The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1915-05-06
HOW TO HANDLE
CHEAT IN ALFALFA
State Agricultural Experiment
Station Gives Suggestions
to Farmers

AIalIa growing In certain pOT-
tions of Washington has been serious
ly interfered with by the growth of
cheat. Cheat, sometimes called Chess
or Wheat Thief, is one of the Bronze
Grasses (Bromus secalinus), which
was introduced into this country from
Europe. Its power of seed produc-
ton is enormous and the seeds, being
light, are easily carried from field to
field or from road side to field, thus
making it difficult weed to combat.
On account of the fact that it sets
seed usually before alfalfa is ready to
cut, it becomes especially difficult to
combat, as the cutting of the alfalfa
early enough to prevent the cheat
from setting seed results in consid-
cradle loss in the alfalfa crop. The
seed is usually disseminated by care
less use of impure agricultural seeds,
especially wheat, oats, and the forage
seeds.
The cheat growing in the roadside
can usually be combatted by burning
about the time the seed is ripe. How
ever, if it is present in any quantity
in an alfalfa field, this method is man.
ifestly impossible, as it would SER
iously injure the alfalfa.
Mr.. Lee M. Lampson, agricultural
list of Benton County, after consider
able experience in combating this
pest, has found that it can best be con-
trolled by seeding winter wheat in the
alfalfa. Immediately after the last
cutting of the alfalfa in the fall, the
ground should be narrowed with a
spring-tooth harrow and winter wheat
sown at the rate of 80 to so pounds
per acre, depending upon the thick
ness of the alfalfa. This wheat will
start in the fall and stool out in the
spring, filling up the space between
the alfalfa plants, thus leaving little
or no space for the cheat to grow. The
wheat and alfalfa can be cut for hay,
which makes very good mixed hay.
The increased tonnage, as result of
the wheat, more than compensates for
the extra cost of growing the same.
The grain has the advantage of hold
ing up the heavy first crop of alfalfa
and prevents its lodging. In order to
completely eradicate the cheat it will
be necessary to follow this practice
for several seasons if the field has
become badly infested, on account Of
the fact that cheat seed may retain
its vitality in the soil for several
year. Of course, combined with this
practice attention must be given to
preventing the introduction of cheat
seed with farm seeds, especially with
wheat. If seed wheat is treated for
smut according to directions suggest
ed in Popular Bulletin No. 70 of the
Washington Experiment station, the
cheat seed will float on the top of
the water and can be SKINNED off,
thus preventing its introduction with
the wheat.
In wheat fields where cheat is bad,
the stubble should be cultivated i'm
mediately after harvest in order to
give the cheat seed chance to sprout
before time for fall seeding of wheat.
Just previous to fall seeding thor
ough disking will result in the de-
struction of most of the cheat. If pres
ent in small amounts in the fields,
hand pulling can be used most effec-
lively for preventing its spread.
IRA d. CARDIFF,
Director and Botanist