PREVENTIVE MEASURES 33 



years, largely conduces, when thoroughly carried out, to 

 the destruction of weeds, and results in a clean farm. 



(/") Thorough Brushing of Hedges and Ditches is a 

 valuable preventive measure, many weeds being de- 

 stroyed which would otherwise distribute their seeds 

 and harbour insect and fungous pests. 



(g) Screenings from Thrashing Machines, Winnowing 

 Machines, and Mills should be thoroughly ground before 

 they are fed to live stock. It is well known that weed 

 seeds may pass through the digestive system unharmed, 

 and hence they should not be given to stock, whole. 

 In Korsmo's experiments, two lots of mill screenings, 

 which contained from 25 to 47 pep cent of weed 

 seeds, were ground, and the samples then examined 

 for weed seeds. In 100 grams ( = 3 J ozs.) of the 

 ground screenings only one weed seed was found 

 capable of germinating. 



Before coming on to a farm a thrashing machine 

 should always be thoroughly cleaned, and the wise 

 farmer will insist on this being done, otherwise it 

 is quite likely that many weed seeds will be brought 

 on to his land. 



REMEDY 



From what has already been said under " Preven- 

 tion " it will be gathered that at many points " Pre- 

 vention " and "Remedy" are almost identical, since 

 cultivation, prevention of seeding, brushing of hedges 

 and ditches, all tend to eradicate weeds as well as 

 prevent future infestation. No hard and fast line can 

 be drawn between the two, and a certain amount of 

 overlapping will of necessity occur in the suggestions 

 already made and those which follow. 



(a) Thorough Cultivation : Ploughing, Harrowing, Hoeing, 

 &c. Not only does cultivation in the broadest sense 



c 



