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Show KEEPING DOWN "WEEDS. This In Problem Which the Farmer Xeetsiln-AU Sections of tho Country. The .TToblcm 'of liow to keep down weeds -Is one 'which the farmer meets in all sections of the country. In west central Illinois in tho low lands In wet seasons this Is a serious proposition proposi-tion In the corn fields, nnd the weeds seem mora prevalent In tho stubble land deft over from tho year before unless It has been plowed Immediately Immediate-ly after the wheat crop has been taken ofT. On the Ideal farm thcro would 'be no weeds, cither along tho ronds, in the cultivated fields, or In the pastures, and with a little care nnd tho proper attention nt the -right time this condition of things is not at nil Impassible. On the upland, tho problem Is n good deal more slmplo than In the bottoms, yet It Is not Impossible on the low lands. Wo American people are too much Inclined to go uflor great things and on nn expansive Idea rather than improve our lands nnd prnctlco Intensive Inten-sive cultivation Instead of extensive cultivation. In this fccctlon of tho couutry, continues tho correspondent. In writing to tho Farmers' Rovlew, red clover and cow peas grow to perfection r-nd somo few experiments experi-ments have been made with alfalfa, which we believe will bo u success here. Wo havo followed n plan In tho hiBt four years of sowing our corn ground In cow poas on tho last plowing plow-ing of tho corn, nnd Instead of weedsi wo havo had a fairly good crop of pens, which havo added to the fertility of tho soil moro than enough to pay tho expense of tho seed and tho sowing sow-ing of tho peas, and wo could soe no ovll effect on tho yield of the corn crop from tho fact of tho peas being sown In tho corn. Tho corn did not seem to ripen any sooner nor did it lire on tho lower blades any worso on account of tho peas. Tho first frost partially destroyed tho pen vines nnd they were not so hard to plow under as a crop of weeds would havo been. In tho pasture nnd woodlands wo havo kept a flock of Angora goats, which are auro death to all forms of weeds and sprouts. Cockle burrs nnd Jlmpson weeds, morning glory and rug weed' aro as much a delicacy to them as tho first mess of lettuco or a dish of strawberries Is to the Individual. Individ-ual. Wo have heard it said, and havo seen it written many times, that in a pasture which would Just keep a given number of sheep there could bo placed an equal number of goats and all would thrive. We think this is truo from whnt experience wo have had. Sheep or goats may bo turned on the cornfield nfter tho corn is n foot or 18 inches high and kept there until the corn is .hard enough to feed without injury to tho corn nnd thoy aro of great eorvlco In the lowlands and pral-rlo pral-rlo In this way. Tho most dlfuculj. proposition Is In keeping tho weeds down In our timothy timo-thy fields, hut we bellovo tills can be helped by pasturing with goats and sheep lato In tho fall nnd early in tho spring. Tho milk weed is about tho hardest to eradicate from the meadow, nnd as timothy Is n very profltnblo crop, it is of considerable Importance that It bo kept free from weeds. Wo havo seen very little good from tho state law governing tho destruction destruc-tion of obnoxious weeds nnd In portions por-tions ,ol our country havo seen Canada Can-ada 'thistles thriving in tho pasturo and .fields and their seed blowing out over the country as though thoy wore tho main crop and something to be desired. Theso laws nro like nil others; oth-ers; a good Jaw not enforced becomes an encumbrSncq to our statutes and docs no good. |
