Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-04-15
x&EGEB9z CONTROL IN CITIES TOWNS and VILLAGES,
s RELATION TO COUNTRY LIFT, SEED SANITATION

|ELA1l0N TO COUNTRY |
very innocent old garden plants,
such as the four-o'clock, morning
glory, toad. fax or butter and eggs,
chicory. French weed, pepper grass,
burdock and numerous others have
been carried from city to city and
from country to country, either us
weeds Or plants Of supposed merit.
To illustrate the matter, burdock was
undoubtedly brought into this region
and given a g00d start at two points
of the state OF NOrthsp Dakota because
certain citizens thought the roots OF
this plant OF valuable, medicinal quail
tiles. People work hard in preparing
a seed bed for a lawn, then 60 to a
seed house or store and buy a cheap
mixture of chaff and n0xiOus weeds
with a small percentage Of blue grass
and white clover in it, and SOW It on
their yards at once, making it almost
impossible to have a blue grass lawn,
at the some time starting all the
weed pests that ever could grow in
grass lawns in the particular region
in which they SOW their land. As in
this region, about the only valuable
grass which exists for lawns Is blue.
grass, it would be cheaper and better
to buy just plenty Of good plain clean
blue grass seed and start the lawn
right. In such lawn grass mixtures,
as indicated, we find almost invaria-
billy Canada thistle, often sown this
tie, chickweed, pusley, pepper grass,
penny cress and almost any Of the,
numerous bad weeds.
In regard TO lawn and boulevard on
paved streets in residence portions,
the question of weed control rests in
proper seeding with blue grass and a
proper care Of these two pieces o.
land associated with a proper care OF
the garden and potato patch. In un.
paved districts. here in the valley,
we shall always have great difficulty
in controlling the weeds until proper
curbing and surface drainage is ar
ranged for, so that the boulevard may
be constructed and cared for the same
as though the street were paved. Un.
drained places and bOulevards which
are driven over by water wagons and
other conveyances cannot be kept
seeded to grass and will naturally
grow up to the more. sturdy plants
which really love this sort Of a place.
Garden plots and the ''Pingree" or
other potato patches have perhaps
made more weed patches and insight
ly spots in cities and villages than
any other means. An vacant lots, In.
stead Of being internationally plowed
up for garden patches should be lev.
e!ed and seeded down to blue grass.
unless the wne of the potato patch
or garden spot will raise only garden
vegetables and potatoes on the spot.
The harm comes, not so much in hav-
ing the potato patch al in planting
on intermittent i years-s0metimes
planted, sometimes not. The man
who plOws up a nice piece Of sod land
and plants potatoes on, it this year
and; then leaves il for q weed plot for
the next three or four years should
not be looked upon as "a civic asset:
In buying seed to be sown on lawns,
parks, bOulevards and; other places in
the city it Is quite a%sessential to el0:,
cal farm prosperity that the ,c~ity4peo.
pie be careful as to the seed. purchase
as 1t Is that the farmer, should be
careful. Buy only blue grass seed
and a little white clover, II you like
the clover. II there are. other kinds
Of seed of various shapes, colors and
sizes present. select another sample.
OF course, If you buy the so.called
lawn mixture commonly sold yOI
may be quite certain 1t will have
plenty OF screenings in it and various
other light weight seeds representing
the cleanup in the big seed concerns
and a lot of cheap grasses which have
no merit in the making of a lawn.
Scattering weeds, dump yards,
waste places, etc.: Scattering weeds
always succeed in producing stronger
and more abundant crops Of seeds
those which are, competing with
a regular crop either OF grain or
weeds. 1t IS, therefore, of much I'M
portance that such scattering weeds
along roadsides, upon waste and va
cant lots, potato patches, gardens,
ETC., should be destroyed. and espe-
cially SO I'M this region. where the
winds have such a strong sweep to
blow the broken weeds seed pods
and seeds across the land from plot
to plot and field to field. Those in
charge of the work Of identifying the
village or city should feel it their
duty to interfere with the sqniet happi-
ness of the man who cares for the
dump yard, also of the owners of feed
stables to see that these places do
not, because OF the feed used, be.
a source OF weed dissemination,
q It may also be well to look after
the home chicken yard and garden
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