The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1881-07-16
Destruction Of Weeds.

anu weeds. oome farmers begin the
season by making vigorous light tc
keep their crops free from all noxiou,
plants. but as the season advances and
the crops get good start, they aban
don the field and leave the crops tc
fight their own way thus when the
crops need a little more assistance to
ensure good yield they are left BY
their owner to be dwarfed. if not en-.
tirely choked out by weeds and grass.
Another class who are always success.
full in protecting their crops from weeds
keep up the fight until the first oil
second week in July. for corn, potatoes
ana beans, and for onions, carrots and
beats, month later then they Law
aside their hoe, and feel that they have
done their whole duty. that their crops
are fully protected and would not be
increased if the destruction of weeds
was continued until harvest time this
may be true but there is one important
fact that ought not to be lost sight of,
which is, that the moment cultivation
ceases fresh crop of nearly all kinds
OF weeds will appear, and, with SEEM
ing intelligence they do not stop to
grow large before poisoning, as they
do ii they come up in early spring and
grow unmolested, but they begin to
blossom when very small, and in an
incredible short time mature their
seeds, and thus prepare the germs
for numerous crop another year.
While these small weeds may not ma
terially injure the crop of the present
year, they propagate their race aud
cause the farmer great amount of labor
next year; far more than would be the
labor to continue the fight until fall,
and thus prevent any seeds ripening for
any future crop. BY making thorough
work in destroying weeds for a few
years in succession, the weeds on the
farm may be very much diminished if
not entirely destroyed. We remember
of visiting one farm that had been kept
under cultivation for nearly fifty years
by one man, that was entirely free from
weeds. By most careful examination
we failed to find single weed, though
several acres were planted with corn.
potatoes and other hoed crops, and the
examination was made the first week in
August. This man had made it his bust
ness to keep down the weeds, not only
in his cultivated fields of hoed crops.
but also around his barn, in the moving
fields, by the roadside and under the
fences, or wherever he saw an undesira-
BILE plant; thus he had conquered. them
not only among his hoed crops, bat in
all parts of his farm; by so doing he
kept his manure free from weed seeds;
the battle once fought secured victory
that was easily maintained.
Our best farmers are beginning to
learn. and in fact most of them have al
readylearned, that the time spent in de-
stroying weeds in the autumn is well
spent, and that if they would save time
in cultivating hoed crops they must
keep the weeds from seeding as much as
possible in all parts of the farm; little
carelessness in this respect will soon COW
er farm with weed seeds. A single root
of milk weed in q moving field, if left
unmolested will spread over and take
possession of large field in a few years.
We had painful example of this,
which learned us lesson that will not
soon be forgotten; at first being but a
few roots, it was thought if cut two or
three times and prevented from bios
soming they would die out, but to our
modification they seemed to spread and
flourish under such treatment; from fif-
teen or twenty stalks they multiplied to
several thousand in two years; as they
were in moving field that it was not
convenient to plow, the experiment
was tried to destroy them pulling them
up before they were more than three
inches high, this was followed faithfully
during the entire summer, going over
the ground every week until the frost
stopped their growth, by fall they
seemed to weaken. but the next
spring they came up more numer-
Gus than ever and spread over much
larger territory; the space they COW
erep being some twenty rods; we were |
well nigh discouraged; but not being
willing to believe that root could live |
many years without top. the battle |
was continued the same as the previous |
year, except the ground was gone over |
twice week; the latter part of sum-
mer they came up less frequently, but
continued to show themselves until |
cold weather. The next spring not one |
could be found; not wishing to repeat |
the experiment, we now keen a sharp |
eye on the moving fields for milk weed, |
and if one is seen, exterminate it root |
and branch. Weeds among hoed crops
should never be permitted TO get large
before destroyed; weedy land should be |
cultivated as soon as the crop is up. |
after which the soil should be stirred |
often enough to kill the weeds as soon
as they show themselves above ground.
BY permitting the weeds to get well |
rooted, it often takes longer to hoe a
crop once than it would three times, if
done when the weeds are just above the
surface; If the weeds are several inches
high. with numerous roots, unless they
are picked up and carried 7 the ground
a large portion of them will grow again.
but if cut up when very small it is very
sure death for them. Massachusetts
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