34 ELEVENTH REPORT. 



very bad depends on the nature of the crop grown, the size of the seed, and 

 their time of ripening. 



Some weeds have a very Avide distribution, thriving all around the world 

 in temperate climates, while others are more limited in range; some thrive 

 only in dry, thin soil and others in wet soil. To some extent the presence 

 of a few weed seeds is almost as objectionable when once on the farm, as 

 though there were more, because these few thrive and seed freely. 



In many respects the list of weeds for New Jersey is different from the list 

 in Michigan, while half the weeds of Nevada or Oregon are not known in our 

 state. 



Chess, cockle, red root, rye are liable to be troublesome in fields of winter 

 wheat, because the seeds are more or less difficult to separate from this grain 

 and for the reason that they recpire a portion of two years to come to 

 maturity. When the thrifty farmer screens out the smaller grains of wheat 

 to get the large grains for seed, by the same process he has screened out seeds 

 of cockle, and unintentionally bred up a race that bears larger seeds. 



Meadows and pastures, especially where the land is not fertile, abound in 

 weeds that rec{uire two or more years to produce seeds, such as narrow-leaved 

 dock, bitter dock, IniU thistle, carrot, teasel, two kinds of mullein, night- 

 flowering catchfly, evening primrose, several kinds of fleabane, ox-eye daisy, 

 orange hawkweed, two or three kinds of plantain, Canada thistle, hound s 

 tongue, stick seed, sow thistle, horse nettle, buttercups, toad flax, silvery 

 cincf[uefoil, and many more, not excluding some annuals, like crab grass, 

 tickle grass, the pigeon grasses. As crops of corn, potatioes, beans, turnips, 

 beets, sc|uashes are ready to harvest at the close of one growing season they 

 are molested more or less by pigeon grasses, several pigweeds, purslane, 

 crab grass, barnyard grass, tickle grass and a number of others. 



WHAT ENABLES A PLANT TO BECO^IE A WEED? 



1. Sometimes by producing an enormous number of seeds. A large plant 

 of purslane produces 1,250,000 seeds; a patch of daisy fleabane, 3,000 seeds 

 to a scjuare inch. 



2. In other cases by the great A'itality of their seeds. She{)herd's Purse, 

 ]nirslane, mustard, mayweed, ])epper grass, evening primrose, smart weed, 

 narrow-leaved dock, chickweed, pigweeds, pigeon grass, survive for 25 years 

 or more, as I have proved by testing them. 



3. Some plants are very succulent, and ripen seeds even when pulled. 

 .(Purslane) . 



4. Often by ripening and scattering seeds before the cultivated crop is 

 mature. (Red root, fleal^ue). 



5. Sometimes by rijjening seeds at the time of harvesting a crop, when all 

 are harvested together. (Chess, cockle). 



6. Some seeds are difficult to separate from seeds of the crop cultivated. 

 (Sorrel, mustard, narrow-leaved plantain and the two pigeon grasses). 



7. Some weeds are very small and escape notice. (Mullein, fleabane). 



8. Some plants go to seed long before suspected, as no showy flowers 

 announce the time of bloom. (Pigweeds). 



9. In a few cases the plants break loose from the soil when mature and 

 become tumble weeds. (Some pigweeds, Russian thistle, winged pigweed). 



10. Some remain with the dead plant long into winter, and Avhen torn 

 off by the wind or by birds, drift for long distances on the snow, often from 

 one farm to another. (Pigweeds). 



11. Some seeds and seed-like fruits are furnished each with a Ijalloon, 

 or a sail, or with grappling hooks. (Dandelion, sticktights, burdock). 



