1750 Kei'ort of Fakmers' Institutes 



vicinity, or the introduction of tlicni from elsewlicrc, than the 

 same effort can do fighting them after thcv are established in the 

 fields. It is a case where " a stitch in time saves nine." 



The chief sonrce of supply of weed seeds in any locality is the 

 badly tilled fields, the neglected areas, and the unkept roadsides. 

 Fi(dds that arc tilled as thoroughly as they should be for the sake 

 of the crops growing on them, usually do not i)roduce much weed 

 seed. This statement will not hold in the case of cereal crops 

 growing on land infested with mustard, chess, etc. Thorough 

 cultivation of the land, cleaning up of hedgerows, and mowing of 

 the fence corners and roadsides, are among the first steps to be 

 taken in the suppression of weeds. 



The sowing of impure seed is an iin])ortant source of weed per- 

 petuation. Oats are likely to have in them mustard, Canada 

 thistle, and ragnveed ; wheat or rye may carry chess or cockle ; 

 grass and clover seed may carry a largo variety of pernicious 

 weed seeds like daisy, wald carrot and plantain. 



There is no excuse for sowing impure seeds. Pure seeds can 

 be had. Impure seeds should either bo cleaned ov rejected. In 

 the case of grass and clover seeds the experiment stations will 

 examine and report on the purity of samples or, better still, the 

 farmers may supply themselves with a hand lens and a seed 

 bulletin and soon be able to test seeds for themselves. 



Probably the most dangerous means of weed distribution at 

 the present time is the mill and brewery by-products that are sold 

 for stock food. The grain screenings containing large numbers 

 of weed seeds are added to those by-products in many cases. 

 Users of such feeds should examine them critically and reject 

 them if they contain live weed seeds. There should be effective 

 laws to prevent the selling of seeds or feeds infested with per- 

 nicious weed seeds. 



Stable manure is always a fruitful means of weed dissemina- 

 tion unless great care is taken to keep weed seeds out of it, or the 

 nuinure is thoroughly composted before being applied to the land. 

 City manure is even nnn'e likely to introduee troTd)lesome weeds 

 tlian the homemade, but city inaiiurc is rarely ])ur('l!ased except 

 for farms where the tillage is quite thorough, tlms holding the 

 weeds in check. 



Itinerant threshing maehiues when brought on the farm with- 



