1910. 
THE) HIJRA I. NEW-YORKER 
1025 
‘PLOWING” LAND WITH DYNAMITE. 
J. R. S„ Northwood, N. Y .—Will you 
give us some more facts about “plowing" 
with dynamite. In preparing soil for sweet 
corn and the garden crops is it necessary 
or advisable to put the dynamite down two 
feet deep? Would not a hole 10 inches 
deep, made with a crow bar, serve the pur¬ 
pose? Is not a dynamite cap alone power¬ 
ful enough to stir up the soil as much as 
needed? If not, how much dynamite— 
what part of a stick—should be used in 
addition? If the caps will serve, how far 
apart should they be? I noted that Cald¬ 
well, of South Carolina, used a quarter 
stick, but in a soil that has no hardpan 
I see no occasion for such a heavy charge. 
What is the price per stick or roll of dyna¬ 
mite? IIow long a fuse is needed in each 
hole? What is the probable expense of 
“plowing” an acre with dynamite. 
Ans. —For the best answers to these 
questions we must refer to readers who 
have had experience. Will any of them 
who have used dynamite for breaking 
up soil tell us how they used it and the 
results? Some experiments were re¬ 
cently made in New Jersey. Prof. J. G. 
Lipman of the N. J. Experiment Station, 
gives the following report: 
“The demonstration experiment, on 
the breaking up of hardpan, was carried 
out at the farm of Mr. A. W. Eager, 
near Morristown, N. J. Mr. Eager has 
a very extensive tract of flat land, near 
the Whippany River, that is underlaid 
by stiff clay to a depth of six to 10 feet; 
this clay is practically impervious and 
renders the overlying soil but ill suited 
for the growing of cultivated crops. In 
view of the extreme richness of this soil 
in plant food, any method that would 
provide for proper drainage of this land 
would make the latter very productive. 
In the demonstration experiment, already 
referred to, holes were bored into the 
clay subsoil to a depth of four feet; 
half-pound dynamite cartridges were 
placed in these holes, at distances of 
about 20 feet apart. After the dynamite 
charges were exploded it was found that 
the clay was broken up, at least, to the 
depth of which the cartridges were 
placed; it is doubtful, however, whether 
the clay was broken up sufficiently to 
form extensive cracks and crevices, 
down to the underlying stratum of 
gravel. The persons who had charge of 
the demonstration experiment also felt 
that a slower explosive would, probably, 
be necessary to do tbe work effectively, 
and that charges would have to be placed 
at greater depths. As to the probable 
cost of this treatment, the representa¬ 
tives of the powder company told me 
that the expenses for dynamite, under 
this condition, would be about $15 per 
acre; the caps would cost about tbe same 
amount, and the fuse would cost about 
$5 per acre, making a total expenditure 
for explosives (and accessories) of $35 
per acre, not including the cost of labor 
involved; in my opinion, this is a very 
moderate estimate, and the actual cost 
would, probably, be considerable more 
than that. You will see, therefore, that 
under the given conditions, the breaking 
up of hardpan is a costly process, and 
not feasible for many cheap lands; on 
the other hand, it is quite possible that 
where the soil is underlaid by hardpan 
proper, that is, by some rock-like mate¬ 
rial not exceeding a thickness of a few 
inches, the breaking up of the imper¬ 
vious layer could be accomplished at 
relatively low cost.” 
Dodge the “ Big Stories.” 
Skeptical Subscriber, Oswego, N. Y .—I 
send below an extract from a series of 
articles being published by a well-known 
fashion magazine on “Five and Ten-Acre 
Farms”: “Mr. Fullerton says he will un¬ 
dertake to set out 50-25 apple trees on an 
acre of land in any suitable location, and 
pick 300 bushels of apples the fourth year. 
* * * The grower’s price would not be 
less than $400.” Can it be done? If so, 
some of us would best plant orchards, get¬ 
ting this grower’s method of “doing it.” 
Ans. —Such advice may be well suited 
to a fashion magazine, but practical fruit 
growers know the statement as it stands 
is nonsense. We have an orchard of 
Baldwins eight years old that has given 
only a few scattering apples thus far. 
Northern Spy is slower yet to come into 
bearing. No man can take such varieties 
under the best of care and make them 
bear six bushels of fruit each after three 
years of growth. Some varieties can 
be forced so as possibly to bear a small 
amount of fruit early, but there is no use 
paying any attention to such an effort to 
show what small farms will do. Such 
statements do uncounted harm by in¬ 
ducing people who never should try to 
work the land to think thev can make a 
living on a small piece of ground. 
Wood Ashes and Strawberries. 
E. E. S., Skowhegan, Me .—In a recent 
issue you state that “wood ashes applied to 
strawberry plants do more harm than 
good.” Will you state why? I am a be¬ 
ginner in strawberry culture, and wish to 
go right. I have oeen advised to use wood 
ashes liberally, and had already put several 
barrels on a quarter acre and iutended 
doing the same on another plot, but held up 
on reading your statement, I judge my 
soil is acid because sorrel grows profusely. 
Ans.—W e refer to our own experi¬ 
ence. On our soil wood ashes do not 
help strawberries as they do other crops. 
We consider this due to the lime which 
the wood ashes contain. The strawberry, 
like the cranberry, prefers an acid soil. 
Just as clover will not do its best in a 
sour soil, so strawberries will not 
thrive where the soil has been sweet¬ 
ened. The lime in the wood ashes 
sweetens the soil. We have had many 
reports on this and the great majority 
of them agree with this statement. 
A “ Chain Letter.” 
C. E. IF., New Hamburg, N. Y. —En¬ 
closed And copy of chain letter which was 
received by a member of the family. If 
you consider it worth notice, will you 
kindly give your opinion of it? 
