DAMAGE OF WEEDS 497 



make the bundles more bulky and thus more twine is required 

 to harvest the crop. They increase the weight of the crop 

 which must be handled, both of grain and hay. They in- 

 crease the expense of gathering the crop by delaying har- 

 vesting operations, as in cotton, potato, and corn fields. 

 Rank, succulent growth of weeds delays the curing of hay 

 and grain crops, and may thus reduce their quality. 



684. Weeds Injure Pastures. In addition to crowding 

 out useful pasture plants and using plant food and moisture, 

 weeds decrease the value of pastures in other ways. They 

 may be distasteful to animals, either on account of their odor 

 or taste or because they are armed with spines or thorns, 

 causing stock to avoid their vicinity and thus allowing a 

 portion of the useful pasture grasses to go to waste. They 

 may injure animals which eat them by causing irritation, as 

 in the case of the beards of wild barley or squirreltail grass, 

 or they may be actually poisonous, as the loco weed of the 

 western prairies and the laurel of the Southeastern states. 



685. Weeds Injure Animal Products. Another way in 

 which weeds injure the farmer is by causing a loss in the value 

 of certain animal products. The seeds of such weeds as 

 burdock, stickseed and cocklebur adhere to wool and reduce 

 its value materially. They also injure the appearance of 

 animals by clinging to the manes and tails of horses and the 

 tails of cattle. Other weeds, when eaten by dairy cows, 

 cause a disagreeable odor or taste in their products. This 

 class of weeds includes the wild onion, ragweed, and French- 

 weed. 



686. Weeds Reduce the Value of Land. The presence 

 of noxious weeds on a farm reduces its value and lessens the 

 chances of a profitable sale. A farm infested with Canada 

 thistles, quack grass, or Johnson grass cannot be sold as 

 readily nor at as high a price as one which is free from these 

 weeds. Weeds along fences and roads lessen the attractive- 

 ness of a farm. 



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