CHAPTER VII. 

 WEEDS OF SPECIAL CROPS 



Weeds of Meadows and Pastures. The weeds of 

 meadows differ in various places according as they are 

 affected by the soil, climate or latitude. In well-kept 

 pastures and meadows weeds are seldom troublesome, 

 but in those not well kept weeds are certain to appear, 

 although a pasture without a weed is not possible. It has 

 been said that when land is well farmed weeds cannot 

 survive. In alternate husbandry, weeds ought to suc- 

 cumb rapidly, but in pastures and meadows it is more 

 difficult to remove them, for weeds will grow only where 

 there is room, where they can obtain plenty of sunshine 

 and light, and the more room they have the more vigor- 

 ously they will grow. Bailey says : "Ground may be cov- 

 ered with a given plant, and yet a species of wholly dif- 

 ferent character and habits may thrive along with it. If 

 weeds, then, are to be kept out of grounds, the land must 

 not only be occupied with some crop, but with some crop 

 that will not allow the weed to grow with it." Now, the 

 first condition of weediness of meadow or pasture is the 

 destruction of the turf. This is done by overstocking, or is 

 the effect of cold or drouth. The native prairie would afford 

 valuable pasture were it not for overstocking. This sod, 

 at one time, contained a large number of species of dif- 

 ferent grasses, as rich in nutrient qualities and producing 

 as bountiful crops as any pastures east of the Mississippi. 

 These were naturally a great source of revenue, but dur- 

 ing the last decade this has changed. Jared G. Smith 

 says : "It was a magnificent legacy to the rancher and the 

 farmer. To the one it promised food for a million cat- 

 tle ; to the other it proved the golden possibilities of a soil 



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