UL S2DEPARTMEN'T OF AGRICULTURE.
BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY—BULLETIN NO. 11.
B. T. GALLOWAY, Chief of Bureau

JOHNSON GRASS:

REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS MADE DURING
THE SEASON OF 1901.

CARLETON R. BALL, Assisranr AGROSTOLOGIST,

GRASS AND FORAGE/PLANT INVESTIGATIONS.

WASHINGTON:
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.

L902.

Mone grap

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS,

RECEIVED
FEB 2 6 1902
DIVISION. OF DOCUMENTS,

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¢
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Book

Bul. 11, Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S, Dept. of Agriculture. PLATE |.

JOHNSON GRaSS IN GRASS GARDEN ON GROUNDS OF UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, WASHINGTON, D. C.

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY—BULLETIN NO. 11.

B. 1. GALLOWAY, Chief of Bureau.

JOHNSON GRASS:

REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS MADE DURING
THE SEASON OF 1901.

BY

CARLETON R. BALL, Asststanr AGROSTOLOGIST,
"

GRASS AND FORAGE PLANT INVESTIGATIONS.

WASHINGTON:
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.
1902.

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
Bureau or Puant INDUSTRY,
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF,
Washington, D. C., November 23, 1901.
Str: I have the honor to transmit herewith a paper on Johnson
Grass: Report of Investigations Made during the Season of 1901, by
Carleton R. Ball, assistant agrostologist, Grass and Forage Plant
Investigations, and recommend that it be published as Bulletin No. 11
of the Bureau series.

Respectfully, B. T. GaLLoway,

Chief of Bureau.
Hon. JAMES WILSON,
Secretary of Agriculture.

to

MAR 31 1962
D. ot D.

eSB EA. Gibe

In June, 1901, Mr. C. R. Ball, assistant in the Office of the Agros-
tologist, was authorized and directed to proceed, under instructions
from the Agrostologist of the Department, to points in Alabama, Loui-
siana, and Texas, for the purpose of making investigations concerning
Johnson grass and to gather information for a report on this subject
as required by law.* He was instructed to carefully study such
methods as had been or are being pursued to exterminate this grass
and to consult with the commissioner of agriculture of the State of
Texas and with others as to plans for destroying Johnson grass where
it had become a pest. He was further instructed to make arrange-
ments for carrying on experiments along practical lines with the view
of destroying the grass in an economical and effective manner. He
was directed to examine carefully the laws of Texas relating to the
subject in hand, to study the question of natural or artificial distribu-
tion, and, in fact, all points having a bearing upon the question of the
value, harmfulness, and methods for destruction of this grass.

In regard to the means of eradication the whole field was carefully
looked over and a piece of very badly infested land on the farm of
Mr. John Parker, near the town of Taylor, Williamson County, Tex.,
was selected for the experiment. This selection was made under
advisement with the Hon. Jefferson Johnson, State commissioner of
agriculture and insurance, in cooperation with Prof. J. H. Connell,
director of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. The results
of the present season’s investigations and experiments are presented
in the report herewith submitted.

F. LamMson-ScriBneEr,
Agrostologist.
OFFICE OF THE AGROSTOLOGIST,
Washington, D. C., November 23, 1901.

“House bill No. 121, Fifty-sixth Congress, first session, making appropriations for
the Department of Agriculture.

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JOHNSON GRASS: REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS MADE
DURING THE SEASON OF i901.

By Carterton R. Baur, Assistant Agrostologist.

JOHNSON GRASS (Andropogon halepensis (L.) Brot.)
DESCRIPTION.

A stout, erect perennial grass, with rather broad leaves and a large
panicle which is open at flowering time. It produces great quantities
of underground jointed stems known as rhizomes or rootstocks but
popularly called ‘‘roots.” It is closly related to the sorghums and
resembles the ordinary sweet sorghum very much in its habit of
erowth, except that it is smaller and more slender. The ordinary
height is about 5 or 6 feet, but in its ranker growth it sometimes
reaches a height of fully 9 feet, with culms or stems nearly one-half
inch in thickness at the base. It is a native of the Mediterranean
region of Europe and Africa and also of southern Asia.

ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION.

Johnson grass was introduced into this country from Turkey about
the year 1830—possibly a little later. It is said that Governor Means,
of South Carolina, received a request from the Sultan of Turkey to
send someone to the Ottoman Empire to instruct the Turks in the art
of raising cotton. When the gentleman sent by Governor Means
returned he brought with him from Turkey the seeds of a number of
plants which were in cultivation there, and among them was the seed
of the now famous Johnson grass. About the year 1840 Col. William
Johnson, the owner of a large plantation at Marion Junction, near
Selma, Ala., was on a visit to South Carolina, and on his return brought
with him a quantity of Johnson grass seed which he sowed on his farm
in the fertile bottom lands of the Alabama River. Colonel Johnson
was the first planter to cultivate the grass in any great quantity and
with great success, and it was from him that it received the name now
most commonly used for it—Johnson grass. In South Carolina it was
known as Means grass, from the name of the governor who was instru-
mental in its introduction, and that name is still used for it occasionally.

7

8 JOHNSON GRASS.

In later years it has been very frequently referred to under the name
of Guinea grass, but that name should be restricted to Panicum maxi-
mum, a widely different plant. It has also been called by a great num-
ber of other names at different times and in different parts of the
country. Among these names are Aleppo grass, Alabama Guinea
grass, Arabian millet, Australian millet, Cuba grass, Egyptian grass,
Egyptian millet, Evergreen millet, False Guinea grass, Green Valley
grass, Morocco millet, St. Mary’s grass, and Syrian grass. Some of
these names have been given
to it in different localities
where it has been grown,
while others haye been
given to it purposely by
seed dealers in order to
create a demand for the
seed of a supposedly new
grass. Many of these names
refer to the places where it
was supposed to have origi-
nated.

