ERADICATING QUACK GRASS 129 



Farm all unawares. We got the seed in some grass mix- 

 ture, and before we knew it, it had become a pest. There 

 had been brome grass in the field and we thought at first 

 we were only having trouble with that. Later we learned 

 with a good deal of alarm what had possession of us, and 

 began to fight it rather vigorously. At the outset we 

 plowed the field very thoroughly and with the harrow 

 kept the grass down till corn could be planted. We be- 

 gan to cultivate the corn before it was up, and cultivated 

 it^deep and often. To our joy the grass proved under 

 our Ohio sun easy to kill, once the roots were thrown up 

 to its rays. Twice during the summer men went through 

 the field with hoes and carefully dug out what the plows 

 had missed. To get after the worst patches I had spe- 

 cial tools made by taking 4-tined hay forks and having 

 their tines bent at right angles like human fingers. These 

 scratchers \vill dig down into a patch of quack grass and 

 pull out every root. It is not enough to cut off the tops 

 unless it is done more often than is practicable on the 

 ordinary farm. One must dig out the roots. To our de- 

 light the enemy has been put to flight. At really very 

 slight expense more than we should have taken to give 

 the corn thorough tillage, we have the grass so subdued 

 that it is rather hard to find. As I write men are search- 

 ing carefully for stray plants of it. We will repeat this 

 promising method next year and hope thus entirely to 

 eradicate it. 



We are foolish if we let quack grass encroach on our 

 cornbelt farms. It is sure to be a worse pest in the land 

 where small grain is the chief reliance. It must have a 



