Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1909-08-10
Iowa Weed Law Enacted at Last
Session of Legislature.

| 1t shall be the duty of every person,
firm or corporation owning, occupying
or controlling lands, town and city lots,
land used as right of way, depot
grounds or for other purposes to cut,
burn or otherwise destroy all weeds of
the kind mentioned in section two here
of at such times in each year and in
such manner as shall prevent the said
weeds from blooming or coming to ma
turity,
The following weeds are hereby de-
clared to be noxious weeds, namely;
quack-grass, Canada thistle, cocklebur,
wild mustard, sour or curled dock,
smooth dock, buckthorn or ribbed plan
tain and wild parsnip, horse nettle and
velvet weed or button weed and bur-
dock.
/ 1t shall be the duty of the township
trustees or other officers responsible
for the care of public highways in each
township or county in this state to de-
stroy or cause to be destroyed all nox
ious weeds mentioned in section two
hereof or unnecessary brush on the
highway in such manner as to effect
ually prevent the production of their
seeds or their propagation in any other
manner, to warn out labor or to en-
ploy labor for this purpose in the same
manner as for repairs to the highway
and for neglect or failure to perform
this work they shall be subjected to
the penalties in this act. If any occu-
pants of lands adjacent to the public
highway neglects or refuses to destroy
the noxious weeds upon his land or
shall fail to prevent the said noxious
weeds from blooming or coming to ma
turity, when such weeds are likely to
be the means of infesting the public
highway, or upon complaint of any
land owner to the township trustees
that his lands have been or are likely
to be infested by weeds from the lands
of another, including right of way, the
trustees shall make investigation tf
such condition or complaint and if the
same appear to be well founded they
shall make an order fixing the time with
in which the weeds shall be prevented
from maturing seed and an order that
within one year such noxious weeds
shall be permanently destroyed and
prescribing the manner of their de-
struction, and shall forthwith give no.
tice to the occupants of the lands where
the noXious weeds exist and if he shall
neglect to obey such order within the
time SO ordered the trustees may cause
such noxious weeds to be be prevented
from maturing seeds or may cause
such noxious weeds to be permanently
destroyed and the cost of the work
shall be recovered from the owner by a
Especial tax to be certified by the town
ship clerk in the same manner as other
road tax not paid.
i The destruction of noXious weeds in
the public highway and other public
places is hereby made a part of the
road work of the township trustees and
the county supervisors and they shall
have authority to expend road funds
for the destruction of weeds.
Between November and the succeed
ing April of each year the county
supervisors shall. call meeting of the
township trustees and the road
supervisors of the county to consider
the best methods of road work and
weed destruction and in the public in
terest may secure the services of eN
perts to give instructions in road
building AMI weed destruction. For
such attendance the same compensa-
tion shall be allowed to the trustees
and road supervisors and county super
visors as is allowed by law for other
services, to be paid as other expenses.
The expenses of experts herein pro-
vided for may be paid from the county
road fund.-
1t shall be the duty of township trus-
tees and other officers directly respon-
sible for the care of public highways to
cause to be cut near the surface all
weeds on the public highway in their
respective districts at such times and
in such manner as to prevent seeds
. from maturing.
/ Any person, firm or corporation vio-
lating any of the provisions of this act
or any township trustee, inspector or
other officer who neglects or fails to
perform the duties incumbent on him
under the provisions of this act shall be
guilty of misdemeanor and shall be
punished by by fine not exceeding