The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1919-04-10
Salt Endowed Patches.

Salt BindWeed Patches.
Sailing small areas of not to exceed
few square rods has been found
very important way of keeping bind
weed from spreading at the Fort Hays
Experiment Station.
1t takes at least ten tons to the acre,
and twenty tons is surer. This means
pound of salt to each square foot of
b;ndweed area. Salt keeps the land
from raising anything for several
years. This is better, though, than to
let the bindweed spread.
Ii is not practical to salt large fields
of bindweed land. These sometimes
raise fair crops of broadcast or drilled
sorghum, but other crops usually fail
A Campaign Against Pocket Gophers
In order to get rid of the gophers
that do SO much injury especially in
alfalfa fields, the Fort Hays Expert
ment Station is cooperating with Mr.
C. G. Deuber, a government special
list on such pests, in organizing a Cop
her campaign for Ellis, Rush and
Trego counties. Supt. Weeks and
Mr.. Deuber began this work, Monday,
March 81
Good Saint Patrick drove the snakes
from Ireland The day of Saint Pat
rick is gone-but in his place are mod
ern men who wish to help Kansas
farmers rid their fields and crops of
the pocket gopher.
Years ago these little animals liv-
ed on the virgin prairies and upturn-
ed the soil. They were the means of
the first mixing of the soil Now their
days of usefulness have passed from
the plains to seek their Happy Hunt
ing Ground
The gopher seems to think that
your farm still belongs to him. In
many counties of Kansas, the gopher
has done enough damage to build
very fine school building An ordin-
airy runway made by a gopher often
equals as much as mile. Think of
leaving these subterranean passages
on your farm; the mounds of earth
thrown up all over it, and your
alfalfa ruined
Don't Pay Taxes Twice.
Poison Prairie Dogs
Every farmer in this county who
has a prairie dog town on his land
pays taxes twice. This sounds funny,
does't it? But it is true. Kansas
farmers pay taxes once to the as
SCISSOR and again to the Prairie Dogs. |
c. G. Deuber, of the u S. Biological
Survey, who is cooperating with the
Fort Hays Experiment Station in a |
prairie dog poisoning campaign, ex-
plains this pests damage as follows: |
1t has been estimated that in badly !
infested areas each acre will contain |
25 of these animals. A quarter sec
ton of land at this rate would have |
1000. On pasture lands 80 of these |
animals will eat as much as one sheep |
and 25S Of them will eat as much as |
one cow. 1000 of these creatures
are equal to cows. When you feed !
a cow you get some of it back in |
meat, hides or tallow, yet you get alb
solutely nothing from the Prairie /
Dog.
IN Kansas, now, there are over two /
and one half millions acres of land oc-
cupied by animals that take every
thing and give nothing.
What are you going to do about it?
Superintendent Weeks, District
Agricultural Agent Willoughby and
Mr.. Deuber will hold a series of de-
unconstitutional meetings on getting rid
of these undesirable tenants. The
schedule is now being planned for a
three weeks campaign in May and
June, In Ellis, Trego and Rush count
les.
A new prepared poison bait can be
secured at cost from the Fort Hays