302 THE SOILS AND CHOPS OF THE FAEM. 



sources of danger. Hedges, on account of concealing 

 the growing weeds, are a constant menace to clean 

 culture. As far as possible all waste places should 

 be brought into cultivation, and the number of fences 

 should be reduced as far as compatible with good 

 husbandry. 



Early plowing of stubble ground after harvest would 

 prevent many weeds seeding. In place of this, burn- 

 ing off the stubble would destroy both weeds and seeds. 

 While there would be some loss of organic matter, in- 

 cluding nitrogen, this practice has much to commend 

 it. It not only destroys weed seeds, but also insect 

 enemies and fungus diseases. Weedy roadsides are a 

 source of much injury to the clean cultivator, as well as 

 most unsightly, and should be kept mown by co-opera- 

 tive effort, when in most cases useful grasses will soon 

 displace the pernicious and unsightly weeds. 



Inasmuch as we can not hope to eradicate entirely 

 our most prolific and thoroughly introduced weeds 

 with our present methods of farming, we should try 

 to arrange so as to give our crops the first and best 

 chance, and the weeds the poorest. Rolling oat 

 ground for example, in a dry time may firm it about 

 the weed seeds near the surface, enough to cause them 

 to grow without having any appreciable effect on the 

 oats. If the land had not been rolled, the weeds might 

 not have grown. 



It is often advisable to delay the planting of a crop 

 until the land is warm enough to cause it to grow 

 rapidly, so that it will out-strip the weeds in their 

 race for place. 



If land infested with morning glories is planted 

 with corn, the land should not be cultivated until both 



