Uh... What?
In Fight Club this was a prank, among many others, to mess with people. It was called Project Mayhem.
The Popular Science tips are akin to things like using old motor oil to keep termites out of a fence post. In an era when paint amd gasoline had lead in it, you could use oil to kill things! The gravel -filled hole was just to keep it from clumping, and putting it at the back of a property would be to keep the property line clear of growth.