Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1908-07-29
QUACK GRASS DISCUSSED
Prof. L. H. Pammel. OF Ames. Gave Inter.
estins Lecture at Court House yesterday

H. Pammel, botanist of the Expert
men Station at Ames and professor of
botany. He was introduced by Mr..
Jacobson who said the subject of
weeds was an all important one
, especially the subject of 9uack grass
which is menace to mahy farmers in
Winneshiek county.
In taking up the subject, Prof.
Pammel stated that he wanted to in.
terest the farmers of the state in co..
operating in the passage of some law
on the subject of quack grass and also
providing to remove weeds along the
road side.
He was designated ON the commi ttee
of Adulteration of Foods, Seeds and
other products of the Iowa State De.
partment of agriculture, to look up
the matter for them.
| This is an important matter for
farmer may keep his fields clean and
the weeds come in from the road So
many of the seeds of the road side are
carried to the adjacent farms and these
weeds of the road side are scattered in
time from one farm to the next, but
he observed in parts of Allamakee and
Winneshiek counties there were not
many weeds by the road side but in
stead there was white and red clover,
yet there are places in tie counties in
which weeds are abundant. There is
great misapprehension as to what a
weed is. Generally the layety regard
any plant not Guilt waited as weed,
but many of these plants found in the
forest are very useful and cannot
therefore be regarded as weeds. He
enumerated the different kinds of
weeds found in different fields each
particular crop laving specified
kind of weed. The wheat field has the
corn cookie betch, darnel and others.
Some of these weeds were brought
from Europe by the Crusaders from
Western Asia and in this way taken
to America and have ever since been a
part of the wheat crop. Oats too have
their special kind of weeds. naIaely
the mustard. which is not common in
this part of the state but in North.
western Iowa is very destructive.
The farmers in this section of the
state have learned to keep their fields
free from mustard by using clean seed
and practice of clean cultivation. The
corn crop has number of very con.
spicuous seeds some abundan' like the
fox tails. rag weed, nut grass which
during wet seasons in wet places gives
corn yellowish appearance. The nut
grass spreads freely by small tubers.
The smart weed is weed which is
easily destroyed by clean cultivation
and the tan weed. resembling princess
feather, too produces thick blackish
root. The hay and pasture crop too
have their characteristic weed, especi.
ally in clover meadows; in the latter
we find such weeds as wild carrot,
catch fly, and buck horn, and in some
places dodder. These have all been
introduced by the impure seed.
Weeds may be classified as annual in
which the seeds sown in the spring
develop flowers and seed in the same
season. Perennial in which seeds sown
in the spring develop growth and the
next season flowers and seeds, repre-
sented by the burdock and the bull.
thistle. The fox-tail, rag weed,
cockleburrall being ANNALS The per-
RENAL weeds live from year to year
these are the most difficult to destroy !;
they propagate either by producing
long grass stems like quack grass or
strike from root like the morning
glory and Canada thistle. In addition
to this they also produce seeds.
Then the Professor described the
character of some of the more COM
mon weeds like quack grass, cookie
burr, rag weed. squirrel tail grass,
and others and the means of EXTERN
ination of each. In regard to mus
tsrd the experiment station is con-
Quoting experiments looking toward
determination Of mustard by spraying
with copperas. it being by-product
in the man ufacture of steel This
completely destroys the weed and does
not injure the oat crop. The method
of DISCRIMINATING weeds like quack
grass was by thorough and constant
cultivation. He said that he had con-
Quoted experiments where various
chemicals like salt and formaldyhyde
would destroy the weeds but also
renders the soil unfit for growing
crops.
Several persons said they had treated
it with kerosene, and Prof. Pammel
said that quack grass might be des-
troyed by covering with tar paper.
but only feasible where the patch was
small and could not be recommended.
Some one discussed the question of
sun flower in destroying quack grass