Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-09-03
Destroying Weeds.

We have many inquiries for the best way
of destroying certain weeds There are gen.
era principles, which, il comprehended,
might be readily aud understandingly ap.
Piled to any one Individually. Weeds arc Of
two kinds--annuals and biennials, which are
spread BY seed and creepng.rooted peron.
malls, which extend by the roots. The for.
mer include rag.weed, fox.tail, pig-weed,
purslano, cookie, wild mustard, shepherds s
purse, chick-weed, red.root, wild chamomie,
bordock, MULLEN, horse thistle, chess, &c.
The latter include milk,woed, quack grass.
Canada thistle, toad.Aax, &c. To kill the an.
nuals, the process is simple and alike for
nearly all-namely, to destroy them just as
they are about to peep above the surface, by
narrowing, if in large fields, or by the hand
rake, in small gardens. Keep the surface
constantly clean aud mellow; if you 90 over
Il often, the weeds can never get any head
way, the soil will be kept from crusting and
rendered in excellent condition for crops.
We read lately Of a farmer who had become
utterly discouraged with the increase of
weeds, bis summer iallow being encountered
With their rank growth equal to Y ton per
acre. Now, no good summer falow ever
had weed growing on il the object of a
fallow is to clear the ground, aud if neces.
sary it should be stirred up mellow as often
as once week with harrow or two.horse cult.
vator. Always kill annual weeds before they
come up. When the soil is foul with their
seeds, the stirring process should be repeated
many tunes until all are cleared out--plow,
harrow, cultivate cultivate, plow, harrow
In some cases, it may be expodient to keep
field 10 summer fallow two successive years,
in order to clear out all the seeds; in others,
the clean and thorough culture OF hoed crops,
or dense broadcast seeding, may effect the
desired purpose. But quick, thorough work
is always the cheapest. An unequal, pro.
onged war is the most costly. Biennias
are to be treated nearly as ANNALS; but il
they obtain a foothold the first year by
careless management, they should be cut be-
low the surface early the second season.
Perennial rooted weeds, like the milk-weed
and Canada thistle, require double treat.
meut. They must not be allowed to 90 to
seed aud spread in this way. After once in
possession, they are to have different treat
ment from annuals As general rule, they
are more easily extirpated. They may be
thoroughly destroyed in one season; /; the
seeds Of ANNALS often require several years
to free the soil from them. Taking Canada
thstles as the representative Of this class,
the process for their destruction is exceed
ingly simple-namely ,smothering. We find
no difficulty aud little expense, in completely
killing patch between June lst and Octo.
Der. Plow under, deeply, thoroughly and
without any balks so that no green point Of
the plant can ever see the light, and three
or four months will do tho thing completely
The Same treatment will finish other creep
ing.rooted weeds. A twelve.acre field Of
quack grass was completely eradicated in one
summer, but the pillow and harrow passed as
often as once week.
One Of the most difficult weeds 10 root out
and keep out is the ox-eye daisy. 1t iuereasel
both by seeds and roots, and it is spreading
rapidly all through the country. Yet thert
are some good farmers living IN regions wher'
the country is white with them, who hav,
not a single plant of this weed on their farms
The remedies are summer fallow, rotation
with frequent hoed crops, dense clover crops
and hand-pullug. If the FIRST three are wei
attended to, there will be comparatively lit.
tie hand-work required. The clover mus
be sowed much thicker than common, say a
least half bushel per acre, on well-pre.
pared mellow surface.
We have sometimes thought that weeds
are q great blessing, by compelling farmer
to be active aud thorough, aud to stir thu
soil often; at all events, they point out Wig.
orous farmers who do things in the mos
economical manner, from sluggish ones, who
keep an expensive and prolonged war witt
weeds all their lives
ICountrv fcntleman