25. CROPS AND WEEDS. 



Illustrative material: Samples of several of the most trouble- 

 some weeds of the vicinity. Drill the pupils until they can name 

 them at a glance. 



Weeds Not a Curse Weeds are plants that persist in 

 attempting to grow where they arc not wanted. It is 

 Nature's plan to have the earth thickly covered with 

 plants. When men began to cultivate the soil, and to 

 decide just what kinds of plants should grow in some 

 chosen place, they discovered weeds. Weeds should cer- 

 tainly, however, be kept out of our crops as far as possible. 

 But we must not think that they were sent as a curse to 

 man, for it is better to have the ground covered with 

 plants, though they be weeds, than to have it bare. 



Not Room for Both Figure 66 shows a plant of In- 

 dian corn surrounded by weeds. The roots of the corn 

 and of the weeds are feeding from the same soil, and 

 their stems are reaching up for the same sunlight. Surely 

 there will not be enough water, food and sunlight for all, 

 and so all will suffer unless some are taken out. If we 

 hope to raise good corn, we must destroy the weeds. 

 We learned in Lesson 1 1 that keeping the surface of the 

 land covered with a layer of crumbled soil tends to pre- 

 vent evaporation. Fortunately, the same treatment tends 

 to prevent weeds from growing. The surface soil should, 

 for this twofold reason, be kept well cultivated, especially 

 in warm weather. 



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