In the sixty years since it
was introduced into Alahba-
ma, Johnson grass has con-
tinued its westward course
until it is now found abun-
dantly as far west as Texas,
and in the river valleys and
along irrigating ditches of
New Mexico, Arizona, and
California, extending along
the coast region to Oregon
and Washington. As a
luxuriant and_ profitable
growth, Johnson grass is
confined in the Southern
States to the fertile alluvial

RG Aas oh nsont es Tass | Clie ono gon TIMEDeNsteNt soils of the river bottoms
and the black prairie region.

It is also found in the poorer sandy or clayey soils of the hills and the
pine barrens, but in such regions its growth is less vigorous. Above
the latitude of 37°, or about that of Tennessee, it is much less frequent,
because it is subject to winter killing during the more severe winters,
although it may persist for several years as far north as latitude 42°,
or that of central Iowa and New York. In the drier regions of the
Southwest it is found in the greatest abundance along the irrigating

DISSEMINATION. 9

ditches, while on the Pacific coast it establishes itself very rapidly in the
warm, moist, valley lands or in the drier parts along the canals of the
irrigation systems.

DISSEMINATION.

When we stop to consider that in sixty years from the time Johnson
grass was first cultivated in this country it has spread from the original
point of introduction over more than half the United States, we realize
that it must either have had especial assistance in order to cover so
large a territory or is a plant remarkably well adapted to the condi-
tions obtaining throughout this great area. Asa matter of fact, both
of these points are true. As the seed was introduced into Alabama
for the purpose of cultivation, so it has been carried or sent from
Alabama westward toa large number of Southern States. Persons
recognizing its great value as a hay and pasture grass have been
anxious to secure seed, and wherever they have established their
meadows, there they have established a new center of infection for
surrounding districts. It is quite probable that the introduction of
this grass into most of the States which it now occupies to a greater
or less extent was accomplished in just this manner by persons eager
to grow this new and highly praised grass. In most of the Southern
States it is probable that at one time or another seeds were planted in
many places widely separated from each other. On the other hand,
it seems almost certain that from the comparatively few centers of
infection, which were thus purposely established, the seed had been
unintentionally and constantly scattered until in most of the Gulf
States this grass may be found on almost every plantation.

The principal and, in fact, almost the only means by which the plant
is propagated is by the seed. This is produced in abundance, and is
so well protected by the hard and firm coverings that it is enabled to
withstand adverse climatic influences. One of the principal ways in
which Johnson grass has been distributed so thoroughly is by means
of the hay. It has been the custom of planters throughout almost the
entire range of this grass to allow the seed to become ripe on the stem
before cutting. The seed shatters very readily when ripe, and as the

‘hay was hauled about the plantation to the points where it was to be
fed or baled, and the baled hay carted about or carried on wagons to
some shipping point, the ripe seed was scattered and an abundant
stand of plants the next season was the inevitable result.

Cattle, horses, and other farm stock running at large have been very
instrumental in scattering Johnson grass over the plantations. Wher-
ever cattle are grazing on this grass after the seeds are formed large
numbers of seeds are eaten. By reason of their hard outer covering
the ripe seeds pass unharmed through the digestive tract of the
animals and pass out of the body ready to produce a vigorous growth.

10 JOHNSON GRASS.

Wherever the droppings from such animals are found there is always
danger of a growth of Johnson grass. In the same manner the manure
from stock fed in the stables or yards will be filled with live seeds, and
wherever this manure is scattered as a fertilizer in the fields the result
is sure to be a crop of the grass.

The wind and several species of seed-eating birds also aid in scat-
tering the seeds of this pest over the country, but the actual damage
arising from this source is undoubtedly small. Floods also assist in
the rapid and thorough dissemination of the seeds. As before
remarked, Johnson grass is found most abundantly in the rich soil of
river valleys. Every time these streams overflow their banks as a
result of heavy rains, large quantities of seeds are carried downstream
by the high water and scattered broadcast over plantations lying below.

One of the most common ways in which the seeds are scattered is
through the medium of seed oats. It has been found quite difficult to
separate the seed of Johnson grass from the oat seed, and as where-
ever oats are sown on land infected with Johnson grass ripe seeds of
the latter are almost always harvested in the resulting oat crop, it will
be seen how great the danger from this source really is. In this way
the grass is carried not only from one plantation to another in the
same neighborhood, but as the grain either for feed or seed is widely
distributed the pest has been carried from one State or section to
another. This has been especially true in the last few. years.

The varieties of oats ordinarily raised in the South have been
seriously injured year after year by rust. Recently strong efforts
have been made to secure a variety which should be practically rust
proof. Such a variety has been grown in the State of Texas and has
been widely sold throughout the entire Gulf region under the name
of Texas rust-proof oats. These oat: were largely raised on land
where Johnson grass was flourishing, and a large proportion of the
grain contained the seed of Johnson grass. Wherever these oats have
been sold Johnson grass has been introduced, and many plantations
which had been kept scrupulously free from it for many years have
been unwittingly seeded to this dreaded pest in this way. It has also
been widely scattered along the rights of way of railroads. This has
come to pass through the shipments of the baled hay from which the
ripe seed has scattered along the track through the motion of the cars,
and through the medium of stock cars in which this grass has been
used for feed or for bedding the animals.

