The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-06-15
Getting Rid of Weeds.

Some OF our contemporaries with limited
age and experience are discussing, says the
american CultiuGtor, the possibility of en-
tirely getting rid of weeds at some near
date, say twenty-five or thirty years. If
this possible by thorough cultivation or any
system of management market gardeners
would have long ago achieved this desirable
result. Their experience, ON the contrary,
shows never an entire absence of weeds on
the longest cultivated grounds, and for a
few years after high manuring and COM
plete pulverization of the soil begin weeds
tend rather to increase than to diminish.
Manures probably bring some new seeds to
the land, but they increase their number
more by making those in the soil terminate
when under poor cultivation they might re-
main locked up in the clods for years with
out change.
The weeds that have the smallest seeds
usually give most trouble. Most of them
REQUIRE to be very close to the surface to
sprout, and if only little below the usual
depth they will not terminate but remain
unchanged until another year. 1t may thus
easily happen that dozen successive piow-
ings may not at any time bring the seed in
the position in which alone growth is pos
slble. The use Of improved implements for
cultivation has made what are called hoed
crops more effective in clearing land of
weeds than was formerly the fact, but even
now, after years Of cultivation, some weed
setds send up their ugly progeny to make
the farmers and gardeners life burden.
Many kinds of weed seeds, even when
placed in proper position in the soil, will
only grow at certain seasons Of the year.
Thus red root, which is the plague of the
wheat grower, seldom if ever starts to grow
ing in the heat Of summer, but reserves its
termination until cool, moist weather in the
fall, just when the winter grain has to be
sown. A corn or potato crop may be Guilt
waited every week during the summer and
show not spear of red root, yet the field
will be filed with red root next spring if
wheat or rye is sown in the fall.
Probably much is yet to be learned as to
the best methods Of making weeds less hurt
full. if not of destroying them entirely. The
red root, which is the worst plague of the
farmer who grows winter wheat exclusive
ly, becomes harmless plant in q rotation
of hoed crops followed by spring grain and
then seeded with clover. Some other weeds
such as wild mustard, commonly called
charlock, will not grow unies the ground is
stirred In spring. Seeding with winter
grain soon disposes of them, not perhaps by
getting rid of the seeds, but by preventing
them from growing. Yet whenever a new
system of rotation or better cultivation is
attempted these weeds will appear in greatly
increased numbers. Thus the paradox is
presented of better cultivation resulting in
more weeds, because it enables everything.
good or bad, to grow better.
Those persistent perennials, quack grass
and Canada thistle, can usually. on land not
too rocky or not set with trees. be got rid of
in single season. Continual blowing. so
that no green thing appears obove the sur
face, makes an end Of them. and all the
more quickly if the soil be rich and the
growth vigorous. To partly kill patch of
either quack or thistles canuot be much
advantage. for whenever the ground is cul-
tivated again they soon become worse than
ever. Many a farmer thinks he has entirely
cleared his land of these pests, only to find
after year or two that his work has all to
be done over again.