The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1869-07-01
AGRICULTURE.
NUT GRASS.

The Rev. j. W. BURN, of Chester
field, in recent essay read before the
Society Hill Pomologicsl and Farmers
Club, gives the following as the method
adopted by him to destroy this pest o'
the garducr and farmer:
More nut grass may be killed in a
hard winter, than in summer. To Il,
this, about the last Of Oct"ber, take d
long six-inch shovel and break the land
leaving Eve inches unbrokcn between
each furrow, which will leave the land
in small ridges, after solid freeze and
thaw, run tho same plow in the same
furrow; this will bring up fresh sup
ply of nuts; after another freeze aud
thaw, split the ridges open with tho
same ploH, and again nfter again after
freeze and thaw This last will be
equal to two plowings in winter and
never to be repeated in the same field
ifthc summer plowings arc kept up
If these plowings have been well done
and the freeze hard, the nuts will be
killed from eight to twelve inches decr
Commence your summer work nbou,
tho first of May, and do not allow tn,
grass to bloom, for although the bloou
may not produce seed, yet the bloom is
necessary to the formation Of nuts, nc
new nuts will form and mature, it the
grass is not allowed ~ bloow. 1t will
not bloom in much less than six weeks
so that if it is regularly plowed every
three or four weeks through the sum.
mor and fall till frost, it will form no
new nuts, and large proportion of the
old nuts will die from exhaustion, par.
ticularly, the deepest ones. You may
now SOW the land in wheat, rye or fall
oats, and when they arc taken of, break
the land SO rs to turn the stable under.
IN about three or four weeks, start your
sweeps, and run them regularly every
four or Eve weeks. (The grasa after
the FIRST summers work will bn so much
weaker, that it will bear to stand n week
longer the second, thiM and fourth
summers.} Conrinuc the process for
four Summers, and you will not be trou-
bled with nut grass in that fell again,
unless it is carried there. 1t will at.
was be bcst if possible, to have your
head lands beyond the mt grass, with
q we'll defined furrow, that the plows
may not pass in carrying out, have the
head lands plowcd regularly with the
field.
look we'll to all trees and stumps, in
fact, to all places where tho plows dc
not reach, and have them hood regular.
ly cut from one to ono and half inches
deep which is the depth tho p'ows
ought to cut.
U.- --->--.- ~ .-s-ss ~ s.s.'
~and when well set and tempered, ought
never be sent to smith to be sharpen
ed, but taken, to, good stone and
ground. Treated thus, they viii last
Ave times as long, be always bright and
smoothe, and d. their work we'll.
The advantages of winter killing are,
lst: The nuts will be killed eight inch,
cs deep and there will be less danger Of
their spreading by the pillow. Second
The living nut will be beyond the in
auencc of the sun until late in the
Spring, consequently the blades will be
much later in making their appearance,
giving time to plant your crop before
the work will be needed in the nut
grass field. Nohogs should be allowed to
90 in Lut grass field, as they root deep
holes, break the roots, and bury the nuts
deeper in the earth. Do not be discour-
aged because the grass appears after each
plovi,g, af or three or four plowiug+
the grass will spring up mo's feeble,