Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 March 1911 — Winter Months on the farm [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Winter Months on the farm

Hou) to Improve Them

Weed Eradication Wart* from Weeds and How to Control and Eradicate These Serious Pests

By PROF. R. A. MOORE

Wttcontim College of Agriculture

Crops lomes aggregating millions Of dollars occur annually throughout ttbe United States due to lack of effi•etont weed control. Immense areas sue infected with weeds to an extent (that makes it very advisable to carry ion a determined warfare to eradicate (them. For many years those interested in scientific and permanent agriculture have considered the menace of ■weeds and have issued warnings against them. This early work dealt almost wholly with preventive measures, largely along the line of seed inspection to insure clean seed. Farmers on the virgin soils of the United States where weeds were not numerous were inclined to ridicule the Idea that they could ever become seriously troublesome. The fears of the scientists have been realized, however, and there are now many farme In this country which have been abandoned becausg the weeds have multiplied and spread jso rapidly that the farmer has become discouraged and given up in despair. Noxious weeds are spreading at a rate which has alarmed those who are acquainted with the seriousness of the situation. There are many farms where 26 per cent, of the crop producing capacity lhaa been destroyed by weeds. There Is a great necessity of some concerted action for weed control and eradication with respect to tw r o of the ■most widespread and serious weed ipesta.

I The Worst Weeds. While there are many weeds which are proving troublesome on farms, there are two which are pre-eminently noxious, particularly in Wisconsin land the north central states, viz.: IQuack grass and Canada thistles. [These weeds are extremely difficult to eradicate because of their peculiar inature and habits. Wild mustard has become a serious •P®»t in the grain fields of many {states, and in some sections is getting beyond the control of farmers {using ordinary methods of eradication. florid ha vt> deteriorated where the fields have become thickly seeded to mustard. Considerable effort has ibeen expended by farmers in pulling jthe mustard plants when in full bloom tat a time when the weed could be easily recognised in the grain fields, !but when fields became badly Infested this was a laborious task, and often was done at the expense of one-half or more of the crop. Other weeds which are especially obnoxious are the Sow thistle, Star thistle, English plantain, Ox-eye daisy, •Toad flax. Dodder and Velvet leaf, and in many sections other weeds are serious. Quack Grass Serious Foe. Quack grass is a perennial plant living from year to year unless prevented by some unusual clrcum-

(stances. It reproduces itself by means of seed and by means of the root:stocks. It is the rootstocks which (ire the plant its noxious character, | as they must be killed to eradicate it and thye possess a great , deal of vitality. At each joint new roots are thrown out and at many of them new stems start. In this way the grass spreads rapidly and a piece of the

rootstock with one of these Joints on it will produce a new plant, although It' may,not be over one-half inch long. The whole plant grows rapidly and ripens its seed usually In July and, where growing in meadows, may be gathered in the hay, from whence it gets into the manure to be scattered broadcast over the farm.

If growing In grain it will be harvested and threshed with the grain, and if the grain is not graded with extreme care some of the quack grass •will be sown on the fields the next year. Canada Thistle a Menace. grass the Canada thistle is a perennial plant.' In height It ranges from % one to three feet, depending on conditions. The Canada thistle has no rootstocks like the Quack grass, biit is possessed of true roots, the parts of which are capable of producing plants. When undisturbed by cultivation the roots are apt to lie near the surface, but go deeper In cultivated soil and where it is particularly loose and porous may be found at a depth of three feet. Canada thistles seldom bear seed in fields that are cultivated annually, but In those fields that are seeded down to clover or grasses.

Methods of Weed Eradication.

Many methods have been devised and advocated for the eradication of Quack grass and Canada thistles. The sucoess of any method depends very largely upon soil and weather conditions and a has proven entirely successful under one set of conditions has frequently failed when used under different conditions. Quack grass is more persistent and more difficult to eradicate than the Canada thistle, hence any method which will eradicate Quack grass will surely destroy Canada thistles.

This method can be used successfully except on wet or extremely porous soils. No crop can be grown during the year in w’hich this treatment is being given, It consists of plowing deep enough to reach the horizontal roots, four times in a dry season, and oftener if the season is wet. In fact, plowing may profitably be begun as soon as a crop is removed the preceding ye'arr In the between plowlnga the ground should be cultivated often enough to prevent all leaf growth. The spring tooth harrow makes an excellent tool for this purpose, but any exposure of the roots to the hot winds and glaring sunshine of summer rapidly kills them. This fallowing method is more certain to result in complete eradication than any other which has been tried, it gets rid of the weeds with one year’s work. The thorough cultivation of the Boil leaves it in splendid condition, so that a much larger crop can be obtained the following year than would have been possible had the weeds remained, and the field will continue to bear good If crops after the weeds are eliminated.

Where the Quack grass or thistles are to be removed while a crop is be-

ing raised, plowing should begin in the summer or autumn as soon as the former crop is removed, the earlier the better. This should be followed by careful cultivation until the ground freezes up. The next spring plowing should be done as soon as soil conditions permit and be continued at intervals of four week until the first of July. Between the plowings thorough cultivation should be practised. On the date mentioned the seed bed should be carefully prepared and the land sown to millet o|r buckwheat at the rate of three pecks per acre in either case. The previous treatment will have so weakened the weeds that the millet or buckwheat gets well established before the weeds recover sufficiently to begin growth. Both of these crops grow rapidly and provide a dense shade underneath which the weeds cannot survive. Bpraylng to Kill Wild Mustard. The eradication of farm weeds by spraying with weed killing solutions has been the subject of special investigations by the Wisconsin experiment station for several years. Experiments with the iron sulphate solution were begun in 1906 and successful results were secured in the eradication of wild mustard and in the partial control of other weed pests. The iron sulphate solution Is prepared by mixing 100 pounds of granulated iron sulphate with 50 gallons of water and stirring solution is sufficient to treat oneacre of land infested with wild mustard. A specially adapted sprayer is necessary to apply the solution. Such machines are now to be found upon the market at moderate prices. Fifteen to 25 acres can be sprayed daily and a single application of the solution will kill all of the wild mustard if applied at the right time. The spray is most effective If applied when the younger plants are in the bud and the older plants in the third leaf. Weather conditions should be favoi* able, as rains wakh off the solution* Baking It ineffective.

A Canada thistle, showing the horizontal root from which It spreads.