40 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



WILD MUSTARD. 



In the December number of the Farmer, patve 278, 

 a correspondent inquires in regard to Wild Mustard. 

 I can answer in a word, that it is one of the worst 

 enemies to summer grains within my knowledge. 

 1 have lost the use of valuable land, (except for grass 

 or hoed crops,) that had unfortunately become seeded 

 with it. On mowing grounds, and grass lands gen- 

 erally, it docs no great harm. But in summer wheat, 

 in oats and barley, it is, if neglected, an absolute 

 pest. To destroy it, a gang of hands must go through 

 a nrrain field and pull up every stalk on which a yel- 

 low blossom appears. By taking each a given width 

 so as to overlook or neglect no space, and going over 

 the whole field, it may be almost entirely eradicated. 

 And this should be done every season, if a single yel- 

 low blossom appears. The seed is so fine, and of 

 course s*" numerous from a single stalk, that to ne- 

 glect •. cultivated field on which it was visible, for 

 one or two seasons, would lead to ruinous results. 

 Care should be taken, in passing through the grain, 

 not to trample it down unnecessarily, and but little 

 injury will result from this source. Whenever it ap- 

 pears" in winter wheat, as it occasionally does, the 

 same measures should be taken to destroy it. I am 

 confident, many farmers do not justly appreciate its 

 true character, from the manner in which it is taking 

 quiet possession of their fields. ' D. 



SNAPDRAGON. 



Though this plant is cultivated for the beauty of its 

 flowers and foliage, it becomes very troublesome 

 when it is permitted to extend itself into pastures 

 and meadows. Botanists now describe it under 

 the name of Linaria vulgaris, or common False 

 Flax. A few years ago I saw instances of its hav- 

 ing covered the fields and nearly eradicated all kinds 

 of grass, on the west side of the Hudson, north 

 of the Highlands. I have also seen it spread from 

 its location in the garden into the adjoining fields 

 with much rapidity. 



Your correspondent inquires how it may he eradi- 

 cated. As I have never seen any difficulty in re- 

 straining its extension in the garden, I have ever 

 believed it is easily subdued. I have near by me a 

 bed of it in a garden, which has so far been confined 



"ts designed situation, with no uncommon effort. 

 Tnougn it is an annual plant, it produces a multitude 

 of seeds. These doubtless lie buried often in the 

 earth for years, like many other seeds, to germinate 

 when they are favorably exposed for this purpose. 

 While the hoe would easily destroy all the present 

 crop, the operation must be repeated from year to year, 

 till the work is accomplished. C. D. 



Messrs. Editors : — I am glad one of your "Faith- 

 ful Readers" feels anxious to get rid of his snap- 

 dragon. It is one of the worst weeds that grow. 

 Its smell is so offensive that cattle will not eat the 

 grass that grows with it, and o«e of the most difficult 

 to destroy ; and yet I have frequently seen it cultiva- 

 ted for the sake of its beautiful Howers. I was once 

 riding by such a flower garden, and stopped and told 

 the gentleman that I thought he was cultivating a 

 very troublesome weed for flowers. He just asked 

 me how much I charged for the information ? I told 

 him he was welcome to it, and rode on. 



I have known a great many experiments tried to 



kill it, but all failed where there was much of it. 

 Where it is in small spotsj salt, applied plcntifuly so 

 as to prevent it from growing for two years, will de- 

 stroy it. My father had a lot of it plowed (I think) 

 nine times in one season, and it had the desired effect 

 for that season, but the next it came up as neat and 

 pretty as ever, and he gave it up as an unconquera- 

 ble foe. It did not grow much the next season until 

 quite late, and probably came from the seed. If he 

 had continued tlie plowing another season, it might 

 have destroyed it. If I had much of it on my farm, 

 I would commence an exterminating war against it 

 with the plow, and would prosecute it to the death. 

 Stephen Hull. — Clyde, j\\ Y., Dec, 1850. 



Eds. Farmer : — I have noticed in your invaluable 

 journal (of which, by the way, I am a life subscriber, ) 

 an article soliciting a knowledge of the means to ex- 

 terminate Snapdragon. Before it spreads to much 

 extent, I have succeeded in destroying it with fish 

 brine, but when it embodies a large portion of the 

 fields, the process of frequent plowing would per- 

 haps be more easy and equally as effectual. A. M. 

 —Claverack, JV, Y., Dec, 1850. 



SEED POTATOES. 



In the December number of the Genesee Farmer, 

 page 277, the question is asked, " Whether it is 

 more advantageous to plant small potatoes than large 

 ones ?" 



From ray earliest youth I have been taught the im- 

 portance of selecting the largest and best potatoes to 

 he used for seed. My practice has been occasional- 

 ly to put one such in a hill ; but, generally, to cut 

 them into two or three pieces and to put three pieces 

 into each hill. In the spring of 1849, owing to the 

 scarcity and high price of potatoes, I was induced 

 to plant, as an experiment, some small Mercers in 

 the garden, on a square that was highly manured. 

 The yield was great, and the potatoes first rate as 

 to size. Being much disappointed, and stating the 

 fact to a friend, he gave an unqualified opinion, that 

 the favorable result was owing to the richness of the 

 soil. The past season I planted several bushels of 

 the largest and best .Mercers I could purchase in the 

 city. They were generally cut into three pieces 

 each. But the supply not being sufficient, I planted 

 three bushels of small ones, such as had been laid 

 aside as too small for table use. Of these, three 

 were put into each hill, and were planted along side 

 the large ones. The quality of the ground, the time 

 of planting, and the tillage, were in all respects the 

 same. When the shoots from the small seed first 

 appeared, and for a short time after, I thought them 

 rather more slender than those from the large ones, 

 but soon there was no perceptible difference. At 

 harvesting, the size, quality and product from the 

 small seed was equal in all respects to the large ones. 

 But the ground on which these were planted was 

 rich, having been highly manured. To complete the 

 experiment, however, I planted at the same time half 

 an acre of ground of fair quality that had been tilled 

 before, but not manured. Half the piece was plant- 

 ed with the small seed, and half with the largest and 

 best quality. These were cut into two or throe pie- 

 ' CCS each. Previous to the first hoeing, a handful of 

 leached ashes was thrown on each hill. At har- 

 j vesting, the potatoes were large and fine ; and those 

 from the small seed were equal in size and product 



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