FIELD EXPERIMENTS IN 1915. 29 



point of the shot. This was considered very satisfactory, so 

 we proceeded to blast the other holes in like manner." T n 

 writing of digging into another hole on similar soil on another 

 part of the farm he said : "This shattering seemed to dip 

 slightly upward in all directions." 



In the spring of 1913, 126 young Baldwin trees were set 

 where the holes were blasted with dynamite the fall before. 

 At the same time 52 other trees from the same lot and similar 

 in every respect were set in the same orchard in the usual 

 manner by digging the holes with a shovel. In both cases, 

 whether dynamited or without, a large hole was dug and then 

 filled with top soil to where the tree was to be set. This was 

 necessary in both instances for the object of dynamiting was to 

 shatter the sub-soil rather than to simply make a hole. There- 

 fore, little or no hand labor was saved by the use of dynamite. 

 So far as the location of the trees in the orchard was con- 

 cerned, the conditions were ideal from an experimental stand- 

 point. Since they were to replace trees which had been re- 

 moved in different parts of the orchard for one. cause or 

 another chance rather than design determined where they 

 should be placed. Consequently they were scattered indiscrimi- 

 nately through the orchard, and those which were dynamited 

 or simply shovel dug were mixed in with each other without 

 any particular order. 



The primary object of the experiment was to see whether 

 or not the trees would make a better or more vigorous growth 

 where the subsoil had been shattered with dynamite. So far 

 as could be judged no difference in this respect occurred as the 

 result of growth in 1913 and 1914. In the spring of 1915 

 some rather unexpected, comparative results were obtained. 



Good growth was made during both seasons and in the fall 

 of 1914 all of the trees appeared vigorous and healthy. Early 

 in the spring of 191 5 it -was evident that a considerable amount 

 of winter injury had occurred, and that many trees were 

 killed back to within 12 to 18 inches of the ground. Some of 

 these, however, were killed nearly or quite to the soil line. 



In the latter part of June, when it was felt that the full 

 extent of injury would be apparent, the Station pathologist 

 made a careful inspection of all of these Baldwin trees which 

 had been set in 1913. The object of this inspection was to 

 obtain accurate data as to the character and extent of the 



