Weeds and How to Manage Them. 119 



infested, is easily eradicated in the garden by constant cultivation, 

 and if necessary by the use of hoe and knife, preventing all 

 growth of the weed above ground for a single season. No thistle 

 roo t nor any other perennial root can live long without a 

 chance to breathe. Deprive it of foliage (its lungs), and it must 

 die from asphyxiation. Just for this reason, the larger biennials 

 and perennials, the thistles, the docks, asclepias, etc., give the 

 gardener much less trouble than a number of annuals. Among 

 the latter, we have the 

 purslane as one of the 

 most troublesome ; and 

 in July and August, the 

 gardener frequently has 

 hard work to make head- 

 way against the immense 

 power of recuperation and 

 multiplication of these 

 weeds. Sometimes there 

 is . only one sure way to 

 gather up every plant in 

 baskets or a wheel-barrow, 

 and remove them from the 

 garden, or dig holes here 

 and there over the patch, 

 fill up with the weeds, and cover with soil. Chickweed is another 

 troublesome thing, and it should be treated in the same way. 

 Wild mustard is abundant in some fields ; but it can easily be 

 eradicated by pulling up every plant for a few years, allowing 

 not one to ripen and scatter its seed. 



It is a most fortunate thing for the gardener that weeds do 

 not take an early start in spring. Any crop sown in the cool 

 weather of March, April or early May has therefore a good 

 chance to outgrow the weeds. This is one of the reasons, also, 

 that speak in favor of very early sowing of onions, carrots, 

 parsley, parsnips, celery and similar vegetables, which appear 

 somewhat feeble at first. The wheel-hoe will take care of the 

 weeds between the rows of all such crops, and it is only necessary 

 to pull out the weeds in the rows by hand or slash them out 



Lang's Hand-weeder in use. 



Lang's Hand-weeder. Hazeltine's Hand-weeder. 



with a hand-weeder, such as Lang's, Hazeltine's or Noye's, or 

 with tools similarly constructed. 



To learn to use any of them to best advantage requires a 

 little practice, same as the proper use of almost any implement 

 in garden or field. As a substitute for the patented concerns, I 



