18 



and intimate acquaintance with this nuisance, does not 

 impress one with a deeper sense of its virtues. The on- 

 ly redeeming quality it possesses, is that the hay, if cut 

 early, is good fodder. Its presence in the soil, nearly 

 doubles the labor of cultivation ; and unless thoroughly 

 kept in check, seriously diminishes the crop. 



I think also, that its effect in a highly cultivated farm, 

 is to materially reduce the crop of hay. It docs not, 

 like other grass, grow thickly, but tall, coarse, and with 

 stalks widely separated. It kills out other more valua- 

 ble grasses, and in a short time " binds itself out," unless 

 the land is kept very rich. Although it may be impossi- 

 ble to exterminate this pest from land once thoroughly 

 filled with its roots, it may be managed so that it will 

 not materially injure the crops for some years. 



It cannot be killed by hoeing, because the rootstock 

 has innumerable joints, each with a l)ud and tuft of roots 

 ready formed to grow, and cutting up has the effect to 

 produce many plants instead of one ; but like scourges 

 of society, it may be effectually disposed of by strangu- 

 lation. Any crop that will thoroughly shade the ground 

 until late in the fall, will effectually destroy witch-grass. 



The potato is one of the worst crops to raise on ground 

 infested with this weed, because the tops usually die 

 early in the fall, and the crop is not harvested until later. 

 But a good growth of cabbages, turnips, or even fodder- 

 corn, will sometimes kill nearly every root. The decay 

 of the coarse, serpent-like rootstocks in the ground, not 

 only adds an element of fertility, but renders the soil 

 more friable ; hence another reason for killing the roots 

 in the ground, instead of attempting the hopeless task of 

 digging them all out and carting them away. 



Destructive insects are more troublesome than an}' 



