Full text of Agricultural News Letter : Vol. 12, No. 4

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AGRICULTURAL
NEWS LETTER
F E D E R A L

R E S E R V E

Vol. 12, No. 4

B A N K

OF

D A L L A S

DALLAS, T E X A S

A pril 15, 1957

NITROGEN BOOSTS COASTAL BERMUDA PROFITS
Heavy applications of nitrogen fertilizer
must be used on irrigated Coastal Bermuda
grass in order to obtain maximum returns on
investment, according to tests conducted by
Richard A. Schwartzbeck, assistant agro­
nomist of the Winter Garden Agricultural
Experiment Station at Crystal City, Texas.
Average yields for 1955 and 1956 ranged
from 2.88 tons of air-dry forage per acre on
irrigated plots receiving no nitrogen to 13.03
tons per acre on those fertilized with 600
pounds of elemental nitrogen (1,800 pounds
of 33.5 percent ammonium nitrate).
Besides the check plots which received no
nitrogen and those which received 600
pounds, four other groups of check plots re­
ceived elemental nitrogen at rates of 120
pounds, 240 pounds, 360 pounds, and 480
pounds, respectively, during each of the 2
years. The nitrogen was applied, following
each cutting of Coastal Bermuda grass, in
four equal applications. All plots received
an annual application of 200 pounds of 45
percent superphosphate.
Mr. Schwartzbeck calculated costs and re­
turns per acre for each of the different levels

of fertilization for established pastures of
irrigated Coastal Bermuda grass. In making
the calculations, he used average production
costs of farms in the area growing Coastal
Bermuda grass under irrigation, $78 a ton as
the cost of treble superphosphate, $95 as the
cost of ammonium nitrate, and a forage value
of $30 a ton.
Throughout the test, the net return per
acre increased constantly as successively
heavier applications of nitrogen were made,
indicating that — under the cost-price rela­
tionships used — additional profits could be
obtained even if more than 600 pounds of
nitrogen were used. A net return of $46.60
per acre was obtained when no nitrogen was
applied, but a net return of $265.60 was real­
ized with an application of 600 pounds of
elemental nitrogen.
Although Mr. Schwartzbeck used a forage
value of only $30 per ton, net returns would
have been greatest at the 600-pound nitrogen
level even if forage had been valued at $20
per ton. These data suggest that unless the
farmer has more remunerative uses for his
capital, it may be unwise to restrict use of
fertilizer on irrigated Coastal Bermuda grass

PRODUCTION COSTS AND CALCULATED INCOME FROM THE APPLICATION OF NITROGEN
FERTILIZER ON IRRIGATED COASTAL BERMUDA GRASS, 1955 AND 1956
Crystal City, Texas
Pounds of
elemental
nitrogen applied
per acre annually

0
120
240
360
480
600

Tons of
air-dry
forage
per acre

Fertilizer
cost per
acre

2.88
6.70
9.80
10.70
11.96
13.03

$ 7.80
24.90
42.00
59.10
76.20
93.30

Total
cost per
acre1

$ 39.80
56.90
74.00
91.10
108.20
125.30

Gross
returns
per acre2

$ 86.40
201.00
294.00
321.00
358.80
390.90

Net return
per acre

$ 46.60
144.10
220.00
229.90
250.60
265.60

Net return
per dollar
invested

$1.17
2.53
2.97
2.52
2.32
2.12

1 Includes fertilizer and the following production costs per acre: Irrigation (seven times), $28, and top-dressing fertilizer
(four times), $4; total, $32 per acre.
2 Air-dry forage valued at $30 per ton.

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AGRICULTURAL NEWS LETTER

in the Crystal City area in order to reduce
farm operating expenses.

At the Agricultural Research Center of
the Department of Agriculture, at Beltsville,
Maryland, tenderness experiments have been
The net return of $2.97 per dollar invested made with rabbits and, to a lesser extent, with
in fertilizing, irrigating, and top-dressing the beef cattle. Tenderness in rabbits was found
Coastal Bermuda grass was the highest when to have a “heritability factor” of about 53
240 pounds of elemental nitrogen were ap­ percent and in beef cattle, of about 41 per­
plied per acre. This return compares with cent. These percentages represent the degree
$1.17 when no nitrogen was used and $2.12 to which tenderness is determined by genetic
when 600 pounds were applied. Yields of differences. Other factors greatly influencing
forage continued to increase beyond the 240meat tenderness in individual animals are the
pound per acre level, but at a diminishing
age, sex, and fatness of the animals and the
rate.
management practices used by stockmen.

