Middletown transcript., 1916-10-14
BANDIT CROP OF THE FARM

BANDIT CROP OF THE FARM
Weeds mean waste-a waste Of time,
money, labor and land. Weeds rob
aar crops of light, food and moisture;
occupy LAM where proftable< crops
should be grown; che; pen our farms
67iure live stock; harbor insects and
znngus, diseases. Weeds are the bandit
Grop of the farm. They knock the cOur-
age cut of q mans heart, and drive
many Of the less determined husband
zsen to the cities in search of jobs.
The United States department Of
agriculture estimates the loss to the
American farmer from damage to crops
8y weeds, to be more than $3O0,OO0.000
every year. This is actual money loss,
cue to short crops. It does not include
ne losses FROM deprecated property.
81 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-
Retuate it's species.
The weed which is best able to cope
With difficulties is the weed which sur
Nives.
Weeds are abundant seeders. A sim
gle plant of shepherds purse may pro-
duce as many as $4,000 seeds; squirrel
'sail produces 300 to 1000; plantin may
Bear 5000 seeds per plant; fOxtail,
arOm 1000 to 5000 seeds; stinkweed,
5000 seeds: the Russian thistle from
10000 to 100000 seeds, and one mus
aard plant, one and One-half million
seeds.
Soil Robbers.
Compare these prolific soil robbers
With our food-prOducmg plants.
Through centuries Of time weeds have
Aecome adapted to certain soils and
Hlimate conditions. In other words their
species are fixed. They are hardy vet
Grams able to Withstand the extremes
Ut heat and cold, or drouth and exces-
aiye moisture without injury.
Our worst weeds are not the species
Which were found in this country when
Ghe first settlers came. They had not
bearned to adapt themselves to all con-
8itions. Few of them are here now.
When the forests were cleared the
native weeds being unaccustOmed to
1ae hot sun, perished. When the
marshes were drained, the pioneen
weeds disappeared with the water.
When the prairies were cultivated the
prairie weeds fled. They were not bred
DC endure the tramp of feet, and when
civilization came bringing with it the
multitudes of men they soon died out.
Some of the Bad Weeds.
But there are other weedS-nilk-
weed, smartweed, Spanish needle, mus
aard, peppermint, tansy, poison hem
Roek, jimson, morning glory, ragweed,
velvet leaf, purslane, Quack grass, wild
g9riick Canada thistle. ox-eye daisy,
8sndweed, orange hawlzweed, Johnson
gzcss, sorrel, wild oats and fifty others
G2at are common wherever man is.
Most of these have been brought to
Ms from Europe. More than 600 species
VI weeds have been introduced into
New England since the first cutting of
the forests.
Weeds are classified as to length of
Hfe as:
ANIMALS, those that spring up, grow,
produce seed and die the same year.
Examples: Foxtail, ragweed and
smartweed.
Biennials, those which spring up and
9e0duce leaf growth one year, live
aAr0ugh the winter, and the next spring
send up stem shoot which flowers
and seeds, usually early. then the plant
DIES. Examples: Mullen, bull thistle,
wild carrot, black-eVed Susan.
Perennials, those whose roots live
9rOm year to year. Familiar examples
sf these are quack grass. milkweedr
AOrse-nettle and the dandeliOn.
How Weed Seeds Are Spread.
Weeds seeds are spread chiefly by
nan 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
NJ farm machines and railroads; by
weeds allowed to flourish in waste
places.
Every weed that is allowed to ma
sure produces hundreds Of thousands
and even millions of seeds. Having pro
duced a large quantity of seed, the
aext step is to distribute it. And in
sAfs task the weed has many helpers
first A large part of the weed seed
As distributed by the sower who sows
impure seed. Imported grains and low
grade grass seed contain large pro
portion of weed seeds.
Much of the seed which cannot legal
D he sold In Canada and in European
apuntries is sent into this country tC
ss4rAs which do not have pure seed
Mw, SO there is q large possibility OF
anported seed being impure.