The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, August 18, 1919, Page 10

How to Kill Root- Spreadmg Weeds North Dakota Experts Issue Valuable Pamphlet Dealing With Sow Thistle, - Canada Thistle, Quack Grass and Toadflax—Weeds Hit Farm lncome HE chiéf method of controlling | annual weeds (those which must start each year from seeds) is by preventing the production of seed. The weeds which spread by roots also produce seed, so that this method of control should never be neglected, it will prevent their -increase to some extent but will never decrease the number al- ready present. To destroy those present, the roots by which they are reproduced must be destroyed. The method by which this is done will depend. upon the quantlty present, nature of the soil, ete., but what is most important is thorough work and constant watchfulness. No method will succeed un- less used with judgment and carefully followed for a sufficient time. Lack of attention at the right time is a common failure, whether this be from neg- lect or lack of management of farm work. - As in contagious diseases, prevention is much cheaper and much more satisfactory than eradi- cation. There is always danger of seeds of these weeds coming onto the farm in seed grain, ! Here is shown the area now most seriously affected by the perennial sow thistle. The infection started several years ago and.came largely from southern Manitoba, Canada, and spread across the interna- tional line into Minnesota and North Dako- ta. Other states also are affected. grass seed, packing of nursery stock or furni- ture, in hay or straw or on threshing machines or on bundle wagons; on the feet of horses or wheels of vehicles, in the wind or in running water, CARE NECESSARY IN SELECTION OF SEEDS Great care should be used in the selection of seed to get it direct from reliable farmers, as far as possible, whose fields are free from any noxious weeds, and one should have seed examined by the state seed laboratory. Such precautions will remove . one of the greatest sources of the spread of (i noxious weeds. All packing- should be burned as | soon as its original usefulness has expired. Hay or straw, if bought at all, should only be obtained from farms that are known to be clean and the i manure from feed purchased off the farm should i be composted as far as practicable to destroy any weed seeds it might contain. Threshing machines 7 and all transient bundle wagons should be very ¢ carefully tleaned before they come onto the farm, i or at least before they are allowed to proceed out i into the cultivated fields. It is neces- sary to induce the neighbors who may have noxious weeds to prevent ¢ them from going to seed and if pos- sible eradicate the sources of infec- | ‘tion, particularly such as may come i in either by wind or water. None of i these weeds would spread rapidly { over whole districts if it was nét { for the seed they produce, which is i scattered far and wide as described . above. . When one of these noxious | weeds gets a foothold on the farm | there are two things to de: i 1. Prevent any seed from reaching l maturity. | 2. Destroy the patches already in | existence. ~ work is thorough. The sow. thistle as it appears in blossom. naturally in all directions at the rate of about 20 miles a year, and it is spreading - much more rapidly than that through man’s activity in carelessly taking the seeds from. place to ‘place. The above cut shows how the sow thlstle ; In the case of a wind-borne seed like the sow "thistle, this is a community problem, where all the farmers of a district must work together for the common good. At least all should see that no seed is produced to infest the neighboring farms. Seed production should always be prevented by either pasturing, mowing or plowing, if more drastic eradication measures are not possible. Land heavily infested with sow thistle should not be seeded to crops which mature.later than the sow thistle. Such land should be put in cultivated crops, if seeded at all, and the culti- vation should be so thorough that the thistles can produce no seed. All varieties of weeds must produce green tops each season or they will perish. Keep them below the surface of the ground for one season and they are no more. Small patches can be smothered out by covering with tar paper or straw three feet in thickness, or they may be completely dug up with a spade. Always examine the spot later to see that none have escaped. Larger fields should be kept bare all summer by means of the plow, the disc or the spring-tooth cultivator. This is much easier in a dry than in a wet year. AID OF LIVESTOCK IN FIGHTING WEEDS If such weeds as Canada thistle, sow thistle, quack grass or bindweed have qulte a start and their destruction by the cultivator is not practical, the land should he seeded to grass and pastured heavily with cattle, sheep .or hogs or a combination of the above livestock until their complete destruc- tion by cultivation can be