Weeds in Indiana 107 
total loss from this source is estimated at $100,000. In this connection, 
it should be remembered that certain otherwise profitable crops cannot 
be grown on weedy land. 
Railroad Weeds—A few years ago the writer obtained estimates of 
the cost of destroying weeds on the right of way of the principal rail- 
roads in the United States. The estimates ranged from $10 to $60 
per mile per year. Assuming that it costs $10 per mile per year to 
destroy the railroad weeds in Indiana, the total annual cost for 15,000 
miles of track (both steam and electric railroads) will be approximately 
$150,000. 
Turf Weeds—The damage due to the presence of weeds in lawns 
is extremely difficult to estimate. Assuming the damage at $2 per 
lawn per year, the total will be about $200,000. To this should be 
added the cost of weeding golf courses and miscellaneous turfs. 
Roadside Weeds—The time devoted to cutting roadside weeds can 
be conservatively estimated at one day of labor per farm per year. 
If but one-fourth of the farmers devote even this small amount of 
time to their roadside weeds, it will amount to 52,500 days on the 210,000 
farms of Indiana. At $3 per day for a man and team, the bill for 
cutting roadside weeds will amount to $157,500 per year. 
Pasture Weeds, Waste Place Weeds, Ete.—The estimated annual 
cost per farm of clipping stubble land, mowing weedy pastures and 
cutting waste place weeds is $5 per year. For 210,000 farms the total 
is $15050,000. ; 
Miscellaneous Losses—Among the miscellaneous losses may be in- 
cluded the loss from poison plants, damage to milled products caused 
by wild garlic and similar weeds, damage to dairy products due to 
wild garlic, bitterweed, etc., and the loss occasioned by mechanically 
injurious weeds, such as the fruits of buffalo bur, Solanum rostratum, 
the awns of grasses such as squirrel tail grass, Hordeum jubatum, ete. 
The miscellaneous losses are estimated at $500,000 per year. 
ESTIMATED TOTAL WEED LOSS IN INDIANA (1920). 
Bisiamniated ata lkacenlOSSe, atemusrein ce aitc. cet os oie rice a elves et die elses $11,105,450 
Estimated loss due to reduced yields................--0+-- 27,415,000 
Kistimated=airscoummt) IOSSES" sac coe src c.claccls eicrs slag es sew obs 3,094,920 
Estimated loss due to land rendered incapable of profitable 
CUE GLOM Ie eee Oc re eee tee e nie mi cicto bat et deans 100,000 
Estimated cost of clearing weeds from railroad rights of way 150,000 
KMstimated damage by turt weeds... 2.5.22. ..55 2.0085 oe 200,000 
Estimated cost of cutting roadside weeds.................- 157,000 
Estimated cost of cutting pasture weeds, waste-place weeds, 
EG, GS 6 Breee Oto CROTDIG LE One aD aT OPO ICE eee Ra es 1,050,000 
estimated miscellaneous IOSS ..22....-.0 e022 cas cb aveteeecs 500,000 
(Girprival (roll, ae & neon ese oe ote aes oO PRED eor ruc ee ALE PAtcy Ew) 
or approximately $14 per capita per year. 
What Are We Going to Do About It? 
The grand total of forty million dollars’ loss caused by weeds in 
a single year in Indiana, is probably very conservative. Cut the esti- 
