ISO 



TRE GARDEN AND FIELD. 



August, 1913 



(Continued from Page 117). 



Not that artificial drains ar© not 

 very valuable and necessary, but 

 in a great nmnbec of instances sub- 

 soiling is reallv what is required, 

 and where subsoiling is resorted to 

 it has the advantage of not only 

 draining the land, but of relieving 

 it from what may be termed a 

 constipated condition, besides en- 

 abling it to retain more moisture. 



A further great advantage of 

 subsoiling is that after heavy rains 

 one is able to get sooner on the 

 land, either to plough or to cul- 

 tivate ] the land drains quicker, 

 and often valuable time is saved 

 in this respect. How often do we 

 see days and days wasted through 

 not being able to get at important 

 work on the laiid ; and when we 

 do get there, how many of us see 

 " the wash " caused and gutters 

 opened up, and have to cart soil 

 back to its original place. 



— The Remedy. — 



When one is asked to consider 

 any new proposition appertaining 

 to farming, the first thought is : 

 what is it going to cost ? This 

 most important item I shall deal 

 with later, except for saying here 

 that I have carried out a-, number 

 of demonstrations in subsoiling 

 with explosives in different parts 

 of the State, and on different soils, 

 and I find that subsoiling: with ex- 

 plosives is by far the cheapest and 

 best. One man can do the whole 

 of the work ; no horse and plough 

 are required, only a few tools, con- 

 sisting of one 2-inch buUnosed 

 auger, one tamping rod, and one 

 j)ointed crowbar. 



The explosive I use and would 

 recommend is gelignite or blasting 

 gelignite ; it is handy, 'less danger- 

 ous, and not expensive. 



In deciding to subsoil a paddock, 

 the strength of the ground must 

 first be ascertained, and a test 

 hole is put down, about 2 feet, to 

 get this. One must not expect to 

 see an upheaval ; this is far from 

 what is req-.iired. If the earth is 

 displaced to anv extent it shows 

 that the charge' is too strong,, and 

 is liable to bring the subsoil to 

 the surlace ; this must be avoided. 

 As a general rule, I test with one 

 plug, and usually I find this suf- 

 ficient for good work. Of cour.se 

 some soils required onlv half a 

 plug ; it all depends on the nature 

 and strength of the subsoil and 

 hard-pan. 



,'\fter getting the strength of tlu' 

 ground, go ahead ; bore the holes 

 everv lo, IS, or 20 feet a])art, ac- 

 cording t'O the strength of the sub- 



soil, and about 2 feet or 3 feet 

 deep. , JM 



— Preparing the Charges, — 

 In preparing the the charges it 

 is necessary to use ordinary care 

 and common sense ; otherwise they ■ 

 may hurt. In cutting the fuse, 

 cut square across the face, not 

 slanting, and allow about 4 inches 

 to project above the ground ; in- 

 sert the fuse into the detonator, 

 making quite certain that no saw- 

 dust packing remains in the cap. 

 Be careful not to push the fuse 

 well home. Leave a space between 

 the conical shaped cap, which con- 

 tains fulminate oi_ mercury, and the 

 end of the fuse. ' Crimp the de- 

 tonator on to the fuse at the end 

 of the cap, and "use the proper 

 crimper for this purpose. Uoi not 

 bite it on ; it might bite you^ 



Gelignite is in a soft condition 

 like soap. Bore a hole in it with 

 the handle of the crimper, special- 

 ly designed for the purpose ;( insert 

 the detonator and tie the end, 

 paper and all. This keeps the cap 

 froirv slipping out. Lowerii the 

 charge into the hole ; tamp gently 

 at "first, but more strongly as 

 the surface is reached, making the 

 hole compact and tight, which is 

 very important to get a good 

 result. Then cut the fuse in a 

 slanting direction and insert a 

 small piece of gelignite. This will 

 save matches and temper, if there 

 should be any wind about. 



As, the fuse bums at the rate ol 

 30 inches a minute, there is plenty 

 of time to stand back. If one 

 man is doing the job, it is advis- 

 able not to charge and fire more 

 than 25 shots at a time ; other- 

 wise he may lose sight of a possi- 

 lile misfire. 



— Bllect of the Explosion. — 



There will not be a big report, 

 as some expect ; neither will there 



be a displacement to any extent 

 of the top soil. Where a number 

 of holes are fired together, the ef- 

 fect for a fraction of second re- 

 sembles porridge on the boil. 



The vibration of the shot will 

 he. felt from 10 to 15 feet away, 

 and this is practically the distance 

 shattering of the subsoil extends. 

 If one could take a section of the 

 ground the fractures could be 

 easily seen. 



— The Cost. — 



The following table will give 

 some idea of the cost of subsoiling 

 with explosives. I do not include 

 labour, as Jrhis wiU depend on the 

 rate paid, ajnd also on the strength 

 of the ground. Where conditions 

 are easy a hole a minjute should be 

 done ; but where the hard pan is 

 tough and the subsoil very com- 

 pact, it may take five minutes. 

 Preparing the charges and tamp- 

 ing the holes will take nearly four 

 minutes pel hole. 



— Dont's. 



There are several " don'ts " to 

 be observed, and it may be well to 

 note a few : — 



1. Don't smoke on the job., 



2. Don't tamp with a metal 

 tamper ; use , a wooden one —1 a 

 broom-handle is excellent. 



3. Don't tamp hard at first. 



4. Don't, in the event of a mis- 

 fire, (untampi the hole, but put down 

 another hole about a foot away. 



5. Don't forget that you are 

 using explosives, and get careless 

 after firing a few shots. 



6. Don't clinch the cap on to 

 the fuse with the teeth. 



I would advisa intending\ sub- 

 soilers, if they have not had pre- 

 vious experience, to attend one of 

 tha demonstrations thati are given 



— Tabic Showing Cost 'of Subsoiling with Explosives. — 



Distance of 

 holes apart 



<u 



Number of 

 holes per 

 acre. 



cnai 



Feet. 



Plug. 





10 





435 



10 





■ 43..T 



12 



% 



302 



12 





302 



15 



% 



194 



i.S 



I 



194 



iH 





128 



i« 



T 



128 



20 



72 



109 



20 



I 



109 



O 



a . 



21% 



15 

 30 

 10 

 20 

 6% 



5 



o S2 ■-' 

 1-1 ' 



3' 

 g 



fi 

 O 

 U 



13 P- 



1 , 3 05 

 1, 305 

 906 

 906 

 582 

 .=S«2 



3«4 

 384 

 327 

 327 



4,35 

 435 

 302 

 302 

 194 

 194 

 128 

 128 

 109 

 109 



u 



ei< 

 d. 

 9. 

 6 

 6 

 6 



10 



s. 



121 



14 

 •16 

 II 

 3 



13 II 

 a 15 4 



T O 7 

 O 12 9 

 o 18 O 