Johnson grass is also disseminated by means of the underground
stems or rhizomes. Wherever a plant is started from seed these
strong creeping rhizomes are thrust out and the patch grows slowly
but steadily larger each succeeding year. Whenever a plow or other
cultivating instrument passes through one of these patches fragments
of the stems are frequently dragged for some distance and there

CONTROL. 11

establish a new growth of the plant. Occasionally pieces of the
stems become wedged in the hoofs of cattle crossing plowed fields
and are carried for some distance before coming free again, and where
they lodge a new center of infection is established.

CONTROL,

In the consideration which has just been given to the methods by
which Johnson grass spreads so rapidly it was found that the ripe
seed was the important factor in dissemination. The question of con-
trolling this pest, then, resolves itself directly into the question of
controlling the seed production of the grass. In short, the spreading
of the grass would be almost completely checked if it were not allowed
to produce seed. This may look like a very serious problem, and yet
there is little doubt that nine-tenths or more of the Johnson grass
which is allowed to mature seed is in cultivated fields or in other
places where it is easily accessible and where seed production could
be prevented. At the same time it should be remembered that it is in
these most accessible fields and patches of the grass that ripened seed
does the greatest damage. Except on the comparatively few large
plantations where Johnson grass is grown as a hay crop and where its
cultivation has been carried on successfully for many years, the utmost
carelessness prevails in allowing the plants to mature seed. In a great
many meadows which are devoted entirely to this crop thorough cul-
tivation or plowing of the ground is given only at such long intervals
that the grass becomes much weakened. Where this is the case the
resulting crop is very irregular and uneven in its growth. Some
plants will put forth flowers and ripen seed before others show any
signs of doing so. The farmer who wishes to get the largest hay crop
for his labor delays his mowing until the first seeds have ripened and
fallen or are ripe enough to scatter from the hay after it is cut. This
method of harvesting the crop should be avoided. The meadow should
be so handled that the crop will be developed almost uniformly, as
is the case with a crop of wheat or oats, and the cutting could then be
so timed as to prevent the ripening of seeds on even the earliest of the
plants. It has been noted, especially in the States of Louisiana and
Texas, that even where a good, vigorous growth of Johnson grass was
to be made into hay the whole field was allowed to ripen its seed
before the cutting took place. This policy is not to be approved,
because of the dangers arising from the great quantities of seed thus
produced and because the hay is practically worthless for feed when
cut at that period of its growth. This point, however, is discussed at
greater length in another place.

Johnson grass growing along turn rows, fences, and roadsides should
be mowed frequently to prevent the ripening of the seeds. Inagreat
many instances, such as farms entirely inclosed by wire fences, a bunch

12 JOHNSON GRASS.

of cattle can be used and the grass thus kept grazed during the grow-
ing season. One State (Texas) has a law which deals with the seeding
of Johnson grass on the rights of way of railroads. Such areas should
be carefully looked after, and the production of seeds should not be
allowed in any of the States where the grass is troublesome. There
are, scattered about on pieces of land not in cultivation, small quan-
tities of Johnson grass, and these are likely to ripen their seed unmo-
lested unless they are grazed by cattle. The dangers arising from the
scattering of seed from these struggling plants are, however, very
small compared with those threatened by the wholesale production of
seed permitted in cultivated fields and meadows. It is to be under-
stood that this prevention of seeding is not recommended as a means
for killing the grass, but simply to check its rapid spread to land here-
tofore unoccupied by it. No method of extermination is likely to
prove successful so long as the area of infested ground is allowed to
increase so rapidly from year to year. During the course of this inves-
tigation a large number of representative and intelligent planters in
the different States visited were asked if, in their opinion, it was not
true that nine-tenths of the spread of Johnson grass into places where
it is not wanted was due to carelessness in allowing seed to ripen freely.
In every case the answer was in the affirmative. The State of Texas
alone among the States troubled by Johnson grass has enacted laws
dealing with the question. Copies of these statutes are here given
verbatim:
[H. B. No. 173, Twenty-fourth Texas legislature. 1895.]

AWN ACT to make it a penal offense for any person in this State to unlawfully sow, scatter, or place on
land not his own the seed or roots of Johnson grass or Russian thistles, or wilfully or knowingly
sell or give away hay, straw, oats, or grain containing or intermixed with the seeds or roots of
Johnson grass,

Section 1. Be it enacted by the legislature of the State of Texas, That if any person
in this State shall knowingly, wilfully, and with intent to injure, sow, scatter, or
place on any land not his own the seed or roots of Johnson grass or Russian thistle,
or wilfully and knowingly sell or give away any oats, hay, straw, seed, or grain con-
taining or intermixed with the seeds or roots of Johnson grass to anyone who is
ignorant of the fact that such seeds or roots are so contained in or intermixed with
such oats, hay, straw, seed, or grain, he shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor,
and on conviction thereof he shall be punished by fine of not less than twenty-five
dollars ana not more than one thousand dollars.

Section 2. In prosecutions under the preceding article it shall not be necessary for
the indictment to allege the name of the owner of the land, nor shall it be necessary
for the State to prove the name of such owner, but it shall be sufficient to allege and
prove that the land was not the property of the person accused.

Section 3. The near approach of the close of the session of the legislature, and
the crowded condition of the calendar, and the fact that it is improbable that this
bill can be read on three several days, create an emergency and imperative public
necessity that the constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several days
be suspended, and it is so enacted.

Norr.—This bill became a law without the signature of the governor.

ERADICATION. 13
[H. B. No. 470, Twenty-seventh legislature of Texas. General Laws, Twenty-seventh Legislature,
pp. 283-284. 1901.]

