Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-07-21
4 G RICU LTU RAJ.
Vegetable Photographers.

more considerable, IN farming operations, be
sides the actual cultivation and securing Of
crops, than that ofkilling weeds, those scour-
gee Of the finest farming sections Of our coup-
try.
There are hut three modes practical, for
their extei pinaton, frequent cutting roofing
them out, either by the hand or by the pow,
or similar Instruments, or Choking them out
with more luxuriant crO1s. The mode cm-
ploycd must of course he decided by the cir
cumstancts Of the case.
All plants, (save the lowest orders and some
parasitic pants) draw their Subsistence thcir
food, from two sources, by means oftwo Yery
different scts Of organs from the soil ny
means Of the roots, and from the air by means
of the leaves Both Of these are essential to
their wcl-being, the sap circulating FROM the
one to the other. and any attempt made to
kill the plant must-b be aimed at one or both
of these organs.
The ultimate sim of the plant seems to he
the perfection Of its seeds, and to this end it
puts forth all it's energies. II is in most Wig
orous growth at the time Of towering, and
many species if they be cut at this time, may
be effectualy killed They appear not to have
strength to put forth fresh leaves. This in a
measure appears to he the case with the Ca
NADIA thistle. | have known them nearly ex-
terminated Ivy single cutting, when they
were in the proper stage, that is, when sons
of the earliest heads were Just in flower, but
the majority not yet expanded and this ope-
ration if performed several times is sure to
| kill them--the only impracticabe point is to
cut them all and at the right time. The sea-
son, too, appears to make some difference,
they being easier killed some years than in
others. have known a man to sell 'recipes
for the sure killing of Canada thistles," for
| $40 each, in district troubled much with
these pests, and his secret consisted In cut
ting them twice each year, on the 10th of
June and Goth Of September. This would
kill them entirely, if efectually performed,
ifnot in one year, in two or three. The time
should be varied, however, with the season,
some being so much earlier than others. All
weeds that can be cut, that can not be got at
easily in any other way, should be cut two or
three times each summer, and there will be
soon left few to cut.
But there are many to which this is not
applicable, from various crcumstances-their
size, habits, the grains in which they occur,
&c. Such is the case with such as trail on
the ground, some that commence towering
very early in the spring, some that not
killed short of cutting a great number of
times, as is the case with some troublesome
grasses, and others that grow only in certain
grains, and are not easily distinguished and
separated from them. To these we must ap-
ply one Of the other methods, roofing them
out or choaking them out. Some may bs
easily exterminated before they become too
numerous, by pulling them by hand, and eve
ry farmer should be in the habit of plucking
up such occasional plants Of suspicious a.
pect as he may meet with on his farm, even
if he does not know that it is a troublesome
weed for some only become so when very
numerous. Happy would it be if every far
mer was botani.t, to quickly determine and
recognize all unusual plants, and a vegetable
Psychologist, to use the best means for their
determination, if such were desirable.
Often weeds are not suspected to be such,
until it is too late to get rid of them easily.
For all these that it is not practicable to cut,
blowing, good blowing, or other similar
means of stirring the ground, is the way to
treat them In tallow ground, stir it often
Whenever weed is seen pushing afabove
the surface, plow or cultivate again, give it
no chance at the air, and if the season he
moderately dry one, single summer is often
enough for their effectual exterminaton.-
Some farmers prefer this method to all others
in killing Canada thistles
The last method ''choking" them out, II
know no better term to use than the popular
one,) is only applicable to some weeds and to
some soils, where we can get cultivated
grain with stronger vital power or having
stronger affinity TO the soil, than the weed We
wish to eradicate, which by it's luxuriant
growth, smothers the feeber species, and rohs
them of their necessary means of subsistence
In all highly cultivated farms, many weeds
are partially or entirely kept subdued by this
method, incidentally to the increased care in
cultivation.
These three methods combined can always
be seen on vel! managed farms, that have
weeds, until they are expelled, and that all
must be used, is evident to any one who has
studied their habits, and the circumstances Of
their growth.
Many can only be exterminated by years of
labor and care, and even then only by the
most unceasing vigilance. Such is the case
with the common chess. Its seeds will re-
main in the soil for many years, and yet ger
inmate when exposed to the right influences,
ard few seeds terminating will soon seed a
arge field. have seen piece of new land
sown with wheat, containing it, where it
took ten years Of unceasing attention to era
dicate it. have picked specimens not more
tan three inches high, bearing single small
spikeet of three or four seeds, which were
perfect. and capable of perpetuating the race
Under the most favorable circumstances this
same plant will produce as high as two or
three thousand seeds. have met with an
intelligent farmer who says that ''he has
counted the latter number on single plant
that sprang up in his garden.
Nor is this by any means an extraordinary case
of the frultfulness of some species. Last sum-
mer, in making some Investigations upon vari-
ous weeds found other cases Just as remark
ble Several specimens of the common Nav
weed Maruta cotulal growing by the road SIDE
had from oo TO loo heads ana 'arge one
though by no means an unusually large one,
bore ooo' counted Inc SEEDS ~ humoer OF
heads, and the average was l73 eeds ench.
Allow but an average of 100 seeds per head
~ ~ L. -. -. i. =.
and we nave oo'ooo seeds 10 TINS single pant
AT TINS rate dozen plants wou'd SEED an
acre and nave seed every iour 'ncheS apart
or nine on each square 1901
On good sized Canada thistle | counted
ono hundred and ffiv heads They contained