Oxford Democrat., 1914-10-06
Killing Witch Grass.

Nthiux WHICH uraSSs
b. J. S. asks someone to tell him how
to kill witch grass.
Witch grass unquestionably is our
worst weed. II will thrive on ordinary
cultivation and absolutely take the profit
out Of every crop where allowed to
grow.
| The general concensus Of opinion IN
the older settled portions of this state Is
that witch grass cannot be killed; once
in, always in. Such, however, Is not the
case. Not knowing the conditions
which surround b. j. s., am going to
suppose be has q small farm, say so
acres, with 25 acres of field aud the rest
| in pasture and woodland. he certainly
must have team and tools to work
with. II he hasn't, have no remedy
for him. This is not process by which
you snap your thumb and say presto
change" and witch grass is gone.
i have listened TO some very learned
arguments about killing witch grass by
sowing fodder corn or buckwheat. 1
venture to say fodder corn or buckwheat
will give witch grass setback but 1t
will not end it. No crop in existence Of
itself will end il. Witch grass will sur
vive the rsnkest grower We have, and
continue to thrive when the crop is OF.
Witch grass will not survive cultivs-
tion. / ought to say more definitely,
witch grass will not survive thorough
cultivation two successive years. Prob
ably B. j. s. will ask me to define
thorough cultivation. Well, / will, just
to please. Suppose b. j. S. takes his
worst acre of witch grass, and any time
this fall after Nov. 10 plows 1t nine or
ten inches deep, and takes pains as he
plows it to turn every foot of every fur
row. Now witch grass roots only go
down into the sod five or six inches. 1t
be has taken pains to turn his burrows
as asked him to, there isn't root
within four inches of the surface OF this
ground after it is plowed. Leave IL in
the furrOw over winter. Forget that 1t
freezes or tbaws during the winter, for
freeze or thaw ever so much, it won't
hurt nor help your witch grass at all;
you have got to do that yourself II it ls
done.
When the snow goes off and the frost
comes out, the ground will look wet, and
YOU know it can't be worked. Probably
in almost any acre taken, one end or the
middle will be wetter than the rest.
While this ground is drying up a little,
will B. j. S. get out his disk harrow Il
speak of a disk because it is a satisfac-
tory tool aud in general use-overiook
spike-tooth and spring harrows, now
ever much you are stuck on them, Tor
this iob) and examine il to see whether
the edges of the disks are good and
sharp? If an old harrow and the edges
are dull, now is the time TO take II
apart. Take the disks in your wagon
and drive 20 miles if you have to, TO
machine shop or any place where they
have an emery wheel that runs with
power. They will charge three or four
dollars to grind this for you. The money
is we'll spent.
But whatever YOU do, il you candidiy
mean business with that witch grass,
have that harrow sharp 10 start with.
When a spot as large as your barn shows
light on the plowed piece, get cut your
team, hitch on to your sharp harrow,
drive up to your piece, swing your lever
half open, and drive up and down the
furrows as far as it will answer to drive.
Don't harrow when wet and soggy.
Always lap your harrow half its width
After you have narrowed lengthwise OF
the furrows all that will answer to har-
row, barrow crosswise. Then swing
your lever clear Open, and whenever you
harrow on that piece hereafter have IL
| the same way.
Did you say that was pretty tough on
the horses? Well, a good sharp harrow
swung clear open is pretty tough on the
witch grass. Are you going to kill 1t or
not?
Harrow it once leugthwiss with the
lever swung clear open, and 60 about
your other work. This makes three
harrowipgs, and if any witch grass root
had started to sprout during the two or
three weeks while it was getting dry
enough to work, this has loosened up
the dirt about it so that it will take
seven days more for it to get ready to
sprout again.
Ii YOU started this narrowing Monday,
make your plans the next Monday to
harrow it again lengthwise and cross
wise aud get on to the wet places that
you didn't the first time. This harrow
ing lengthwise and crosswise is to be
kept up all summer every Monday unless
il rains, and il it does, as soon there
after as possible.
"Did say all summer" You bet
did. "When does the summer end?"
Oct. 20. "What about hsying" Why,
if you have to cut out either the haying
or the narrowing, cut out the haying;
that is, if you have really made up your
mind to kill the witch grass. l try to
keep the hsyiDg along and the harrow
ing too.
"Pretty expensive losing the use OF
whole acre all summer and putting in
half day with team for 20 weeks"
Say, / understood you to want to
know how to kill witch grass. 1
have told you. Expense was no consid-
era tion in what have said. ! myself
till this ground until the 20Gh of June.
plant to potatoes with fertilizer, and
then replant the next spring. The Sec
ond fall, if honest work has been done,
there is no witch grass.
Give me fairly tough witch grass
sod and will guarantee two splendid
crops of potatoes and ground absolutely
free from witch grsss.-W. I. g., Top
sham, In Maine Farmer.