The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1903-12-15


Johnson grass, on land where John
son grass hay was cut last year. The
method pursued was as follows: The
land was plowed in October, 1902,
after the third cutting of he grass.
We used a turning plow, not the
sweep which is so frequently used In
the cotton growing sections. Great
care was used to cut and turn every
inch of the sod. We went over the
land twice, once parallel with the
burrows and once crosswise, with an
implements known as a grass hoe. 1t
consists of small harrow with han
dies similar to those on a pillow, and
having long teeth which curve for
ward. These teeth drag the grass
roots out of the soil. We found it
nece ssary to lift the harrow and clean
it every fifteen or twenty steps. This
renders the process somewhat labor
ious; but it removed very large
amount of the roots from the soil.
These were raked off with an ord1-
nary hay rake, piled up and burned
when dry.
In the spring of 1903 the land was
plowed again with turning plow, and
treated with the grass hoe twice more,
Just as it had been IN the fall. We
then planted the cotton, titled 1t In
the ordinary manner, but careful to
give it good tillage frequently. When
the grass began to grow from the COM
paratively few small pieces of roots
left in the soil, it was pulled up by
hand This operation was not at all
difficult, for the good condition OF the
land, together with the fact that the
roots were short pieces lying loose in
the soil, enabled us to pull up the
grass, root and branch, with very lit
tie trouble A good deal of grass came
up from seed, but this was easily
killed by the cultivation we gave the
cotton.
Recently November 7, 1909 l Wis
tied these experiments, and found as
nice a growth of cotton stalks as
have seen anywhere this year. We
had to hunt in order to find any John
son grass. Just across the fence was
a large field, most of which had been
abandoned this year on account OF the
rank growth of the Johnson grass
amongst the cotton.
Beside the patch of cotton we grew
practically free from grass, we left an
area of about half an acre implanted.
It was given the two plow1ngs, and
the four borrowings with the grass
hoe, as described above. During the
summer it was run over frequently
with what the cotton farmers call
buzzard wing sweep, modification OF
the shovel pillow, which simply cuts
the surface Of the soil an inch or two
deep over a space about two feet wide.
The sweep was used on this plat early
in the season every time the grass
got four or five inches high. Later the
grass became discouraged, and it was
not necessary to use the sweep so
often. November 7, the time OF my
visit, and three weeks after the last
cultivation, there was not a sprig OF
grass visible on this plat.
When it is remembered that these
experiments were conducted on piece
of heavy alluvial soil on which the
grass had been so bad that all at
tempt to cultivate it had been given
up, it will be seen that it is possible
to exterminate it. The task requires
considerable work, but every bit OF
the work added to the growth Of the
cotton and more than paid for itself.
l think, therefore, we are ready to an
nounce to southern farmers that it is
10 tho