The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1905-07-29
FARMER AND PLANTER.
FIGHTING JOHNSON GRASS.
BY the Bureau of Plant In
dustry In Washington.

One of the most troublesome weeds
To the farmers of southern states is
the Johnson grass. The great problem
with them is how TO eradicate this
weed pest, and in the autumn of 1902
the bureau Of plant industry at Wash
lngton undertook some investigations
along this line. Besides cultural meth
DDS, various chemical preparations
were used. such as crude petroleum |
and mixtures contair'pg arsenic. The
complete success of some of the cul- |
tural methods used in the experiments
furnishes the material for a bulletin
from the bureau, of which the agros-
tologist, w. j. Spillman, is the author.
The land on which these experiments
were conducted consisted partly Of
heavy, dark-colored alluvial soil in
clined to be wet, with one end of the
plats of lighter type of medium
character. The results were practical
ly the same on the two types OF soil.
This land had been abandoned TO
5ohnson grass for some years, and was
in the middle of large field which
was badly infested and in which cot
ton had been grown for some years.
In the experiment the land was laid
off into five plats. as follows: Plats l
and were devoted to rye and barley.
respectively, during the winter, COW
peas the first summer, cereals again
the next winter and cotton the second
summer. Plat was devoted to cot
ton both years. Plat 4 was left bare
the first year and devoted to cotton the
second year, and plat was left in
johnson grass for the sake OF COM
parison.
The preliminary treatment OF the
four plats was Identical, and was as
follows: In August, 1902. these plats
were plowed with a disk pillow 10 q
depth of four or five inches. On Sep
tember 2, no rain having interviewed,
an attempt was made to remove the
johnson grass rootstocks from the
ground by means of a grass hoe OF
root digger. On the 10Th and 10th OF
October the ground was replowed tc
q depth of about four inches, the worn
being done with great care. This lei
the ground in excellent condition. Or
the next day the root digger was used
first crosswise of the burrows, ther
lengthwise, this operation removing
fully 80 per cent. of the grass roots
from the soil. On October 20 plat
was sown to rye and plat to barley
plats and being left bare during
the winter. On April z. 1903, all lou
plats were plowed again. the rye AM
barley on plats / and 2 being turne'
under.
On May a drag harrow was rul
over plat A, and on May Is 1t was NJ
over with an ordinary heel scrape, O
heel sweep. as 1t is called in man
parts of the south. The ground wa
narrowed again the same day with
drag harrow. The heel scrape was ru
over il again on July II and again o
August 81. After that date no Johr
son grass appeared on this plat. Du
ing the summer of 1904 this plat wa
devoted to cotton, and only fe'
sprigs of gress we're present.
II will be seen that the summer 10
lowing added to the work OF the roo
digger completely exterminated u
grass by the last of August.
The next most successful treatmel
was that given plat 3. The autumn
treatment was the same at plat 4. an
II remained bare during the winte
The summer of 1903 was devoted
cotton. The land was plowed April
On May 4 a drag harrow was run ov
IL and on May IS it was planted
cotton. The cotton was chopped nr
lime %. and was cultivated with q
heel scrape on June 26 and again
Julv 15. It was chopped again on Ju
o. and August II. The last cultivate
with the scrape was given on Augu
II. The same plat was devoted
cotton again during the summer
1904. and but very little grass
present.
From the experience with this p
Il seems that II would be entir'
feasible to eradicate johnson grs
completely in single year. Piow
land in the fell and harrow II smoo
then use a digger crosswise .
leng,hwise. Leave over winter, ana
the spring plow again and put In
ton and give the ordinary tlliage.
The treatment given plats ano
xas not as successful as that gi'
Mats 8 and 4, yet very good resu
-, obtained -GOodall'S Farmer.