AWN ACT to prohibit railroad and railway companies or corporations in this State from permitting
Johnson grass or Russian thistles from going to seed upon their right of way, and fixing a penalty.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the legislature of the State of Texas, It shall hereafter be
unlawful for any railroad or railway company or corporation doing business in this
State to permit any Johnson grass or Russian thistle to mature or go to seed upon
any right of way owned, leased, or controlled by such railroad or railway company
or corporation in this State. :

Section 2. If it shall appear upon the suit of any person owning, leasing, or con-
trolling land contiguous to the right of way of any such railroad or railway company
or corporation that said railroad or railway company or corporation has permitted
any Johnson grass or Russian thistle to mature or go to seed upon their right of way,
such person so suing shall recover from such railroad or railway company or corpo-
ration the sum of twenty-five dollars, and any such additional sum as he may have
been damaged by reason of such railroad or railway company or corporation permit-
ting Johnson grass or Russian thistle to mature or go to seed upon their right of
way: Provided, Any owner of land or any person controlling land contiguous to the
right of way of any such railroad or railway company who permits any Johnson
grass or Russian thistle to mature or go to seed upon said land shall have no right
to recoyer from such railroad or railway company as provided for in this act.

Nore.—This act took effect April 9, 1901, thirty days after adjournment.

The provisions of these laws are excellent, in spirit at least, but as
with most other preventive and remedial legislation, their success-
ful enforcement depends largely upon a strong public sentiment of
approval. Until this sentiment is thoroughly aroused such laws are
apt to be dead letters. This fact becomes strongly evident when one
takes into consideration the large number of planters who cry out
against this nuisance and yet are engaged in the raising of oats badly
infected with Johnson grass. The mixed seeds of the two are largely
sold in other States as pure seed oats in spite of legislation to the
contrary.

ERADICATION.

A large number of planters who own land infested with Johnson
grass are firm in the belief that it can not be killed under any cireum-
stances or by any methods. This may have been true in their own
experience, and yet it is to be regretted that when the possibilities of
ridding the land of this grass have been fully proved so many allow
their prejudice to prevent their achieving similar desirable results.
They are convinced that it can not be done, and so refuse to accept these
evidences of successful work or to try it for themselves. There is no
one method which can be recommended as certain to be successful
under all conditions. Within the area of the United States now
infested with Johnson grass there is too wide a variation in the condi-
tions of heat and moisture and character of soil to allow of unvarying
times and methods of culture. Therefore, in any method much must
depend on the good judgment of the cultivator. There is no doubt,

14 JOHNSON GRASS.

however, that fields have been entirely freed from this pest. Instances
have been found in almost every community. They are most common
in those States where Johnson grass has been longest known and where
the planters haye become most familiar with it. In some cases these
good results have been obtained under field conditions; in others sue-
cessful results have been obtained where only small patches were
concerned. In this latter case the means used would often not be
practicable or economical if the work required was on a large scale.
A yery large number of methods for destroying Johnson grass have
been advocated at different times and places. Many of these are
worthless, having been advocated by those not very familiar with the
plant, in its serious aspect, as a menace to crops. The conditions
necessary to the destruction of this grass are simple, but to fulfill them
all is a very difficult matter. To entirely rid a piece of land of John-
son grass requires that every seed and plant be destroyed. The
seeds in or on the soil must be made to germinate and the young
plants killed; all the old plants must be destroyed, and the complex
‘“‘root” system must be either killed or so discouraged that it will cease
to send up green sprouts, and so finally starve to death. There are
perhaps three general methods by which it is possible to accomplish
these results. The first is by hand labor; the second by field culti-
vation; the third by the use of chemical substances. The first and
second methods are frequently combined.

HAND LABOR.

Hand labor is naturally slow, expensive, and utterly impossible on
large areas. For small patches scattered about in fields or gardens or
in situations where teams and machinery can not be used to destroy
them, hand labor is most economical, having also the advantage of
being usually more thorough and less dependent on external conditions
than any other method. The plants are uprooted and all the stems
to the last fragment removed from the soil, all being hauled away
and burned to prevent their taking root again and doing further
damage. The great difficulty of this method lies in reaching the depth
necessary to find all the stems, and it is also always uncertain that
every one of the small fragments has been removed from the soil; but
both must be done before there can be any assurance that the spot is
free from danger of anew crop. The question of hand labor as a
factor in destroying this grass will be considered in connection with
certain patent methods.

CULTIVATION.

When it is desired to destroy Johnson grass by cultivation, there
are a variety of methods that may be employed. The land may be
fallowed in summer or in winter, or it may be worked in some crop.

ERADICATION. 15

A combination of two of these may be used. The purpose of culti-
vating in summer fallow is to expose the underground stems to the
heat of the sun; that of cultivating in the winter fallow to expose
them to the action of frosts.

WINTER FALLOW.

The method of winter fallowing the land and frost killing the grass
can be used in only a small part of the large Johnson grass region.
The grass does not usually become very troublesome where the climate
is cold enough to allow of killing the exposed stems by frost. There
is, however, a considerable area in the northern part of the Johnson
grass belt where this method will be quite successful in the average
winter. The performance is quite simple and very effective. The
field is plowed up in the late autumn to a depth of about 3 or 4, or
even 5, inches, depending on the amount of frost that may be expected.
This soil is left exposed until the stems in the turned portion have
been killed by the cold. The ground should then be plowed again,
preferably crosswise to the first plowing. The second plowing should
go to a greater depth than the first, in order to turn up a new layer of
fresh, uninjured stems. By plowing crosswise the second time any
stems left deeply covered in the turned soil at the first plowing are
more apt to be exposed, while any cutting and covering done during
the first operation would be unfailingly remedied by the second.
Ordinarily two plowings would be sufficient for the purpose. No
doubt some pieces of stems will survive even this treatment. Where
the number is small and the patches scattered, it is best to dig them
out by hand during the growing season.

