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Show EXPLOSIVES FOR FARMERS READY BIG STOCK OF EXPLOSIVES LEFT FROM WAR TO DE USED IN IM- PROVING LANDS OF NATION 12,000,00 Pounds of Picric Acid Now Available For Farmers In Improving Im-proving Agricultural Lands Says Authorities Washington Moro than 12,000,000 pounds of prlclc acid, ono of tho highest high-est known explosives, accumulated for war purposes and mado useless to tho war department by tho armistice, will be distributed to farmers for agricultural agricul-tural purposes. When tho war ended the nrray had on hand this Immense stock of picric acid, and In addition moro thnti 20,-000,000 20,-000,000 iwunds of T. N. T. Tho latter lat-ter wns distributed to various govern-mentnl govern-mentnl agencies for uso In railroad construction In Alaska, public roads in the national parks and various projects pro-jects on Indian reservations., Nono of tho T. N. T. was distributed to lndlv-uals lndlv-uals and thus far not a ednglo nccldcnt hns inurked tho uso or transportation of tho millions of pounds of the high explosive, according td officials of tho bureau of mines'. Tho question of what to do with the 12,000,000 pounds of picric ncid puzzled puz-zled government officers for somo time, nnd tho war department had almost al-most decided to tow tho cxploslvo out to sea and dump It overboard In the Interests of tho public snfety, when It was decided to Institute a series of experiments ex-periments In an effort to 11 ml some safo commercial uso for It. Tho experiments ex-periments were conducted by tho bureau bur-eau of mines nnd disclosed many ways In which picric odd could bo used snfely nnd profitably on farms, such as In blasting out stumps nnd rocks and brenklng up land. It wns accordingly accord-ingly decided to distribute tho explosive, explo-sive, practically free of charge, to farmers. Picric acid, n highly crystallno pow-flcr pow-flcr having a lemon yellow color, Is 18 per cent stronger than 40 per cent straight nitroglycerin dynamite, according ac-cording to tho burenu of mines. It should never bo used In bulk, officials say, nnd Its used should bo restricted to redlpped pnrafflned puper cartrlges. Tho 12,000,000-pound surplus. stock, located at Sparta, Wis., nnd Wlngnte, N. M will bo distributed to farmers through the bureau of public roads of tho department of agriculture. Tho only cost to tho farmers, Its Is announced, an-nounced, will bo freight charges nnd a chnrgo of six cents a pound for placing tho powder In tho necessnry cartridges. It will bo ready for distribution dis-tribution about July 1. |
