The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1853-06-28


- We observe an inquiry made III the June.
number Of the Southern Agricnlturist as'to the
BEST mode of getting rid st this prolific and in
SiGcible roeter..r III answer TO the inquiry, the
editorso that paper state that the Rev. DE-.
Bnchuian, ,sof ,Charlestol who is at this time
the llssts distinguished naturalist in America,
Informed sthem thatafter the great fire in that
city which occurred; in +tS36,s the nut grass
spEing on the site sofa burned house that
had been efeclrd over halt 4 century, From
this fact, the inference is rather incidentally
draWn, that its eradication is next to an inpos
siblity. Nowswe very much doubt the log-S
Guilty of this dedurtious s1tis Il well ,estab:
lished fact that perfectly matured seed may re-
taiu.tieir vitality tGreentufies; and yet the same
Sseed1may lose their. vitality under untayorable
circumstances <in a1short tirne. Nor does the
length of time which seed naySrctan their vi
tsEIy. bear a,sy rciition to the tenacity oflife'
: oft,e parent plant. Wheat is we'll known to,
beatender and delicate plant, and sthatf the VI
tafftSof its berry is ofeens, destroyed on the;
stalk by, q Few days ofSunfappfable. weather;
and vet perfectly natured Sgrains have retained
tiiejf vitality from the days of Joseph and the.
Pharaohs UP to q period qdite recent.
Fiat the nut grass can scarcely be eradlca-
tedffpmsthe soil, I'VE are &clkaware = but this
isdependent of tie length ottine that its nuts
may retain theirvitslitys We are, however, OF
thesopiaiian that it ma -ibesutterIy destroyed
Ifsun agent eau be; found which will destroy
the vtaIitYs Of The nuts or prevent their maturi-
ts.iheii tlse object inshccomplshed. a Sue
cessful experiment g do the latter, was made
-iaIstiiis town a iffsws Years ago. A gentleman
whose garden was ovesnn with.@grass- and
who had resorted ITO every other expedient
without even partial SUCCESS, made an expert
ment thus: He dug up and nlansred u spot
about six feet in diau,eter;in his yard, and set
it out thickly with nutsgrass, which he suffered
TO groW for two years; in which time, as the
saving is, it was as thick as the hairs on a
cows back. In the spring of the third year, as
fast AS it appeared above the ground, he shaved
itoff With q hoe, by which he effeclual'y pre-.
vented the growth Of foliage. In the spring of
the fourth year, there were but few scattering
plants, which he treated in the same manner.
, In the spring of the fifth year, nor since, has q
spear of hut grass appeared. Encouraged by
this success, he adopted the same plan with his
garden; and the second year he MAS but little
troubled With nut grass. Such result might
readily have been inferred from the known
laws which govern vegetable economy. 1t is
well known that there are few plants or even
trees, which can bear being stripped for one
summer of their foliage. Foliage is essential
to maturing the nut OF the grass which we are
considering and if you prevent this, you de
struy the plalIt, unless there are matured nuts
of q previous years growth OH the soil which
are not in position to vegetate, but which
subsequent tillagc may bring into such po,
sition.
Salt has been used to destroy the vitality of
the nut, but with very partial success, in con.
sequence of the large quantity required, aud the
difficulty of getrinp it in contact Mt the depth
whict, the nuts penetrate. We have thought
that perhaps the most efficient, as well as the
least expensive, agent which could be applied
to destroy the vitality Of the nut of this plant,
would be guano. We have heard of no expe,
riment made with this article, but should infer
from i,syvery causti" nature, that large dose
oft interlnix~d with the soil, would prove Il
nsra..a. Il ri.ht require a thousand pounds
... wh" Anu!;! m"t spend twice
that am .uut t" r.aIaa'c such pest from bis
,,,utstiou! Moreover should it be success
t,l he e<;s,.'it".a vcpid '~ f,r 'ron. " %