The full text on this page is automatically extracted from the file linked above and may contain errors and inconsistencies.
Q arm an d nANCH riu L L E T IN Vol. 17, No. 8 August 15, 1962 W EED C O N T R O L IN TEXAS BLACKLANDS C O T T O N The major types of weed control in cotton on the Blackland Prairies of Texas include mechanical methods, the use of chemicals and oils, and flaming. According to Texas A. & M. College, good cultivation is the most important and most economical weed control measure, and rotary hoeing is the key supplementary practice. Cultivation — which usually is performed with sweeps — should be done just often enough and should be deep enough to control grass and weeds. An experienced operator, using a 5-row rig, can cultivate approximately 40 acres in a 12-hour day. Several points to be kept in mind when using a cultivator are (1) aligning the cultiva tor properly, (2) setting the sweeps flat so that the toe and heel will touch on a level surface, (3) making final equipment adjustments in the field, and (4) operating the tractor at the proper speed. Usually, the cultivation depth is about 2 inches, and proper cultivation leaves a cover of loose soil. In rotary hoeing of cotton, the power of the rotary hoe to destroy weeds increases as the speed increases. In most cases, the rotary hoe should be operated at a speed of 4 to 6 miles per hour. On contoured rows and terraced fields, the broadcast rotary hoe is easier to use at high speeds than is the cultivatormounted type. The rotary hoe should be used immediately after the soil surface has dried and formed a crust. The hoe breaks up the crust, dries out FEDERAL RESERVE DALLAS, the top half inch of soil, and kills emerging weeds. However, it will not kill weeds and grass that have become established. Cross-plowing and the use of mechanical choppers are primarily methods of thinning cotton, but these procedures can also reduce hand hoeing, according to Texas A. & M. Col lege. However, many farmers in the Blacklands feel that cotton should be planted to a stand and that thinning is an unnecessary operation on an efficient, mechanized farm. After cotton has reached the six-leaf stage, a spring weeder attachment on the front cultivator sweeps can be used to control small weeds in the drill row if a slight ridge is maintained at the base of the plants. Pre-emergence chemical treatment at plant ing time is a popular weed control measure in some states but has not been used extensively in Texas. Under some soil conditions, pre emergence chemical treatment of a 10- to 14inch band of soil over the row at planting time is effective for killing shallow-germinating weeds and grasses without injury to cotton. Such treatment generally costs about $3 per acre. Pre-emergence treatments are most effec tive when the soil surface is sealed by rain and left undisturbed, and the chemicals work best on soils that crust without cracking. Karmex DL is the pre-emergence chemical generally used. One-half gallon of the chemi cal used as a band application will treat 3 to 6 acres of cotton, depending on the dosage, width of the bands, and row spacing. Karmex DL should be mixed with water and applied BANK TEXAS OF DALLAS to the soil as a pre-emergence spray imme Flaming involves a series of treatments. Al diately after the crop is planted. If possible, though conditions vary widely, the first flaming planting and spraying should be done in one normally is done at a pressure of 30 to 40 operation, and a low-volume herbicide sprayer pounds and a speed of 2V2 to 3 miles per hour. should be used. Replanting necessitated by un Later operations may be increased to 55 to favorable weather conditions can be done in 60 pounds of pressure and a speed of 4 to 5 miles per hour. One flame application — in soil treated with Karmex DL. cluding equipment, labor, cultivation of the Lateral oiling has proved both reliable and middles, and 4 to 6 gallons of LP gas as fuel economical in controlling grass and weeds — will cost about $1.45 per acre. after the cotton is up to a stand. Herbicidal oil can be applied for the first time when the cot Dates Important in Dairy Cow's Life ton is about 3 inches high, or when it is 7 to Dates in the life of a 10 days old. Three applications at 7-day inter dairy cow are just as vals can be made. The oil should not be ap important as they are plied after the bark begins to crack at the in the life of a human base of the plants or when the stalks reach the being, acco rd in g to size of a lead pencil. S. E. Carpenter, Area Lateral oiling is most effective when the D airy Specialist w ith seedbed is level and before the crop is culti the Texas Agricultural Extension Service. Con vated. Five gallons of oil per acre usually are sequently, a date book is an invaluable aid in sufficient and can be