HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1923-09-06, Page 2Address eemmunications to Agronomist, 73 Adelaide St. West, Toronto
CULTIVATION OF `RQOT' CROPS.
The object of cultivation is four-
fold: (i) To destroy and prevent the
growth of; noxious 'Weeds. (2) To de-
velop-various
e-velop-various degrees of openness of
texture and uniformity of soil condi-
tions suitable to plant growth, (3)
To modify the movement of soil mois-
ture and soil air. (4) To change soil
conditions so as to make it either
warmer or 'colder.
The cultivation of the soil should
begin at the first indication of weeds;
in fact, it is still better to make a start
before the weeds get rooted. To ex-
pose them to the hot sun in the ger-
minating etage is the most effective
way to kill weeds. If harrowing has
been properly carried on cultivation
may begin with a cultivator, the teeth
of which are 2 to 21/2 inches wide, but,
if the soil is soddy or lumpy, a narrow -
toothed cultivator will be necessary
to do effective work. Be sure the cul-
tivator has a sufficient number of
teeth to cover the ground effectively
e --that is, so that the whole surfaceof
the ground will be thoroughly stirred
to a depth of from 2 to 3 inches.
The harrow -tooth cultivator is the
best to start with; the teeth are nar-
row, they do not throw the earth over
the young plants, and one can culti-
vate closer to the plants without cov-
ering them. Later the larger tooth is
better, and as the cultivation season
advances and the plants get well root-
ed, the cultivator should be narrowed
and cultivation should be deeper in
the centre of the rows. The most ef-
ficient work can be accomplished by
first going one Way all over the field.
In a day or two cultivate again but
go in the opposite direction to that of eye daisy, etc., are probably at their
the previous cultivation. Cultivation weakest after using up their reserves
should be continued at intervals just in the attempt to mature seed, which
eo long as the plants are not injured
by horse er cultivator.
The reasons for thorough cultiva-
tion are briefly as follows: The soil nese of the ground, if it does not pre -
particles are rounded in form, and' vent thorough work, is all to the good
when massed together without being in weed destruction. Couch grass, in-
crushed they leave a large amount of deed, might well be left alone unless
Unoccupied space; this unoccupiedE the ground is somewhat dry. The
space in the soil is needed for the plowing at this time need not be deep;
movement of the soil water and air, for couch grass particularly it should
requisites to success is the early sow-
ing of clean plump seed, of suitable
varieties, in a seedbed that is well
prepared as regards drainage,fertil-
ity and teeth. By starting the crop
vigorously it is enabled to hold its own
to the end with the minimum growth
and seeding of weeds. However, in
spite of the best of care there will al,
ways be weeds demanding some extra
attention. In cultivated crops this can
be given the season through, and espe-
cially before harvest; in grain and
hay there is little opportunity until
the crop is off. If not delayed then too
long, many of the weeds of these crops,
can still be taken in hand, and some
of them with the greatest of time-
liness.
Some weeds like ragweed and Rus-
sian thistle push up rapidly about this
time. Where grain has been seeded
weed growth may have to be kept
down by the use of the mower, but
other stubble should be worked over
by means of a disc harrow or culti-
vator, or plowed very lightly. Besides
preventing the seeding of weeds, this
also makes conditions favorable for
the germination of seeds already in
the surface soil, which can be destroy-
ed in the later fall plowing. Some
seeds—wild oats for example -do not
germinate readily, if at all, the first
season, but any farmer who has prac-
ticed after -harvest cultivation knows
that considerable germination of many
weeds can be'• induced in favorable
years.
