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  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  November, 
  1907 
  

  

  Drilling 
  Auger 
  Holes 
  for 
  the 
  Sticks 
  of 
  Dynamite 
  

  

  Firing 
  the 
  Dynamite 
  from 
  the 
  Electric 
  Battery 
  

  

  Dynamite 
  on 
  the 
  Farm 
  

  

  By 
  George 
  Nathan 
  

  

  HE 
  utilization 
  of 
  dangerous 
  elements 
  and 
  

   forces 
  for 
  modern 
  utilities 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  

   remarkable 
  and 
  significant 
  of 
  the 
  advances 
  

   of 
  science. 
  To 
  utilize 
  a 
  simple 
  force 
  in 
  a 
  

   beneficial 
  way 
  has 
  long 
  been 
  characteristic 
  

   of 
  human 
  progress; 
  it 
  is 
  by 
  this 
  method 
  

   that 
  civilization 
  has 
  advanced, 
  new 
  ideas 
  

   have 
  come 
  into 
  being, 
  new 
  inventions 
  been 
  perfected, 
  and 
  

   new 
  powers 
  obtained 
  by 
  man 
  over 
  the 
  forces 
  of 
  nature. 
  Had 
  

   industrial 
  progress 
  been 
  the 
  theme 
  of 
  early 
  philosophers, 
  and 
  

   had 
  they 
  been 
  prone 
  to 
  look 
  into 
  the 
  future, 
  they 
  would 
  un- 
  

   questionably 
  have 
  foreseen 
  a 
  time 
  when, 
  ordinary 
  forces 
  

   once 
  overcome, 
  the 
  inventive 
  genius 
  of 
  mankind 
  would 
  have 
  

   been 
  applied 
  to 
  the 
  mastery 
  of 
  extraordinary 
  forces, 
  and 
  even 
  

   gone 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  to 
  predict 
  that 
  the 
  most 
  dangerous 
  forces 
  

   would 
  have 
  been 
  applied 
  to 
  many 
  useful 
  purposes. 
  

  

  Academic 
  discussions 
  as 
  

   to 
  what 
  might 
  be 
  or 
  might 
  

   have 
  been 
  under 
  non-exist- 
  

   ing 
  conditions 
  are 
  not 
  al- 
  

   ways 
  of 
  utility; 
  but 
  even 
  

   the 
  most 
  casual 
  observer 
  

   must 
  have 
  long 
  been 
  aware 
  

   that 
  the 
  utilization 
  of 
  dan- 
  

   gerous 
  forces 
  has 
  become 
  

   characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  

   period. 
  Every 
  day 
  new 
  

   uses 
  are 
  not 
  only 
  being 
  

   found 
  for 
  ordinary 
  forces 
  

   and 
  powers, 
  but 
  elements 
  

   that 
  are 
  admittedly 
  danger- 
  

   ous 
  even 
  to 
  the 
  skilled 
  and 
  

   careful 
  worker 
  and 
  those 
  

   thoroughly 
  familiar 
  with 
  

   them, 
  are 
  put 
  to 
  new 
  uses 
  

   that 
  have 
  some 
  general 
  or 
  

   special 
  utility, 
  and 
  which 
  Ramming 
  the 
  Sticks 
  of 
  

  

  transform 
  a 
  dreaded 
  power 
  into 
  a 
  force 
  of 
  pronounced 
  

   utility. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  probably 
  few 
  things 
  that, 
  by 
  their 
  nature 
  and 
  

   according 
  to 
  popular 
  judgment, 
  seem 
  more 
  unlikely 
  to 
  be 
  

   of 
  value 
  to 
  the 
  farmer 
  than 
  dynamite 
  ; 
  yet 
  as 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  fact 
  

   it 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  those 
  unlikely 
  things 
  that, 
  when 
  properly 
  used, 
  

   may 
  be 
  of 
  the 
  greatest 
  assistance 
  and 
  value. 
  As 
  an 
  agent 
  

   for 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  stumps 
  and 
  stones 
  from 
  land 
  that 
  is 
  being 
  

   cleared 
  of 
  trees 
  and 
  rocks 
  it 
  is 
  to-day 
  the 
  most 
  serviceable 
  

   and 
  desirable 
  agent 
  available 
  for 
  this 
  work. 
  

  

  Tree 
  destruction 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  unavoidable 
  misfortunes 
  of 
  

   country 
  development. 
  Crops 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  grown 
  in 
  forests, 
  

   nor 
  can 
  houses 
  well 
  be 
  built 
  in 
  such 
  an 
  environment. 
  Tree 
  

   chopping 
  is, 
  therefore, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  destructive 
  callings 
  

   practised 
  in 
  America. 
  That 
  the 
  whole 
  land 
  has 
  suffered 
  

   from 
  this 
  — 
  shall 
  I 
  so 
  call 
  it? 
  — 
  industry, 
  is 
  now 
  an 
  admitted 
  

  

  economic 
  fact; 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  like- 
  

   wise 
  true 
  that 
  much 
  of 
  it 
  

   was 
  unavoidable 
  in 
  the 
  past 
  

   and 
  much 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  unavoid- 
  

   able 
  now 
  — 
  unavoidable 
  be- 
  

   cause 
  tree 
  culture 
  and 
  tree 
  

   utility 
  have 
  only 
  recently 
  

   come 
  to 
  be 
  understood 
  

   among 
  us, 
  and 
  because 
  

   clearings 
  and 
  open 
  spaces 
  

   are 
  essential 
  to 
  the 
  cultiva- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  soil 
  and 
  the 
  erec- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  dwellings. 
  

  

  The 
  destruction 
  of 
  trees 
  

   by 
  chopping, 
  however, 
  is 
  

   but 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  task. 
  The 
  

   ground 
  must 
  be 
  cleared, 
  

   and 
  cleared 
  completely. 
  

   This 
  later 
  stage 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  

   has 
  long 
  been 
  the 
  most 
  

   Dynamite 
  Into 
  Position 
  arduous 
  and 
  irksome, 
  

  

  