a time every season when the Eastern 

 States have a drought of greater or less duration. A market-gardener should not be at the mercy of 

 the elements. There is too much at stake. Then, too, all extra choice products should be carefully 

 washed before they are packed. As for the actual quantity of water required by plants for their growth, 

 the following instances are very convincing: 



To produce 1 ton of dry oats requires 520 tons of water; 1 ton corn, 310 tons water; 1 ton red clover, 

 453 tons water. In other words growing plants require 300 to 500 times their dry weight. It certainly 

 seems as though water were more necessary than fertilizer or anything else but sun and air. 



15 



