LAWN BEAUTIFICATION 283 



are perpetually menaced by the rivalry of 

 weeds. 



A weed may be said to be a plant out of its 

 proper place so far as the economy of man is 

 concerned. 



This does not mean, however, that it is out of 

 its proper place in the economy of nature. Na- 

 ture has a use for weeds, and in fact they have 

 done much good for man. 



When crops were first cultivated, farmers 

 stirred the soil in order to destroy the weeds. 

 They did not then fully realize that stirring the 

 soil aided the growth of the crops. They did 

 discover, however, that when the weeds were 

 destroyed much better crops were produced, and 

 thus the weeds forced farmers to stir the soil and 

 allow the air, so necessary to the plants, to circu- 

 late among the roots. 



Now that farmers have learned the real reason 

 for cultivation at the proper times, whether there 

 are weeds present or not, the destruction of 

 weeds assumes a different aspect. 



Weeds are a detriment in many cases from the 

 fact that when proper precautions are not used 

 they take possession of areas of land so that it is 

 impossible to grow useful crops. 



There are two general classes of weeds, an- 

 nuals and perennials. 



