The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-06-21
10 Suppress Running Weeds.


A gentleman whose dOOr-yard ha'
become infested with the runnin;
plant commonly, known as money
wort" AMI to bO anists as LysimGchit
uummuIdyid, remarked to us: g
would gladly give two hundred dollar
to he rid Of that weed, for it is driving
the grass from the lawn, and | canno
kill it. Hoeing it up only increase:
the growth"
Another owner of n handsome resi-
Gunce said that one of the worst weeds
he met with was the Vi1cG minor, ol
periwinkle, often called myrtle, which
gradually spread over his grounds
without his being able to check it.
These are both running plants, which
root freely from their prostrates stems,
and thus the whole surface is gradually
covered by them to the exclusion of
grass and everything else. The own
ers have asked us for a remedy, and
we propose therefore to give a few
general and particular directions, ap-
plicable to :hese and all other weeds
of similar character
All plants are killed if excluded dur
ing their growing season from air and
light. With nearly all, a few months
are sufficient If kept constantly bur-
led they are etfectually destroyed in
one season. But most people do the
work at the halves; they are kept well
under most of the time, but occasion
ally allowed to peep above ground,
take breath, and start off again with
vigor A very few small leaves are
sufficient to send new life do wn through
ali the roots This was the reason the
gentleman above mentioned did not
kill his patch of mCneywOrt by hOeing.
This is the reason that so many fail in
attempting to destroy patches of Cana
da thistle, ,snapdragOn and quack grass.
The plants are allowed repeatedly to
recover what they have lost Canada
thistles turned under deeply with the
plOw, by the lst of June or sooner
and afterwards often enough to prevent
a single green point from coming to
the surface, will be forever and effectu-
ally killed by the IsJ of October, as
we have satisfactorily proved on more
than one occasion. We have seen
farmers attempt the same treatment
on quack grass, but they entirley
failed for want of thorough work.
But those who have taken hold of this
weed and kept it always under have
succeeded without difficulty of which
some interesting instances might be
cited.
But in established lawns and door
yards the plow and harrow cannot be
introduced. The work must 0e done
by hand. The owner of lawn wishes
advice how TO treat Il patch of an in
veterate running weed which has taken
possession Of a portion of his hand
some grounds. Probably the easiest
way would be to trench under the
whole, SO as to throw all the plants
with every portion of their roots, deep
~ under the soil, and then turf the
surface. 1t will OF course be absolute
ly necessary not TO allow a single frag
ment of the weed to escape, or else the
trouble will soon be as bad as ever. If
t roots run too deep to be thorough
ly treated IN this way, a few inches of
the surface may be removed and carted
to some place where no harm can be
done, and then the whole surface eff
tectually GOV r;d with tatred felt,
such as builders use. The tar will
prevent the weed from pushing through.
Then over this a coat of earth and a
Covering of turf may be laid. it may
be that =oine kind of coarse paper or
pasteUoard, not tarred, might be used
III sufficient layers to exclude the pass
age OF the .plants, and to rot bv the
second year and prevent the drouth
which would occur with an impervious
stratum a few inches below the SUI face.
In the early part of the present cen
tury, when The Canada thistle was
spreading into some of the states where
it was unknown before, it excited
great alarm, and landowners very
properly attempted to extirpaLe it be-
I ore it obtained large possession of
their farms. They began by digging
:, an. But this process only cut the
ie the '->t"4 Geces, each of which sent
emainder of hisnt. Others resorted to
The Dcmocra similar want of success.
n of it's rights Cered that the root ran
n. > s-la-.s- ne sub soil, in some in
>. Oitlct ) several lteJ, anu attempts
were made, with incredible labor, to
dig down and follow every root. But
so ne were broken off and left behind,
ami the esult was failure 1t would
have been immeasurably easier, and at
the same time eflectual, it the weed
had been smothered at the surface.
Flowing under is better than a tempt
ing to oestroy them with the hoe, be-
cause when turned i'll deeply, some
weeks are required to reach the sur
face, and if the blowing is repeated in
time, they are kept continually smotI-
cred With the hoe, the SURFACE only