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Show preventing weeds from going to SEED j Oxeye Daisy as Here Pictured Often Becomes Great Meadow Pest. "While tillage in Its relation to weeds usually is practiced for the benefit of the immediate crop it alsc may serve the purpose of preventing hosts of weeds from maturing seed," opens the discussion in Farmers' Bulletin Bul-letin No. 660, "Weeds: How to Control Them." This bulletin gives t discussion discus-sion of the weed problem on the farm, dealing wtih prevention and eradication. eradica-tion. It is possible for a farmer, especially espe-cially if he follows a good rotation system, to make his farm almost rteed-free by observing three main principles of weed control: (1) pre venting the weeds from going to seed on the farm; (2) preventing the introduction intro-duction of weed seeds on the farm; and (3) preventing perennial weeds from making top growth. These three principles are of far greater importance im-portance than the particular methods used to carry them out. Often the campaign against weeds is stopped when success is in sight and the weeds soon recover. Clearing the farm of perennial weeds is no easy task, requiring re-quiring intelligence and perseverance. persever-ance. The thorough preparation of the seed bed for every cron is an important impor-tant part in the conti-ol of weeds. After plowing the disk, spring-toothed Dr spike-toothed harrow to reduce the soil to a good seed bed condition Is used. Each of these harrowings de stroys hosts of young weed seedlings. seed-lings. Thorough harrowing at this period may be depended upon to kill 1 large proportion of the weeds that ppear at this season. Kill the Weeds Early. After planting the cultivated crop the same object, that of attacking the weeds when young, should be kept in mind. To this end a drag harrow Dr a spike-toothed harrow is frequent-y frequent-y used, both before and after the 3rop comes up. More weeds will be killed by one dragging at this time :han by several cultivations when the plants have become larger. The weed-3r weed-3r is also a valuable implement for ase at this stage. By .removing some Df the teeth of this tool it can be used in corn until the crop is nearly waist high. Indeed, some excellent t:rops of corn have been grown by the jse of the weeder only. The drag harrow and weeder may ilso be used to advantage with potatoes, pota-toes, cotton and other cultivated :rops. After the crops have become 30 large that these implements can 10 longer be used, the tillage is per-'ormed per-'ormed with cultivators. Intercultural ullage is especially effective in controlling con-trolling weeds if the crop has been planted in checkrows so as to permit the implement to work in two directions. direc-tions. Cultivated crops, therefore, offer of-fer abundant opportunities to rid a farm of weeds. If properly handled, they are rightly termed "cleaning crops." Besides the usual cultivated crops, small-grain crops can also some times be cultivated to advantage in the spring with a spike-tooth harrow or weeder. After the small-grain crop is harvested har-vested it is often good practice in the northern states to harrow or disk the stubble to encourage the germination of the weed seeds that are at or near the soil surface. The seedlings are killed by the fall plowing or by cold weather. Some weeds, such as ragweed rag-weed and foxtail, start to mature seeds soon after harvest, so that care must be taken to turn the plants under un-der before the seeds approach maturity. matur-ity. Plowing without the preliminary disking would turn under millions of weed seeds to make trouble in future years. Mowing to Prevent Seed Scattering. Mowing is another way of preventing prevent-ing weeds from going to seed. As a rule, it is best to mow when weeds have reached the full-bloom stage. When there are patches in grain fields thick with weeds, it will pay to cut them, grain and all, before the weeds start to go to seed. It pa ; to cut a hay crop early, in order to prevent weeds from going to seed as well as to secure a better quality of hay. After a grain crop is removed, a crop of weeds, such as ragweed or foxtail, usually follows, which, if not disturbed, not only re-seeds re-seeds the land for further crops of weeds, but may do much damage to a young seeding of clover or grass. Mowing these weeds will prevent most of them from going to seed, and, further, the clippings v ill be of value as a mulch for the young grass. Sheep are useful in preventing weeds from seeding. In a pasture where sheep are running it is usually much more free of weeds than in pastures where cattle an ' horses are running. Another method of preventing prevent-ing the spread of weeds sometimes used, is burning them, culling, spoiling spoil-ing or turning over the standing weed crop. This is often useful in killing weed seeds both in connection with the weeds cut green and allowed to dry, and with matured weeds. Care should be taken not to fork or disturb piles while drying, as this might scatter scat-ter the seed and then defeat one of the objects of burning. Sheep Are Useful in Pasturing Off Weeds in Standing Corn After Cultivation Cultiva-tion Stops. |