Chemical Weed Killer fo r
Fence Rows
A chemical weed killer is more effective
and safer than fire in eliminating grass and
weeds along fence rows, says Kenneth A.
Koch, assistant engineer at the Louisiana
Agricultural Extension Service.
Wooden fence posts may catch fire and be
damaged close to the ground, where they are
subject to rot. Also, heat from fire may de­
stroy the galvanized coating on the fence wire
and cause it to rust.

Meat Tenderness Inherited
Research by the United States Department
of Agriculture shows that meat tenderness is
inherited in animals and can be passed to
succeeding generations through selective
breeding.
Scientists of the A gricultural Research
Service of the United States Department of
Agriculture are studying the heritability of
meat tenderness as an approach to the pro­
duction of animals that consistently will pro­
duce tender meat. In addition, they are trying
to develop a quick, reliable test for meat
tenderness which can be used on live animals.
One method being explored involves biopsy
samples (taking samples of live muscle tissue
for laboratory analysis). Animals showing
desirable meat tenderness characteristics
could be used as breeding stock.

Although no extensive advances have been
made in the development of more tender
beef animals by selection and breeding, per­
sonnel at the Department of Agriculture are
optimistic about the possibility of improving
meat tenderness, especially in larger animals,
through breeding programs.

Sorghum AImum
The best use of sorghum almum— a peren­
nial similar in appearance to Johnson grass
— seems to be for grazing and perhaps for
soil conservation, according to E. M. Trew,
agronomist with the Texas Agricultural Ex­
tension Service. The nutritive value of the
crop probably is about the same as for John­
son and Sudan grasses.
In clipping tests at Denton, Temple, and
the Brazos River bottom near College Sta­
tion, the amount of hay produced by sorghum
almum was about the same as or slightly more
than that produced by Sweet and Common
Sudan grass. However, greater yield differ­
ences have been reported from the Rolling
Plains area. On the lighter soils of that area,
the crop seems to be more drought-tolerant
than either Johnson grass or Sudan grass.
During 1956, sorghum almum was grown
in 60 grass-legume demonstration nurseries
in the eastern half of Texas. On the deeper,
more fertile soils, production often exceeded
that of Johnson and Sudan grasses; but on the
shallower, poorer soils, the output often was
less. Production of sorghum almum declined

AGRICULTURAL NEWS LETTER

3

during the second and third years on shallow,
poor soils in nursery plots.

plant roots some substance that interferes
with normal growth of the plants.

According to Mr. Trew, the grass should
be planted in 36- to 42-inch rows on a seed­
bed prepared as for Sudan or grain sorghum.
Row planting permits cultivating for weed
control. The specialist suggests using 3 to 5
pounds of seed per acre to insure a good stand
and small stalk size and recommends plant­
ing at a depth of 1 to 2 inches. When soil tests
indicate the need, fertilizer should be applied
at or before planting time.

Witchweed seeds cannot germinate with­
out the help of suitable plants and may lie
dormant in the ground for years. Germina­
tion occurs only when the seed comes near
or in contact with the roots of certain crops
of the grass family, which evidently secrete
some substance that causes the weed seed
to begin growing. However, even after com­
ing in contact with these host plants, witch­
weed seeds normally remain dormant for
about 18 months.

Seedings of sorghum almum for grazing
should be divided into at least four blocks to
permit rotation grazing. The plants should be
at least 24 inches tall before livestock are
turned on the pasture, in order to decrease
the danger of prussic acid poisoning.
Sorghum almum for pure seed production
should be planted in fields which are free of
Johnson grass and are at least half a mile
from Johnson grass stands. Harvesting the
seed from standing plants with a combine re­
sults in excessive seed loss from shattering.
Hand harvesting often is practiced to prevent
this loss. In other cases, plants are cut with
a binder when the seed are almost mature;
bundles are shocked; and, after drying, the
heads are threshed by combine.

