The Yale expositor., 1916-10-12
BANDIT CROP OF THE FARM

BANDIT CROP OF THE FARM
Weeds mean waste-a waste OF time,
money, labor and land. Weeds rob
our crops of light, food and moisture
occupy land where profitable crops
should be grown; cheaper our farms
injure live stock; harbor insects and
fungus diseases. Weeds are the bandit
crop of the farm. They knock the cour-
age out 6faa mans heart, and drive
many of the less determined husband
men TO the cities in search of jobs.
The United States department of
agriculture estimates the loss to the
American farmer from damage to crops
by weeds, to be more than $300,OOOOOO
every year. This is actual money loss,
due to short crops. 1t does not include
the losses from deprecated property.
II we are TO match our wits against the
weed, we must have our heads in the
game. Weeds are with us to stay.
They are right on the job all the time.
The special business Of the weed is to
secure nourishment for itself, to per-
petuatefits species.
The weed which is best able to cope
with difficulties is the weed which sur
wives.
Weeds, are abundant seeders. A sim
gle plant of shepherds purse may pro-
duee as many as $4,000 seeds; squirrel
tail produces 300 to 1000; plantin may
bear 5000 seeds per plant; foxtail,
from 900 to 5000 seeds; stinkweed,
10000. seeds; the Russian thistle from
100000 to 100000 seeds, and one mus
tard plant, one and one-half million
seeds.
Soil Robbers.
Compare these prolific soil robbers
with our food-producihg plants.
Through centuries of time weeds have
become adapted to certain soils and
climate conditions. In other words their
species are fixed. They are hardy vet
Grams able TO withstand the extremes
! OF heart and cold, or drouth and eXces'
sive moisture without injury.
Our worst weeds are not the species
which were found in this country when
the first settlers came. They had not
learned to adapt themselves to all con
ditions. Few of them are here now.
When the forests were cleared the
native weeds being unaccustomed tC
the hot sun, perished. When the
marshes were drained, the pioneer
weeds disappeared with the water
When the prairies were cultivated the
prairie weeds fed. They were not bred
to endure the tramp of feet, and wheT
civilization came bringing with 1t the
multitudes of men they soon died out.
Some Of the Bad Weeds.
But there are other weeds-milk
weed, smartweed, Spanish needle, mus
tard, peppermint, tansy, poison hem
lock, jimson, morning-glory, ragweed
velvet leaf, purslane, quack grass, wild
garlick, Canada thistle, ox-eye daisy
bindweed, orange hawkweed, johnson
grass, sorrel, wild oats and fifty Others
that are common wherever man is.
Most OF Ghese have been brought t.
us from Europe. More than 600 species
of weeds have been introduced int
New EnglanE since the first, cutting o
the forests.
Weeds are classified as to length o
life as:
ANIMALS, those that spring up, grow
produce seed aud die the same year
Examples: FGztail, ragween ant
smartweed.
Biennials, those which spring up ant
produce a leaf gn0wth one year, liv
through the winter. aud the next.sprinl
send up a stem shoot which flower
and seeds, usually early, then theplan
dice. Examples: Mullen, bull thistle
wilE carrot, black-eyed Susan.
Perennlals, those whose roots iliv
from gear to year. Familiar example
Of these are quack grass, mslkweed
horse.Rettle and the dandelion.
How Weed Seeds Are Spread.
Weeds seeds are spread ehie6y b.
man sowing impure seed: by scatter
ing weed seeds in feeding hay, straw
screenings and in manure: by winds
water and snow; by animals and birds
by farm machines and railroads; b
weeds allowed to flourish in vast
places.
Every weed that is allowed to ms
ture produces hundreds of thousands
and even millions of seeds. Having Pre-
duced large quantity of seed. tn
next step is TO distribute it. And 4
this task the weed has many helpers
First: A large part of the weed see
10 disfrfhuted Inv the eOwer who SOW
Impure seed. Imported grains and lo'
grade grass seed contain a large pro
portion OF weed seeds.
Much of the seed which cannot lega
~ be sold I'm Canada and in Europea
countries is sent into this country {
states which do not have pure see
law, so there is a large possibility {
Imported seed being impure.