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Show " RGRIGULTURE j FIELD CROPS; Dodder. (Love Vine.) One of the worst enemies of the alfalfa plant is dodder. It seems to be a pest that is rapidly spreading over the country and clover and alfalfa al-falfa both suffer from the presence of this parasitic plant. Once started in a field, through dodder in the clover clov-er or alfalfa seed, it rapidly spreads and the -small brown spots where the alfalfa dies out rapidly increase ..in size until the whole field is infect-r infect-r cd and the crop spoilt before the- mischief mis-chief is appreciated and it is too late to do anything. In Pennsylvania it has spread to such am extent that the Experiment Station issued a bulletin" from which the following method of destroying the pest is taken: "It is not very often that clover dodder spreads over the entire field during the first year from -seeding, but the second year it is likely to be much more prevalent owing to the abundance of seed scattered. The small patches or single plants from which it spreads, if discovered in time, may be scraped with a hoc, clover and all, and oarricd from the field. Care rraust be exercised, however, noc to scatter any loose sprigs of dodder, as these may take hold and grow ii-thcy ii-thcy chance to fall on green clover. If the infested patches have attained considerable size a ring eighteen inches inch-es to two feet wide may be scraped around them to prevent further spreading, but this method docs not prevent the maturing and scattering of the seed. Sometimes the infested spots may be covered with straw or other rubbish and burned over. "Perhaps an easier way to hold these small spots in check and prevent pre-vent them from spreading further i3., to spray them with a- two or. throe per cent solution of copper sulphate. It would be desirable to dcroy the dodder and leave the clover ending but this is very difficult as the portions por-tions of the dodder stem entwining the clover wilt not be killed and new growth will start froni them, How- ' ever, a solution of one pound of copper cop-per sulphate to from four to six gallons gal-lons of water applied with a spray pump until the plants are thoroughly wet will' be effective, and even if the clover plants arc killed it will serve also to hold the dodder in check and I prevent it fromi spreading or seeding. a If this is done in the fall it may be necessary to repeat the application 1 again in the spring in order to pre- I vent further spread before the clover U is ready to cut. R "In case the entire ficW is affected fl two things may be done: The meadow mea-dow may be heavily pastured or the sod may be plowed under. In case I the crop is pastured the clover may be saved to the use of the stock, but at the same time viable dodder seed may remain in the soil and become ( troublesome again next year, unless the land is put in corn or some other cereal crop. If the sod is turned under this fall, the soil will) be ameliorated ameli-orated by the clover and the land may be planted to corn, potatoes or some grass or cereal crop next year. This latter is perhaps the surer method meth-od of eradicating the dodder." |