After -harvest plowing of weedy hay
fields is also desirable at the first op-
portunity that occurs. Such persist-
ent perennials as couch grass, Canada
and sow thistles, the hawkweeds, ox -
timely cutting of the hay should .pre-
vent. Plowing at this season is not
always the easiest done, but the dry -
and the spreading out of the root
fibres; it is also the home of micro-
-organisms which develop the available
nitrogen used by the higher plants.
be only deep enough to get beneath
the matted surface rootstocks. After
plowing, the .object will be to drag the
rootstocks into - tide drying, sun by
are means of ,a spring tooth or other ran-
If these soil particles are.too large p g
'and thistles
'ties a d sow
the hl permits,
lament: This
rtlie rani -frill to pass.through: it too will not be SO readily dragged•outrand,
.,lrely
e 'and the' Water is soon. out of ,can best be dealt with by the use of a
:
reach of the plants; nor does it return duck -foot cultivator to keep all growth
rapidly enough under capillary action cut off as often as it appears. The
to meet the needs of the crop. If the amount of fallowing thus possible
particles are too small and too closely after, the removalof a crop should go
crushed together the water moves very a long way toward cleaning a field, or
slowly and the air is excluded from at the least preparing for a `cleaning
the soil;, and when the water dries hoed crop the following year. A rota -
out, the particles are cemented to- tion which allows of this procedure
gether too strongly by the salts, which
have become too concentrated to stay
in solution. Consequently, the root
hay,ar•grated, as pointed out in the
plan •fox the ;destructi.on of the pest,
its rootsteek,reserve rapidly diminish-.
es, and it soon falls down in' yield of
forage,, tf old meadows are replowed
O,vez y tv, o or three years,•however,,the
grass'gets re -Established and the yield
clip be kept up; 13ut I have never seen
zaany quaek grass stands which the,
"owner would riot willingly trade for
'some other kind of •growth. It is a
pest to be swatted root and branch.
Profitable Methods of
Handling Manure.
ss, Manure is worth money, varying in
amount depending upon the .method of
handling and upon the crops to which
it is applied. 'If the best methods can
be followed at no greater expense than
the ;'poor methods, the difference in
profits represents the return upon
In Honor of gruIe intelligence. It is one of the objects
The first monument ereete' , to the w:of the Experimental' Farms to des
memory of Etienne Brulew, fire die;"?cover the best and most profitable
coverer of Lake Su elleir anis, t �e first
p ,� methods of handling manses
explorer who penetrated 't eke re- In brief, the cheapest and at the
gions ' with 'a view to; trad', The sane time the best methods of handl-
memorial was erected during Dls '; in manure is to spread it on the field
covery Week at Sault Ste 11'larlo I'daily;,as it is made: This method
' l avoids the losses of fertility which are
material is incurred when the,manure is piled,
much less in extent and is Confined to and reduces the amount of labor in
bound. The underground
the first three inches from theeerface: hato a mmm:
Beginning with an old meadow sod,' grater
ndling part of 'theinimanuure isAs mathede
there is a much better ehariOeto kill during the Winter months, the manure
out the quack entirely thake the, cnn be spread when the trine of both_
beginning' is made en; dust"",i'ecen'tly1 horse and manual. labor is not so
cultivated fields; °' .
But the• spade will, allow the most valuable. This is the method which is
used in manurin • •sod land for corn
surprising thing in a• field' that,has on the Central Experimental Farm,
been in meadow and then paste ed for Ottawa, after .considerable experience
a couple of years. It will W that with other methods. Whenever pos-
the quack is scarcely "fortified; at•,_all• sible, this method is recommended.
The underground parts here a e very However, there are some circum -
small in extent and usually are eon- stances when this method should not
fined to the upper two inches'; ; This be used. "'If there are many noxious
is the ideal place td begin the:lolling-1 weed seeds in the manure, it is a mis-
out process. ''. I take to scatter thein about a field in
In repeated tests I 'have killed out green manure.',The manure: should
quack by late summer tillage on' both, 'be- allowed to rot in order to kill -these
old sod and old .pasture lande The •task. weeds spreading p before s readin • it upon the
does not call for undue labor, azul this
field. The rotting of the manure is a
labor comes at a time when other farm very reliable method of killing all the
work is not pressing.'i,,; I weed seeds. and, as it is very poor
The best scheme I have tried is to, business to plant viable-s�'eed seeds,
plow shallow some time in Julyi It is i this practice, under such �ircum-
impoxtant that this plowing 'be anal stances, should always be followed.
