Some aiethod of cultivation must be adopted, such as the use of a broad- 

 shared cultivator, to cut oif at short intervals all freshly formed shoots an 

 inch or two beneath the surface of the soil, so as to prevent the plants from 

 forming leaves and thus storing up nourishment to sustain future growth. 



Plants take in most of their food through their leaves. Perennial 

 plants, which live for many years, have special reservoirs where some of 

 this food after elaboration is stored up for future use in such receptacles 

 as bulbs, tubers and fleshy rootstocks. The first growth in spring, particul- 

 arly flowering .stems, are produced mainly by drawing on this special store 

 of nourishment. Plants are therefore in their weakest condition, at that time 

 of the year when they have exhausted to the greatest extent their supply of 

 reserve food, and have not had time to replenish it. The stage of growth, 

 then, when ploughing down of perennial plants will be of most effect, is 

 just when their flowering stems have made their full growth, but before the 

 seeds, which would be a source of danger, have had time to mature. Some 

 experience is necessary to know what is the best time to work certain soils 

 or to deal with special weeds, as well as to recognize weeds in all their stages. 

 Some weeds, the Jlussian Thistle and Stinkweed for instance, haVe a very 

 different appearance when young and when mature. No general rule can be 

 given, as the necessary treatment will vary in different districts on different 

 soils and under different climatic conditions. What may be the proper treat- 

 ment in one place, may fail in another. Perennial plants, if allowed to de- 

 velop flower stems and then ploughed down (or first mowed and then ploughed 

 under), will, by the production of the flower stems, have so far reduced the 

 nourishment stored up in the rootstocks that they are much weakened and 

 can afterwards be easily dealt with by two or three cultivations before win- 

 ter sets in. Late fall ploughing has also been found extremely useful in 

 Manitoba in cleaning land infested by some of the worst perennial weeds, 

 such as Canada Thistle and Field Sowthistle. On the other hand, it has 

 been found in the West that all the weeds and other plants decay readily 

 if prairie lands or meadows are broken in May or early in June. Land so 

 treated can therefore be cleaned far more easily than if the operation of 

 breaking is delayed until July. This is due to the climate and to the suc- 

 culent nature of all parts of the plant at that season. 



General Principles. 



1. There is no weed kiionin which rannot he eradicated by constant at- 

 tention, if only the nature of its growth he understood. 



2. Never allow weeds to ripen seed. 



3. Cultivate frequently, particularly early in the season, so as to de- 

 stroy seedlings while small and easily killed. 



4. Many weed seeds can be induced to germinate in autumn by cul- 

 tivating stubbles immediately after harvest. Many of the seedlings would be 

 killed by winter or could be easily disposed of by ploughing or ciiltivatiou 

 in spring. 



5. All weeds bearing mature seeds should be burnt, and under no cir- 

 cumstances should they be ploughed under. 



6. All weeds can be destroyed by the use of the ordinary implements 

 of the farm, the plough, the cultivator, the spud and the hoe. 



T. Be constantly on the alert to prevent new weeds from becoming estab- 

 lished on farms. Notwithstanding all efforts to the contrary, weeds will 

 certainly bo introduced from time to time even on the farms of the mcst 

 careful . 



10 



