Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 257, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 October 1916 — MAMNG the FAMPAf [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

MAMNG the FAMPAf

By PROF. P. G. HOLDEN,

Former Dean of the lowa Agricultural College.

BANDIT CROP OF THE FARM Weeds mean waste —a waste of time, money, labor and land. Weeds rob our crops of light, food and moisture; occupy land where profitable crops should be grown; cheapen our farms; injure live stock; harbor insects and fungus diseases. Weeds are the bandit crop of the farm. They knock the courage out of a man’s heart, and drive many of the less determined husbandmen to the cities in search of jobs. The United States department of agriculture estimates the loss to the American farmer from damage to crops by weeds, to be more than $300,000,000 every year. This is actual money loss, due to short ci'ops. It does not include the losses from depreciated property. If we are to match our wits against the weed, we must have our heads in the game. Weeds are with us to stay. They are right ou the job all the time. The special business of the weed is to secure nourishment for itself, to perpetuate its species. The weed which is best able to cope with difficulties is the weed which survives. Wpeds are abundant seeders. A single plant of shepherd’s purse may produce as many as 50,000 seeds; squirrel tail produces 300 to 2,000; plantin may bear 3,000 seeds per plant; foxtail, from 1,000 to 5,000 seeds; stinkweed, 20,000 seeds; the Russian thistle from 100,000 to 200,000 seeds, and one mustard plant, one and one-half million seeds.

Soil Robbers. Compare these prolific soil robbers with our food-producing plants. Through centuries of time weeds have become adapted to certain soils and climate conditions. In other words their j species are fixed. They are hardy vet- i erans able to withstand the extremes of heat and cold, or drouth and excessive moisture without injury. Our worst weeds are not the species which were found in this country when the first settlers came. They had not learned to adapt themselves to all conditions. Few of them are here now. When the forests were cleared the native weeds being unaccustomed to the hot sun, perished. When the marshes were drained, the pioneer! Weeds disappeared with the water, When the prairies were cultivated the prairie weeds fled. They were not bred to endure"the tramp of feet, and when civilization came bringing with it the multitudes cf men they soon died out. Some of the Bad Weeds. But there are other weeds —milkweed, smartweed, Spanish needle, mustard, peppermint, tansy, poison hemlock, jim'son, morning-glory, ragweed, velvet leaf, purslane, quack grass, wild garlick, Canada thistle, ox-eye daisy, bindweed, orange hawkweed, Johnson grass, sorrel, wild oats and fifty others that are common wherever man is. Most of these have been brought to us from Europe. More than 600 species of weeds have been introduced into New England since the first cutting of the forests. Weeds are classified as to length of life as: Annuals, those that spring up, grow, produce seed and die the same year. Examples: Foxtail, ragweed and smartweed. —Biennials, those which spring up and produce a leaf growth one year, live through the wrnteT. and th&ncxt gprlng send up a stem shoot which flowers and seeds, usually early, then the plant dies. Examples: Mullen, bull thistle, wild carrot, black-eyed Susan. Perennials, those whose roots live from year to year. Familiar examples of these are quack grass, milkweed, horse-nettle and the dandelion. How Weed Seeds Are Spread. Weeds seeds are spread chiefly by man sowing impure seed; by scattering weed seeds in feeding hay, straw, screenings and in manure; by winds, waiter and snow; by animals and birds; by fflrm machines and railroads; by weeds allowed to flourish in waste places. Every weed that is allowed to mature produces hundreds of thousands, and even millions of seeds. Having produced a large quantity of seed, the next step is to distribute it. And In this task the weed has many helpers. First: A large part of the weed seed is distributed by the sower who sows Impure seed. Imported grains and low grade grass seed contain a large proportion of Weed seeds. Muchjof the seed which cannot legally be sold in Canada and in European countries is sent into this country to states which do not have a pure teed law, so there is a large possibility of Imported seed being impure.

Impure seed does not necessarily mean seed which hus been willfully adulterated. Don’t think just because you grew the seed yourself and did not put any weed seeds into it that it is uny better than that which you might buy. If you or your neighbors allow weeds to flourish, there are chances that ybur seed will bear a large proportion of weed seed. Weed Remedies. The problem is how to get rid of weeds and keep them out. First, rotate the crops; screen all seed; cultivate frequently and thoroughlyi cul_lbe_we?4s j go to seed, use smother crops; pasture with sheep; and finally keep everlastingly after them. If your wheat field Is weedy, seed it to clover and blue grass; mow the annuals and biennials before they seed, pasture with sheep or hogs to keep down the perennials; follow by a cultivated crop to kill any lingering weeds, and you will have disposed of most varieties. Rotate, Pasture, Cultivate. Avoid sowing weed seed. Fan and grade all seed. Prevent leaves forming. Cut Just under the crown and repeat the operation as often as the leaves appear. Plants cannot live long in tlhe growing season unless the leaves develop. If no * leaves are allowed to form, the plant root will starve. Generally in dealing with biennials, it is necessary to cut below the crown.

or the plant will quickly send forth new shoots and perhaps seed close to the ground, where ordinary mowing will not reach it. If cut off the first year, the root is not so deep, is more tender, more easily cut and more easily killed. If prevented from seeding, sometimes biennials will appear the third year. - Watch for such sprouts. Cut Before Flowering. Another point which may mark the difference between success and failure in yqur weed campaign is to cut just before flowering. While the plant is growing it is storing away vitality toward the time when it shall need it for fruit production. When H; begins tq produce fruit, it draws on this surplus stock. When it has budded it has used a large part of.this stored vitality and is weaker than at any other time except when It is very young. Now is the time to cut. The seeds will not be formed enough to live on to maturity, the plant is at its weakest and Is more readily killed. If in addition, the weather is hot and dry, It is practically certain the root will die. If you wait until it some of the seed may mature enough to ripen even after the plant is cut down and some seed will scatter for next year’s weed crop. If after cutting the seed seems to be mature enough to ripen, the only safe way is to rake the weeds together and burn them. Sometimes seed which seems to be green will mature after it is plowed under, lie dormant in the soil until conditions are favorable, then Bprout. Method for Perennials. To eradicate perennials, the same proposition holds: Prevent the old plants seeding; kill the young plants as they appear; kill the root stock. The most absolutely effective way to kill a root Is to dig It out. If you have only a small patch and the weeds are really noxious, this may be the safest roots are long and strong this Is an almost impossible task. In any case it is « tiresome one.

Which Wins on Your Farm, Crops or Weeds?

Soil Robber.