Delaware Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1843-1874, 1873-08-21

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A CHAPTER OK wKEDs.-we take the fol-
lowing chapter on Weeds from "walks and
Talks on the Farm" in the August number Of
the American Agricrkurist
An old gentleman who Is IN entire straneer
TO me, put who, l imagine, was thinking Of
buying farm in this nsighborhood, rode past
yesterday With his wife, and stopped a moment
70 remark "You ought to write piece In tho
Agricutturist about these thistles-these Cdna-
dd ihistles-that are growing on the SQuires
farm a. well as on the Deacon's." Ashe drove
on, l beard him mutter to his wife In q tone of
disgust: twenty-five thousand dollars for 100
acres" He referred TO rundown farm In the
neighborhood that would be well worth the
money asked for 1t provided 1t was DIRE ined and
clean, but which in its present condition will
not pay the interest on $50 per acre.
1t amused Inc. however, To be told to "yrits
a piece" for the Agricultural on killing weeds.
Nothing would please me better have weeds
on the brain. | think about weeds talk about
weeds. and dream about weeds. If had to
write piece" would certainly select weeds.
II hau to preach sermon the text would
probably be ~ went by the field CT the slotl-
fnl and by the vineyard Of the man void I, ( nm
derslandins; and, 10, it was all grown owe. with
thorns, and nettles have covered the face there
Of" think the squire would give up his pew,
and the Deacon would suggest the next morn.
ing that "there was some dissatisfaction I'm the
church, and that 1t was thought change of
climate would be good fer me-" Write a piece
about weeds What was tho old gentleman
thinking about9 Does lie want 10 buy INV
farm? Does he want this neighborlood 10 be-
come to" hot for me The Deacon has already
Threatened to "write piece" for tue Agricui.
txrist pointing out the weak spots In NY system
OF farming The Deacon has been talking the
mat Or over with some Of the nelghhors. Last
Fall had fu-., fhsna h,,,,A
gels frozen IN the GROUND. This Is TO he one Of
the charges. They forgot that saved three
thousand bushels. Then had half an aero Of
turnips nozen In The ground. But saved four
or hive acres that would yield eight or nine hun
Cred bushels per acre. The charge in briei is,
He knows how to raise good crops, but does
not know how to take care Of them" Tbis
is letting me oil pretty easy. could make GU.
better case. On the whole, think will fol-
low the old gentleman's advice, and write
"piece" about weeds. The weather is very hot.
and composing" Is hard work, but will try
my hand at a short composition"
"a weed Is plant growing where you do not
want II grown. Thistles are not weeds when
grown, as they ara In France, to make perfume
Inc thistles in ihe Deacon's wheat are weeds
lie does not want them there. Ifyou have six
plants OF corn In a hill whore you only want
Tour two Of them are weeds. dead weed Is
not weed. Agrowing weed pumps up water
out Of the ground. The weeds in an acre of
tile Deacoh,s clover pump up mere wat r in a
day than all Lis animals drink in month";
weeds propagate faster than rats. have got
more rats than the Deacon, hut the Deacon
beats Inc OH weeds. The bays shoot the rats.
Yesterday they shot two and scared away
dozen. Next year they will come back again
The Deacon kills a hundred of his weeds and
buries thousand. Next spring they will come
np by the million. You can't get rid of weeds
unle.s you kill them. If you do not kill them
they will kill YOU. They are worse than foot
rot III 4heep. They spread faster tha. cater.
pliiars OH Characteristics, or than the canker-
worms on apple-trees. Some Of the orchards
IN This neighborhood look rs though they had
been sprinkled over with kerosene and set fire
TO. The worms have eaten of every leaf
Some farmers Keep of the in. &C by putting tsr
bands round the trunks of the trees in spring
some don't. They think it is no use fighting
the worms Some farmers think II Is no use
killing the weeds. 1t is natural for the soil to
produce weeds. They say you can't kill them.
Inc Deacon does not say weeds can't be killed.
0nt he does not try to kill them. lie hoes his
corn. l don't hoe my corn. hoe the weeds.
would Kill the weeds II there was no corn.-
AM not sure that the deacon would. The
Deacon never summer-falows lie never fall
fallows. He never tries to make the weeds
grow. Hu tries TO smother them up for few
months. lie does not kill the roots. He does
not make the weed-seeds grow and then xiii
the young plants. The weeds on his farm are
getting worse and worse. My farm used TO be
worse than his; now some of 1t Is cleaner than
MS am fighting the weeds. lie lets them
grow, and is waiting for something to turn up.
There are thousands of farmers doing the SAME
thing. The weeds cost us more than all our
state, national, and local taxes, more than all
our schools, churches, and newspapers. They
are more expensive than children's boots and
ladies bonnets. They are as bad as cigars and
last horses. The horse may break his neck, and
You VIII get rid OF him ; but the weeds viii
s suck tishter than mortgage. and run up faster
than compound interest or grocery bill. They
are like bad habits. You must not tamper
with them. No halfway measure will answer.
me ne only way to stop using tobacco is to stop.
The only way to kill weeds Is to kill them"
hope tie old gentleman will be pleased with
my composition" 1 hope when he visits this
neighoorhood again he will find fewer weeds
Land worth $3.50 per acre ought to produce
something better than thistlcs, led-root, quack-
grass, and chess.