Pehen n ial Pei*pekghass 
7 
VI. Methods of Eradication and Control — Perennial Peppei’grass 
])el()iigs to a class of plants which is most difficult to eradicate from 
the soil. As has already been noted the plant has well developed 
root stocks which are able to penetrate the soil for several feet in a 
horizontal direction from the original plant. During Die season’s 
growth these root stocks store up food which is used during the next 
year to send out new shoots from the joints of the root stocks and 
these new shoots develop into new plants. Before the plant can 
lie killed the root stocks must be removed from the soil or killed 
in some other manner. This is ’a difficult proposition. StarvaDon of 
the root stocks by allowing them to send out new shoots which are 
cut off as fast as they develop will finally kill them. This is much 
easier said than done as the food stored up in the root stock is suffi- 
cient to send up a dozen or more shoots before it is exhausted. A 
farmer will successfully cut off the first two or three shoots but 
by the end of that time his faith in the method of control will 
weaken and he will neglect further cultivation. The next shoot will 
grow and store up new food in the root stock. As a result of his omis- 
sion to kill the third or fourth plant the weed will return to its 
first vigorous condition. 
A method of control of this weed to be effective must be one 
that is easily applied, that fits in with regular farm work and is 
not too expensive. It is difficult to find any one method that meets 
' these conditions. Prevention is far more effective than cure in this 
case but unfortunately many farmers are not in a position Avheie 
they can successfully prevent the weed from becoming a pest on 
their farms. At the present time it is being distributed with alfalfa 
or sweet clover seed. Farmers should refuse to buy and sow any 
alfalfa or sweet clover seed when the analysis of the State Seed 
T.almratory indicates the presence of perennial peppergrass seed. 
Once the weed is established it will require the most persistent efforts 
of farmers who are awake to the seriousness of this pest to com- 
pletely eradicate it as one individual plant which escapes them is 
able to re-seed the field. 
Following are some methods which have been tried in controlling 
this weed: ^ 
First — Eradication by clean cultivation. This means Avhat has 
been outlined above, namely keeping the ground absolutely free 
from any of the plants. To do this it will be necessary to thoroughly 
disc or cultivate the field at least once a Aveek and sometimes twice 
in the growing season so that at no time will the plant have a chance 
