Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1896-06-16
KILLING THE WEEDS.

| KILLING The WEEDS.
With the seed all Ia the ground the
business Of the farmer and his help Is
now killing weeds. The word hoeing is
misnomer. aud has misled many a
laborer as TO the purpose OF the work
that has bean designated by that word.
Ii Is not hoeing the plaut At sll-the
corn, the potatoes and the beans-thst
we are after. Ii IL simply 10 kill the
weeds that are out Of place among the
crops growing. In our long experience
with hired help on the farm this has been
one Of the hardest Of lessons for them to
| learn. The impression seems to be and
/ Is hard for them 10 overcome that the
valuable plants are the ones 10 receive
attention rather than the weeds. A r
conSs queuce the plants are hoed and the
weeds 100 much overlooked or neglected.
When work has been done as IL ought
10 he the soil has been thoroughly stir
red, fined and smoothed before the seed
l. planted. That kind ot work, then,
calls for no more attention. Once done
IL Is doue for whole season and does
not 20 back on you for that year. So
there is no call for digging, deep-work-
ing OF the soil after the seed l. planted.
The seedhed has already been prepared
and is now only to be left for the root
lets Of the growing plants to burrow in
according TO their own peculiar habits.
All disturbance Of them and their habits
works damage.
Thus II IL plain 10 be seen that this
killing the weeds, misnamed hoeing,
which is now 10 largely claim the at
tcntion of the farmer for month TO
come, has to do only with the surface
of the soil. With this In mind the philo-
sophy OF modern appliances and the
latest methods of doing this work Is at
once apparent. All we are after IL TO
kill the weeds snd let the plants grow.
This is best and easiest done by simply
stirring the surface soil when the weeds
have but just started into growth. All
weeds coming from seeds scattered In
the soil are easily destroyed In this way
at this early stage Of their growth. To
be effective, however, IL Is necessary
that the work BE- entered upon early
after the planting and repeated often.
The Young weeds but Just starting into
growth will then have had time 70 get
rooted In the soil.
IL i easily seen that on field with a
regular, even surface, free from sods
and stones and already made fine, this
scratching or scarifying the surface can
Just a. well be done In a broadcast WAY
a. by the old method of a single row At
time. Hence the broadcast weeders
now offered To the favor of the farmers.
This idea Was first embodied In :he
f,t IN a
ell aud used for broadcast hocing, or
narrowing. of corn and potatoes in the
early stages of their growth. This was
followed by the spring-tC 9th "~eeders,
the principle being the same and the
action almost Identical with the harrow.
These weeders have been modified into
different forms. but doing their work
substantially alike, and all after the
manner of the smoothing harrow. The
effectiveness OF their work Is dependent
on the early-aud- often application. The
simple stirring Of the surface soil kills
the starting weed, while the deeper
planted and rooted corn and potatoes
remain undisturbed. With only seed
weeds 10 contend with, and the surface
of the field in ideal condition, this
broadcast wedding with any Of the
weedcrs designed for such work is all
that is needed 10 keep the crops clean.
We have noted as clean fields following
the harrow or the weeder, as from hand
work
But there is a class of deeper rooted
weeds, like thistles and witch grass,
that the modern broadcast method of
work is hardly match for. In such
case more vigorous methods must in
part at least be drawn upon. Ii is II
fact that runs all through our farm work
that the same implement Is not best in
all eases The weed-kiIlers must be OF
kind called for by the character of the
work 20 be- done. Clean culture i what
is called for. aud the stirring of the soil
necessary 10 secure this should In all
cases be as shallow as the work TO be ac-
complished will admit. la doing this
the attention should be aimed al the
weeds, leaving the valuable plants un-
disturbed. No farmer can afford 10 di
vide his crop with the weeds.-Farmer.