. American bee journal. Bee culture; Bees. September, IfllS. 305 American Hee Journal section that I have felt anxious lest it ruin the beekeeping industry. Imagine my pleasure on being in- formed recently that a farmer in a nearby town had discovered that sweet clover would run it out, or from its strongei growth smother this pernic- ious weed. There is another weed that is doing great damage to the agricultural inter- ests of the country. Almost all plants when out of place are weeds. I refer to witch grass, known also as barnyard grass, quack grass and devil grass. It comes into cultivated
. American bee journal. Bee culture; Bees. September, IfllS. 305 American Hee Journal section that I have felt anxious lest it ruin the beekeeping industry. Imagine my pleasure on being in- formed recently that a farmer in a nearby town had discovered that sweet clover would run it out, or from its strongei growth smother this pernic- ious weed. There is another weed that is doing great damage to the agricultural inter- ests of the country. Almost all plants when out of place are weeds. I refer to witch grass, known also as barnyard grass, quack grass and devil grass. It comes into cultivated fields, making cultivation difficult, and choking grain crops With modern methods of till- age it spreads rapidly by its strong creeping roots, any joint of which will grow into a new plant. Already I find it crowding out alsike clover, and if it continues to spread as it di I of late, it may seriously injure our crops of honey. There are two or three ways of sub- duing it. The roots may be dug out or the grass constantly cut off at the surface of the ground by intensive cul- tivation. I have tried both ways, but they are expensive. Another way is to smother it with shade. A crop of buckwheat has often been advised for this purpose, and where the soil and weather are favorable, will do much to subdue it. Some years ago I subdued a half acre of this grass, by planting the ground to artichokes, and cultivat- ing carefully the first of the season. Later the shade did the business. I doubt if the adaptability and value of sweet clover for this purpose has been appreciated. If a quack grass sod is plowed late in autumn and sweet clover seed sown at once, or sown in early spring with a light seeding of oats or barley, and the grain cut early for hay, there might be, if the soil and season were favorable, a crop cut later for hay of mixed clover and grass. The next spring the sweet clover roots having stored up a supply of nutriment, will start into a vigorous growth almost as soon as
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, booksubjectbees, bookyear1861
