Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1864-08-04
fanlers 9epattneIlt.
KEEP THE: wEEDsTNDER.

'fIhe farmer mas an ENEMY btienb
vet creeping, spreading, workingits
gay onward and upward-hard to
subdue, harder still to conquer. and
almost impossible to snnihilate.-
This enemy is the army, of weeds
which infests our land, sucking up
the very energy of the soil, and -four
ishing amidst the poverty it incnrs.
This enemy ought and mast be Kept
undsr-humbled. laid PROSTATE with
the ground. The surest way to ef-
feet this, is to begin early. now. be-
fore it gets a sure and strong hold.
Attacked in its tenderness, under a
willing sun. it soon dies.
=, esCome farmers, one and all; come
with plow and cultivator, with hoe
and rake, bush or anything destruc
tive to the common pest Let ms
havea determined, inf exible pur-
pose to keep under this foe to our
improvement and prosperityi Econ
omy urges to commence now, while
the weeds are tender and small.
Experience teaches, that one days
active labor now is worth three or
four when the roots are strong and
stubborn. Take the garden, for
an example, brush it over often, it is
done with ease,-the plants are thriv-
ing and refreshed. The garden is
beautiful IN its fertility. But let
il become mass of luxuriant weeds,
and days must be spent to clean it.
Some of the plants are slender and
sickley, others uprooten and br ken.
It is, in ameasure, so with field crops.
Then there is the aftercrop. Other
is in the grain backened and choked
by the powerful weeds. Frequently
it might have been bound and stored
in good order were it not for the
growth Of juicy weeds cut with it.
1t must necessarily remain nnshelter-
ed in the storm, or be put in to come
out injured and smoky. The grass
seed is often choked, and brings in
poor returns.
.'Itis clear to my mind, that the fu-
ture crops and the farmers profits,
are equally affected by allowing weeds
to ripen and cucumber the ground.
To ilIustrate:-Take two fields of
potatoes. One is hoed once or twice
hurridly, then springs up a thrifty
yield of weeds. Before digging the
potatoes the vines are overtopped.
l have seen it necessary to NOW the
weeds before digging. Then the
slow, hard toll Of securing the crop,
and the inferior yield generally.
If grain crop follows, it viii be,
most likely, as above described.
The other field is well planted, and
thoroughly hoed, three times if
necessary. even if it costs few dol
lars extra. The money will be am
ply refunded in digging, yield of po-
tatoes, and subsequent crops, even
four fold, unless I am greatly mis-
taken. If scattering weeds spring
up before maturity, they are pulled
and burned or destroyed IL some
way. The men dig in the mellow
soil with ease and comfort,-the vines
are drawn of to swell the manure
heap. Wh'n the rye is sown, it
springs up with broad leaf-quickly |
covers the ground, resists the winter
better---the grass seed takes we'll
in spring the rye is plump and free
from weeds,-a good yield of grass
succeeds, and SO on. / have seen
Just such instances. Possibly results
are more marked here, on light soils
than on richer western lands. AL
though SO evident, through careless.
ness or calculated economy, failing
to hire necessary labor, we see many
such farms growing poorer yearly,
whereas they ought and might be
improving. Improvement should be
the farmers watchword in every
thing. But this is a subject in
itself.