92 WEEDS OF THE FARM AND GARDEN 



carried out, but failure often results from negligence dur- 

 ing the latter part of the season. Of course, it is possi- 

 ble that seeds may be lying dormant in the soil and make 

 their appearance the next season, but it is taken for 

 granted that all measures to eradicate the plant by pre- 

 venting the production of seed have been used. 



Treatment for Meadows. The treatment of a meadow 

 necessarily varies according to conditions. If the pasture 

 is very weedy, it is probably due, partly, to overgrazing. 

 In such cases, some of the stock should be removed and 

 the perennial grasses allowed a chance to form a turf. 

 Mowing the weeds once or twice before the seeds are 

 allowed to mature is an excellent plan. Sheep are better 

 weed exterminators than most other animals and will 

 keep many of the noxious weeds down. For some weeds 

 such as buckhorn and wild carrot it may be wise to prac- 

 tice rotation. 



Treatment for Grain Fields. In order that fields be 

 free from weeds, the first essential is to sow clean seed, 

 which will do much to aid in keeping weeds down. Early 

 fall plowing will do much to remove many annual weeds. 

 The common custom in a corn country of sowing wheat 

 on corn stubble, where disking alone is resorted to, is 

 poor practice, because in many cases the corn fields are 

 not clean. It is far better to cut the corn, shock it and 

 then plow. It is not a bad practice in the fall to turn 

 sheep into a corn field to pick out the weeds. 



Treatment for Corn Fields. There is no danger of in- 

 troducing bad weeds into the soil with seed corn; but 

 bad perennials are scattered by the cultivator, such being 

 the case with quack grass and Johnson grass. Cultiva- 

 tion aggravates the trouble. Where these weeds occur 

 the hoe must follow the cultivator, and this must be kept 

 up during the entire season, hoeing at least once a week. 

 The ground of a corn field should be clean and should 

 be plowed in the fall and again in the spring, being both 