SUMMER FALLOW.

The most uniformly successful method of destroying the grass is
that of summer plowing fallow land. The field may be sown in the
fall to some grain crop, to be taken off in the late spring. If the land
is a meadow, one cutting of hay may be secured before the time for
the destruction of the grass. The best time to commence the proc-
ess of eradication varies. It must be done during the six weeks
or two months when the longest period of hot, dry weather may
be expected. This will be between the last of June and the first
of September ordinarily. It may, however, commence as early as
June 1, or even in May, as was the case the past summer. If the
grass is growing vigorously at the time the plowing is begun, the
more surely will it be killed by the disturbance and exposure of its
stems. If itis ina resting condition, any cultivation during the grow-
ing season will serve only to promote a more rapid growth unless the
grass has been greatly weakened by previous unfavorable conditions.

At the first plowing the soil should be turned to a depth of 2 or 3

16 JOHNSON GRASS.

inches or a little more. This will depend upon the mechanical condi-
tion of the soil and the quantity of stems present in it. If the soil is
loose and open and the quantity of stems in it is not great enough to
form a compact sod, the land may be safely turned to a depth of over
8 inches. If, however, the land is of a firm and tenacious character,
turning up in clods or sods, or if the stems are abundant enough to
produce this effect, the plowing should be shallower. In any case the
soil turned over must not be deeper than the sun will penetrate with
killing power; otherwise that portion of the stems buried most deeply
by the turning will remain uninjured and will be stimulated to vigor-
ous growth. This renders the labor of destruction more difficult than
if a shallower stratum had been turned and all the stems included in it
killed by the heat. In some cases it may be desirable to use a disk or
acme harrow on the land immediately after the first plowing, both in
order to level the surface if it be clodded and to expose more of the
disturbed stems than would otherwise be done. The field should then
be allowed to remain undisturbed until the sun has had time to do its
effective work and until a new growth has appeared from that portion
of the stems below the level of the first plowing.

When this growth has reached a height of about 5 inches, showing
that the living rhizomes are again vigorous, the second plowing should
be given. This should be done crosswise of the field, or at right angles
to the first plowing, in order to certainly remedy any cutting and coy-
ering done during the first plowing. The second plowing should be
about 2 inches deeper than the first if possible. This also will vary
with the condition of the soil and the depth of the first plowing. The
idea is to turn up a fresh layer of the underground stems to the action
of the sun, and the same requirements as to the thickness of the layer
of fresh stems thus turned should be observed.

The success of this method of summer killing will be seen to depend
very largely upon the length of time during which dry, hot weather is
maintained. If a period of rain should set in after the first plowing
has been done and before the stems exposed by the plowing are dead
their vigor will be increased and the length of time necessary to kill
them will be thus extended. In that event as many as three plowings
might be necessary in order to complete the work of destruction.
However, in most of the Johnson grass belt several weeks of fairly hot
and dry weather may be confidently looked for during the summer.

Where the soil is not too hard or lumpy a spring-toothed harrow
may be used to drag the stems from the soil after plowing. They can
then be collected and burned. Even under the most favorable condi-
tions it is probable that some stems will escape destruction and pro-
duce new growth when the rains commence. The importance of
completely ridding the field of the grass can not be too strongly urged.
The small scattered patches do not at first eppear troublesome or dan-

ERADICATION. iG

gerous, and too often they are neglected and allowed to quickly reseed
the whole field. A comparatively small amount of labor will clear
them out to the last stems, and the desired result will thus be secured.
If this is not done the good results of the repeated plowings are lost
and the field is soon as bad as ever.

CULTIVATION IN CROPS.

Many planters have testified that they have cleared their fields of
Johnson grass without interrupting the ordinary system of cropping.
In some instances this has been done in a single season. In others it
has been accomplished only in from three to five years of labor. The
crop raised is usually cotton, and the method always involves a large
amount of hand labor. This method is expensive, and yet where it can
be practiced the more thorough cultivation thus given is repaid by the
increased yield of the crop. To be successful it must be entered into
in no half-hearted way, as it always demands careful work and unre-
laxed vigilance. At every plowing or cultivating of the land the stems
exposed on the surface are removed from the field and destroyed.
Plants persisting in the rows are dug out and destroyed when the crop
is hoed, and this constant warfare is repeated month after month and
year after year, if necessary, until the land is free.

PATENTED METHODS.

A Texas company has patented a cultural method of killing the grass.
This method has been widely advertised and has been the subject of
several inquiries received by this office from Texas planters. For
these reasons a thorough investigation of the method was made.

The process of this company is as follows: The ground is broken
to a depth of about 3 inches some time during the winter. The
broken ground is then pulverized with a harrow as deep as it was
broken, for the purpose of breaking up the rootstocks and stimulat-
ing anearly and vigorous growth of the grass in the spring. The
grass is then allowed to grow undisturbed until about the middle of
April, when the land is again broken and the green grass turned
under. About one week after this second breaking the ground is
again pulverized as deeply as plowed. The land, whether allowed to
remain fallow or planted in cotton, is then cultivated from five to
eight times during the season. The intervals between the cultivations
extend from a week to twenty days, depending upon the growth of
tae grass, which should be allowed to make a good, vigorous start
between cultivations. Each cultivation should be made as deep as the
land is mellow, which should be 6 or 8 inches after several cultivations,
the purpose being to stimulate the grass to the greatest possible
growth, and by never allowing it to reach any considerable height its
vitality will finally be exhausted and it will thus be killed.

