246 



WEEDS 



421. Poison ivy. Rhus Toxicodendron. 



her, clean tillage, are essential to a clean, weedless farm. To 

 these efforts should be added care to secure clean seed, and 

 manure that is not weed-in- 

 fested; and the farmer or gar- 

 dener should be alert to recog- 

 nize new weeds as soon as they 

 invade the neighborhood and 

 be prepared to meet them. 



417. On lawns, weeds may 

 be lessened by the use of the 

 cleanest grass seed, and of chem- 

 ical fertilizers or only well- 

 rotted or other clean manure. 

 The grass seed should be sown 

 very thick (3 to 5 bus. of blue grass to the acre) both to 

 secure a soft dense lawn and to crowd out weeds. Frequent 



mowing will destroy most an- 

 nual weeds, and these weeds 

 are usually most troublesome 

 when the lawn is newly made. 

 Dandelions and other peren- 

 nials may be taken out with a 

 spud or long, strong knife. In 

 badly infested places, the area 

 may need to be dug over, and a 

 new seeding made with clean 

 seed and chemical fertilizer. 



418. Some weeds may be 

 killed by poisons or herbicides. 

 Sulfuric acid is sometimes 

 poured on the crowns of plants 

 in lawns. Salt is often used to 

 kill grass and weeds in gutters 

 and walks; carbolic acid and arsenical poisons are some- 

 times used for the same purpose. Recipes are to be found 



422. Poison sumac, poison elder, a 

 bush of swamps and low places. 

 Rhus venenata or R. Vernix. 



