Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-12-04
WEEDS AND MOISTURE.
An Important Point That Has Never Re.
CeiYed Due tenti

WEEDS AND MOISTURE.
An Important Point That Has Never Re.
ceived Due Attention.
In considering the i'll effect of weeds
upon a 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
no to be neglected for a moment by
the farmer, yet there is another con
sideration which is more important still,
and which has, we think, never yet
been referred to in this regard. We
mean the consumption of water by the
weeds and the starving of the crop by
loss of its needed moisture, as we'll as
by the deprivation of food.
The indispensable necessity of water
for the growth Of q crop is not nearly
so we'll thought of as the need for what
is known Us food, that is-the elements
which go 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-
tenancc of animal life was we'll shown
by the extraordinary fast Of forty-twN
days undergone by Dr.. Tanner q 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 a new view of
the subject Of weeds.
A great number of experiments
made at the agricultural observatory
at Montsouris, France. ~ few year,s
ago, showed that to produce ten pounds
of wheat (grain) 1902 pounds OF wa
ter were consumed by the plants and
passed through their substance. DR..
Lawes' experiments in the same di-
rection have proved that 1000 pounds
of water are required by a wheat
crop to enable it to assimilate 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-
ly, is the need of water. Consider
ing the comparatively vast proportions
of u magnificent corr 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 OF
greediness for the consumption of
water. All farmers know how fire.
quently 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 a dry season is
one we have not vet seen, while the
suffering crops are never to be for.
gotten.
The measure of the water consumed
by the crop may be considered us the
measure of the capacity of the soil to
produce a 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
must be supplied in addition to that
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
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. II
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 a~bstracting 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 a
vast injury to the neighboring plants;
one ragweed which lifts its head above
the wheat, OF the potatoes, may have
done more harm than twice it's compar-
alive size would lead the farmer to sup
pose, and in q way in which he may
have never dreamed. 1t is to be hoped
chat 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 it's
robbery, it does not Gov 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 q
service he has neglected to avail him.
self ON. Y. Times.
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The following unique communica-
ton vas received recently by one of
our jewellers: 'Sir Pleas Fix this Wotch
for this boy if YOU IAN. Shood of Com