Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1911-03-01
FARMERS WEEK
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE
feet apart, according to circum-
stances
PROF. BURNS ON WEEDS.

stances"
PROF. BURNS ON WEEDS.
The heavy toll on farms by weeds
was the subject of Prof. Burns talk,
in which he declared that weeds are
the cause of enormous losses, causing
in the case of quack grass, as has
been Shown by experiment, as much
as 50 per acre per year. This is chief
ly due to the following facts -
Weeds use the plant food and the
farm crops increase the cost of TIL
lage and harvest; increase the value
of the crop in the markets by lower
ing its grade poison stock and har-
Dor disease. In one or all these ways
| the farmers of Vermont are paying a
terrible unnecessary toll. In the fight
against weeds the first step is to stop
their introduction. They are intro
duced in impure seed bought from
irresponsible dealers. in feeds for dairy
cattle, and are spread on the fields in
manures. One sample of clover seed
analysed by the station contained IS
different kinds of weed seeds, among
which were eight of the most damag-
ing seeds of Vermont A pound of
this seed contained $4,000 weed seeds.
Five pounds to the acre, then, would
SOW for the farmer $50, ZOO weeds. 1t
is essential that farmer should be
we'll acquainted with these enemies
as that he should recognize his agri-
cultural friends. The methods for
combating weeds are chiefly cultiva-
ton, which is effective in some cases,
and treatment with chemical sprays,
| iron sulphate. etc. In the case of
kale, it has been demonstrated that
! Is to 100 pounds OF iron sulphate dis
solved in 81 gallons of water, will en-
tirely eradicate kale from one acre
without injury to the crop. Only
those weeds whose leaves can he wet
| by the spray can be eradicated in this
way.
IMPORTANCE OF WATER.
The Importance of water in crop
development was explained by Prof.
Hills by saying that it was the most
important and the control of soil
moisture is partially in the grasp of
the farmer. He said that water
makes up the bulk of all farm prod
ucts, both plant and animal From
2-5 to 9-10 of all crop growth and
from IL to As Of all animal structure
consists of water. Furthermore,
during growth each plant and each
animal uses many hundred times its
weight of water. Again, water
shortage at any time in the course of
growth lowers productivity. Clearly,
it is worth while to know what water
is and how to manage it.
Soil water may be in excess or he
deficient. If the former, drainage is
the sovereign remedy; if the latter,
| Pow ND rsrs,
or lin ployed Since on well drained
eastern soils irrigation is rarely prac-
ticed, let us review tillage as means
to this end.
Soil moisture exists in three differ
ent forms. alike chemically. unlike
physically viz, the gravitational or
standing water, the Microscopic or
invisible water, and the capillary or
rising or film water all plants derive
their supplies of food and drink.
The soil is not solid mass, but is
. full of pores; otherwise water would
: not sink into it. Different soils con-
tain different proportions. These
pores between the particles are small
and resemble capillary tubes, like.t
openings between the fibres of lamp.
wick. Just as the oil passes ur
through between the lampwick fibres
and is vaporized by the heat of the
: flames, so by the heat of the sun the
J water brought to the surface through
and between the soil particles is
vaporized. The water thus passing
) from the soil surface is of no use in
J crop growth. 1t is entirely practical
, by adequate cultivation after the cror
: is up, to break and clog these fine
tubes and greatly lessen this loss OF
water. From one-quarter to one.
J third of the water which otherwise
would be lost to crop growth may be
thus saved and moreover left in the
; exact place where crops would make
) use of it, that is to say in the area in
which the roots are feeding.