low. The plow should rue lust under l Again, if the land is very hilly so that
the mass of rootstocks. ' Where' a gang; the manure is leached away, it is not
plow is available it can usnally,•be set 'good practice to spread it during the
to turn a very 'shallow ftirrovrr, ; There t. winter on the snow. In this case it
is also a special type of wanting plow I should be properly stored in the,yard
made for turning a shallow`"Sod. It until the snow is _off the land. In,
has a long, gradually sloping, mold-
board and is usually„ sold under • the
name Scotch Bottom. e.,,:'
This
This shallow plowing leaves, the
whole quack plant, • root and -branch,
right near the surface. If e is bur-
ied deep, it is likely ,to live: over, the
winter and be on•.hand,to stare ;growtl
again 'next spring, aned, et3rriit fio2ii
deep down ie the ground, is .hard to
- . I ..
kill oaf~., .. B th ., an
a .,. ,. re n
.Where fret a rstson it as neces
�rra','0.6.)1.
a
e `t" ra ht-•nearte s
k
TO g ..s io lore m ur
p.s an e h
a fie ai be
t d
over every two or threetweeks Wath a, fere'drawing it to the field, some
disk harrow, or spring to tai :harrow,' simple precautions should be taken to
will usually :finish up the tkillih "ion avoid •excessive and expensive losses.
before frost. If there is any , doubt "Moreover, as these losses in a ;large
about all life being extinct, a smother measure are avoidable, it may be in -
crop the next summer can be counted teresting to give the matter some
on to finish up this . work. study. Perhaps the greatest loss is
Quack grass is especially adapted to incurredfrom leaching, the water
the smother crop treatment because it front the eaves of the barn being al -
sticks close_ to -the deep, rich • lands. ,lowed to drip into the manure pile and
At least, here is evhere•it becomes the the soluble fertility, in 'consequence,
worst pest. Some dense -growing erop being drained away., This can be
suited to local conditions should' be avoided by placing the manure in a
used for smothering. Smother crops; cheap shed or shelter of any kind. If
however, are of little or no ,avail 'en it is possible, it is wise to allow the
less the quack -infested land";is of bet- stock access to this shed because the
ter than average fertility. trampling of the manure excludes the
The smother crop method of killing air and reduces the losses of fertility.
quack to be economical must utilize Furthermore, if it is convenient, the
some . crop having 'a value over and horse and cow manure may both be
above its quack -killing qualities.' Buek placed in this shed, so that the horse
wheat has developed a good reputation manure will not suffer such heating
for its smothering effect. If tyre land as it would were it piled; separately.
is kept well cultivated up until Some- } C the manure must, be drawn away
time in late June and then ',seeteed from the yard and cannot be spread
thickly to buckwheat, the quack al- on 'the field, a large pile should be
ways gets a jolt, and if the len' ` is made with straight sides and the top
k- sloped somewhat to the -centre in order
ell to catch the rain, thus keeping the
manure sufficiently moist and' avoid-
ing excessive losses of fertility.
So far as their influence upon the
growth of crops is concerned, unrotted
and rotted manure are of equal value.
For twenty-one years, experiments
were ; conducted at Ottawa with the
result than an average yield of 21.7
bushels of wheat were secured on lana
to which unretted manure was applied
and 21.6 bushels on land to which rot-
- ted manure was applied; with man-
gels, 20.5 tons were secured from un -
rotted manure and 20.2 tons froni rot-
ted manure.' These yields are strik- two cockerels from the Same mating
ingly uniform and show beyond ques- showing great variation. One is the
dee that neither class of manure will slow feathering type and about half
ill produce larger crops from equal am- the size of the other at four months
1 ounts of application: However, as the of age. One shows weak vigor., the
it=, rotting process causes a considerable ther a picture of strength and vital-'
w
at loss ,in eight, it is evident that ity. There is no "question of which
much larger supply of manure will be type you. wish to multiply, I
ed available from the unrotted source. I - I
every three to five "years will hold
weeds reasonably well under control.