Witchweed Appears in the
United States
Witchweed, an insidious weed parasite
that destroys corn, rice, sorghums, and other
crops of the grass family by attacking their
roots, recently appeared in this country for
the first time, according to the United States
Department of Agriculture. The pest was
found at more than 40 scattered locations in
three counties in North Carolina and four
counties in South Carolina.
The harmless-looking weed parasite does
its damage below ground, penetrating the
roots of the host plants on which it lives and
depriving them of nutrients and water.
Witchweed may also inject into the host-

Scientists with the United States Depart­
ment of Agriculture are working to find an
economical control for the pest. Spraying
with 2,4-D will destroy witchweed plants
above ground, but the chemical is not ex­
pected to have any effect on dormant witch­
weed seed below the soil surface.
One of the control measures widely used
in South Africa is the planting of “trap crops”
(nonsusceptible plants that are not attacked
by witchweed but have roots able to cause
dormant seeds of the parasite to germinate).
These crops—which include peanuts, soy­
beans, and cowpeas—help to reduce the
pest’s numbers, since the witchweed seeds
they cause to germinate do not produce seed­
bearing plants. However, the Department of
Agriculture points out that trap crops and
other cropping methods do not always in­
sure witchweed eradication. Also, their use
may be costly to farmers.

Kill That Mesquite!
A dead mesquite tree is worth more than
a live one, declares G. O. Hoffman, range
specialist with the Texas Agricultural Ex­
tension Service.
A live mesquite tree 10 inches in diameter
uses a ton of water to produce a pound of
beans. That ton of water could produce 4
pounds of good grass! A mesquite tree can
be killed for 5 cents; if allowed to live, it
could represent a yearly loss of approxi­
mately $9.

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AGRICULTURAL NEWS LETTER

New Source of Cortisone?
Scientists of the United States Department
of Agriculture have labeled Agave lecheguilla the most promising native plant yet
found to yield substances which can be con­
verted to cortisone— a drug widely used for
the treatment of arthritis, inflammatory eye
diseases, asthma, and other painful ailments.
Common names for this plant are century
plant, aloe, and maguey.

the irrigation water pumped on their farms.
Evaporation losses alone in the area range
from 70 to 80 inches annually.
An underground concrete pipe installa­
tion—
1. Eliminates water losses from ditch
seepage and evaporation.
2. Does away with the weed problem on
ditch banks.
3. Makes cultivation of all field areas
easier and more complete.

Chemists at the Agricultural Research
Service of the Department of Agriculture
have discovered in Agave lecheguilla a sub­
stance known as smilagenin, from which
cortisone can be made by chemical methods.
Although higher-yielding plant sources of
cortisone-like drugs have been found, the
species is potentially important because it
grows in profusion in this country. The
possible use of this unwanted plant is of
particular interest to Texans as it covers
thousands of square miles of land in far
west Texas.

Although the cost of installing an under­
ground irrigation system is high, the system
is a permanent installation, and the savings
in water and labor and the improvement in
water distribution make it a worth-while en­
deavor, according to Mr. Black.

According to the scientists, “If Agave
proves to be an economical source of corti­
sone, harvesting it may lead to recovery of
land now ruined by this weed.” They also
point out that the plant may provide an
emergency source of cordage fiber, which is
used in making rope and cord.

A few years ago, 4 pounds of feed were
required to produce a pound of broiler
chicken meat, according to specialists at New
Mexico A. & M. College. This has been re­
duced to less than 3 pounds, and a further
reduction may be in prospect.

Underground Irrigation Systems
Increase

Automatic Poultry Watering Pays

Irrigation farmers in the High Plains area
of Texas added 710 miles of underground
concrete pipe to their irrigation facilities
from September 1, 1955, to September 1,
1956. Thus, a total of 2,532 miles of pipe is
now in use in that area, says George L. Black,
Jr., associate agent in irrigation for the Texas
Agricultural Extension Service with head­
quarters at Lubbock.
The first installation was made in 1948,
and last year’s additions amounted to 28
percent of the 9-year total. These installa­
tions demonstrate that farmers are trying to
conserve and get the most efficient use from

4. Permits the tying together of two or
more wells, which reduces labor costs.
5. Provides for better water distribution
over the entire farm.

Laying hens need plenty of clean, cool
water during hot summer months. According
to the Louisiana Extension Service, a 300hen flock can be expected to lay 5,100 more
eggs per year when watered automatically
than when watered by hand.
The increased annual income from auto­
matic watering of a flock of this size will
amount to $127, if the average price of eggs
is 30 cents per dozen.
The Agricultural News Letter is prepared in
the Research Department under the direction
of J. Z. Rowe, Agricultural Economist.