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F E D E R A L
Vol. 6, No. 4

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NEWS LETTER

R E S E R V E__ B A N K
DALLAS, TEXAS

O F ___ D A L L A S
April 15, 1951

Mesquite Loses a Battle
Brush-free ranges produce 30 percent more
beef than ranges covered with moderate to
heavy stands of mesquite, according to re­
sults obtained at the Texas A gricultural
Experiment Substation at Spur. C. E. Fisher,
in charge of control work at Spur, says that
grasses grown in the sun contain more sugars
and starches and less crude fiber.
Clearing mesquite from range land also
simplifies the job of caring for the herd, since
strays and cripples are spotted more easily
and the roundup can frequently be com­
pleted in days instead of weeks. Some ranch­
men say this benefit alone is worth the cost
of clearing.
Until recently, however, the job of clear­
ing mesquite was a constant one, for killing
the top growth by either chemicals or me­
chanical methods gave only a temporary kill
of the brush. Growth buds on the stump,
extending 4 to 12 inches below the surface,
quickly produced a new and sometimes even
thicker stand of plants within a few years.
Moreover, clearing out the top growth en­
couraged germination of mesquite seeds
which cover the range country and which
may have been lying dormant for years.
Thus, the ranchman was faced with the task
of doing the job over every few years.
A relatively new chemical— 2,4,5,-T— is
giving new hope to ranchmen fighting the en­
croaching mesquite. During the tests at the
Spur Substation one application of this new
chemical gave 98-percent kill of top growth,
and nearly 50 percent of the plants showed

no regrowth more than 2 years later. In addi­
tion to the kill of mesquite nearly all annual
weeds, such as sunflowers, cockleburs, and
Russian thistles, were also destroyed. Cost of
applying the chemical averaged about $3.50
per acre— about $2.00 of which was for the
chemical.
This is the most encouraging news in the
fight against mesquite in many years and
appears to point the way toward satisfactory
control of this menace, which is estimated to
have reduced the potential production of
beef in Texas as much as 400,000,000 pounds
annually. It is found in moderate to heavy
stands on an estimated 55,000,000 acres in
113 counties of the State.
This method of control has proved so effec­
tive that it has been approved by the Texas
Production and Marketing Administration,
and paym ents under the Production and
Marketing Administration program will be
made if certain conditions are met in carry­
ing out the practice. Local Production and
Marketing Administration committees should
be consulted for these requirements, but, in
general, the payments will be made only for
treating areas where infestation of mesquite
is not less than 20 percent and the infesta­
tion of other brush not more than 10 percent.
The practice has been approved in all
Texas counties lying to the north and west of
a line drawn to include Andrews, Ector,
Crane, Upton, Reagan, Irion, Tom Green,
Concho, McCulloch, San Saba, Brown, Eastland, Stephens, Young, Archer, and Clay
Counties.

AGRICULTURAL NEWS LETTER

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No experimental work in mesquite control
with 2,4,5-T has been done east of this area,
and applications of the chemical south of the
area in 1950 did not prove to be effective. It
is hoped that additional research will develop
methods for controlling mesquite in those
sections.
The time and method of applying 2,4,5-T
are very im portant in obtaining maximum
success, and there are several general sugges­
tions which should be followed. More de­
tailed inform ation may be obtained from
C. E. Fisher, Director of the Agricultural Ex­
periment Substation at Spur, Texas, or from
ranchmen familiar with the operation.
Time of Application
The most effective kills have been ob­
tained when the chemical was applied as the
plants reached the first heavy foliage stage of
growth in the spring. This is usually about 40
to 90 days after the first leaves appear. The
treatment has also been found to be most
effective when applied following a period of
at least 60 days during which soil moisture
was normal or above. Treatment is not recom­
mended when drought conditions prevail or
earlier than 20 days after a drought has been
broken by general rains.
The kind of weather at the time of treat­
ment does not appear to be an important
factor in the effectiveness of the application.
D ifferences in tem perature and relative
humidity and even light rains before or after
application have not appeared to influence
the effectiveness of control.
Method of Application
The most effective method tested has been
the application of the chemical with airplanes
flying just above the top of the brush or trees.
The airplane spraying equipment should be
adjusted so as to distribute the spray solu­
tion in coarse droplets.
Ground machines can be used and are par­
ticularly good for application to scattered
stands or in areas around tanks or buildings
where airplanes cannot be used.

