Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1915-07-02
HAWK-WEED IN BURKE'S
GARDEN.

A new weed pest, at least new to
most of us, under the name of Hawk
weed, is infesting the pastures and
grass plots in Burke's Garden. In
western North Carolina there are
great fields of it, and probably it
made its way into Burke's Garden
from that source, as cattle are fire.
quently brought from that section to
Burke's Garden.
Prof. l.. w. Kephart, Of the United
States Department of Agriculture,
has recently visited Burke's Garden,
and has this to say of this pest, in
letter to Mr.. r. NJ. Lawson under date
of June 22nd:
Dear Mr.. LawSaon:
was very sorry on my recent visit
to Burke's Garden not to find YOU at
nome, as was very anxious to talk
over the matter of hawkweed with YOU
In company with your son, looked
over the experimental plots which you
established last spring and found them
doing as satisfactorily as would be
expected. 1t is very evident, howev-
evr, that little can be expected CT the
grass even when aided by harrow
ing, fertilization and reseeding. If
the hawk-weed can successfully run
out the vigorous and abundant grass
that, grows in Burke's Garden, YOU
can hardly expect that the grass will
IN turn run out the hawkweed, since
the grass can hardly be made more
vigorous.
After leaving Burle's Garden. II
VISITED the mountainous country of
II
hawkweed extensively prevalent in
ehao section, and much more wide
spread than 1t is at present in Vir-
ginia. Whole mountain sides of 30
acres or over were covered with solid
mats of the weed, through which not a
spear OF grass is growing. These pas
lures are almost equally as productive
IN Virginia ordinarily. l cite this
merely as evidence of what tho hawk
weed can do, and to encourage YOU
TO further efforts in suppressing it.
Alter once gaining possession of
the ground, the hawkweed it seems at
present can only be eradicated nv
blowing ii up; however, it should not
be allowed to gain such a foothold.
The first thing to do is to prevent it
from going to seed by moving, as the
profuse production of wind-blown
seed is its most effective means of
distribution. 1t spreads very slowly
from the underground rootstocks. The
above is merely for the purpose of
preventing it from seeding on hither
to unoccupied land.
10 get rid of hawkweed that is
alreday on the land, there are only
TWO courses open. One is to dig it
up root and branch" A very small
match ba
tock and the paints removed. 1t is
best to sow little grass seed of n
quick-growing species in the bare
space left. In larger areas, say sew
eral rods in diameter, the same meth
cd can be employed, but the hawk
weed can be plowed out in large
mats blu running turning pillow under
1t Just deep enough to get under the
solid mass of roots. This should be
done in summer in time to get catch
of grass on the bare land left. The
labor involved in removing sods of
hawliweed makes this process imprac-
ticable. on large scale.
The use of chemical poisons is now
in the experimental stage; however.
salt can be strewn thickly over the
small patches of the weed, and it will
not only xii out the weed itself, but
VIII draw cattle to the spot and their
continually licking of the salt will
wear out the hawkweed. This meth
cd has been tried with great success
in preventing the sperad of the weed
in North Carolina. Each bucket-full
of salt will cover n good many small
scattered patches, and q nounce of
prevention is worth great many
pounds of cure inthis case.
| had hoped to try the use of the
other chemical sprays during my stay
in Burke's Garden, but the rainy
weather prevented. The chemicals
that was going to use were common
salt, arsenitc of soda and iron sui
phate, the three chemicals that have
been found most efficient for work of
this kind.
1 have recently written to Prof.
Hutchinson at Blacksburg, asking if he
would care to cooperate along similar
lines on the campus at Blacksburg,
where have just been informed there
is considerable of the hawkweed now
growing, etc.
! trust the experimental plots are
doing well, and l hope to be able to
come down to see them later inthe
summer.
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