purchased at bulk-station dairy herd management. dealers at about 20 to 25 cents a gallon. In The dairyman needs to know the birth dates addition, the cost of labor and tractor opera of his cows in order to manage for good pro tion to apply the material amounts to approxi duction. The birthday of an animal is im mately $1 per acre. portant in scheduling a vaccination program. Spot spraying is faster and less expensive For example, she should receive a brucellosis than hand hoeing for eradicating established vaccination when she is 4 to 8 months of age. Johnson grass in cotton. Herbicidal oils and Mr. Carpenter says that the date to breed water solutions of sodium dalapon are used the cow for her first calf should be correlated for spot spraying the crowns or stems of the to body size and weight. By recording the date grass, and water solutions of dalapon are ap a heifer is bred, the dairyman knows approxi plied to the foliage. A 50-50 mixture of naph mately the date she will freshen and can feed tha and diesel fuel oil is the most commonly and train her to the milking barn. The day the used oil spray. Oil sprays kill on contact and cow freshens is important in establishing the are most effective when applied to the crown next date for breeding. The breeding date of Johnson grass sprouts when the plants are usually is not less than 60 or more than 90 not more than 6 inches high. According to days from the time she freshens. Texas A. & M. College, Johnson grass must be controlled so that cotton will receive full Every day a dairy cow is in oestrus should benefit from fertilizer and machine harvesting be recorded, even though she is not bred. Inter of grass-free lint will be possible. vals of 18 to 22 days between heat periods indicate that a normal cycle is established. Flame cultivation of cotton offers more Cycles of fewer than 18 to 22 days may be a promise in river bottoms or for cotton grown sign that the cow is not functioning normally under irrigation than for cotton in upland and that she probably will not conceive if bred, areas. Flaming is used to control small weeds according to Mr. Carpenter. and grass in the drill area of cotton after the stems grow to about the size of a lead pencil. When a cow has conceived, the date that This method is most efficient if applied across she is to calve is established, and the dairyman relatively level and smooth row profiles. can determine the date to turn the cow dry. A good cow needs a 6- to 8-week dry period to rest and rebuild her body for the next lacta tion. On the other hand, a less-productive cow that dries earlier will get more rest than is required. lines to produce the early hybrids required for areas with short growing seasons. Mr. Carpenter suggests that dairymen keep accurate records on their animals and that they use the records as a guide in planning a sound dairy program. The cost of labor for pruning trees can be reduced one-half through the use of a new mechanical device developed by engineers with the United States Department of Agriculture and the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station. New Early-Maturing Castor Bean Lynn, an early-maturing castor bean with strong stalks that resist wind damage, has been developed by the United States Depart ment of Agriculture and the Texas Agricul tural Experiment Station. Seed will be available to farmers in 1963. Sturdy stem and root systems and low height make the new castor bean resistant to wind damage. In addition, the plants are resistant to stalk rot and lodging. Since lodg ing is not a problem, seed capsules can be removed easily by mechanical harvesters. Although early planting is recommended, the new castor-bean variety and its hybrid offspring perform well following late seeding in Texas. Lynn matures about 1 week earlier than Hale and 2 weeks earlier than Dawn — two varieties which are popular with com mercial growers. "Space Basket" Cuts Pruning Costs The experimental device, called a space basket, consists of two pivoting arms with a basket at one end. A man with pruning equip ment stands in the basket and manipulates several levers to move himself up (maximum height, 13 feet), down, left, or right to any position in the tree. The other end of the device is attached to the hydraulic lift mechanism of the tractor’s front-end loader. Two men operate the equipment. One man drives the tractor and, after parking near a tree, prunes the branches he can reach from the ground. The other man, who is in the space basket, prunes the upper branches. Dipping Eggs for Poultry Disease Control The oil content of Lynn is almost 3 percent higher than that of Hale or Dawn. The seed weight of 42 pounds per bushel is also above average. Broilers produced from eggs dipped in antibiotic soluHr ^ °nS ^aVC a ^ § h er average v marketing weight