Kind of Spray Solution
Two-thirds to three-fourths of a pound of
acid per acre of a low volatile ester of 2,4,5-T
in a mixture of 1 gallon of diesel oil and 4
gallons of water has given the most satisfac­
tory results. Stronger solutions have not in­
creased the kill materially.
Precautions
These sprays containing 2,4,5-T even in
trace amounts will damage crops, such as cot­
ton, alfalfa, clovers, grapes, tomatoes, and
many others. Thus, extreme caution should
be used when applying these chemicals to
mesquite in order to avoid damage to grow­
ing crops. It should be remem bered that
when these sprays are applied with airplanes,
the spray may drift several miles. Only ex­
perienced operators who have the proper
type of spray equipment should be permitted
to handle these chemicals.

Cotton Hoeing Mechanized
Use of the rotary hoe— a relatively new
implement in the Southwest— is enabling
many farmers in this area to reduce their
costs of chopping and hoeing cotton by as
much as 60 percent, according to Fred C.
Elliott, extension cotton work specialist of
Texas A. 8s M. College.
The importance of such a saving in labor
costs is of special interest this year, since the
supply of labor available for chopping cotton
is limited. Moreover, the costs of producing
cotton this year, including labor, are expected
to be the highest of record, and a 60-percent
saving of hoeing and chopping costs can
mean the difference between profit and loss
in this year’s operation. It is estimated that
more than 10,000 Texas cotton farmers used
this means of lowering costs in 1950.
The rotary hoe is available in two styles:
a tractor-draw n implement and an attach­
ment to the tractor cultivator. The attach­
ment type is best suited to cotton because it
permits cultivation of the middles with the

AGRICULTURAL NEWS LETTER

cultivator sweeps while using the rotary hoe
in the row. The implement itself consists of
a number of sprockets about 12 to 18 inches
in diameter, mounted on a shaft. The teeth of
the sprockets are long and slightly curved.
The unit for each crop row usually consists
of four of these sprockets, spaced 4 inches
apart. They are mounted over the row be­
tween the cultivator sweeps and, in operation,
cover the row itself and about 6 inches on
either side. As the machine is moved over the
ground the teeth of the sprocket dig into the
soil, giving light cultivation in the row.
The rotary hoe is most effective during the
first week or two following planting. During
this time it can be used to break surface
crusts, enabling the cotton seedlings to grow
out faster, and to stir up the soil around the
young cotton plants, reducing the danger of
soreshin. Moreover, during this period the
rotary hoe will expose grass and weed seed­
lings to the action of sun and wind, thus re­
ducing materially the need for hoeing later
in the season.
The implement can be used until the cot­
ton plants are 3 to 4 inches high without
damaging them. A fter that, the center
sprockets can be removed and the two out­
side ones used for additional cultivation.
Mr. Elliott says that best results are ob­
tained when the tractor is operated in third
or fourth gears at speeds of 4 to 5 miles per
hour. Operation at slower speeds is much less
effective. The teeth of the sprockets should
be set so that they break the surface of the
ground to a depth of about V2 to 3A of an inch.

Improved Screivworm Remedy
A new screwworm remedy known as EQ335, containing lindane and pine oil, has been
developed by United States Department of
Agriculture entomologists. The material kills
maggots deep in infected tissues, as well as
newly hatched worms, and may also kill flies
attracted to the wounds.
EQ-335 can be applied with a paint brush
and will give protection for about 7 days. In

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bad cases the process should be repeated in
3 to 4 days and thereafter at 7-day intervals,
if necessary. It is particularly good for use on
sheep, since it does not stain the fleece. This
smear is also useful to protect against infec­
tion in wounds, such as those resulting from
branding, dehorning, docking, or castration.

Good grass is the cheapest and best food
for a dairy cow. Grazing must be supple­
mented with hay and silage to supply all the
forage that cows will eat every day of the
year.

