Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-09-29
Killing Weeds.

Is it not just little vexing, after having
worked aud watched all summer long and
been successful in keeping the cultivated
fields and gardens comparatively free from
weeds, to have friend tell you that your
land "isn't natural to weeds2" This was
our experience few days ago, as one Of
our most valued agricultural friends was
walking with us over the corn and potato
fields at the farm.
Now, we have entertained theory that,
by judcious use of the cultivator and hoe,
a garden or field may be kept almost entire
ly free from weeds with the expenditure Of
very little more labor than is beneficial to
the crop, aside from the advantage of clean
culture. 1t has even been claimed that
weeds are blessing because they compel the
farmer to cultivate and hoe his crop more
than would otherwise be necessary, and
doubtless this is, in measure, true. The
ground needs frequent stirring, whether
there are weeds to be killed or not On most
farms the weeds seem to be so natural" to
the soil that If one is determined to keep
them under perfect subsection, he will 6ud
he is stirring his soil about as much as the
health Of cultivated crops require.
Other things being equal, that field which is
manured with commercial fertilizers will
have fewer weeds than one manured with
stable manure, for a great many weed seeds
pass through the digestive apparatus of our
domestic animals without losing their vitality,
but many others can remain in the soil unin-
jured for long term Of years, ready to
sprout and grow at any time whenever the
conditions are favorable to termination.
And these will show themselves when the
land is under cultivation, whether manured
with one kind of fertilizer or another.
Our own fields have been more free from
weeds during the present season, especially
in the early part of it, where no stable man.
ure was applied but there have been enough
Of them on all parts Of the farm to keep one
busy. The potato field was planted about
the middle Of May, before all the weed seeds
had time to sprout. The potatoes were
dropped in drills and covered with the rear
teeth Of horse.hoe, little deeper than they
are usually covered by hand. As soon as
the weather became warm enough to start
the weeds, heavy birch brush was drawn
over the whole ground lengthwise of the
rows the horse going in every second row.
This leveled down the ridges left by the
horseshoe directly over the seed, and at the
same time, killed nearly all the weeds ex-
cepting those in the hollows between the
rows.
In day or two, the horseshoe was run
between the rows, the teeth being set with
the wings turned inward, SO that little soil
was thrown towards, or over the sproutng
potatoes. After this the horseshoe was run
between the rows as often as once in six or
seven days, until the new potatoes were part
ly grown. This gave the weeds no chance
at all between the rows, and, we doubt not,
paid the expense in the extra growth of the
potatoes during the excessively dry weather
which then prevailed.
Twice during the summer, hand went
through the field with hoe and cut up all
the weeds between the hills and patched up
the few hills which were torn into by the
horseshoe. After the vines began to die, it
took but little over an hour per acre to 20
through the field and pull by hand the few
scattering weeds which were missed at the
last hoeing. With the exception of purslane
we find it not difficult matter to keep ordi.
nary field crops practically free from weeds
during the growing season. The soil should
be worked often, both before and after plant
ing. The more it can be worked before plant.
ing, the fewer weeds there will be after
wards With very little labor, late.plauted
crops may be kept almost entirely free from
weeds if the ground is repeatedly ploughed
and cultivated previous to the planting.
Our second and third plautings of fodder
corn are as free from weeds as one could de.
sire, because the land is manured in the
spring aud then cultivated several times pre-.
yious to planting the seed. Seeds require
certain conditions in order to germinate.
They must be near the surface, where the
ground is warm, but they also require mois.
ture as we'll as warmth and if tho surface
is kept constantly light by stirring, they
will not readily germinate. Nor will they
come up in dense shade. So, if the spaces
between the rows are kept constantly light
by the use Of the horseshoe or common oul.
tivator, there need be but little work required
10 the way of hand labor, among tho hills or
drills, during the growing season, after one
thorough wedding.
There will be weeds that start with the
crop, but remove these, and give your crop
possession of the soil, and it will hold it. The
shade of the plants prevents the weeds from
starting in the hills, while, between the rows,
the soil may be kept so constantly light by
the use of the cultivator that few will gor-
inmate except in very wet weather, and
these will be destroyed by cultivation with
the horse-hoe.
Of the weeds commonly found in culti-
waited fields, as wormwoOd, pigweed, barn
grass and the like, we have not raised a
hushe to the acre during the present season
except 10 the first planted fodder corn, nor
was there enough there to injure the crop in
the least. And no hand.hoeing has been
done in either planting of the corn. The
previous cultivation and shade OF the rapidly
growing plants was sufficient to give the
corn complete possession 50 there was no