Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-09-29
Destroying Weeds.

weeds on farms: l. Allowing them free
range-a common and bad way. 2.
Struggling against them with partial
success. This treatment is very COM
mon, even among many good farmers.
1t will do for some weeds which are
not formidable, such as common grass
in a corn field. With other weeds, as
the Canada thistle, it is expensive. As
with a fire in a city, it is cheaper to
make thorough work, and not to leave
any vestige to break out again. Hence
in many cases it is much better to adopt
a third mode and effect a clean sweep.
Farmers of the second class above de-
scribed say '.this can not be done; we.
have tried it." This is correct, so far
as their imperfect mode was concerned.
l have often asked such farmers why,
after destroying nine-tenths of the,
weeds, they could not finish the tenth?'
1t is because they have long adopted the
habit of being satisfied with partial
work. l once gave a hired man q piece
of work at hoeing weeds in a garden,
and knowing his imperfect habit offered
an additional dollar to his days wages
if 1 could not find a hundred living
weeds after him. He did not get the
dollar! It is the same old habit with SO
many farmers.
I think it is bad doctrine for any
writer TO hold before readers, that
spreading weeds can not be wholly ex-
tirpated. 1t tends to maintain and per-
petuate the loose practice referred to.
Your correspondent asserts that Cana
da thistles shave steadily increased,
even on farms where all the rules for
their destruction have been faithfully
observed" I have no doubt that some
farmers have tried to observe those
rules, but between old habits and such
distractions as stumps and stones, there
has been a failure. Let me cite a few
examples:
A few miles from my residence is a
farm of over one hundred acres. The
owner did not believe that Canada
thistles could be killed, and he accord
ingly did not .'waste" needless labor
to destroy them. He let them have
their own way, and gradually the whole
farm was nearly covered. That
farm became noted for it broad crops of
these thistles. 1t then fell into
new hands, and was subjected to new
treatment. The manager did not adopt
the long-interval practice of allowing
the thistles to get some Roadway
between the plowings. He put them
completely under and made them stay
there. Fences were removed, so that
all the thistles could be reached. I
often pass that farm now, but [ see no
thistles on it. I killed a patch of an
acre of Canada thistles in one season,
and none of them aver came afterward.
In another year 1 thoroughly destroyed
another patch of five acres. l have
known the thing done so often that it is
hardly necessary to multiply state
ments. The ground vas such as to
admit unbroken blowing. Among
rocks and stumps it might be impracti-
cable. I have known some farmers
who asserted that they tried it and
failed. but 1 found on examination that
they pursued the half slip-shod course of
allowing some weeds to peep between
the plowings. 1 have seen a large field
of quack grass completely clearedin one
season. but it was done by thorough
work, which is always the cheapest. I
have seen two farms in the midst of q
country white with oxeye daisy, and on
these farms not a plant of this weed
could be found. The thorough system
pursued was not a costly one. The all
summer fallows, with weeds between,
is a poor, slip-shod way. Thorough,
fine pulverization and close work is
what is wanted on all summer fallows.
Cor. Country Gentleman.