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SOME NOXIOUS WEEDS OF QUEBEC. 

 By W. Lochhead, Macdonald College. 



The spread of noxious weeds in Quebec is trul}- alarming. Wherever 

 one travels in the province the abundance of weeds forces itself upon him, 

 and the question comes naturally to his mind. — What is to become of the 

 farms if the spread of weeds continues almost unchecked ? There appears 

 to be but one answer to this question : Either the system of farming will 

 be changed, or the farms will be abandoned. 



The system of farming that is and has 'been practised for many years 

 over large areas can hardly be called one of rotation, for there are prac- 

 tically but two crops grown, — cereals and hay. The acreage devoted to 

 root crops is small and to pasture, large. There is no opportunity in this 

 system to gi^'e a weed-infested field a cleaning, and as a result, the weeds 

 spread and gradually take possession of the best fields. 



Moreover, there is little attempt in most places to look after the weeds 

 along the roadsides and in the pastures. They are allowed to grow to ma- 

 turity and produce seed. Often these seeds are capable of being carried by 

 the wind to considerable distances, so that they are a serious menace to 

 farmers who are trying hard to keep their fields free from weeds. 



The neglect of many years in sowing clover, timothy and grains fojil 

 with noxious weed seeds, and in allowing these noxious weeds to grow up 

 unmolested has brought about a state of afi^airs which is extremely difficult 

 to cope with at the present time. The problem of weeds is the most serious 

 one to-day in the agriculture of Quebec. However, when one sees many 

 farms in the province comparatively free from weeds, by virtue of the 

 practice of an intelligent system of farming, one takes hope that something 

 can be done to overcome the evil that is impending, and that the situation 

 is not altogether hopeless. Nevertheless, much hard and strenuous labor 

 will be necessary to restore the majority of the farms to a clean, healthy 

 condition, for there is no royal and easy road to the renovation of a farm 

 foul with noxious weeds. Fig. 1. 



The most noxious weeds observed in Quebec are the following : Ox- 

 eye-daisy, Couch Grass, Mustard, Canada Thistle. Perennial Sow Thistle, 

 Ragweed, Chicory, Wild Carrot, Butter-and-Eggs or Toad-flax, Paint Brush, 

 and Bladder Campion. These Avere abundant in most parts on the south 

 of the St. Lawrence. 



