The searchlight. [volume] (Culbertson, Mont.) 1902-current, 1909-04-16
What Government Experts and Other Prominent
Writers Say on Agriculture and
Allied Topics.
MANY ENEMIES OF
THE ALFALFA PLANT
Weeds Disease Have to be Feekoned
with by he wer-By j. NJ. West8ate As
sistant Government A8rostolo8ist.

are the best means of holding the
pests in check.
GrasshOppers are at present the
worst insect enemies with which al
falfa must contend. These are most
troublesome in the arid sections Of the
west. where the alfalfa fields may be
the only succulent growth for miles,
and the grasshoppers from large areas
congregate upon the relatively small
fields OF alfalfa. They are also es-
pecially destructive to the alfalfa In
- semiarid sections where alfalfa
must be produced without irrigation.
A flock of turkeys Is often efficient in
holding grasshoppers In check. as Is
also a sheet-iron device known as a
"hopperdozer." which Is run over a
fed and catches the grasshoppers in
an open oil-filled pan.
Another very effective means OF de-
stroying grasslioppers Is to disk the
fields in late winter. This exposes the
half-developed young to the early
spring freezes and to the attacks Of
birds. This operation is also to some
extent effective against the alfalfa
webworm. =.
Blister beetles also prove trouble.
some at times when they appear In
| considerable numbers. The general
practice Is TO cut the alfalfa on the
appearance of any such pests. when
they will be forced to starve oil
migrate. The alfalfa and clover chal
| al oil N EtIrnna
IBERIA. Is proving destructive to the al
falfa.ssed crop wherever II is grown.
There are two general classes of dis
eases which affect the alfalfa plant
namely. those which affect the root:
and those which attack the stems ant
leaves. OF the former. root-rot Is thu
most important This disease Is prac
tically identical with cotton root-ro
and prevents the successful production
of alfalfa in considerable portions o
eastern and southern Texas. IL spread
In widening circles throughout tn
field. causing an almost complete do
struction of the stand as the diseas
progresses. There Is no practices
remedy. and land so affected must b
kept out of alfalfa or cotton for SCI
erai years. Another disease which a
: tacks the alfalfa roots Is tn
"sclerotium" disease, which appear
: as black excrescences about the size {
wheat grains. There Is no practic;
!, remedy for this disease other. than
A throw the land out of alfalfa for
number of years.
!. OF the diseases which attack III
A leaves and stems. the leaf-spot di
@ ease Is the most common. This a
y pears as minute black spots on Il
y mature leaves. Leaf-rust produce
Q small reddish spots on the leave
O Powdery mildew and downy milde
?. form whitish patches of considerab
Q size on the leaves. Another form
II leaf-spot disease is sometimes destru
II tive. This appears In the form
70 well-defined circular spots which she
n numerous small black dots scatter'
l. over their surfaces. The most eft
70 tive remedy Is 10 cut the plants VIII
lie any of these diseases begins TO pro
9. destructive. This process inyigorat
q. the plant. and most of the spores
which the disease Is spread are {
s., stroyed. The anthTacnose disease
%. lacks the stems and forms purl
no patches which gradually increase
"a size. This Is destructive locally
in the east. No effective remedy b
4, been discovered for this disease.