The Sauk Centre herald., 1909-02-04
How TO KILL II
Practical Remedy for Extermina-
tiOn of QuaCk Grass
PUT KEROSENE ON IT
Successful Experiments Show That
This Is q Good Way to Get Rid
of the Pest

successful blacksmith, says that he
killed an acre or two of solid quack
grass near st. Cloud, three years ago,
by spraying with kerosene, and then
his neighbors tried it and all succeed
ed; then he killed 40 acres of solid
quack grass near Faribault and re-
ceived $500 for the job. He used
about 11a barrels per acre but thinks
that one barrel is plenty to use. BY
going over the land with a common
sprinkler he found that the grass was
killed about foot on each side OF
the strip that was sprayed, also, SC
that he thinks it is not necessary to
put on near as much as he used. HIT
thinks it is best to apply the kerosene
in dry weather so that it will have
at least several hours to soak in be-
fore rain.
A circular from the Agricultural
Experiment Station of Iowa, says the
best time to kill quack grass is when
it is in blossom, moving the grass
and raking it off first; and that then
the roots are the weakest, having ex'
pended their vitality in producing q
crop of grass. 1t would seem as
though that would be the best time
to kill with kerosene; though Mr.
Dombovy says that what he killed was
Just after it came up in the spring
and when about two or three inches
high, and that he sprayed it just as
soon as the dew was off, in the morn
ing and that in every case, the grass
was entirely killed and none has been
seen in the fields since.
George Ingram says he killed STRIP
alongside his garden with kerosene
last summer, but he thinks that he
used much more kerosene than was
necessary. but that it killed it com.
Dletely.
Some parties at st. Cloud tried tc
Get patent On what they claimed tC
be a mixture of kerosne and some
thing else and tried to sell their fluid
at SO cents per gallon. But is is said
they were exposed and that, in fact
they were using clear kroscne.
Where there are only small, scat
tered patches of quack grass in fields
it certainly would be worth while tt
try and kill them out, as they spread
in cultivation, the roots being drag
ged over the fields by the plow and
harrow and taking root wherever they
drop
When a machine is found that will
shake the dirt clear of the quack
grass roots and leave the roots ant
grass on top of the ground, they may
be raked up and will be worth a good
deal from which to make alcohol, as
there would be several tons per acre
WueIe lHG ~ dSo 10 'hl> II, uuu s'ctN
is no other material that will make
mere alcohol per ton than quack grass
roots. Potatoes win not compare witt
Quack grass roots, because potatoes
are so largely composed of water.
In Russia, during the drouth anc
famine, not many years ago, quacl
grass proved to be the only salvation
OF many farmers who dug the root:
and fed them to stock, in many cases
beirg the only feed they had. They
are especially good feed for hogs.
In many parts of Germany the LAND
is plowed two or three times during
the year in order to keep the quacl
grass down SO it will not injure
crops, and of course, the extra cult
yation is great benefit to the land.
If quack grass land is plowed two
or three times in the summer, espec
tally when 1t is dry, and then fail
rye sowed about September first, the
quack grass will be nearly if not
quite all killed and the land will bt
materially benefited by the extr;
plowing.
OF course, where the land is heav!
and wet, it should be titled.
Il