The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1901-12-06
johnson Grass.


In your September issue | find
"a article on johnson Grass by
aJ. D. Stapp. in Home and Farm,
which shows that he knows very
little Of what he,is talking about,
when he calls 1t an s.intolerable
pest not fit for pastureage, hay
or anything else. but to ruin the
land for all time to come, and
stock will not eat it unless forced
to.
This is much on the order Of
the man who saw q dog running
down the street one hot day with
his tongue out. He cried out,
there goes q mad dog" and
others took up the cry, and the
dog was nearly beaten to death
before the owner appeared whom
the dog was hunting
All the hue and cry against
this grass which has been going
Oh for years, all arises from the
fact that many have been trying
to kill il BY blowing in the spring
and summer when like q dutiful
plant. it would not die. This is
the wrong way to kill it. The
right way to kill it and an effect.
ual way is this: After the sap
goes back to the root in the fall
with q two horse plow cut the
root off six or eight inches below
the surface, and you have de-
stroyed the whole root, which
bleeds and the lower roots de-
cay, and by spring you can cult.
yate any crop you wish with little
or no Johnson grass to trouble
you.
TO still farther help. Throw
up the ridges as high as possible,
ard with q straight tooth harro "
80 crosswise, pulling the cut
roots to the surface. Put in 3
grain crop. cut it Off early in the
spring for hay and broadcast two
bushels Of cowpcas in the stub
bic after another blowing. Make
hay Of the peas or pillow under as
desired. BY this process you
have given the ground the best
cultivation it ever had, killed the
grass, had two crops Of hay for
your labor and fertilized the soil
with the cowpea roots. the bene-
81 Of which will be- seen for
years. Now You have killed the
best friend the farmer OF the |
South ever had, and now to |
reach the still deeper depth Of |
poverty which most all cotton
farmers have fell. for years past |
growing cotton for the men for
whom you have so long worked |
10 Overseers, for that is what the
majority of the cotton farmers
IRE today. Fifty years Of such |
experience ought to have taught
i better lesson.
Grass of any kind has been
,0nsidered a lest by those who
wish to grow cultivated crops and
because Of its tenacity and desire
% be Of benefit to the farmer it
las received most of the guessing
say it knowing full well what
say. That when any farmer
ays he can not kill this or any
,ther grass it is reflection upon
he one who says it.
What / say is the result of
wenty six years Of experience
yith this grass, fifteen of which
grew il for hay and in many
markets. sold it at as high prices
10 the best northern hay. l have
10 object in recommending a
,rass or anything else which
you'd injure the farmers of the
,outh, but would much rather
how them a better way than to
e cotton slaves all their lives. /.
Grow cotton but something
etter too. / do not mean to be
adical when / assert my belief
hat q wise Providence never
ave to any country two greater
ources of wealth at a smaller
ost, than He has given to the
'outhern States in the Johnson
rass for hay and the Bermuda $
Or pasture. Properly used, mol {
Their crops can be grown on al 9