Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1915-10-26
Witch Grass Problem.
IN SWEET CORN.

records kept on the demonstration
pieces If sweet corn in Franklin County
this year show that on four of these acre
plots where there was witch grass it has
cost on an average S12 30 for hand hoe
ing. In computing this, time has been
reckoned at 90 cents per hour. This has
been an exceptionally difficult year to
control witch grass as it grows well dur
ing weather which is too cold for corn TO
grow rapidly such as much of the wealth
er we have had this year, and of course
it has grown well during the wet wealth
or. The disadvantage of having so
much hand work to do in the sweet corn
is two-fold in that it makes each acre
cost high and that but few acres can be
grown II it is necessary to spend over
sixty hours OF hand work at just the
busiest season of the year. Also such a
large amount of hoeing disturbs the corn
somewhat so that the largest growth lie
not made. The presence of large
amounts of witch grass has made it nee
essary TO cultivate deeper than other
wise would have been desirable as deep
cultivation frequently Injuries the roots
OF the plants; this has been especially
true this year since the rains began as
the corn roots are very near the surface
of the ground.
In order to avoid the repetition OF this
condition another year on the demon
stration plots the following method will
be used. Sod ground on which corn is
to be grown next year has been or will b
plowed Immediately after the hay is re-
moved. This will be plowed shallow,
that is, four or five inches deep, just
deep enough TO turn over the witch
grass sod. Two or three days after
plowing the piece will be narrowed thor
oughly with cut,away disc harrow il
the farmer owns one, II not smooth
disc will be used The narrowing must
be repeated at frequent intervals during
the rest of the summer. Often enough
so that the grass will not show green at
all. This method in order to be success
ful must be thoroughly done. The exact
method is not essential in getting the
desired results. Any method that will
prevent absolutely the grass from grow
ing the rest of the summer will Kill II
out very effectively. The mistake
should net be made of waiting until the
grass begins to show green on the piece
before narrowing bat it should be har-
rowed so often and so thoroughly that 1t
will not get any start at all. The great
vitality of witch grass is due to the fact
that the underground stems, often spok
en- of as roots, store plant food in them
in a very similar way that plant food is
stored 10 the potato tuber. Because oi
this when the weather is not the best
for plant growth the witch grass Can
draw on this stored supply of food and
thus continue to grow. This is just the
time to kill the witch grass for now
it is storing up food in the under
ground stems on which it will draw
next year il il is not killed this summer
1t amounts to very little to plow in Sep
tember and harrow after that expecting
to kill the grass for what is really done
is simply to cut the underground stems
into so many more pieces and there will
be as many plants next spring as there
are pieces of underground stems this
fall, if fail blowing is practiced.
Thus in planning to kill witch grass,
il is important to plow as early as the
hay is off, to pillow shallow so that the
roots can be got at directly without the
protection of the earth turned up by a
deep furrow, TO harrow thoroughly once
each three or four days until the sod is
well cut up and then at least once a
week as long as there are still any signs
of life in the witch grass roots, but II
the narrowing has been done so frequent
ly that no green has shown on the piece
since it was plowed the grass will be
nearly all killed. A spring tooth har
row may be used from time to time after
the sod is well cut up to pull the roots to
the surface where they will be exposed
to the drying action of the sun and
where they will be cut up by the disc
harrow. 1t might be added that we do
not expect that this method will be any
cheaper when just considering the cost
of the first years crop, but the advan-
tages are that this work comes at a time
when there is lull in the farm work,
that less hand work will be required
next spring per acre, also larger acre
age can be planted, and that the corn
will do better than if hoed around too
much. After the grass is killed the ma
nure will be applied either late in the
tall or early in the spring and the land
plowed a second time, this time plowing
at least seven inches deep. - County
Agent w. NJ. Morse.