HARM DONE BY WEEDS 17 



spent if the real value on account of impurity and 

 poor germinating capacity be only 76 per cent. Were 

 such a sample sown, however, the loss would probably 

 be far greater than 245., owing to the large number of 

 weed seeds which would be sown and obtain a footing 

 in the crop, causing subsequent' trouble in the ways 

 already discussed. 



The practical thinking farmer or gardener who knows 

 his business and is thoroughly alive to his own interests 

 will allow no weeds to grow if he can possibly help it. 

 Fortunately, when once a farm is clean it is, with due 

 care, not difficult to maintain it in this condition, and 

 the first object of a farmer, gardener, or fruit-grower 

 w r ho has land foul with weeds is to exterminate these 

 as quickly as possible. Eradicating Charlock in the 

 wheat field, Thistle cutting on both arable and pasture 

 land, cleaning arable land of Couch or Twitch, cleaning 

 saved seeds from weed seeds all these absorb much 

 time on the part of the farmer, and consequently mean 

 the loss of much money. 



However, the persistent destroyer of weeds will find 

 that as time goes on his expenditure on this score 

 becomes less and less, until the weeds are kept down 

 effectually in the ordinary processes of good cultiva- 

 tion ; but both preventive and remedial measures must 

 be closely and faithfully followed, and no slackness or 

 negligence allowed to creep in : t* One year's seeding 

 means seven years' weeding " is a motto which should 

 be well graven in the minds of all cultivators of the 

 soil. 



"It is needless to go about to compute the value of the damage weeds 

 do, since all experienced husbandmen know it to be very great, and would 

 unanimously agree to extirpate their whole race as entirely as in England 

 they have done the wolves, though much more innocent and less rapacious 

 than weeds." JETHRO TULL, The Horse Hoeing Husbandry, 1731. 



