Abilene weekly reflector., 1912-07-18
TIM EMPIRE on DICKINSON.
concluded from first page)

anon thousands OF farms In Kansas
Il win be necessary for tho farmer
% either discontinue growing wheat
or ct once begin an earnest fight
against the weeds. and this a good
year to begin the fight. This fight
nhould not be confined, either, TO
those farms which are now thor
oughly seeded with weeds, but on
All farms where weeds grow, and
that Is on practically every farm.
what After Harvest?
After the harvest and the wheat Is
Off the ground. II It is impossible to
plow the weeds under before the
seed ripens. 1t will pay big, and VIII
nay as we'll as any other one thing
In connection with the growing OF
the crop, to NOW before the weed
seed natures. 1t may be necessary
70 NOW only a part Of the field. II
che pIows start at once and the
ground Is in condition for plowing,
q considerable proportion of the
field can in all probability be plowed
before the weeds mature, thus re-
ducing the expense Of moving to
only part OF the field. One other
thing must be done and that Is, the
seed wheat must be clean. We met
one farmer who last year sowed pure
Kzharkhoff wheat which had been
obtained from an adjoining farm. A
great deal Of work had been done
on the field in the preparation Of
the seed bed and the field had pre-
are told-been a clean
Held. This year the growing wheat
was full Of weeds. The grower was
cursing the man who sold him the
seed wheat because he at the same
time sold so much weed seed. 1t
was unfortunate that the man who
grew the seed did not put the wheat
the tanning mill and take
Dut the shrunken kernels and weed
Deed and sell we'll prepared seed, but
since the grower and seller Of the
ueed did not do this does not excuse
the purchaser from cleaning the seed
before he sowed 1t. We will wager
mat the loss Of wheat in dollars
Kansas this year will run
No into the millions on account OF
Ghe damage done by weeds. This has
been favorable year for the growth
4 weeds in the wheat fields. We
never know when We are going to
have such a season as this, and the
.afe method is that OF not having
he weeds on the farm.
Pasture Conditions.
Speaking Of the moving of weeds
brings to mind o pasture condition
We observed. Some eight or nine
PEARS ago this particular prairie grass
pasture had been abandoned because
lt was SO weedy. On account OF the
weeds there was, Of course, no grass
Tor the stock to eat. The owner Of
the pasture however, began moving
md moved frequently enough to
Keep the weeds down. He told US
L necessitated moving twice per
PEAR. The renovating system was not
promoted BY discing the pasture. For
several years past this has been a
rood pasture, keeping as much stock
per acre as the virgin field did, illus
lrating the value and in fact the
necessity OF keeping down the weeds
d the pasture. There are thousands
apUn thousands Of acres Of pasture
,n Kansas farms which are yielding |
little or no feed and which are given
I'D as hopeless 50 far az pasture is
,oncerned, which can be rejuvenated
~ the moving system alone. The
grass roots are still in the soil and
alive, but the grass does not grow
because the sun and air cannot get
tO them. The weeds literally smoth-
sr the grass. If the weeds are kept
Iown and the grass Is given oppor-
unity to grow, pastures will be re-
stored. and the restoration Of the
Weedy pastures in Kansas will add
millions annually to the states
wealth.
Fifteen Years Ago.
Fifteen years ago in Dickinson
,ounty there were five acres Of kafir
,lanted for grain where there are
low two planted. Years ago the
armers Of that county to a very large
.xtent had learned to depend upon
rafir FOR their grain growing kafir
d one field for grain and in another
ield for forage, having learned that
! grain crop and forage crop could