RtTRAL School LEAFLfif. 



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But not all weeds wait until the seeds are mature before they begin 

 to multiply. Some send out runners like a strawberry, either above 

 ground or just below the surface. Orange hawk-weed, sometimes called 

 paint-brush, is an example of this kind of weed. The runners are just 

 below the surface of the soil and send up little plants every two or three 

 inches. Crab grass is another similar weed only the increase is accom- 

 plished by the rooting at the joints like a tomato vine, 



A root. Certain weeds will grow from root cuttings after the manner 

 of the blackberry. A root stock. It is almost impossible to get rid of 

 such weeds. If they are pulled, a portion of the root is sure to remain 



Fig. 31. — How many seeds on a dandelion head? 



in the ground and it loses no time in producing another plant. Horse 

 radish often escapes from the vegetable garden and becomes a weed. 

 The smallest cuttings of its roots will produce new plants. 



The number of years which various weeds will live is interesting. 

 Some live one year, some two years, and others more than two years. 

 Examples of the one year weeds are summer grass and shepherd's purse. 

 Weeds of this class come up in the spring or summer and die in the 

 autumn or sometimes earlier. They usually produce an abundance of 

 seeds which withstand the winter exceedingly well and are ready to grow 

 in the spring. 



The weeds which live two years produce roots, stems, and leaves the 

 first year. The second year they produce blossoms and seeds. Many of 

 us have seen onions, carrots, or beets kept over winter and then set out 

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