13843—No,. 11—02 2

18 JOHNSON GRASS.

If this method-is used on fallow land it will be seen that a much
greater amount of work is required than would be necessary by the
process of summer cultivation outlined above. It is also required
that the work be done during the spring and early summer when
planters are usually very busy. If, instead, the land be cultivated in
a cotton crop during these operations the fact that the land can be
broken or cultivated in but one direction only renders the labor much
more difficult. The plants which are growing in the cotton row are
untouched by the frequent deep cultivations and continue their growth
unchecked. In order to exterminate the plants the slow and expen-
sive method of digging them out by hand must be employed. If suc-
cessfully done this method also endangers the life of the young cotton
plants. The principles on which this method of extermination are
based are doubtless sound, but the successful working out of the method
is always expensive. For this reason it is not likely to be adopted by
any of the numerous renters who make up a large proportion of the
agricultural population in all the Southern States. It must also be
remembered that since this method has been patented it can not be
used by any planter except by the consent and under the direction of
the patentee. The charge made by this company for directing their
methods during the past season was $2 per acre. In return they guar-
anteed that if directions were implicitly followed the grass would be
exterminated. There is no doubt that the same amount of labor
expended during the late hot summer could be much more cheaply per-
formed and would be equally successful. The payment of the bonus
of $2 per acre would not be required and the planter would take advan-
tage of aseason when his growing crops did not demand all his attention.

USE OF CHEMICALS.

A variety of chemical substances have been employed for destroy-
ing Johnson grass. Among these are salt, kerosene, lime, bleaching
powder, and some more complex mixtures, such as nitrate of soda and
white arsenic or arsenious acid in water. A certain proportion of
these last-named chemicals has been patented for this purpose.

Common salt has frequently been used by planters for killing this
grass. It is generally applied broadcast, but is sometimes used as a
brine. So far as known, it has never been used on any large fields of
the grass, but commonly only on small patches, in gardens, ete. The
effect of salt, when used in definitely known quantities, has not been
determined, because on the small patches no record is usually kept of
the amount actually used or of the size of the patch. It is quite certain
that in such cases a larger amount per acre is used than could be prof-
itably applied in large areas. There is also considerable uncertainty
as to the actual value of salt in any quantity. Some planters have
reported that when applied in a layer 2 inches deep on the surface of

UTILIZATION. 19

the ground the grass was killed. Others report results directly oppo-
site. Wherever it is applied in the dry form there is always danger of
much of it being washed away if the first succeeding rain happens to
be heavy. The effect of salt upon the roots beneath the surface is
entirely lost unless it is carried into the ground. It can not be recom-
mended as an effective agent for field use.

Kerosene has been used in about the same way as salt. Its value as
a destroying agent is doubtful. Mr. David Williams, of Washington,
Tex., reported using about 1 gallon on a patch 6 feet square with
perfect success. No Johnson grass appeared in the two years follow-
ing. The oil used in this case was probably refined oil, which is
expensive. Since the discovery and opening of the great oil fields in
southern Texas, crude oil can be secured at a much lower rate than the
refined article, and it would probably be quite as effective for killing
vegetable growth as the refined oil. [It would, however, be much
more difficult to apply the crude oil on account of its thicker consist-
ency, but for this same reason it would not be as easily washed from
the soil.

Chloride of lime or bleaching powder has also been recommended
for this use, but its value has not been definitely proved. The
solution of white arsenic and nitrate of soda, referred to above, was
patented in 1898 by Mr. William A. Chapman, of Cleburne, Tex., and
is made and used in the following manner: One pound of white
arsenic is introduced into 6 gallons of water and boiled until the
arsenic is dissolved. The mixture is then completely cooled and 1
pound of nitrate of soda is dissolved in it. The addition of the nitrate
of soda is for the purpose of holding the arsenic in solution, as other-
wise it would recrystallize in the water and a repeated boiling would be
necessary each time it was desired to use the solution. The poisonous
element is the arsenic. It is intended to apply this liquid with a
sprinkling pot, and one or perhaps two applications are recommended.
No further information as to this patent compound has been secured.

ELECTRICITY.

Electricity has frequently been advocated as a sure method for
eradicating all vegetable pests. A few years ago it was reported that
a company was being organized in Fresno, Cal., to utilize this method,
but nothing further has been heard of it. Electricity can not be
satisfactorily and economically used until different and less expensive
methods of applying it are discovered.

UTILIZATION OF JOHNSON GRASS.

So great an evil has Johnson grass become in the grain fields and
cotton plantations that many planters ana others have become violently

20 JOHNSON GRASS.

prejudiced against it. They refuse even to listen to the suggestion that
it makes a valuable and nutritious hay, and wish to hear of nothing
but its complete and rapid extermination. Nevertheless, the fact
remains that in the States of Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi,
where the grass has been long established, many hay farms of several
hundred acres each now exist and have existed for years. On some of
these, as for instance those in the Alabama Valley in the vicinity of
Montgomery and Selma, or in the famous Delta of Mississippi near
the Yazoo River, the production of Johnson-grass hay has been found
very profitable on lands which rarely produce less than a bale ora
bale and a half of cotton per acre. Of course, on these rich lands the
yield per cutting and the number of cuttings obtained in a single
season will, as a general rule, be greater than on poorer soils. At the
same time, the profit from any crop is less on poorer soils than on the
richer, so that under these conditions Johnson grass at the prices of
hay for the past few years is a profitable hay crop throughout the
Southern States. It has advantages over several of the commercial
crops which can be raised in those States. In the first place, a meadow
can be very easily set in Johnson grass if that be desirable. On many
plantations, however, good meadows, or what would quickly make
good meadows if permitted, have already been formed, and the growth
is vigorous, luxuriant, and long continued. The yield is large, and
the quality of the hay when cut at the proper time is not exceeded by
any other hay on the market, although this may sound like a strong
statement. Of course, Bermuda hay is finer and probably yields more
food, ton for ton, but the yield per acre is not usually as large, while
the labor of cutting and curing is greater, and the hay is so fine that
considerable of it is wasted in feeding. In most markets where
Johnson-grass hay comes into competition with other hays it does not
sell for as high a price, it is true, but this is due to several causes,
chief among which is probably the fact that the hay has not been of
first quality because of having been allowed to become mature and
woody before cutting. There is also a strong prejudice against it,
because so much of it contains ripe seed which the users are afraid of
introducing into fields.

