A26—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 26,1984
Weed hit list
(Continued from Page A 1)
receive testimony for any ad
ditions or deletions to the weed hit
list.
But even before the testimony
began, both Ag Secretary Penrose
Hallowell and Rep. Samuel Morris,
chairman of the House Ag Com
mittee - the two members present
- spoke about the need for better
weed cooperation in Pennsylvania
between such state agencies as
Penn Dot, Game Commission,
DER, etc.
The nsed for better cooperation
was cited for both weeds already
on the noxious list and some of
those being suggested as additions.
Concerning a present noxious
weed - Canadian thistle - con
siderable opinion was expressed of
the need for Penn Dot to get its
control act together along high
ways and secondary roads.
Speaking about the need for
better cooperation between
Penn Dot and the farming com
munity, Ag Sec. and dairy farmer
Hallowell said:
“I live along Rt. 611. And, I know
the hard time they (Penn Dot) have
given me over the years.”
Concerning new weeds being
suggested for noxious designation,
the Game Commission was par
ticularly cited for such actions as
introducing Autumn olive in areas
like Huntingdon County and
ignoring the spread of thistle in
Berks County.
Donald Lutz, farmer from R 1
Mohrsville, Berks County, had
some choice comments about the
Game Commission and the “Blue
Marsh Weed Propagation Area,”
as he calls it.
“Last summer, I called the
Game Commission and asked
them to mow the musk thistle
before it went to seed. ” he said.
“The Game Commission gave
me a real educated answer.
“They told me not to worry that
it wouldn’t come up until next
year.
“Then, they cut some thistle
after pollination and baled it for
mushrooms growers and did some
of their own propagation.”
In his very emphatic Penn
sylvania Dutch tones, Lusk named,
not only the Game Commission,
but Penn Dot, The U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers and Metropolitan
Edison as weed violators.
In addition to the stinging in
dictments of the various state
agencies for their lack of weed
cooperation, testimony was also
given on possible additions and
deletions to the noxious list,
primarily from representatives of
the Grange and PFA.
One of the most “unique” new
weeds cited for adding to the list is
“Mile-a-mmute,” the local name
for an Asiatic weed introduced
from the Malay Peninsula through
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a nursery in the Stewartstown area
of York County possibly 30 or 40
years ago.
Actually its spread is closer to a
mile-a-year, according to Nathan
Hartwig, weed scientist at Penn
State, who says it has spread out
over about a 75-mile radius of
Stewartstown.
It’s now found in York, Lan
caster, Adams and Dauphin
counties and in Maryland. It can
grow to a height of 20 feet in a
season.
Birds disperse the seed, which
has been found by the state in
wheat seed coming out of York
County. This illustrates one of the
purposes of the Noxious Weed List
- to provide teeth for the state to
keep the unwanted weed seed out
of Certified Seed.
Main spokesmen for the Grange
were Lutz, of Berks County;
Bernard McMath, Shade Gap,
Huntingdon County; and Charles
Wismer, State Master.
Lutz’ two candidates for the list
were the two thistles he potted and
brought to the meeting - Spear or
bull thistle and Musk or Russian
thistle.
“I’ve been hoeing for 46 years so
I know about these thistles that
came out of my meadow,” Lutz
said.
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McMath explained about the
Autumn olive brought into Hun
tingdon County by the Game
Commisssion, which has since
grown to small tree height and
contains large thorns, capable of
piercing equipment tires.
“We predict that Autumn olive
will be as bad as Multiflora rose,”
Wismer said.
“It’s so bad already it’s suf
focating the farmland. ”
William Adams, of the PFA,
testified for five additions: shat
tercane, water hemlock, autumn
olive, Jimson weed (thorn apple)
and Tartarian honeysuckle.
Other suggested additions in
cluded the Mile-a-minute, Poison
Ivy, Ragweed, Poison hemlock,
Kudzu and Nightshade.
The Bureau of Plant Industry
has also received suggestions to
remove Canadian thistle, chicory
and Multiflora rose from the list.
Expansion of the noxious weed
list is now being partially con
sidered because of the trend to no
till farming, in which reduced
cultivation is more conducive to
their spread.
Hartwig of Penn State also cited
the difference in control emphasis
between neighboring states.
Maryland has vigorously attacked
and controlled Johnsongrass, but
Pennsylvania has not, with the
result that it is moving back into
Maryland from neighboring
Pennsylvania areas.
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The testimony w i jj now be given Benedictis, DER secretary;
to all members of the committee, Peter Duncan, Game Commii
including those absent: Sen. Ed- director.
ward Helfrick, chairman of the They will then meet to officii
Senate Ag Committee; Nicholas consider any changes in the list.
Bernard McMath, of Shade Gap, Huntingdon Couni
carefully holds clippings of Autumn olive which contaii
thorns large enough to pierce a tire.
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