The Richfield recorder. (Richfield, Idaho) 1909-1931, 1915-07-15
MUSTARD NOT
EASILY KILLED
How to Fight This Great
Pest; By One Who
Knows, How.

No one at all acquainted with farm
ing conditions throughout easter
Washington needs to be told tina
tumbling mustard, locally known a
Jim Hill mustard, is one of the wors
weeds with which grain growers, an
especially winter wheat growers, hav
to contend. Every one will agree will
this sentiment, as announced in Popu
lar Bulletin No. 80 of the Washington
State Experiment station, published il
cooperation with the bureau of plan
industry, United States department o.
agriculture. The bulletin is prepared
by Roy G. Adams, agriculturist, Adams
county, and Bryon Hunter, vice. -direc-
tor of the bureau of farm development
The bulletin follows:
The harvesting of cereal crops in
parts of eastern Washington is some
what seriously interfered with by the
presence of tumbling mustard. This
weed is locally known as Jim Hill
mustard. 1t is considered one of the
worst weeds with which the growers
have to contend
1t is an annual and winter annual
the seed terminating in both spring
and fall. The stem is one to four feet
high, slender and much branched, ma
king bushy top. The seed is born
in needlelike pods two to four inches
long. Each pod usually contains 100
seeds or more and a we'll developed
plant may bear as many as 100000
seeds. When the seeds are ripe the
stem becom es very light and brittle. 1t
breaks off ;at the surface of the ground
and is blown across the fields, scat
tering the seed as it goes. In this
way, land that has been summer fall
lowed and kept free from weeds may
become infested with seed produced
on adjoining fields or waste land Since
tumbling mustard grows everywhere
Gin the weat, along the fence rows, in
the lanes and on waste land) it is ex-
ceedingly difficult to keep land free
from this weed.
While this mustard infests all cereal
crops, it is the most trouble some in
winter wheat, where the seed germin-
ates. in the fall with the wheat. In
grain that is badly ii1fested
he light stiff, bushy tops clos s the
EEL of the header and draper, pre- vent
ng the grain from being elevated
In coping with this pest there are
wo lines of procedure. In the Fl, st
place strenuous effort should Q
made to keep the farm free from mus
ard. Weeds take up the moisture and
liant food materials that should be |
sed by the growing crop and thre- |,
y reduce the yield. In the second
lace grain may become infested when
ne best efforts have been put forth to
eep it clean. When this happens an
ttachment can be put on to the head
: of combined harvester that en-
oles the machine to handle badly in i
sted grain. '
eep the Farm Free From Mustard. /
In growing cereal crops under east
n Washington conditions there are
any practices which may be followed /
hich will assist in keeping tumbling I
ustard under control. Some of the
ore important of these are as fol-
VS.:
Disk Stubble in EearIy Fall.
Millions of weed seeds are scattered !
the surface Of the ground in hatr- ]
sting crop Of grain that has b, ser
ested with mustard and other we eds
ese seeds should be covered and {
used to terminate by disking the
lbble in the early fall soon after '
rvest. When the land is pl owed |
er in the fall or the following Jpring E
'rop of weeds is destroyed. Al iother
p OF weeds can be. started b y har- !
wing, disking or spring-to .jne the s
d in the early spring some two or
ee weeks peIore II IS plOWsefl. Land
t is being summer fallowet |, fe nee /
IS, roadways and waste lanl sho uld s
kept as free as possible frc IN mus {
!. The summer fallow may be Ike pt s
IN by cultivation, pastur ing with /
ep and pulling and hoeing scattered s
eds. When available in sufficient I
nbers to herd, sheep wiz i clean up
roadways and waste land. The !
wing machine also ma y be used to
advantage in preve' attn the mus
from producing ,eed. d
Seeded After Rama. IL
here ripe must Ard has t,een per- fl
ted to blow ac'<oss the sun lmer fall Il