There have been many inquiries concerning the nutritive value of
Johnson grass, and two tables of chemical analyses are given to show
this value. Table I, adapted from Bulletin No. 20 of the Texas Agri-
cultural Experiment Station, shows the composition of the grass at
different stages of growth. The amount of water is first calculated
and then the percentage of the ingredients in the dry material. The
carbohydrates and albuminoids of this table are the same as the nitrogen-
free extract and the protein, respectively, of the second table. The
total nitrogen given in the third line from the bottom is the amount

UTILIZATION. : 21

of that substance in the albuminoids or protein, and is the sum of
the albuminoid and amid nitrogen given in the last two lines of the
table.

TaBLe I.
Time when cut and state of growth.
: E F = 5 =) 99__| o |
Aprin2—|AB to 10 | datos | Isto a0 | seed in | MAY 18—
high. inches wehes inches dough | mature.
gh. igh. nigh, state.
| Per cent. | Per cent. | Per cent. | Per cent. | Per cent. Per cent.
VSO > cosa Ap BAe Heo sesoaaaesoosesocene 77.44 | 86.09 80.9 76.5 69.33
INN Ae OR SoS B CE BESO CECE SOE 11. 62 10.38 7.98 6.36
Ether extracts (fats)*..........-.--..- 8.60 6.52 4.11 4.07
(Grd 6 1fl Dereere saa sen eee ear ann ss 18.74 25.29 33. 32 33. 66
WarboRyGrates ma o< arena ecse scerinc cess 41.5 43.75 45,15 46,10
AUD TIMINOIGS anes meee ea n= ees ss 19, 54 14. 06 9.44 9.81
(Motalmitroeen=so-e..- <== a 3.12 3. 2.25 1.51 1.57
Albuminoid nitrogen ..........--.... 2.72 2: 1.96 1.34 1.40
AGNI GINO RSM as cemstan nian seen = 2-4 23 40 1.00 +29 Sale) aly)
|

«The ether extract in thisand in the analyses of the other grasses, especially in the younger plants,
represents more than the true fats, owing to the large amount of coloring matter removed.

It should be remembered that only a large series of analyses at dif-
ferent stages can show conclusively at what period the grass has the
highest nutritive value. This may differ from the time when it has
the highest feeding value to the farmer. To him the time when the
grass gives the largest yield must also be taken into consideration.
This may not be exactly the time when its nutritive value is highest.
The time for cutting Johnson grass, as above stated, is when just in
flower or a little earlier than the ‘‘ dough” stage of Table I. It will
be noted that the percentage of water and ash or mineral matter in the
table gradually decreases as the plant gets older. The carbohydrates
are about the same at both ends of the test. The valuable albuminoid
or muscle-making material is greatest when the plant was 12 to 18
inches high, after which it decreases rapidly, while the crude fiber
increases with the age of the grass. From this table Johnson grass
would appear to have the greatest nutritive value when about 20 inches
high or perhaps a little more, but of course the yield at this period
would be considerably less than when the grass is in flower. Larger
series of analyses would be very helpful in more accurately determin-
ing just when the grass should be cut.

Table II contains comparative analyses of timothy, redtop, Johnson
grass, and red clover hays. The figures for timothy are the average
of 68 analyses; for redtop, the average of 9 analyses; for red clover,
38 analyses; and for Johnson grass, 3 analyses of air-dried hay and 7
analyses of the water-free substance.

bo
bo

JOHNSON GRASS.

Taste II.
Fresh or air-dry substance. | Water-free substance.
| Nitro- | | Nitro-
Kind of forage. | Crude pen: Ether | Crude | gen- | Ether
Water.) Ash.) pro- | Fiber.| free | ex- | Ash.| pro- | Fiber.| free ex-
tein. | ex- | tract. | tein. | ex- | tract
tract. | | tract.
ies - = | aa | an |
Timothy hay .-...... 13.2 | 4.4 5.9 | 29.0 | 45.0 2.5 | 5.1 6.8 | 33.5 51.7 2.9
|
| Redtop hay.......... | 8.9 5.2 7.9 | 28.6 47.4 1.9 | 5.7 8.7 | 31.4 | 52.1 2.1
Johnson grass hay...) 10.30 6.77 | 7.30 |°29.34 | 44.12 | 2.16 | 6.62 | 6.44 | 34,22 | 50.89 | 1.96
Red cloyer hay...... | 15.3 | 6.2 |12.8 | 248+] 381 13.8 | 7.3 | 145 |/29.1 | 45.2 | 8.9
| |

From this table we see that an analysis of three samples of Johnson
grass shows it to contain very nearly as much protein as redtop hay,
and considerably more than timothy hay, the figures being 7.3 per
cent, 7.9 per cent, and 5.9 per cent, respectively. None of them con-
tain as much as the rich red clover. In the water-free substance,
however, the Johnson grass shows a little less protein than either of
the other grasses; in fat, too, it averages a little lower. The amounts
of fiber and nitrogen-free extract do not differ enough from those of
timothy and redtop to deserve special mention. When we consider
that Johnson grass yields much heavier than either timothy or redtop,
and that it is nearly equal to these in feeding value, we realize that it
is an exceedingly valuable hay grass for the Southern States.

