exciting and interesting part of clearing land by modern methods.

The dynamite is put up in half-pound sticks. They are a little
larger than an ordinary candle and are wrapped in heavy yellow
paraffined paper. One folded end of this paper is opened up and a
hole made by a wooden skewer into the dynamite stick, which is
plastic and resembles graham bread in color and consistency.

For magneto-battery work where several charges are required, a
copper cap in which is a minute quantity of fulminate of mercury,
and which is exploded by a spark, is attached to fine electric wires
and sealed by sulphur. This cap is placed in holes in the sticks of
dynamite, and then securely tied by drawing string tightly around
the paper which is raised to admit the cap.

In preparing a charge for fuse ignition, the cap is crimped to the
end of a piece of mining fuse and this is inserted in the dynamite
stick and securely fastened as previously described.

These prepared charges are placed in a basket and carried very
tenderly to the stumps which have been prepared by the dynamiter's
assistant. All the work is handled very carefully, for while there
is not much danger of an accident unless fire is placed near the
explosive, nevertheless extreme caution is used at all times. It
requires a nature serene, calm, and deliberate.

Deep oblique holes were then made with a round crowbar under the
stump singled out for execution. This hole should be as nearly
horizontal as possible and directly under the stump so that all the
explosive force may be expended on the wood and not on the earth
between the dynamite and the stump. The earth acts as a cushion and
the natural tendency of dynamite to exert force downward is
counteracted.

As soon as a small strip was blown, the Italians, gathering up all
the stumps, roots, and fragments, removing any pieces that were
loosened but not completely torn out, and piling them at intervals,
immediately burned them. This cannot be done when stumps are removed
by any other method, for by the digging process the earth must be
picked and scraped from them and ultimately the stump hacked in
pieces before it will burn.

By our method the stump is burned and the finest kind of unleached
wood ashes--containing lime to "sweeten" and potash and phosphoric
acid to furnish plant food--are spread upon the ground a few hours
after the stumps are blown out. These ashes would under other
circumstances have to be purchase