The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1924-06-26
WEEDS: HOW TO CONTROL THEM

VICTORIOUS, WQ1le OLQoTS go GOWN u
defeat. So powerful are weed enc
mics in reducing crop yields, while
at the same time multiplying labor,
that the farmer should at every turn
strengthen his position against them.
He should bear these invaders in
mind in planning his crops he Will
grow and in deciding on the fields
where he will grow these crops, In
choosing the implements he will use,
in buying his seed, and in many 9TH
er farm activities. Lack OF careful
planning with reference to weeds is
apparent in nearly every community.
Here a man planted more corn that
he could properly care for. There
q man has left his field in meadow
too many years. Here a man did not
thoroughly prepare his land for al
falfa. There a man has seeded Glow
er that was full of weed seeds. And
for just such causes weeds not only
make serious inroads on the current
crop yields, but at the same time
thoroughly infest the land and for
tify themselves against future at
tacks. The Importance of keeping
weeds in subjectipn can not be en-
phasized too strongly.
Some men do not attack weeds
with enough vigor; they look for
rocking chair methods of work. No
royal road to weed control exists. In
the main, the old doctrine of hard
work and plenty of it" must be OBJ
served, but unless this work is APP
piled intelligently vast amount of
labor may be expended and but little
accomplished beyond temporary
abatement of the evil.
1t may be seen, therefore, that
work is a requisite in the control OF
weeds.
Weeds are able to maintain their
existence under adverse conditions.
Some weeds produce immense Quant1-
ties of seeds; some mature seeds In q
very short time; some have seeds
which are difficult to separate from
crop seeds; some possess roots or
rootstocks that live for number OF
years. Weeds persist, therefore, be-
cause they are well equipped by ma
ture in one or more ways to hold
their own in the struggle for exist
ence.
Good Points About Weeds.
Weeds are not always useless.
Sometimes they are the principal
means by which organic matter Is re-
stored to the soil, and, generally
speaking, soil is productive in pro-
portion to the quantity of organic
matter it contains. In many parts
of this country 1t is customary to
farm land until the crops are too
poor to be profitable and then turn
it out to rest. This merely means
that weeds are permitted to grow
on it for several years; after that the
soil will be more productive.
Weeds are also useful at times in
holding snow and in preventing soil
erosion, especially during the win
ter months. Weeds are further use
full in collecting and holding the nj
trates and other soluable salts dur
ing periods when crops are not be-
ing grown, thus preventing these val
liable nutrients from being washed
out of the soil. Ordinarily, however,
all these benefits may be realized
through proper rotations, in which
case it is serious mistake to let
weeds grow.
Damage Due to Weeds.
The full reason why weeds reduce
yields is not definitely known. 1t is
we'll recognized that weeds deprive
crops of moisture, plant food and
sunlight, and by these means cause
decreased yields. Experiments have
shown, however, that even where
there is a supply of moisture and
plant food sufficient for the needs
of both the weeds and the crop, the
weeds still exert detrimental eff
feet. This may be due in part to the
weed roots giving off substances
which are poisonous to crops. A
more generally accepted explanation,
however, is that the roots of the
weeds interfere with the root devel-
opment OF the cultivated plants. This
Is thought by many to be the prin-
cipal factor involved, and undoubt.
eddy it plays an important part. The
fact that weeds do harm in more
ways than has been supposed is all
the more reason why the farmer
should make strenuous efforts to
subdue these invaders. Land that
should produce sixty bushels Of corn
may yield no more than twenty BUSH
els if weeds are not kept down by ,
adequate cultivation, and the net ,
profit to the farmer is relatively
much less for the resulting poor crop
than these figures on yield show.
Another loss results from the ,
presence of weed seeds in crop seeds.
This necessitates much labor in sepi
arating or results in dockage by deal s
ers If the separation is not made. I
Wheat containing wild onion bulb t
let's is sometimes locked as much as {
so per cent, and in some cases there :
is no sale at all for such wheat. The /
agricultural experiment station of t
Minnesota estimates that in that '
state alone the damage to wheat due [
20 weed seeds amounts to two and
half million dollars yearly. c
There are other causes of damage a
from weeds, which in some
Eases are important. The harvest g
ng and curing of crops are some r
INES made difficult by the presence (
# weeds Russian thistle, bind Y
reed and Canada thistle usually are d
source of great annoyance at har- q
1est time to the growers of small t
rains. Again, some weeds harbor t
ungi and insects which attack near t
" crops; the clubroot of cabbage is I
ostered in the mild-mustard tribe t