Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-11-12
WEEDS AND MOISTURE.
An Important Point That Has Never Re
cefved Due Attention.

cefved Due Attention.
| In considering the Ill effect of weeds
| upon cultivated crop, the most COM
mon consideration is that the weeds rob
| the soil of fertility and SO starve the
crop. While this is most true, and is
not to be neglected for a moment by
the farmer, yet there is another con-
sideration which is more important stlll,
and which has, we think, never vet
been referred to in this regard. We
mean the consumption of water by the
weeds and the starving of the crop by
| loss of it's needed moisture, as well as
by the deprivation of food.
| The indispensable necessity of water
/ for the growth Of crop is not nearly
so well thought of as the need for what
| is known as food, that is-the elements
which 90 to form the dry substance of
| the plants. Now, plants contain about
seventy-five per cent. OF water. and in
| this respect are much like animals,
| which contain about the same proper
! ton of water to dry matter. The
| greater necessity for water for the con-
| duct of the vital functions and the sus-
| tenance of animal life was we'll shown
| by the extraordinary fast of forty-two
| DAYS undergone by Dr. Tanner few
| years ago. who lived solely upon water
| for that length of time. Three days
| abstinence from water would have been
fatal to him. This fact applied to plant
| growth will give US quite new view of
| the subject of weeds.
| A great number of experiments
made at the agricultural observatory
| at Montsouris, France. a few years
| ago, showed that to produce ten pounds
| of wheat (grain) 1902 pounds of wa
ter were consumed by the plants Ind
| passed through their substance. DR..
| Lawes experiments in the same di-
rection have proved that 1000 pounds
| of water are required by wheat
| crop to enable it to asslmllate one
| pound of mineral matter from the
soil. For the consumption. then, of
100 pounds of any mineral fertilizer,
or of this quantity of mineral matter
of the soil. 100 tons of water must be
| used up by the crop. Wheat is less
exacting in this respect than any other
crop, for the larger the growth of leaf
and stalk, the greater, proportionate-
", is the need of water. Consider
| ing the comparatively vast proportions
| of our magnificent corn plant it
| is almost beyond the bounds of
| Imagination to realize the quantity of
water which passes through its broad
| leaves to mature one acre of crop.
| Plants differ in their capacity or
| greediuess for the consumption of
| water. All farmers know how fire.
| quentlv the corn leaves curl with
| thirst, and how rarely the abundant
weeds exhibit any signs of distress.
We must confess the sight of a weed
| suffering for water in dry season is
| one we have not yet seen, while the
| suffering crops are never to be for.
| gotten.
| The measure of the water consumed
| by the crop may be considered as the
| measure of the capacity of the soil to
| produce crop. For forty bushels of
| wheat per acre an amount of water
must pass through the leaves of the
plants equal to six inches in depth over
| the whole surface. This quantity
| which percolates through the soil and
| that which evaporates from it under
the influence of the sun and the winds.
| The whole average rainfall is equal to
only forty inches. Three-fourths of
| this, at least, finds its way into streams
| without aiding in the growth of any
! crop; more than one-half falls in the
| season when growth is not active; thus
may be seen how inadequate the water
| supply is in the average years, and how
| difficult it is to produce a full crop SIM
| ply for want of necessary water. If
crops take up water from the soil, much
| more do the greedy weeds, which over
| come the legitimate tenants of the soil,
and while they steal the solid food
| from the crops they do infinitely more
| damage by abstracting the most indis-
| pensable water. How jealous then the
| farmer should be of the weeds! How
| active in preventing their growth and
preserving the soil from waste! For a
weed grown has already accomplished
vast injury to the neighboring plants;
one ragweed which lifts its head above
the wheat, or the potatoes, may have
done more harm than twice its compar-
| alive size would lead the farmer to sup
pose, and in a way in which he may
have never dreamed. 1t is to be hoped
| that this view of this subject may lead
to more determined efforts with farmers
to cleanse the soil; for while it may be
supposed that a crop of weeds plowed
in may return to the soil the fruits of its
| robbery, it does not recover the preci-
cious moisture (which has been taken
from the crop and which has passed off
and has disappeared in the clouds from
| whence it first came to do the farmer
| service he has neglected to avail him.
calf IF N Y Times