Rural School Leaflet 



1327 



There is no doubt, however, that the damage to the farmer exceeds the 

 aesthetic value of weeds. They make use of the nutriment and the water 

 in the soil, rob the crop plant of sunlight, and in various ways prevent the 

 full development of the crop. Moreover, -the foliage of most weeds 

 is unpalatable or injurious to stock, and forage crops are greatly reduced 

 in value if they are badly infested. Several weed plants are distinctly 

 poisonous. Weeds may produce burs, which lodge in the fur of domestic 

 animals, or seeds, which, when mixed and ground with grain, render the 

 flour unpalatable. In a very great many ways, therefore, the growth of 

 weeds on a farm tends to reduce the income of the farm. 



A field of wild carrots in full bloom. A beautiful sight but an evidence of poor farming 



The weedy farm is like the untidy and undusted house — it represents 

 untidy and inefficient housekeeping. It is more serious perhaps because 

 it represents a distinct money loss. The modem farmer who looks care- 

 fully after the greatest income from his farm and who in the best sense 

 of the word is efficient, will be found to be the farmer who among other 

 things maintains a tidy farm, free from weeds in the fields, along the roads, 

 in fence corners, and around the farm buildings. The farmer who allows 

 his farm to become a hotbed of weeds makes it a distinct menace to his 

 neighbors, for from his infested ground weed seeds will be distributed 

 to his neighbors' farms, and any attempt made by them to maintain clean 

 farms wiU be very much more difficult. It is easy to see, therefore, that 

 anything that can be done toward bringing the farmer to realize the serious- 



