SOIL OPERATIONS 



45 



the natives of Ceylon, India, etc., consists of a simple wooden im- 

 plement with a small iron pointed socket for a coulter. The 

 whole plough, in some c:ises, weighs but a 

 few pounds, so that a cooly can readily sling 

 it on his shoulders and c:irry it where vet- 

 desired. Heavier and more substantial 

 ploughs have from time to time been intro- 

 duced, but so far the natives prefer their own 

 primitive article as being more suited to their 

 requirements. 



Use of explosives in Tilling. As a 



means of breaking up hard impervious soil 

 or sub-soil, more especially in the preparation 

 of large holes for planting trees, the practice 

 of exploding dynamite charges buried in the 

 soil has recently been much advocated nd 

 appears to be generally attended with bene- 

 ficial results. The immediate effect is to 

 break up the soil in a way which cannot be 

 achieved by deep ploughing or trenching. 

 A hard and impervious sub-stratum may thus 

 be made penetrable to the roots of plants 

 or crops, allowing of the free percolation of 

 water through it and liberating, in many cases, 

 essential elements of plant food. For ordin- 

 ary sub-soiling, a 2 oz. cartridge to each hole 



(costing about 4d. or 25 cts. of a rupee) is sufficient. More 

 powerful charges of 3 or 4 cartridges may be used for blowing up 

 tree stumps or breaking obstructive boulders, but in this case the 

 operator must seek protection behind a tree or other object. 



The method adopted in using dynamite for purposes of holing 

 is described as follows : 



A hole is bored with a crowbar where planting is to be done, about 2\ feet 

 or more in depth. At the bottom of the hole is placed the cartridge of 

 dynamite, provided with a detonator and fuse. Then the hole is filled 

 with moist earth and beaten down gently. On exploding the cartridge, 

 the surface of the earth will be seen to rise a few inches and subside, 

 and after a few minutes smoke follows from the cracks in the earth. 

 On removing the earth loosened by the explosion, it will be found that 

 a round hole has formed at the point where the cartridge was laid, with 

 innumerable fissures extending fora few feet into the surrounding soil. 

 Fallowing. In the case of crops that are of short duration in 

 the soil, fallowing is sometimes adopted for restoring fertility to the 



SOIL /ERATOR. 



