The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1921-04-07

stems can throw up new plant Every
time ole IT these underground stems
is broken with pillow or cultivator,
you have new plant beginning from
the part broken of.
Time to Strike and the Reason.
II you dig into ii quack grass sod in
early spring. you will find great num-
hers Of underground stems At the an
proach Of warm weather some of the
buds on these stems begin To- grow
and they grow straight up to the sur
face There they throw out ring of
real roots and form crown from
which a lot OF leaves and stems grow.
But at this time of the year all the
stems that come out of crown grow
upward and no new underground
stems are formed until the plant be-
gins to blossom.
Then while the plant is in bloom,
new crop of underground stems begins
to grow. All these stems come out of
the crown. just as the stems that grow
upright. and never from any other part
of the plant If the grass is cut for
hay at exactly this time. the growth
of underground stems is completely
stopped for few weeks. The plant
can not produce underground growth
without a lot of leaves up in the sun
light; and If the plant has been cut
while in bloom, it Immediately begins
to throw all its energy into the produc-
tion of new leaves and stems above
ground This fact is very important,
as we shall soon see.
1t is also of very great Importance
that by the time the plant blossoms,
the underground stems have done
their life-work, which was to throw Up
new growth to the surface of the soil.
! They are through and will gradually
die during the latter part Of the. sum-
mer. You do not need to pay any at
tention to them
Some farmers make the mistake Of
trying to kill the underground stems
a
useless task. for at that time OF the
year every joint Of these underground
stems can make new plant. But after
the plants have reached the blooming
stage. the old underground stems have
| finished their work. They do not need
killing then. for they are already be.
ginning to die. SO don't try to kill the
old underground stems of quack grass.
They can't be killed before midsummer,
and after that they die anyhow.
In order to tell when quack is in
bloom, watch 1t carefully till you soc
the blossoms open and the anthers
hanging out of the flowers on slender
threads. This will be about two or
three weeks after the grass heads out.
When the earliest plants begin to
bloom, get out the mower and 90 to
work
Suppose now we let the grass grow
undisturbed until 1t begins to bloom.
At that time the old underground
stems are done, and need no further at
tention and there is no seed on the
growing plants If we cut the grass
for hay just at blooming time, we can
feed the hay with safety, for it will
scatter no seed over the farm. The
cutting also stops the formation of new
underground stems for two or three
weeks. There is thus a period Of near
ly a month. just after haying time
when quack grass is not a weed at all.
BY that l mean that it has no means
OF reproducing itself except by growth
from the crown. 1t is as helpless as
field of young oats. and can be killed
just as easily.
How to Strike.
To eradicate the pest completely at
this time all we have to do is to kill