Ans. —This “chain letter” states that 
500,000 used stamps are to be sent to a 
school in Australia. It is said that if 
such stamps are sent the government has 
agreed to put up a new building. Each' 
one who receives the letter is to keep 
the “chain” going by writing three more 
like it. Our advice is to break this 
“chain” whenever it comes near you. 
We wrote the Post Office Department 
asking what possible value there could 
be in cancelled postage stamps and re¬ 
ceived this reply: 
"In reply you are advised that the 
records of the Department show that so 
far back as the sixties statements were 
circulated that canceled stamps in large 
quantities could be realized upon for 
philanthropic purposes, but so far as this 
Department is concerned such statements 
are entirely without foundation. There 
is no use to which the Department could 
put canceled stamps. The chain letters 
calling for such stamps were started 
years ago, apparently through misap¬ 
prehension. The chains are so far- 
reaching that once started it is difficult 
to stop them. At intervals the chain is 
revived for a time and many people are 
led to take it up afresh.” a. M. dewees. 
Acting Third Assistant Postmaster- 
General. 
Working Over Kieffer Pears. 
J. II., Cincinnati, O .—I have recently 
come into possession of some property, 
which has a number of Kieffer pear trees 
growing thereon, 15 to 20 years of age, and 
bearing heavily. Can I successfully graft 
such varieties as Bartlett, Seckel, Clapp’s 
Favorite, etc., on the Kieffer trees? Will 
they make a good union if grafted, or would 
budding be more successful? 
Ans. —In all probablty the effort to 
graft over the Kieffer trees would re¬ 
sult in a practical failure. The other 
varieties do not make a good union 
With it. This has been often tried and 
found to be unsatisfactory in all the 
cases that I know about. The Kieffer 
trees will pay quite well as they are, 
and my advice is to get out of them 
all that is possible and plant trees of the 
better kinds to secure good fruit. 
H. E. VAN DEMAN. 
What The Farmer Gets When He Buys A Hupmobile 
You got in the Hupmobile a 4-passenger touring 
car with 110-inch wheelbase; Bosch magneto; 
sliding gear transmission; shock absorbers; 
30x3 inch front tires; 31x3 'c inch rear tires; 
gas lamp, piping and generator; three oil 
lamps, horn and tools. 
Three years ago the Hupp Motor Car Company 
could not have given the farmer what it is 
able to give him today. 
It could not have given him the price and it 
could not have given him the lifelong 
guarantee. 
The guarantee is actually more important, in a 
way, than the price. 
The price is so wonderful that if there were no 
guarantee you might feel justified in saying;— 
“Can they give me a car of that size with the 
right kind of staying qualities for $900 ? ” 
With the lifelong guarantee (even if yon didn't 
have the record and reputation of thousands 
of Hupmobites to depend upon) you can dis¬ 
miss that thought from your mind. 
HUPMOBILE RUNABOUT 
gnrft E.O.B. Detroit, including' 3 oil lamps, tools and 
horn. Top, gas lamps, tank or generator, trunk- 
rack and speedometer extra. ; : s ; 
The guarantee takes care of the future. 
You don’t need to take the dealer’s word, or 
anybody's word—the guarantee is your assur¬ 
ance now and forever. 
The Hupmobile is a farm-and-country car, be¬ 
cause it's as "light on its feet” as a cat on 
roads that discourage a heavier car. 
Frank A. Munsey, the multi-millionaire pub¬ 
lisher, who has experimented with cars of 
eveiy size and grade and price, at home and 
abroad,says:— 
“In wear, and tear, and gasoline, and oils, the 
expense of a light car is probably less than 
half that of a forty horse-pmoer automobile.’’ 
Mr. Munsey is right. Thousands of people are 
driving their Hupmobiles for twenty to 
twenty-five cents a day. 
He is also right, when he says that the light 
car is the car of cars for country roads, be¬ 
cause it keeps going at high speed, no matter 
what the ruts or roughness. 
The Hupmobile will do any¬ 
thing and go anywhere a 
larger, heavier car can do or 
go, and stand abuse which 
their dead weight can not 
stand. 
It is a car of continuous service, 
continuously guaranteed—a 
value to every farmer beyond 
comparison. 
Hupp Motor Car 
Company 
LICENSED UNDER SELDEN PATENT 
Desk 57 
Detroit, Michigan 
GUARANTEED FOR LIFE 
20 H. P., 
4 Cylinders, 
4-Passenger, 
Sliding Gears, 
Bosch Magneto. 
F.O.B. DETROIT 
The Life-long Guarantee: 
The Hupp Motor Car Company 
guarantees the Hupmobile free 
from defects in matorial or 
workmanship, during the life 
of the car, and will replace, free 
of charge, any such defective 
material when returned to its 
factory for inspection, trans¬ 
portation prepaid. This guar¬ 
antee does not cover tires. 
Hupp Motor Car Company. 
PETER COOPER S PURE BONE DUST 
THE OLD RELIABLE SINCE 1827 
STERLING BRANDS 
OF COMPLETE FERTILIZERS 
SPECIAL BLENDS FOR SPECIAL CROPS 
: : Send for Booklet : : 
PETER COOPER'S FERTILIZER, '".KPtSK’' 
AGRICULTURE 
a= Are THOROUGHLY HARD BURNT 
^ Made of best Ohio Clay. Sold in car-load lots. 
c /3 ^ Also manufacturers of 
3 g HOLLOW BUILDING BLOCK and SEWERPIPE 
u_ National Fireproofing Co., Fulton Bldg., Pittsburg, Pa. 
