^82 FIVE ACRES TOO MUCH. 



that there was no way of getting a sight at a blos 

 som except by pulling up a yard square of weeds. 

 My conclusion from this and valuable it is to the 

 cause of agriculture was that our scientific men 

 had not paid sufficient attention to weeds ; that they 

 had taught us how to make things grow, but had 

 not told us how to prevent their growing ; that an 

 anti-fertilizer was more important than a fertilizer. 

 There is twice as much labor expended in rooting 

 weeds out as in putting vegetables in. &quot;We have our 

 phosphates and superphosphates, our guano, marl, 

 bone-dust, lime, and a dozen other species of ma 

 nures, but not a single invention to prevent undesir 

 able growth. The present necessity is a drug or 

 acid, or some sort of medicament, that will kill all 

 the weeds and the germs of weeds in the ground, 

 but which will soon lose its power, so that the ground 

 will perform its proper functions when seed is plant 

 ed. Until this discovery is made, farming will be 

 laborious, and I hope our learned men will devote 

 their attention to it promptly. I shall only claim 

 the honor of originating the idea, and leave the en 

 tire profits to the inventor. 



