Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1917-07-20
Pit Mustard in the SiIO

F. S. Winner, Cottonwood, Idaho,
Dear Sir:
Your letter under date of
the 14th at hand. In regard to tie
wheat that you mention that is infest-
ed with yellow mustard and penny
weed mustard, the opinion Of the men
here in the station and from what /
can find in other experimental work,
we feel that it is too big a loss to
simply burn the wheat. Silage should
by all means be made of it, even tho
we know that wheat silage will not
usually or as readily make as nice a
silage as corn will. However, the
point is that this wheat should be
utilized and not burnt, and we feel
sure that the weed seeds will be prac-
tically completely destroyed by the
silage and further what few may pass
thru the silage making process would
almost certainly be caught and de-
stroyed in the digestive organs.
| believe further advantage with
making it into silage would be that
the manure would be more likely to
gather at one place should there per
haps be slight amount of these seeds
pass thru the alimentary canal, while
if fed as hay the seeds might be scat
tered more promiscously.
In California the tickle grass gave
very much trouble to the farmers and
then it was tried out with silage, and
found to give good results both as a
feed and that the grass was stopped in
its growth. In the Dakotas and also
Canada the Russian thistle gives very
much trouble and it has been found
there that it relieved the situation
very considerably if the infested fields
simply were used for silage making
purposes. / know further from ex-
periences at home in the central states
that the cockle-burr and gympson
weed AID also horseweeds all were
~ adid put right along into the silo,
and the result always was good with
no appreciable amount Of weed seed
trouble due to reorganization Of the
seeds after passing thru the silage fer
mentation and digestive tract In my
opinion this is worthy of a trial that
the wheat infested fields be used for
silage making purposes. It would be
BEST if the wheat be cut a little early
y IN it still is somewhat green. The
farn entations would go on much bet
49, ~ tha1actic acid formation would
Il greater and md taProduce good
s;laoe Further his might catch the
weed seeds.whsn they are not com
pletely hatured and would allow a
much greater possibility Of completely
destroying their vitality
The heating in the siiage has little
to dosWith1 the destruction ofthe seeds
but the greatest action is from the
acid generated, The silage in most
xss4 , Nv
|. instances i properly made should not
heat much and will not heat above
100 degrees at the very outside. 1t
"a apinion that the farmers
aGtest AlAie country can and
the Camas praif>-s The sileg f, r
all means should, use'zz1ctWith The
) .to Grains that are infested a.,alieye
mustard pests, and we sincerely be' ~,
that GOOD results will show up itE'
,.bolelbearted, conscientious effort Is
made to put the wheat into the s'o ." :,
silaee crop. Remember, to e, t It
into s,,', small pieces, add plentyOf water water
and tramp the material very '0-
e We are glad you called our atten
i tbis matter, Mr.. Winner an
',on. that yon will not hesitate to II
u0 f,rtber about any other matter
chat may come up.
' Very truly yours
A. c. Baltner, Dairy Dep
The EARN Folks" are all we