Weeds 1751 



out being thoroughly cleaned out, often bring certain weed seeds 

 from an infested farm to one heretofore free from those particular 

 pests. It is well to insist that the machines be thoroughly cleaned 

 before being brought on the farm. 



The overflow of streams brings many seeds onto flat lands. 

 Birds and animals are ever busy carrying some kinds of seeds 

 from place to place. Some seeds are provided with appendages 

 that enable them to be carried long distances by the wind. These 

 factors, however, are largely beyond man's control. Hay and 

 straw used for packing often carry weed seeds long distances to 

 localities not infested with them. It is well to burn such material 

 to avoid this danger. 



While all of these methods of weed seed dissemination should 

 have careful attention, it is the weed seeds allowed to mature on 

 our farms that make us the most trouble. 



Weeds are classified as annuals, biennials, or perennials. An 

 annual produces seed and then dies the same season that it starts 

 its growth. A biennial produces seed the second season and then 

 dies. A perennial does not die as soon as it has produced seed but 

 persists through several or many seasons, producing successive 

 crops of seed. Some perennials multiply by underground stems, 

 root sprouts or bulbs as well as by seeds. Some have fleshy roots 

 that are very tenacious to life and are not injured by ordinary 

 cultivation. 



It is necessary to know the life habits and individual character- 

 istics of weeds, to successfully combat them. While weeds have 

 been carefully studied as plants from the botanist's point of view, 

 it is to be regretted that we have no satisfactory body of informa- 

 tion regarding the most effective methods of combating individual 

 species. 



The following are perhaps the most common annual weeds 

 found in Xew York State : Sorrel, chickweed, purslaine, summer 

 grass (many species), ragweed, pigweed, smartweed, Buft"alo 

 clover, wild buckwheat, wild mustard, dodder. 



The most successful methods of combating annual weeds are 

 as follows : 



First, avoid as far as possible the introduction of their seed into 

 the soil, giving attention to all the points mentioned in the pre- 

 ceding pages. 