Many of the worst weeds of crops
fibres are unable to set the soil par- are also commonly weeds of waysides,
titles aside; the root system, of the pastures and waste places and should
crops is prevented from proper de- be cut by means of mower, scythe or
velopment; the plants are cut off from, spud, or hand -pulled after a rain, if
.sufficient food supply; and as a re only to prevent their seeding. Places
sult the yields are reduced. which can be broken up and cleaned
If thorough and continuous cultiva- may be later reseeded if so desired, us -
tion is carried on it will correct the ing strong -growing grasses and cloy -
detrimental conditions mentioned, will ers, which will fully occupy the
lesson hand hoeing, and increase the ground. Besides removing a menace
yield and profits, which is one objec-
tive to be borne in mind in all farm-
ing operations.
AFTER -HARVEST WORK
AGAINST WEEDS.
The time to start fighting weeds is
to -crops--and often to the good -will
among neighbors—a little puttering
about in odd corners of -the farm
works wonders in making the old
place more likeable. After midsum-
mer such weeds rapidly become
spicuous, and may well claim s
the hours or half -days when w
in • the spring, and among the pre- ther has upset other plans.
The Way to Wallop Quack Grass
Begirt the Job by Tackling fan Old Meadow So
BY J. SIDNEY GATES.
If I can make clear the one simple
and well-established principle about
quack grass killing, we will be getting
well along towards controlling this,
the worst of all weed pests on the
farm. This principle explains ragged
experience with control methods—ex-
plains why the plan that worked the
downfall of quack in one case proved
to be utterly impotent when the job
was tackled in .another _field on the
farm. -
In addition to the one fundamental
principle, there are two general plans
in use to kill quack grass. One is
known as the smother plan and the
other as the tillage plan. • In both
cases the quack is killed because it: is
prevented from making above -ground
growth,' It takes leaf surface and
sunlight to keep alive a plant. Keep-
ing down leaf surface, or keeping what
is produced so cut oft from sunlight
that it cant function, kills by much
the sante" process as drowning an
an inlet
Now, some animals have to be kept
under a long time to drown, whereas
with others the process is relatively
short. Yott vrould have a hard time
drowning a frog,. though it can be
done; but a cat, despite its reputed
nine lives, sucotte bs very quickly,
Quack grass is almost as variable in
its response to the killing process, no
matter whether the tillage or smother
plat Ives 'owl, as are the frog and the
Northern Ontario and in Northern
Quebec, or in districts which have a
very late spring, manure applied on
the snow causes the land to remain
frosenand wet late in the spring,thus
delaying 'seeding. This is a rather
serious objection sometimes, especial-
ly when grain, or 'a crop of green feed
is .to be grown which is to be planted
earlier than is necessary for corn,
is
on
ed
t
>
to
e
cat. If you tackle it when it
vitality of the frog, there is
job ahead. If you first get
the cat -resistant stage before
ing to give the final blow, th
is comparatively easy.
Farmers who have killed of
are usually those who hay
accidentally-btarted the sm
or cultivating work on the
weakened grass, whereas tb
have failed, though using t
plan, have in the main gon
job hammer and tongs ju
and when the pest got to be t
The strategy to be used in
ing quack grass is very simp
few minutes with a"spade ou
any quack infested farm w
you to check up on what I ha
The spade will show, in a 'c
field, where the grass has b
well established that there i
stand even after the early se
against it, that the ground do
depth of the furrow slice is eo
matted with wirelike rootstoc
is merely stored up mater'
quack has put there to draw
year; It is a ratl'ier;hopeles
attemptto kill it directly whe
established as this.
