The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1914-06-11
NOxiOus Weeds Should Be Cut.

Noxious Weeds Should Be Cut.
Our attention has been called to
the fact that right here in Leon,
within one block of the public square,
there can be seen growing Canada
Thistle, Cocklebur, Wild Mustard,
Curled Dock, Wild Parsnip, Horse
Nettle, Velvet Weed and Burdock.
This should be looked after. There
is very stringent law in Iowa COM
peling the removal of certain weeds
from highways, lands, town and city
lots. and the officials charged with
seeing that these weeds are destroyed
are liable to fine if they do not en-
force the law.
The Iowa weed law is violated in
many parts of the state, partly be-
cause the farmers and some officers
are unfamiliar with the law, and
partly because they are not interest
ed in the important question of weed
control.
The weeds recognized by the law az
noXious are:
Quack grass, Agropyron repens.
Canada Thistle, Cirsium arvense.
COcklebur, Xanthium canadense.
Wild Mustard, Brassica arvensis.
Curled Dock, Rumex crispus.
Smooth Dock, RumeX altiSSimuS.
BuckhOrn, Plantago lanceOlata.5 Z"
Wild Parsnip, Pastinaca sativa.
Horse Nettle, Solanum carolinense.
Velvet-Weed, Abutilon Theophrasti.
BurdOck, Artium Lappa. ,tE
The thirty-third general assembly
passed law compelling the removal
Of certain weeds from the public high
way, and from lands adjacent there
to, ETC., as follows.
Section !. Land owners or tenants
to destroy weeds-When. 1t shall be
the duty Of every person, firm or cor
poration owning, occupying or con-
trolling lands, town and city lots,
land used as right-of-way, depot
grounds or for other purposes to cut,
burn or otherwise entirely destroy
all weeds of the kinds mentioned in
section two (2) hereof at such times
in each year and in such manner as
shall prevent the said weeds from
blooming or coming to maturity
The Laws Penalties.
The law provides also a method of
procedure in case of neglect to re-
move noXiOus weeds from highways.
Section 3. Destruction on High
ways-Neglect or Refusal to Destroy.
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 destroy or cause to be destroyed
all nOxious weeds mentioned in sec
tion two CD hereof or unnecessary
brush on the highways in such a man
ner as to effectually prevent the pro-
duction of their seeds or their propa-
cation in any other manner, to warn
out labor or to employ labor for this
purpose in the same manner as for
repairs to the highways and for me-
glect or failure to perform this work
they shall be subjected to the PEN
alties of this act. If any occupant Of
lands adjacent to the public high
ways neglect or refuse to destroy the
noxious weeds upon his land, or shall
fail to prevent the said noxious weeds
from blooming or coming to matur-
ity, when such weeds are likely to be
the means of infesting the public
land owner to the township trustees
to be infested by weeds from the
AoAuS VI dAotACl l4CluuluS LdukO0u
right of way, the trustees shall make
investigation of such condition or
complaint and if the same appears to
be well founded they shall make an
order fixing the time within 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 land
where the noxious weeds exist, and if
he shall neglect to obey such order
within the time so ordered the trus-
tees may cause such noxious weeds to
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 special tax to be GER
titled by the township clerk in the
same manner as the other road tax
not paid.