PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS* CLUB. 179 



month. The horse-dock, in some portion of the country, has taken 

 almost entire possession of the ground. The most effectual way 

 to eradicate this noxious plant is, to cut off the tops close to the 

 ground, and gather all the branches and panicles of seed into heaps, 

 and after they have become dry burn them. When the young 

 plants first appear, they should be pulled when the ground is wet- 

 On many farms the borders of the fields are lined with a complete 

 hedge of bull thistles, briers, shrubs and elder bushes, which root 

 out all the grass, thus rendering the ground utterly worthless for 

 anything useful. More than this, such belts of hedges and thorn 

 bushes are a disfiguring blotch on the face of many fine farms, 

 reflecting great discredit on the reputation of the proprietor as a 

 neat and eflSicieut manager. The most effectual way to exterminate 

 such " eye sores " of the farm is, to remove the fence, cut down 

 every bush even with the ground, and Avith a strong team turn the 

 ground nicely over, six or eight inches deep, and sow about one 

 bushel of buckwheat, or three bushels of peas and two bushels of 

 oats mingled together, or four bushels of Indian corn. After 

 which, let the entire ground be harrowed thoroughly three or four 

 times. Such a severe pruning of roots and branches at this season 

 of the year, will injure vegetation of any kind so seriously that 

 but little labor next season will utterly exterminate the worst 

 hedge on the farm. 



Raising Root Crops. 

 Mr. S Edwards Todd. — As a general rule, American agriculture 

 is not in a condition to make it pay to raise roots for feeding 

 domestic animals. One reason for this fact is, farmers waste too 

 large a proportion of their available manure. In other instances, 

 they do not utilize the fertilizing materials that are available on 

 many farms where roots cannot be raised profitably, because the 

 soil has been too much impoverished by a long succession of 

 exhausting crops. Roots of any kind, Avhen the seed is not planted 

 in a fertile virgin soil, require manure. Newly cleared land, in 

 almost every portion of the country where there is not an 

 excess of water in the soil, will produce a fair, and sometimes a 

 bountiful crop of field turnips. But after such ground has yielded 

 a few crops of cereal grain, it is seldom practicable to grow a crop 

 of beets, turnips or carrots without first applying a liberal dressing 

 of manure. At this season of the year, when the soil is fertile, a 

 bountiful crop of turnips may be produced if the seed is put in 



