Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-02-06
State College Sounds General
Alarm Over Condition That
Threatens Farmers
ouAck GRASS AND cockLE BURR
These and Other Noxious Weeds Are
Gaining Great Hold on the Soils
Reports on Tuberculosis Among
Livestock May Induce Tests of All
Herds in the State.
Special to Times-Republican.

DeS Moines, Feb. Ga preliminary
report by the State Agricultural Col
lege at Ames on the prevalence of noN-
iouS weeds in the state of Iowa shows
at once it will cost the state of Iowa
thousands of dollars to rescue the state
from these weeds Industrially Iowa is
barely "a generation old, and in that
time. and more especially within the
last few years, weeds that are not ma
tive to the state such as quack grass,
burr dock and cocklebur, wild mus
tard, and the like, have spread over
the state till in some places it has cost
farmers hundreds of dollars in efforts
to kill out the weds.
Furthermore when they are killed
out in the fields they still thrive in the
roadsides and railroad right way.
and spread back into the fields. In
the preliminary report it is stated that
100 acres belonging to III. l.. Emmert,
near Sibley, Iowa, became infested
with quack grass so badly that for one
entire year he had to keep the greater
part of it plcwed under and contln-
ually cultivated with no crops. Later
he was able to plant millet and buck
wheat on portions and corn on others.
and by vigorous cultivation, and by
going over the worst portions of the
land with forks and continually keep
ing the ground stirred, it was finally
killed out on that farm.
Other farmers have been forced to
cover great patches of their farmss
with tar paper to smother out weeds.
Ragweed. morning glory and milkweed
are natives to Iowa, but cultivation OF
the land has caused them to spread
and become more prevalent. The
worst of the weeds, however, are those
that have been imported by civlllZa-
ton by being spread in seeds that are
sold for planting and by getting start
ed along the railroad tracks and high
ways. They spread by being washed
about by melting SHOWS and running
streams.
Preliminary Investigations seem to
show that cocklebur is the most prev
alent weed in the state, and the 9TH
ers, ranged in the order of the extent
with which they are scattered over the
state, are: Wild mustard, squlrrel-
tail, sweet clover, quack grass, Canada
thistle, jimson weed, smooth dock,
curled dock, wild oats, horse nettle,
velvet weed morning glory, corn
cookie, burdock, cowbane, clover dod-
der. ragweed, Russian thistle, sour
dock.
The investigation by the college
shows that the weeds that prevail IN
the fields also prevail in the road sides
and along the railroads 'and from
there are scattered to the field. In the
two tiers of counties on the northern
border of the state mustard weed is
very prevalent East of Kossuth coun-
ty to the Mississippi river and north
along the line of the Northwestern
railroad is the territory over WMch
uuack grass is most prevalent. Cockle-
bur is found to be particularly COM
mon in the southern half of the state
but in the last few years has been
spreading north very. rapidly. Horse
nettle which started in the southern
part of the state has in fifteen years
spread nearly to the Minnesota line.
The investigation by the state col
lege shows that very little effort is
being made in most localities to exter-
inmate the weeds with the exception
of moving them down but this method
is not effective. 1t is found that there
is no accepted method that is sure
cure for the worst weeds. Quack grass
and some similar weeds spread by
means of the roots and the plowing of
them only scatters the roots and in
creases the number of weeds. 1t is
found that by continuous cultivation,
thus keeping the weeds under ground
for an entire year, they are killed but
with farm land valued at $100 an acre
a farmer cannot afford to allow a
farm to be idle for twelve months.
The information being secured by
the Agricultural college is being Sc
cured for the committee of the state
board of agriculture which will lay
the facts before the next legislature.
The first reports of the packing
houses Of the state on tuberculosis in
cattle and hogs are being received by
the state department of agriculture
and Secretary Simpson declared that
while not all are reporting the reports
will be numerous enough to give
fairly accurate idea Of how extensive
the disease prevails among the cattle
Of the state The information is be-
ing secured by Mr.. Simpson on direc-
tion of the board of agriculture and it
is proposed if necessary to ask the
next legislature for laws that will
stamp the disease out in this state.
1t is barely possible it is believed,
that the farmers of the state can all
be induced to have their cattle tested
for tuberculosis. A veterinarian can
do it at small cost and systematic ef-
fort can thus soon kill it out. If no