The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1908-05-01
Weeds anu Wafer
Farmer's Advocate

~
Are YOU going TO do a better Job
of killing weeds this year than YOU
did last? If you have not made such
a resolution with plans matured for
carrying it out do so at once. You
have no reason to believe that the
rainfall this year will be greater
than normal and consequently YOU
cannot expect that any more moist
ure will be available for the corn
crop than in the years past. Every
suniiower and cocklebur growing in
the field will require as much water
as a stalk of Corn and they have the
happy faculty of getting a little more
than their share in competition with
the corn stalk. Since the farmer has
no means of increasing the rainfall
he Toes have it within his power to
make a greater amount Of moisture
available for his crops by destroy
ing the roDber weeds.
Farm plants require from 800 to
800 times as much water by weight
as their dry weig.t. Figuring on
this basis the normal rainfall of
tfa west is ample to produce corn
yields at least twice as great as our
average for a period of 30 years if
our annual weed crop alone was dis
continued. Besides destroying the
weeds, the cultivation in so doing
would conserve a large inestimable
quantity of moisture which now es-
capes and is not available for crop
production. Besides destroying the
weeds which rob our soil of its wa
ter we must cultivate our lands that
the moisture be held in the soil for
the use of our plants. We would
net think of wantonly wasting our
choice alfalfa hay because our live
stock and our prosperity depends
on the utilization of every spear.
Then why continually waste the rain
OF Heaven when it is the very life
of our growing crops?
We can save the water by prevent
ing the growth OF weeds and by
checking evaporation by thorough
cultivation and by maintaining a soil
mulch. The easiest time TO kill Il
weed is when the plant is small. 1t
is none too early tic begin killing
weeds and the cultivation of corn
as soon as the crop is planted and the
weeds begin to grow. A sharp
toothed harrow is a good thing TO
use AT this time. The barrow Will
I'm ~ ,N ,lI .l,, " 81. 49,. T.:
PIGMENT and with less labor. and he
sides provides a mulch which VIII
prevent evaporation. The harrow is
not used on the average farm as
much as it should be. ii can be used
advantage0usly until corn is a loot
high. There are other implements
which are efficient weed d~estroyers
in fields OF young corn which can be
used in ioul listed fields to better
advantage than the harrow i'll kill
ing weeds, but they do not leave the
ground in good condition for the
conservation Of moisture. These i'm
plements shuld be followed with the
harrow.
The farmers capacity for killing
weeds can be greatly increased by
using implements which will get
over the ground rapidly. Use three
good horses on a four section harrow
instead CT two horses on a 2 section
harrow. Use faur horses on a four
row weed killer instead OF two horses
on a II row machine. Good horses
and good implements will help to
solve labor problems. Maybe you can
not gel all the hired help you want
but YOU can grow the horse power
and large implements are made fol
your use.
BY all means save the water anG
produce a maximum of bushels witt
a minimum of labor. Your profit lies
in solving this problem.