“Condition” Cows fo r New
Pastures
Dairymen are urged to “condition” cattle
for new, lush, green pastures, especially
alfalfa and clover, in order to reduce the
danger of bloat.
U sually a feeding of dry
hay or stover just before turn­
ing the cattle on a new pas­
ture prevents them from eat­
ing too much of the succulent,
green feed, thus avoiding the
fo r m a tio n o f e x c e s s iv e
amounts of gas and resulting
bloat. Even when this precaution is taken,
cows should be watched carefully the first
few days they are turned on a new clover
or alfalfa pasture.
Another rule that should be followed with
new, succulent pastures is that once the cat­
tle have been turned on the pasture, they
should not be removed except at milking
time. If it becomes necessary to take them off
the pasture, the same precautions given
above should be followed when they are
again turned on the lush pasture.
In 3 years’ work with beef cattle on alfalfa
and alfalfa-grass mixtures at the Texas Tech­
nological College at Lubbock, there have
been no cases of bloat. Dean W. L. Stangel,
in charge of these tests, emphasizes that cat-

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AGRICULTURAL NEWS LETTER

tie are always given a full feeding of hay
before being turned on the pastures and then
are left on the pasture continuously through­
out the grazing period.
Farmers who are using clovers or alfalfa
pastures may find that some cases of bloat
will occur despite all of these precautions.
Therefore, they should keep a trocar in a
convenient place and learn how to use this
instrument to relieve the gas pressure caused
by bloat. If treatment is prompt, most ani­
mals can be saved by the use of this instru­
ment. A sharp jackknife can be used but is
much less desirable than a trocar.
Dairy Herd Improvement Association rec­
ords kept by Texas dairymen in 1949 show
that dairy cows producing 224 pounds ot buttertat returned $164 above teed costs, while
cows producing 475 pounds returned $497
above feed costs.

Pasture for Hogs Cuts Feed Costs
Swine growers can reduce their feed costs
in growing spring-farrowed pigs by at least
50 percent if plenty of good pasture is pro­
vided, say specialists at Louisiana State Uni­
versity.
These specialists point out that hogs on
clover pasture will continue to make rapid
gains until the clover dies out, which is
usually about June. The hogs can then be
placed on oat fields to clean up after oat
harvest, while the clover field is being plowed
and seeded to sweet Sudan grass. This Sudan
grass will then furnish grazing until the hogs
are ready to be put in the corn field to hogoff the corn.

Wilt-Resistant Watermelons
Watermelon varieties resistant to Fusarium wilt have been developed by the Texas
Agricultural Experiment Station at Jackson­
ville, Texas. In many Texas fields this disease
has been causing 100-percent losses on varie­
ties such as Black Diamond and Cuban

Queen. The disease has been particularly
damaging on the sandy soils of east Texas.
Results of last year’s tests carried on near
Swift, in Nacogdoches County, indicate that
Blacklee, Ironside, Congo, Garrison, Dixie
Queen, and Missouri Queen are highly resist­
ant to wilt and produce good yields of mar­
ketable fruits.
Kleckleys No. 6, Klondike R7, and Lees­
burg (Imp.) are superior in flavor and well
suited for home use and local markets.
Hawkesbury is early, prolific, and has fair
flavor that meets the approval of the early
local market
Miles and White Hope produce small fruit
representing the ice-box type of watermelon.
The high sugar content of the Miles variety
made it much preferred in an evaluation test.

New Tomato Variety
Golden Sphere, a new yellow tomato vari­
ety developed at the Tomato Disease Investi­
gations Laboratory at Jacksonville, Texas,
has been released to seedsmen for increase
in 1951. Additional seed for home gardeners
and commercial producers should be avail­
able in 1952.
The outstanding charac­
teristic of the new variety
is its high resistance to
Fusarium wilt— a disease
that frequently takes a
heavy toll of the tomato
crop. The new variety also
produces an early crop of
large tomatoes, spherical in shape, fleshy, and
dark yellow. They are equally satisfactory for
fresh eating, juice, and for home canning.
The variety was also tested in other to­
mato-growing areas of Texas but, to date,
results suggest that it is best adapted to grow­
ing conditions in east Texas.

The Agricultural News Letter is prepared in
the Research Department under the direction
of CARL H. M oore, Agricultural Economist.