The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1901-08-30
FARMER AND PLANTER
WEEDS AND THEIR SEEDS.
A Factor in Farm work that Com
sumes an Enormous Amount
of Time.

If we could know how much of our
tine each year is spent in fighting
weeds, the record would astonish us.
Weeds in the corn, weeds in the pota-
toes, weeds in the grain and weeds in
the grass, weeds everywhere. Where
they all come from and just why they
thrive, as they do, furnish food for
thought.
l have lately been having a costly
experience with a weed which we
call here in the east the wireweed.
| think it is a species of the golden
rod. The leaves and blossoms bear a
remarkable resemblance to that plant.
/ am unable to give the origin of the
plant on my farm, but it came last
year in wonderful areas. Those who
know anything about its tenacity,
need not be told what roots it has,
running far out in every direction
and sending out its myriad of fibrous
rootlets here and there until it runs
all other vegetation out. Last fall |
plowed a piece which was thicl<ly
grown up to this weed and thought
perhaps by blowing again in the
spring | might be able to conquer it;
but when spring came and | turned
the land over again there was the
wireweed as fresh as ever after the
first warm rain. Then the question
arose what to do next. and | conclud-
ed that nothing would avail like thor
ough cultivation. l planted my piece
to potatoes, as [ had intended, and
sat down to await results. | had not
long to wait, for some time before
the potatoes were out of the ground
the wireweed had begun to send up
its head all over the field. | put in
spike tooth harrow and did what |
could in that way to subdue the weed,
but it speedily presented itself as
fresh as before. AS soon as | could
see the rows | started the cultiyator
and had the satisfaction of knowing
that / had rooted out some of the
stalks. This gave me courage and |
kept at it. -Four times l went over
the piece, part of the time one way
and part the other. | was beginning
to get the stuff cornered. Still many
stalks remained in the potato hills
and after killing them up | went
through them with a hoe and every
spear of wirewood l could find was
carefully pulled by hand. To-day
the piece is as clean as can be mag
ined but oh! the hours of baekache!
Where do they come from? Well l
think we buy a vast deal of foul stuff
in our grass seed for, be as careful as
we may, some will get into the grass
seed. | have always taken pains to
buy the very best and cleanest seed l
could find, and yet, no doubt l have
been deceived. Again, one careless
farmer may seed to foul weeds a
whole township, for the weed seeds fly
on the wings of the wind far and near.
If allowed to ripen these seeds are
so light that they float across the
snow for miles; thus wild carrot and
similar plants, migrate. A few mo-
ments with a scythe just before the
plants begin to ripen would save I'M
told trouble to those who really try
to keep their farms free from weeds.
Many of our weeds come from the
seedsmen, who send them out in lit
tie packages for the flower garden.
OF this class may be named the So
called paintbrush. There ought to be
stringent law against spreading this
seed in such a way. 1t is a most pes
tiferous weed running everything
else out wherever it gets foothold
1t spreads from the root and from
the seed, which like that of wild car
rot, is as light as feather and is
carried by the wind for miles and
miles. In some parts of the east this
plant is getting dangerous foothold.
E. L. Vincent, in Agricultural Epi-
tomist.