than birds from nondipped eggs, ac4-V T ^yA . cording to experiments conducted at Texas A. & M. College. The studies also show that the level of eggtransm itted pleuropneumonialike organisms (PPLO) is reduced substantially by the dip ping technique. Dr. C. F. Hall of the School of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A. & M. says that when normal management practices are followed, broilers from dipped eggs re main relatively free of chronic respiratory disease/air sacculitis. Lynn can be grown alone or as the male parent for hybrid production. Moreover, the variety crosses well with female castor-bean The Texas A. & M. tests suggest two egg dipping measures for the control of CRD/ sacculitis: (1) the routine use of the procedure According to the Texas Agricultural Ex periment Station, the release of Lynn means that growers in the State will have available three excellent castor-bean varieties with a maturity range from early to late. The new castor bean has superior resistance to Alternaria leaf spot and bacterial leaf spot but is susceptible to capsule mold, a fungus disease that attacks seed capsules during wet growing seasons. in broiler hatching operations and (2) the use of the method by foundation breeders to ac celerate development of PPLO-free breeding stock. • An empty trench silo can be converted into a fallout shelter if a roof is built over the silo and covered with 2 feet or more of earth. Although the first measure might be an effective stopgap procedure to use in problem situations, there are several limitations to be considered. Dr. Hall says that disastrous hatch ing problems can occur, particularly if the program is not supervised properly. More over, resistant strains of PPLO may develop. The cost of dipping eggs could be excessive, and this program does not include measures for eliminating the infected breeding bird. • Livestock should be kept under cover for 24 to 48 hours — longer, if possible — following a nuclear attack. The second approach — the use of the pro cedure by foundation breeders — should be encouraged, since ultim ate control of this disease syndrome is dependent upon its eradi cation, according to Dr. Hall. Protection for Farmers in a Nuclear Emergency Farmers can take several measures to pro tect themselves and their livestock against radioactive fallout after a nuclear attack or an atomic accident, according to Dr. Frank A. Todd, Assistant to the Administrator of the Agricultural Research Service. Many farmers already have facilities that can be utilized for protection against gamma radiation and radio active materials in fallout. Dr. Todd points out that — • The center of a bank barn (a barn built into the side of a hill) affords the best protection for farm animals. • Corn, one of the major feed grains, accu mulates very little strontium 90. More over, ears on growing corn are well pro tected from fallout by several layers of husks. • Poultry offers one of the most dependable sources of fresh food — meat and eggs — in a nuclear emergency. Chickens and tur keys have considerable resistance to radia tion, and they usually are raised under cover and are fed stored feed. • Radioactive fallout materials can be re moved from some fruits and vegetables by washing, paring, or brushing them. Glass Fiber M at Protects Newly Seeded W aterways A glass fiber mat proved the most effective of seven materials tested recently by the United States Department of Agriculture for use as temporary protection of newly seeded grass waterways, according to the Texas Agricul tural Extension Service. Grassed waterways are used to carry flood runoff from terraced and contour-cropped fields, as well as from road ways and airports. Temporary protection of newly seeded channels prevents damage from runoff-producing rains, which can necessitate regrading and reseeding. • A multistory barn with a loft full of hay The glass fiber mat withstood more than or straw and with earth or other shield ing material banked against the outside four times as much water discharge as pinewalls also makes an effective livestock mesh jute cloth, the next best material tested. fallout shelter. Ten feet of baled hay pro The mat, a commercial product about 1 inch vide approximately as much shielding as thick, is made of fine glass fibers and is similar in appearance to insulation. 1 foot of earth. • Supplies of livestock feed and water can Tests were also made as to the ease with be protected by covering them. Exposure which vegetation could penetrate the glass to radioactive rays from fallout does not fiber mat. Bermuda grass, which is commonly contaminate feed and water, but direct planted on waterway channels in the southern contact with the fallout materials does Great Plains, came through the glass fiber mat readily. cause contamination.
@FedFRASER