Bindweed & Rattle Snakes
J.W. Farmer, Greenwood County Agent, wrote this article for
The Eureka Herald
in 1931.
“The last state legislature passed a new bindweed law, which became effective in the spring of 1932, with the purpose of eradicating the weed from Kansas. Under the new law, all farmers, railroads, road overseers and others who have land infested with bindweed, are compelled to start fighting the weed, to get rid of a part of it each year. Farmers who have been fighting the weed wish a law had been passed years ago.
“Why is the weed considered so alarming? One Greenwood farmer, Charles Hall of Utopia can tell you why.
“About eight years ago, Mr. Hall noticed a strange weed in the garden. He supposed it came in the seed, as he does not know of any other way it could get there. He started hoeing it regularly, when there were only three or four plants in the patch. He and the gardener hoed it faithfully, as they have a good garden and tend it carefully. The weed was never allowed to go to seed at any time during the past eight years. But, in spite of their efforts, the patch grew larger and larger. Once they dug to see how far the roots went into the soil, and found that the ground was full of roots as deep as the spade, at least three or four feet deep. Hoeing and cultivation were continued but the bindweed seemed to grow stronger and spread over a round space about three rods wide (A rod is 16 ½ feet).
“This spring Mr. Hall decided to try sodium chlorate spray, so the patch was not molested until the plants were in full bloom. The spray was applied July 1, at a demonstration meeting, using the farm bureau’s porcelain-lined, high-pressure pump.
“Mr. Hall’s experience indicates that the bindweed is a very persistent pest. When it is well established the ground finally has to be abandoned, and years of effort are required to get rid of it.
“How do you like rattle snakes? A local record for rattle snakes’ annihilation was reported when more than one hundred of the poisonous reptiles were killed by a threshing crew on the farms of George Dollard and T.J. Tucker, southeast of Eureka. This event took place in July 1931.
“Upon learning that the fields were infested with rattlers every precaution was exercised by the harvesters and no one was harmed as the rattlers were discovered under the shocks and killed. Each snake bore six to nine rattles.”