Treat SNtorai*EE 11tt eleee 01r eke
And then the spade will sh
pito) of old meadow land,
pest has become more or
le
y
d
it
of
warowimommaammeopmaimiersommosimingemm
Make the
Rinso
liquid first
Do not put Rinso direct
from the package into the
tub. Mix half a: package of
Rinso in a little ;pool
water., until it is like
cream. Then odd' two
quarts of boiling water;.
and when the froth, sub-
sides, you will haye a clean
-amber-coloured liquid.
Add this liquid to the wash
tub, until you get the big
lasting Rinso suds. Then
soak alio clothes clean.
A1,;
ii
:a l`1'i1i' Ir• 1
•
Rinso is as splendid for the
regular family washing as
Lux isfor fine fabrics.
Lever Efrothers Limited
Toronto
a:.kW_r;i.'+Sii'•::•-h^�... !ri ,'w�i+.-..:-n1',;.: ! }ttl`5"'4",,4 y a.»� hz*.- ....:::w . i,,7.:Fit4S'.ri
Home E duration
"The Child's First School is the Family"—Froebel."
The Golden
Years—By Edith Lochridge Reid
A young mother stood on the porch
and watched her little son trudge off
to school for the first time alone. Her
face was pensive and the yearning of
the mother heart was almost trans-
lated into tears as she turned to a
neighbor and said, "I feel almost as if
I'd lost him, five years seem a short
time to have him . to myself."
The neighbor, older in wisdom and
experience,' smiled encouragingly, and
replied, "A short time, perhaps, but a
golden time-, full of Ioving training,
ric.h in home influence, every day of
which was aP reparation for this little
joeiney,orx +"yhich" he, has.,lust ..started."..'
"Well I hope I've succeeded in
iv-
ing
him the right things to take with
him," observed the young mother seri-
ously, "but it's a big responsibility to
take a child through those golden
years, isn't it?"
"The biggest responsibility, my
dear," agreed the neighborly advisor,
and then added, "but I'll whisper a
secret,—the rewards of this duty well-
done are the sweetest and most satis-
fying in the world."
Yes, the Golden Years are the
sweetest and fullest of opportunity, so
let's enjoythem, and live happy, nor-
mal, everyday lives WITH our chil-
dren. We can never tell them how to
act, that is a flitting method of train-
ing, but we can show them how we
meet difficulties and problems and dis-
appointments with fortitude and a
smile, and then, most important of all,
allow them to meet their own trials
alone in their own way. Not to proµ
tett from the world, but to prepare
for life in the world .is our duty as,
mothers during the Golden Years.
Some mothers out of their tender
love, err in giving too much super
vision in early childhood. If we see
an aggressive playmate taking more
than his share of toys in the yard,.
our, first impulse is to help our child
to maintain his rights, but unless the
encounter threatens to grow beyond
his strength, it is much wiser to let
tiny son . fight ,his own : battles.'. Ha
muSest do it, some bine, and the' older
he is the harder -it 'Will be to start
lf=reliance is an absolutely nee
essar asset to success in life,aiid the
Y
child that goes out equipped to make
his own decisions and look after his
own personal interests without too
much assistance, will have . fewer
griefs and hard knocks.
In those first five years, our child
gets his ideals for life's conduct. He
may never have heard the Ten Conz-
mandments-or the Golden Rule, but he
has seen them acted, if he is in the
right kind of a home. He isn't one
the fence in regard to right and
wrong. He has Iearned by : seeing,
mother handle situations, that a:thing-
is either right or wrong, but that there'
is no neutral ground.
So while we all may' have ideals of
conduct for our children in after,
years, the possibilities for attainment
during early childhood are manifest
and measured by their response to
temptations in the home environment.
