The Weeds 111 



a weed, he must quickly fill the hole with some other plant, 

 or Nature will tuck another weed into it. Man is yet too 

 ignorant or too negligent to care for the land, and Nature 

 must still stand at his back and supplement the work 

 which he so shabbily performs. She knows no plants as 

 weeds. They are all equally useful to her. It is only when 

 we come to covet some plant that all those which interfere 

 with it become weeds to us. If, therefore, we are compe- 

 tent to make a choice of plants in the first place, we 

 should also be able to maintain the choice against in- 

 truders. It is only a question of which plants we desire 

 to grow. 



We must keep the land at work, for it grows richer and 

 better for the exercise. A good crop on the land, aided by 

 good tillage, will keep down the weeds. The weeds do not 

 "run out" the sod, but the sod has grown weak through 

 some fault of our own, and thus the dandelions and plan- 

 tains find a chance to live. So the best treatment for a 

 weedy lawn is more grass. If the farmer occupies only 

 half the surface of his field with oats, the other half is 

 bound to be occupied with mustard or wild carrot or 

 pigweed; but if his land is all taken with oats, few other 

 plants can thrive. So, a weedy farm is a poorly farmed 

 farm. But if it does get foul and weedy, then use a short 

 quick, sharp rotation. Keep the ground moving or keep 

 it covered. No Russian thistle or live-forever or jimson- 

 weed can ever keep pace with a lively and resourceful 

 farmer. 



This attitude is as important in fruit-growing as in 

 general farming. The land must be kept active and at 

 work, which means that the fruit-grower must be active 

 and at work. When this is accomplished and the fruit- 

 plantation is still unproductive, other means must be 



