Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1893-09-30
THE FARM AND HOME.
A HEAVY AND UNNECESS AIRY
TAX ON THE FARM.
Imposed by Weeds Dipping sheep Nee
essary to Health-Butter Packages
Land Plaster-Timothy vs.. Wheat
Farm Notes and Home Hints.
Handling harmful weeds.

Handling Harmful Weeds.
Most of our American farmers look
on weeds as matter of course. and
never seem to get the idea that a
farm can be so managed as to become
free from weeds; so they look on
with placid indifference while the
crab grass, fox-tail, morning glorieS
and various kinds of burrs and
needles overrln the cOrnfelds after
cultivation ceases, and the rag-weed
hides the clover in the stubble fields,
and the garden is hidden By mixed
mass of weeds so that il is necessary
to hunt for the potatoes with q
scythe and pitchfork when il comes
time to dig them. This earelessness
and Indifference suggests that good
can be done by fighting weeds with
the pen, and that the most essential
thing TO do is TO convince farmers,
first, chat weeds impose heavy and
unnecessary tax on them, and second,
that by intelligent management they
can be subiugated. Ii the farmers of
Europe need clean fields, we need
them much more, for they can hire
about three hands day for what one
costs US; and so, while they possibly
might afford TO cultivate weedy
fields. we certainly cannot.
One Of the greatest helps in subju-
eating weeds is clover, writes w. II
Bowen in the Country Gentleman, for
two bodies cannot occupy the same
space at the same time, and If fields
are we'll set with clover there is
much less room for weeds. A thick
stand of clover shades the soil and
keeps it moist. which is favorable to
the termination OF seeds, and then
smothers them in their infancy.
Glover is thickencd ana benefited
by cutting, while most of our peren-
NAL weeds are killed by cutting.
A field so seeded with rag-weed
that it takes full possession of the
soil can be thoroughly cleansed in
FIVE years by the use OF clover, and
by moving the stubble the last OF July
or first Of August. lave field on
which this plan has been followed,
and five weeks ago it was planted to
potatoes. An examination Of il yes
terday showed il TO be clean OF
weeds. although it has rained so in
cessantly that we have not been able
to go on it at all, but a strip eight
| feet wide, where row OF corn
| shocks stood. had no clover on IT,,
and late last fall ripened a crop OF
weed seed, and on this strip there
| is now mat of reeds.
One must study the habits OF plants
to fight weeds intelligently, and
know the conditions under which
they mature seed, and how they prop.
| agate and scatter, TO fight them
successfully. Some weeds are most
likely to spread in pastures and others
on cultivated land. OF some varieties
| the seed viii come up early in the
spring and with others the battle
must be continued all summer. Some
weeds are comparatively harmless on
clay uplands, but run riot on rich
bottoms. / read that when the first
Colorado potato beetle was seen In
Germany the cabinet was convened
to take prompt measures for it,
destruction, and there are some weed;
so persistent and difficult to eradt-
cute that il one is discovered on &
| farm every man, woman and child
should be informed OF its character
and enlisted in the fight against it.
On many of our bottom farms where
corn is grown most of the time the
common blue morning glory Is the
worst pest that was ever introduced,
and it is well nigh impossible to eradi
cate ii. 1t comes up soon after the
corn is laid by and grows until the
vines reach from hill to hill, so that
one can scarcely get through the
fields. II you try to cut the corn NJ
to save the fodder you will have tC
cut it at both ends, and man walk
ing through the field gets tangled ii
the vines.
One ought carefully TO inspect al
seeds which he buys and refuse thos,
containing a mixture. ! introduced
the morning-glory referred to b.
buying q bushel Of beans, and it ha
only been by constant watchfulnes,
and vigilance that | have kept I
from spreading over my farm, anC
although for eighteen summers
have hunted for it and destroyed
every plant could find, | have no
yet exterminated it. A few year
ago / bought some alsike cloger seet
that contained seed of the ox-ey,
daisy, but am not apprehensive o
trouble from it. as it is confined to
pasture and does not seem TO b.
spreading.
I'ut:er Packages.
Nothing is Of more help in selling