Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1911-02-14
Weed Eradication


tern Newspaper Union
rootstock with one Of these Joints on
it will produce . new plant. although
II may not be over one-half inch long.
The whole plant grows rapidly and
ripens it, seed usually in July and.
where growing in meadows. may be
gathered in the hay. from whence 1t
gets into the manure to be scattered
broadcast over the farm.
II growing in grain 1t will be har.
vested and threshed with the grain.
and II the grain is not graded with
extreme care some of the quack grass
will be sown on the fields the next
year.
Canada Thistle q Menace.
Like Quack grass the Canada this
tie 10 a perennial plant. In height It
ranges from one to three feet, de-
pending on conditions. The Canada
thistle has no rootstocks like the
Quack grass, but is possessed Of true
roots. the parts of which are capable
of producing plants. When undisturbed
by cultivation the roots are apt to lie
near the surface. but 60 deeper in
cultivated soil and where 1t 10 par
ticularly loose and porous may be
found at . depth Of three feet.
Canada thistles seldom bear seed in
fields that are cultivated annually.
but in those fields that are seeded
down to clover or grasses.
Methods Of Weed Eradication.
Many methods have been devised
and advocated for the eradication OF
Quack grass and Canada thistles. The
success of any method depends very
largely upon soil and weather condi-
lions and method which has proven
entirely successful under one set OF
conditions has freqr emily failed when
used under somewhat different condi.
lions. Quack grass is more persis-
tent and more difficult to eradicate
than the Canada thistle, hence any
method which will eradicate Quack
grass will surely destroy Canada this.
ties.
This method can be used successful.
ly except on wet or extremely porous
soils. No crop can be grown during
the year In which this treatment 10
being given. 1t consists Of blowing
deep enough to reach the horizontal
roots. four times in q dry season.
and oftener II the season Ia wet. In
fact. blowing may profltably be begun
as soon as a crop is removed the
preceding year.
In the intervals between plowinge
the ground should be cultivated often
enough to prevent all leaf growth.
The spring tooth harrow makes an
excellent tool for this purpose. but
any exposure of the roots to the hot
winds and glaring sunshine Of sum.
mer rapidly kills them.
This following method is more Ger
tain to result in complete eradication
than any other which has been tried
it gets rid Of the weeds with one
years work. The thorough cultiva-
ton OF the soil leaves 1t in splendid
condition. so that a much larger crop
can be obtained the following year
than would have been possible had
the weeds remained. and the field will
continue to bear good crops after the
weeds are eliminated.
Where the Quack grass or thistles
are to be removed while a crop Is be-
ing raised, blowing should begin In
the summer or autumn az soon az
the former crop is removed, the ear
lier the better This should be fol-
lowed by careful cultivation until the
ground freezes up. The next spring
blowing should be done as soon as
soil conditions permit and be con-
tinued at intervals Of four week until
the first of July.
Between the plowings thorough cul-
tivation should be practised. On the
date mentioned the seed bed should
be carefully prepared and the land
sown to millet or buckwheat at the
rate Of three pecks per acre In either
case. The previous treatment will
have SO weakened the weeds that the
millet or buckwheat gets we'll estab-
lished before the weeds recover sum.
GENTLY to begin growth. Both Of
these crops grow rapidly and provide
a dense shade underneath which the
weeds cannot survive.
Spraying to Kill Wild Mustard.
The eradication of farm weeds by
spraying with weed killing solutions
has been the subject of special inves-
legations by the Wisconsin expert
ment station for several years. Elk
periments with the iron sulphate solu-
ton were begun in 1906 and success
full results were secured in the eradi-
cation Of wild mustard and in the par
tial control of other weed pests.
The iron sulphate solution Is pre-
pared by mixing 100 pounds Of granu-
lated iron sulphate with so gallons of
water and stirring thoroughly. This
solution is sufficient to treat one acre
Of land infested with wild mustard.
A specially adapted sprayer is neces.
sary to apply the solution. Such ma
chimes are now to be found upon the
market at moderate prices.
Fifteen to Is acres can be sprayed
daily and a single application of the
solution will kill all of the wild mus
tard II applied at the right time. The
spray is most effective II applied when
the younger plants are in the bud
and the older plants in the third leaf
Weather conditions should be favor
able, as rains wash of the solution.
making II ineffective