10 

 General Methods. 



Crop Rotation. Crop rotation is of utmost importance in dealing 

 with the Perennial Sow Thistle and other weeds of like nature. Some 

 sharp, short rotation of crops should be adopted, which will allow of the 

 frequent use of the cultivator, the cutting- of the flowers before seeding, 

 and the introduction of a smother crop or hoed crop. One cannot recom- 

 mend a system of cropping which will be suitable in all kinds of farming. 

 Each farmer must select the rotation which is most suitable to his condi- 

 tions, keeping in mind those features of rotation which will best enable 

 him to fight the Perennial Sow Thistle. 



Smothering. The aim of this method is to kill the weed by depriving 

 it of light and air. This is accomplished by getting some quick growing 

 crop, such as rape or buckwheat, established on the land while the thistle 

 is in a weakened condition. The result is that the smother crop soon 

 occupies every available foot of the land and forms a dense shade in 

 which the thistle in its weakened state cannot continue to grow. The 

 same result is obtained by covering the plants with straw, dirt, leaves, 

 etc., to a sufficient depth to prevent them from reaching the light and 

 keeping them covered long enough to exhaust the "roots." This will 

 require a year at least. Such treatment is of course only practicable in 

 dealing with small patches. 



Hoed Crops. The growing of such crops as potatoes, corn and roots, 

 which allow of thorough cultivation and hand hoeing, provides a means 

 by which many weeds may be effectively fought. Hoed crops alone do 

 not give entire satisfaction in fighting the Perennial Sow Thistle. This is 

 largely due to the fact that in cultivating and hoeing the rootstocks are 

 cut, but not all destroyed and in a short time some begin to grow again. 

 Hoed crops, therefore, are useful in keeping the pest in check, but should 

 not be depended upon alone. They should be used in connection with 

 other measures as outlined further on. 



Summer Fallowing. This method is extremely efficacious with all 

 sorts of weeds, including the Perennial Sow Thistle. By fallowing for 

 this weed a bare fallow is understood or at least one which is given suf- 

 ficient cultivation to prevent the pest from reproducing itself by means 

 of seeds or roots. A neglected fallow is nothing more or less than a 

 weed bed, and is useless and a source of contamination for every field on 

 the farm. The chief objection to fallowing is the lying idle of the field 

 for a season, but this is probably offset by the effectiveness of the method 

 as compared with other methods which require a great deal more labor, 

 time and attention. At the present time in Ontario many farmers are 

 resorting to this method, considering it on the whole the most economical 

 and most effective. 



Digging by Hand. Small patches can be destroyed by dieging out 

 the plants with a fork, "roots" and all, and burning them. Great care 

 should be taken to get every bit of the "root." The patch should be 