brought about. Both the Canada thistle and the sow thistle can be completely eradicated by pasturing, if followed by proper cul- tural methods and provided those plants which are not eaten are moved frequently enough in midsum- mer to prevent any maturing. The pasturing of these plants greatly restricts their top growth; this method, while not generally known, starves the roots. This method has been used by the writer several times. The rootstocks become less numerous, much smaller and they are all in the upper three inches of the soil surface. When such pasture land is broken shallow in mid-summer and thoroughly cul- tivated ‘the remainder of -the season these weeds will be completely destroyed if the Commence a systematic ro- tation of crops on the cultivat- ed farm land in which pasture and hay crop will be given a ‘. considerable place. Crop rota- tion, if properly practiced, will give a larger net income than the single crop system and it will absolutely control all the noxious weeds. Consult your county agent in regard to the proper system of crop rotation to use on your farm. . Do not get discouraged and do nothing if the farm is overrun with weeds, neither attempt to kill all the weeds in one year. Get good tillage implements, such as a corn cultivator, disc, harrow and a -Cana- _ dian cultivator - an¢ keep spreads through its roots as well as through seeds TSNS T IRt e i e s Rt oo s e e . ridges and cross wrinkles, oblong and somewhat BN, ST This weed is credited with spreading The material given here on the treat- ment of important noxious weeds is taken from a bulletin prepared for the . North Dakota Agricultural college by W. R. Porter, superintendent of the demonstration farms, and by O. A. Stevens, seed analyst of the North Dakota pure seed laboratory. Those who desire the complete pamphlet ‘should write to the North Dakota - Agricultural college, Fargo, N. D., for circular No. 18, entitled “Sow Thistle and Other Seeds of Similar Habits.” them sharp and in good condition. Keep the weeds under control as far as your circum- - stances will permit and aim to clean up such an area of the farm each year as can be done thoroughly; far better 25 acres well done, than a hundred done indifferently or at the wrong time from a weed-killing standpoint. The perenmal sow thistle is a plant with mxlky juice, growing two to five feet high; leaves mostly on the lower part of the stems, narrow at their bases, their edges with small spiny points and usu- ally with two or three large notches on each side; flower heads yellow, an inch or more wide; seeds with a tuft of hairs, reddish-brown, with prominent flattened, about one-eighth inch long. . The height of the plants, the milky juice and dan- delion-like heads will readily distinguish this plant. The flowering period begins about the middle of July and 10 days is enough to mature the seed. If the grain fields are examined the latter part of July and conspicuous yellow flowers are seen above the grain they are almost certain to be sow thistle. The general appearance at a distance is something like that of sunflowers, but none of these are in blossom at this date. The plant should be looked for early in the day as in warm weather the flower heads are closed, by noon. One patch observed the past sea- son produced flowers again within three weeks after the grain was cut. In early spring watch for patches and examine the leaves. If the plants have milky juice and spiny . edges they are quite sure to be sow thistle. SOwW THISTLE FIRST STARTED IN MANITOBA Perennial sow thistle appeared in Manitoba as early as 1895, entering North Dakota from the north. It was common near Hamilton in 1908, it has spread until it has become a serious pest in the northeastern part of the state and has become established to a greater or lesser - extent over the eastern part of the state. A line firom the southeast corner of the state and passing through the vicinity of New Rockford indicates approximately the extent of its dis- further west. It is only in the last two or three years that it seems to have become established in the southern part of the valley and these small scattered patches should be R is to be prevented . from occupying the ground to a serious extent. The seeds are likely to ‘be present in timothy or uncleaned seed of other sorts grown where the weed occurs. When first found it is only in small scattered patches. These should be promptly destroyed either by digging out the plants or by smothering with a tar paper cover. ] . has a firm foothold, fields should be plowed late in the fall and they should be well tilled in the spring as the seed starts readily in low temper- .atures. Pasturing and thorough sum- mer fallowing will destroy infested areas. Plan a good crop rotation and put it in practice. weeds. tribution, although it-is found occasionally’ taken care of at once if the plant -When the weed: Similar methods also are valuable : in eliminating other root-spreadmg,