Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1891-09-17
FARMER AND PLANTER.
ABOUT JOHNSON GRASS.
A Texas Farmer who Despalrs OF Downing
the Pest.


agree with Mr.. Walling. Johnson grass
must be destroyed, or at least prevent
ed from spreading any further, or the
best lands of our country will ere long I
be entirely unfit for agricultural pur-
suits, When am asked how John |
son grass can be destroyed, ] answer
that it is practically indestructible.
dig it out" solae will say. That is
good enough if ooly few lunches are
in field, but IT field Is once
well rooted with IT, l think. it
would be far more sensible to
pull stakes and leave for a new
home where King Johnson is yet un-
known. Let the advocates of the dig
ging process do little ciphering for
us. How large piece of ground do
they think can be cleaned of johnson
grass in one day? Considering the fact
that the roots will go down some three
feet, l believe man will do quite
good job if he digs out four square
yards per hour, or 40 square yards per
day of ten hours. An acre contains
1910 square yards. 1t would therefore
take man 121 days.
Some say it can be very easily killed
by covering it one inch high with salt.
All right; one inch of salt over an acre
of land would consume about 1900
bushels Of salt At 25 cents per bushel
this would be cheap at $725 Salt
may be bought cheaper than that, but
you will never kill Johnson grass with
a less quantity per acre.
Some say kerosene will kill it. Itried
kerosene in this way: Ipoured it on the
land with watering-pot at the rate of
one gallon per square yard. This is
cheap way to kill Johnson grass. At 20
cents per gallon it would cost you but
S96S to kill all the Johnson grass on one
acre of land. But will anything grow
on the land afterward? That is another
question. have now given the reader
an estimate of the amount of money it
would take to kill King johnson by
the different methods; but now will
tell them that none of the above
methods killed the Johnson grass on
my place. Shallow blowing, with the
intention to kill it, will help Mr.. john
son grass over dry spell more than
anything else. have tried 1t; there
fore know what ! am talking about.
Digging out will help a little if the roots
are all carefully gathered and burned
or fed to hogs, but you have to watch
it the next spring, for some rootlets
that you have not found will be ready
to reset the field with Johnson grass.
Digging out is about the quickest,
cheapest and surest way to kill it.
As to the killing with salt, / must say
that the Johnson grass is growing much
nicer now on all the places that | COW
cred with one inch of salt. Salt is n
very good fertilizer for johnson grass,
but not so for many other plants Corn
did not grow on the land on which
put the salt. BE it therefore resolved,
That all those who say they
can kill johnson grass with salt,
give this process trial and report the
result. Kerosene did not kill my John
son grass Maybe gallon per square
yard was not enough. The grass looked
very sckly for some time, but after all
it is nice and green now.
Covering it with hay will help more
than any other method if you can af-
ford to buy enough hay or straw to
cover the whole johnson grass patch
three feet high and let the land lay for
two wears at least with the straw on.
covered a piece in this way not long
ago, and will tell you the result after
three years. Meanwhile 1 should like
to hear the opinions of your other read
ers on this subject. Louis Biedeger, in
Texas Farm and Ranch.
Another Farmers Experience which Indi-
Gates Success.
see an article in your paper of July
Is from Geo. w. Walling on the subject
of the destruction of johnson grass.
He claims that it can never be de-
stroyed. / beg to differ with the gen
tleman, and will give him and ala my
other brother farmers what has come
under my observation, and my own ex
perience in the total destruction of this
tenacious pest to the farming class Of
Texas.
Several years ago one of my neigh
bors NOW deceased) sowed about one
acre of this grass on his farm as
an experiment, as many farmers
tried it to their sorrow at thai
time. He soon found out that it had
come to stay with him. Finally he
fenced it, and turned his horses ant
cows on it. They kept it cut down close
to the ground and at the expiration o.
the third summer there was not spril
of it left.
Now for the experience: At the same
time it was growing with my neighbor
by the birds or some other means, {
small patch of it got on my farm, abou
two yards square. | discovered it be
fore it seeded, and that summer cut i
down close to the ground three
times before frost, just before
blooming. persisted in this fol
three years, and the next spring fol
lowing it failed to appear; nor has i
ever appeared again. Mr.. Walling il
right when he says that shallow pillow
ing will not kill it, and he admits hi
error. have had another experienc,
with it on my tillable land Ia small
patch). When l came to it with thu
pillow, plowed deep, and threw out al
the roots possible. l picked up ever,
joint of it and threw in pile; and thu
next furrow the same. This mode will
finally kill it, with one or two shaving
off close to the ground with hoe afteI
you have laid by your crop.
Shallow blowing and the roofing
of the hogs simply cultivates, but doe
notdestroy it.-George Rainey, in Texa
Farm and Ranch.
ABOUT PEANUTS.