The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1871-07-01
:Farm-@aroen-RouseboIo.
Fecundity Of Weed Plants.

Few persons are aware of the astonishing
fecundity Of most of the pernicious weeds
which iniest our farms.
In some countries where large landed Is.
tates are held by single individuals, and whose
incomes are very large, the most pains taking
investigations have been made in order to
learn what single weed plant is capable of
doing in the way of propagating itself. We
have before us some of the results of these
careful Investigations, from which We learn
that "A single coltsioot produces from 1000 to
$1,000 seeds. The wild mustard, 5000 seeds
from singlep plant. The chamomlle, 10000
&c Mayweed, $1,000; the burdock, $4,000 {:
the red poppy, $4,000; the wild parsley,
5000.
All farmers have noticed the fine gossamer
which surrounds the thistle seed which is
borne up by the wind and carried alooi like a
tiny car. In this way, from single plant,
10000 seeds have floated away on downy
wings. Then there are weeds whose seed
pods burst open with violence, like the COM
mon garden balsam, 50 rs 10 scatter the seeds
to distance where they will propagate new
plantations of their kind. On the other hand,
some plants have seeds supplied with deli
cate hooks to fasten in the soil; others again,
propagate slyly under the earth, as the crow
gialic, which produces 700 otfshoot. year.
The IRISH Gase''e states that the noddlng
poppy or cookie plant has lessened the wheat
crop IN that country by at least tent part
OF It's value, and that ''the weeds of Ireland
cost nearly SIR millions year
In England experiments have been recently
made to ascertain the influence which weeds
have upon the growing crop. In one instance
several acres were sowed one acre was meas
ured and not weed disturbed in it, the other
SIX were carefully wceded; the unweedcd
acre produced eighteen bushels and the weed
cd acre averaged twenty-five and a half bush
els per acre. In another instance the unwccd-
cd acre produced thirteen bushels of barley,
and the wcedcd twenty-eight bushels. A
third, with oats, produced seventeen bushels,
and the weeded acre thirty-seyen bushels.
Any reform in this matter, to be worthy OF
the name, will be futile until we can purchase
pure seeds with which to sow our fields.
The fault in this particular is sometimes with
the farmer himself. He foolishly desires to
purchase cheap seeds and finds some seeds
men willing to obiige him. Seeds are thus
mixed often for purposes OF fradd.
In an examination made and reported to
the Croydon Farmers' Clint, England. lt.was
found that as many as 10000 pan,ain seeds
were contained in single bushel Of red clover
In other experiments, in Il bushel OF rye
grass there were detected no less than 2Ol,-
500 weed seeds. In bu,hcl Of clover seed,
$4,000; Of lin-ycj. @u4GOJ: and all this was
Irrespective OF dirt aud particles of stone,
which make cheap seed by tar the dearest.
Let Us urge, then, again and again. upon
farmers the Importance Of oXtIrpating tue
weeds upon their own lands. 1t is usel, So
for one 10 keep hi. fields clean while his
neighnor's fields ar. foul and constantly re-
sowing all the land within half a mile of
him " T. Fvur.