The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1914-02-05
I'LL. QUACk' GRASS
By CROP ROTATION!
UNIVERSITY AUTHORITIES CON-
DUCT SUCCESSFUL EXPERT
MENT FOR FOUR YEARS.
VALUE OF LAND INCREASED
METHOD DESCRIBED. BY PRO-
FESSOR OF FARM MANAGE
MENT DEPARTMENT.

FESSOk Of FARM MANAGE
MENT DEPARTMENT.
Eradication of quack grass from
Minnesota farms, no matter how
strongly it is rooted, is possible with
out the aid of chemicals or machiner,
other than what is required to operate
the average farm and without the loss
OF single crop, according to A. C
Army, assistant professor in the de.
partment of agronomy and farm man
agement at the University of Mime
sofa, who has been in direct charge OF
an experiment for quack grass eradi-
cation which has already extended
over four years. The experiment will
be completed next year and bulletin
issued to explain the methods and the
results Of the work.
The experiment is expected to be of
interest to many farmers in the state
on whose land there is more or less
quack grass. The grass once rooted is
eradicated with much difficulty. Pro
fessor Army said, that there are many
people who think it can not be remov-
ed. The experiment which the agri-
cultural college is conducting is in
tended to show in practical way that
the grass can not only be removed
without the aid of chemicals, but that
the farmer may reap the normal crops
from the farm during the progress of
the work.
In 1909 the agricultural college un-
dertook to begin an extensive expert
ment covering period of five years
to see if quack grass could not be
eradicated by crop rotation and to de-
termine what crops and what method
of rotation would be most effective in
accomplishing the desired end. The de-
papAneat of agronomy and farm man
agents1t of which Professor Andrew
BOSS IS heard, secured tract of forty
-sssxes of land near Monticello on a s
yeaSe lease. to begin the work. This
particular tract was secured for two
reasons: 1t was easy of access and it
was literally covered with quack grass.
'The land had been abandoned to
quack grass for eight or ten years be-
fore we got possession of it" said
Professor Army. cit was literally COW
cred with quack grass sod. That
was four years ago. We could have
got an option on the land then for $50
an acre. Now the owner will not sell
it for $75 an acre. Land adjoining the
tract was selling at $50 an acre when
we took it in charge, so it is fair to as
sumo that the presence of the quack
held the value of the land down at
least 500 an acre."
When the agricultural college got
control Of the forty acre tract it was
laid out in small plats to begin asser-
les Of experiments in crop rotation.
On five adjoining plats q rotation Of
wheat for one year, hay for the next
year, corn for the following two years
snd some small grain for the fifth
year was begun. s3esiits ~
In this rotation the ground was
thoroughly prepared by blowing and
disking for the wheat crop. 1t was
then plowed again after the hay crop
was removed, which was about july 1
of the following year. The ground was
then disked at once and the disking
was kept up often enough during the
fa'' to keep the grass from showing
green above the ground. If this
could not be accomplished by diskng
the pillow was used. The. disk was
again used in the early spring and
the process kept up until about May
10, when the first crop of corn was
planted. The corn was cultivated
thoroughly and kept absolutely clean.
After it was husked the tand was:
again plowed and the blowing and
disking process kept up as before. 1t
has been found that this kind of rota-
ton is not as effective, according to
Professor Army, as when the cultiva-
ted crop comes oftener.
Three other plats were planted on a
three-year rotation plan in grain, clo-
yer and corn. The hay was cut about
July and the sod plowed and disked
at once. If the disking was not suf-
ficient to keep the quack from show
I. ing green above the ground, the plow
was used and the land plowed 2 little
deper than before. When the corn
crop was planted the land was kept
thoroughly clean. This method OF TO-
tation was found to be more effective
than!the five year method.
Two fields were put on tWo-year
rotation basis, rye and corn being US
cd. The rye was drilled IN between
sshe rows Of corn without blowing the
aground on which the corn was grown
iT}he drilling was done early in Sep