Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1908-12-09
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Eov Tn KiIl Roadside Weeds.

How to IAlll kOaQSlQe WeeCS.
Weeds growing along country
roads may do much damage, for the
weeds of farms are caused in part by
roadside weeds that have been al
lowed to go to seed. Many States
have laws dealing with the extermin-
alton of weeds along the roadside.
and the Manual of the Iowa Highway
Commission gives methods Of de-
stroying various weeds. In that State
rag-weeds and thistles are common,
and the squirrel-tail grass is beconl-
ing very abundant. Says a writer in
Engineering-Contracting:
1.-THE squirrel-tail grass is an an
nual or winter annual, appearing
abundantly in the fall. To prevent
its seeding in the meadow, grass
should be cut early. In this way blue
grass will have chance to grow and
it will not be necessary to plow up
the roadside if the grass is cut in this
way for few years.
"The mustards may be extermin-
ated by treatment with copper-sul-
phate solution. This is' made by the
use of one pound of copper sulphate
to four gallons Of water; fifty gal
Ions should be used to the acre.
The horse nettle as well as the
thistles are perennials and hence 1t
is more difficult to exterminate them.
The following method of eXtermln-
alton of the Canada thistle may be
applied to this class Of weeds:
1.-THE only method of treatment is
to cut down and remove all of the
roots as far as it is possible to do so.
If done frequently and thoroughly
the weed can be removed. II the
patch is q small one, cutting off the
parts below the ground several inches
as soon as they appear above the
ground several times during the sea-
son, will certainly destroy 1t. In
large patches plow the ground, har-
row and remove the thistle; either
burn the material or put into COM
post-heaps. This should be done i've
or six times during the season as oc-
casion may require.
1.-THE best mode of exterminating
the horse nettle is to smother the
plants. This Is probably the most ef-
fective and least expensive method OF
removing this plant. For this pur-
pose clover is the most suitable plant.
The soil should be narrowed or culti-
vated frequently until the time OF
seeding, which may be any time dur
ing May and June. Planting to corn
or oats is method also used in de-
stroying the horse nettle. The plant
should be kept down before seeding
time. The removal Of the nettle
when in a well-advanced stage, but
before the production of seed (as
when cut, with clover or early Ger
eals), is often resorted to, the idea
being to kill the plant by shock. This
method is simply an effective means
of preventing the production of seed.
Dock, which is a common weed
everywhere along roadsides, can be
exterminated as follows: The most
efficient means of destroying this
weed is to root 1t out by hand, and
this is done very readily in the
spring when the soil it wet, by taking
hold of the plant just at the surface
of the ground, giving the root slight
twist and at the same time an up
ward pull, and the root will readily
common, however, it is sometimes
plowed or spud is used. This meth
cd is not, however, SO efficient as the
pulling method. Literary Digest.