The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-08-15
Getting Rid of Weeds.

to-sase of weeds on northern farms within
t,,, YEARS past, says the american Cult
.,t,r There are now largely increased ia
,lirias for communication. and the weeds
Of one section, instead Of progressing to
others slowly as their seeds are distributed
Nv winds. are now carried hundreds of miles
End left 10 grow unchecked beside railroads
IN and that receives no care Whatever. In
such places they obtain foothold, gro " their
seeds, and by the time the farmers IN the
,eIOhbJ rhood have walked up to their dan
Ger the evil is beyond full control Some
If the worst weeds in certain localities have
tbus been introduced. farmers in their
neighborhood not being aware of the danger
until it was too late.
The depression of farming the last few
YEARS is a further reason why less care has
feen taken to free land of weeds Ii costs
considerable labor to 60 over the stubble
zelda and destroy the weeds after the crop
is gathered. II the crop itself has not paid
profit ON cost Of growing, it is not strange
that the extra labor, giving no present profit,
is not forthcoming. Add to this that the
psst two summers have, in many localities,
been very wet, and there is plenty OF reason
why the weed nuisance should be now the
worst of the evils threatening the American
farmers prosperity. OF all the taxes that
the farmer is compelled to pay, this is the
most burdensome. He ca net manure with
thus making 1t necessary to spend more
labor in cultivation. At the best the weeds
are great damage to him. In most hoed
crops there comes time when cultivation
cannot be continued without lessening the
Weld. Then the weeds must be allowed
to 70 unchecked, except as slowly and ex-
pensively destroyed by hand labor. All
over the country now are fields OF corn and
potatoes with weeds growing between the
rows, and farmers deferred from using the
cultvator, because they know weeds do less
damage than would the deep stirring Of
the soil required to destroy them.
One thing, at least, can be done. That
is. to prevent these weeds from seeding.
Pow the land as soon as the crop is off. In
that way weeds will be buried, and the half
formed seed, that would be perfected by its
stalk if left above ground, will rot with 1t
beneath the furrow, and do no further
injury. 1t is safer than gathering the
weeds piling them up and burning when
tLey become dry enough. w bile the weed
Is drying most Of the seeds fall out, and live
for future damage to the farmer. What is
burned is only dry stalk, not half 50 bene-
fetal to the soil from lts ash as "a green stalk
rutting in the soil, and yielding not only
Carbonic acid gas, but some ammonia, de-
veloping from the heat it produces in rot
ting.
Frequent blowing while the ground is
moist exposes new surfaces to the air and
y
weed seeds that might otherwise have given
great trouble in after years. The cultivator
turning the soil two or three inches deep
destroys all weeds that have germinated,
and does it in such way as to add to the
fertility and moisture of the soil. In this
way what is itself an evil is turned into
benefit.
Another wsy of sQppresslng weeds is to
seed heavily with clover. No annual weed
has any chance where young clover once
completely covers the ground. RaRweed
and sorrel terminate and are smotnered
down by clover growth. Yet even in the
hest seeding there will be some places where
few OF these weeds will escape. If they
are only few they may be cut with
scythe, cutting only the patches so as not to
check the clover
The crops Of this country are reduced
many millions Of dollars by the combined
influence of insects and weeds. No one of
any experience and observation need
be told that not only are the pastures and
meadows greatly reduced in productive
ness, but large proportion our hoed CROPS
aer affected more or less seriously by the
presence of weeds among them. or course,
the principal injury from weeds is
done to pastures and meadows. We have
no doubt If a correct estimate could be
made OF the loss attendant upon che pres
ence OF weeds In such places, il would be
found that the average reduction Of pasture
H1ShuOW crops aIuOuuLeu W EuOId Iunh
% per cent. II no crop grew upon the land
but such as was wanted, only those that
were seeded, our farming would be far more
Temunerative than it is. We know per-
soaaly of many instances where Farmers
nave essayed TO make good pastures and
meadows of the improved varieties of clovers
uuu grasses, and the result of their efforts
was only in an immense growth OF
weeds. 1t was difficult to find any sign of
NaSs or clover under the dense growth or
weeds
Our lands have become so foul with use
Ies' weeds and inferior grasses that it 49, IN
many Instances, almost impossible TO get
Ne" setting of the improved grasses, es-
IeclalIy If the attempt is made in the
spring time Even fall sowings of the lat
YET meet with more OF less obstruction from
Ne7os that are 50 hardy as to be able to
%'nstand the severest freezes. All over
'ue country we come across pastures and
meadows so overgrown with weeds in the
gunner time and fall as to be almost worth
tte0S and which, but for these weeds, would
oe as Inc as any pastures you would ind
anywhere. How little work is done in the
sSu'h toward eradioating these weeds from
.Ie meadows and pasturesl Every year
slese are allowed to grow and to mature
+iesn seeds and to stock the land with sutfi-
Sent OF the latter to keep the land supplied
ttU hIty years. Now all this will have to
stopped by those farmers who in the
etdTG out TO nave paying pastures
VI meadows. A certain amount of labor
must be allotted to this special
"Uk-the determination of useless weeds.
"a moving or two, done at the proper
ZINES IN summer and autumn will soon
1rIng these weeds that take 80 much from
ne valuable crop, into comparative sub
JeC'oA There are certain weeds that it
YIN pay farmer TO go over his land when
IN, .he soil is vet and pull out by hand rather
man 70 let them remain and befoul the
Ia"u and diminish the crop-the "jimson"
weed the cockeburs, the ragweed, the
anaranth. and half dozen others that
mlRlt be named. For the determination Of
weeds flock Of sheep is one of the best In
ve'tuents on the farm, without reckoning
TIER food value at all.
he majority OF farmers in the south will
uua II almost impracticabe TO establish lu-
.trh from spring sowiugs-all on account OF
sue weeds. Unless fall eown, so that the
crop can get something Of start on the
Weeds, failure is very apt 10 result. Hun
Iela OF farmers In Middle Georgia have
zen completely discouraged In their efforts
" get Rugh iHaAru TaWaa bIa