JOHNSON GRASS. 257 



seasou is ])referred for seed, bnt it may be obtained from 

 the second. It may be cut for seed with the binder and 

 harvested with the ordinary grain separator. The bind- 

 er may with advantage be set to cut the crop high, to 

 avoid unnecessary work in threshing. The seed, when 

 proj^erly winnowed, shonhl weigh 25 pounds per meas- 

 ured bushel. Owing to the strong feeling that exists 

 against this i>rass, because of the difficultv in destrovino; 

 it, the demand for the seed has been very greatly cur- 

 tailed, and this has had the eifect of discouraging the 

 growth of seed. 



Benewing. — As with all plants that increase by means 

 of root-stocks, pushing out horizontally into the soil, the 

 tendency is constantly present in this grass to such in- 

 crease in the number of the plants as to cause them to 

 mat to the extent of decreasing growth. When this oc- 

 curs, ploughing the land and smoothing the surface will 

 renew growth in the same. And since growth in John- 

 son grass entirely ceases during the season of frost the 

 l^lan has been adopted in some instances of ploughing the 

 land in the fall and sowing on it a crop of winter turf 

 oats as previously intimated. But the grass should be 

 well set before this is attempted. The method which 

 arows clover earlv in the season for iiromotino- the 

 growth of the grass has already been referred to. 



Eradicating. — Testimony is almost unanimous in the 

 opinion that Johnson grass cannot be entirelv eradicated 

 where it has once obtained a foothold. That is not the 

 opinion of the author, who cherishes the view that if 

 the plants are not allowed to grow above ground for a 

 single season, they will die. To prevent them from 

 Grasses — 17. 



