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i*ock. Some of these sare-labor contrivances afe good in 

 themselves, but my experience teaches that whether they are 

 of vahie to you or not turns on the readiness with which yoti 

 or your foreman take to the plan — for instance, one man will 

 hit at once the knack of drilling? these holes at the ri^ht 

 angle, so that the hooks scarcely ever draw out, while with 

 another the hooks as often as not draw out. 



With me the lifting apparatus has not proved a profitable 

 investment, while with my next neighbor it has worked AvelL 

 After various experiments, I have found it more profitable to 

 lay out the luicovering and drilling as piece work, paying a 

 price per inch for drilling, which includes uncovering alsoj 

 when the boulders need blasting ; otherwise, then a special 

 price for uncovering. 



At the present time I pay six cents an inch, find powdel* 

 and drills, and pay for the sharpening of the same. I have 

 no doubt but that to many this reads like very good wages ^ 

 and some shrewd yankee who is reading this is itching to get 

 his pen and ink and offer better rate, with the idea that there 

 is money in it. By the old time way of blasting, there would 

 be very good wages to be made at these rates ; l)ut there has 

 been a change in the character of explosives, and of these I 

 lijuve availed myself. My boulders are of all sizes, up to 

 twenty tons to a single stone, but those we blast average 

 about four tons weight. The average depth of the holes 

 drilled was at the start about ten inches, but with increased 

 experience and improved explosives, the depth has been de- 

 creased to the average of about five inches, while the diameter 

 of the holes has at the same time been much lessened. The 

 explosive I now use is Rendrock, an admixture of gunpow- 

 der while in a pasty state Avith nitro-glycerine. This powerful 

 explosive, though well known and very generally in use by 

 contractors on public works, is yet so little known by far- 

 mers in general that I think it will be worth while for me to 



give them an introduction to it, as its use enters so largely 

 into the economy of handling boulders. 



Rendrock is sold (I get mine of George H. Sampson, 25 