It must not be forgotten that in order to properly produce this hay
intelligent care and cultivation of the meadow is necessary. Any
idea that a meadow once set may be cropped indefinitely without
further treatment must be abandoned at once. To secure the best
results, both in quality and quantity of forage, the meadow should be
broken up at least every second year. If this thorough plowing is
delayed longer than the third year the growth of the grass is greatly
weakened by the crowding of the growing rootstocks or underground
stems and the consequent checking of the growth of the grass. The
meadow should be given a thorough plowing to a depth of several
inches, and the land should then be harrowed until smooth in order to
present a good surface for mowing. There need be no fear of
destroying the meadow if this plowing is done in the spring, or in the
fall where there is little danger from winter frosts. The vigor of the
plants is greatly increased by this thorough breaking up of the matted
stems, and the following crop will be even and luxuriant in growth.

The grass should be cut when the flower heads have begun to open.
Tf cut at this time the hay made from it will be of the finest quality
and there will be no danger from ripened seed. The yield may not
be quite as large per acre, but the quality will be better, and the grass
will renew its growth more rapidly.

Some of the most successful planters in the Johnson grass region

UTILIZATION. 23

make a practice of sowing some other crop on the meadow when
they break it up. Oats may be sown, and an early spring crop of
good oat hay be thus secured. This crop will contain some Johnson
grass, but not much. The second cutting will be earlier if following
an oat crop than if the grass be allowed to grow alone. Another
practice which serves two good purposes is the sowing of cowpeas in
the Johnson grass meadow when it is broken. This may be done at
any time during the spring or early summer. The cowpeas will not
only furnish excellent hay, which combines well with the Johnson
ss hay as a feeding ration, but, as is well known, they also help to
restore the fertility of the soil. Such a sowing is therefore especially
desirable wherever meadows are established on the poorer soils. If
the growth of Johnson grass is more rapid than that of the pea vines,
and there is danger of the latter being choked out by the vigorous
grass, the mowers should be run over the meadow with the bar raised
high enough to cut the tops of the Johnson grass without injuring
the pea vines.

Johnson grass is not of especial value as a pasture grass. Its growth
does not begin until rather late in the spring and does not last after
the first heavy frost of autumn. Throughout its range, however, it is
grazed to quite a large extent during the summer and affords an
abundant and nutritious pasturage. This is especially true in moist
or irrigated soils where its summer growth is not checked by drought.
All kinds of farm stock graze it well and thrive upon it. There is
a rather widely prevalent idea that it can be killed by pasturing. ‘The
growth of the grass is much checked and weakened by close pasturing,
especially if continued for several years in succession. This is due
not so much to trampling and grazing as to the close crowding and
matting of the stems in the soil, thus literally choking the grass out.
The remedy for this is to break up the land every third or fourth
year, thus giving the stems a new and vigorous impulse to growth.

A few cases of cattle having been poisoned by grazing Johnson grass
have been reported. These reports have been noted only through the
papers, none having been made directly to this Department. Authen-
tic details are rarely given in such cases, and very little weight can
be given to these rumors. Since Johnson grass is closely related to
sorghum, which is known to be poisonous under some circumstances,
it would not be surprising if Johnson grass should also be poisonous
under like conditions. - Investigations have been conducted for sey-
eral years to determine the cause of sorghum poisoning, but as yet
without conclusive results. Neither sorghum nor Johnson grass is
likely to be abandoned as a stock food, however, because of the
infrequent danger from poisoning. In comparison with the great
number of cattle fed or pastured on Johnson grass the reported cases
of poisoning are extremely rare.

24 JOHNSON GRASS.

SUMMARY.

Johnson grass is a tall, vigorous grass, closely related to the sor-
ghums, with a very strong system of long, jointed, underground stems,
popularly known as roots. Each joint of this underground stem is
capable of producing a new plant.

It isa native of the tropics of the Old World, and was first introduced
into this country asa hay grass in South Carolina about sixty years
ago. :

It has spread rapidly throughout the entire south to the Pacific coast
and thence north to British Columbia. It thrives best in rich, moist,
alluvial or irrigated soil, where it is also most difficult to eradicate.

It is commonly spread by means of its seeds. They are widely scat-
tered from hay cut after the seed has matured, and are often planted
with seed oats. The seeds are unharmed by passing through the
digestive tract of animals, and are thus widely scattered in manure.

The grass should never be allowed to ripen its seeds in meadows,
fields, or along roads, fences, or railways.

It can be destroyed by hand labor—digging out the underground
stems.

Under field conditions it is best killed by plowing fallow land during
hot, dry weather. The stems are thus exposed to the heat of the sun
and soon killed. The same result follows the action of severe frosts.

It can also be killed during the cultivation of a cotton crop by much
extra hand labor.

Various chemical substances have been tried but none have thus far
proved successful and economical.

Johnson grass makes a very good quality of hay when cut while
just in flower, and it may be profitably cultivated throughout the
South for this purpose. Meadows should be broken up at least every
third year to loosen the matted stems. It is not necessary to reseed
meadows when thus treated.

Cow peas may be sown in the grass when it is broken in the spring.
When broken in the fall, oats may be used with it. It affords good
pasture during summer when treated in the same way as meadows.

O

‘anita

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