Treatment should be given early,
and then it should cause very little or
ho inconvenience. Teats that are sore
and tender should be treated after,
each milking with an ointment made'
of
ade`-
of vaseline, ten parts, and oxide of
zinc, one "part... If the condition be-
comes pretty serious before treatment
has been started, it may be well then
to use an antiseptic solution and bathe
the teat in this; for this, bichloride
of mercury can be used, one part to
one thousand parts of water; a two
per cent. solution of cresol or creolin
may be used, but the mercury is as"
good as any. Fill a cup with the solu.
tion and place it against the udder,
with the teat suspended in the liquid
for several minutes; this' should be
used after each milking. Then paint
the teat with the following: One pall
of tincture of iodine in four parts al
glycerine; paint this on with a eamel-
hair brush. `
POULTRY
When new cockerels are needed for
a range flock it often pays to select
them in the late summer and let them
grow up together. This prevents a
lot of fighting that may result if full
grown cockerels from different sources
are placed together during the winter.
The early buyer also has a good se-
lection of the best early maturing
males at a price much below their win-
ter value. •
The best breeding cockerels are
birds that show signs of good size for
the breed, early maturity and a bright
intelligent head with medium beak. If
you have pedigrees back of the birds,
that is desirable, but do not take birds
on their pedigree alone. I have seen
t -I Another important point which has] DAIRY
x- been learned from experimental work,
ad is that: smaller applications of manure,' ' Chapped or cracked teats in the,
er either made Snore frequently or cov-1 cows are more common than usual this
er ,eying larger acreages, have • proved
summert probably due to the dry sea -
oh mere;' profitable than heavy applica- son, although this condition may be
oat tions,,' While it is impossible''Owing to brought about by many causes, such
rite the difference in thejertility of var- as walking in wet grass or through
ak bus soils, to prescribe exactly what mires bolos and streams; also from
wading in
might be called smaller applications manure or lying in wet bed-
might
it may be said,in a general waythat, ding; it may be caused from the nuts
a At Ottawa, ah application anon of 1G torts ing of the calf or from milking with
p wet hands; or again, from cold air. j
telt per atre•liasgiven as good returns in The extent of the trouble
h: a four-year rotation as an applica- will vary,
lids:tide of 18 torts per acre in a three -
the
upon the sensitiveness of
di- year'''rotation. In ate, words an
the skin, the manner of treatment that
23
A . lication',nf g tons er act er the condition has had, the length of.
pi?� p e p time the animal has been affected
of yea`c has given as good le.. alts as an ,etc.
of applieation of 6 tons per etre per At first the teat is very dry and red,
year, This'. difference is quite marked tender to the touch as shown by the
till "and very intportant, restlessness Of the cow during /silk.
ay,: « "ttat*last..',
ing: If this isi allowed r• �1u�� ,.�. �'+rs�w:.�t
2
gay l itblic service hs oils 4f the conn- any length of tme, withoutot treatmoexistfo
ht,
to'r try,,, gs''rcatest needs. deep cracks will form in the ee:,tr { • '. 'ISSUE, No. e6---)23,
Keadnll'a Spavin Treatment 14 the old rdilablib
4afa rotdedy torah capon of dpavin,,pilnt, ou-6,
ringbnnd, bony arawth. and lomeneo from otpOr,tl
donne,,1(noryitTor /lor°tbnnforty yen rcn itahaall
SpnvTn Gan% It 1Soep4 the bar,du wal'6 YID{--.dat::,
]tatbia• Wbot It 000 dtnd for otbete, a will do Tor
ydu troop a bottle or .
It®eailall's Sptevin Treatment ,
totality ao pm can nde I tttekly when the need ar1ldy..
AA bdttla may oavd a ltm• a for you. '. rt', Worlb *hltd
to ba randy:. Ann:ynnrdealertl:o'i}oxttllno1)0nre
It townrthleiyxxtvortlsonaant oat* remind. you,
Sold ovrrylrhero. Get n froo eopydf Afro tide oh
tbo 1ioroc" of yanr drttkgldt'x, or n'trta 010.
atofl:rll:tp"for raoroo trdntnont me •'i:elltiad" foe
be. s, ,i, Kt to0.1 tt Cepho'Ata1Y.
Er136� I.r,2 t"k..a, VIi«r Mr«5.11: