144 MORE ABOUT WEEDS 



distinct plant. A large amount of nourishment is stored 

 up in the underground stems, which makes them very 

 nutritive and furnishes food for growth. The new plants 

 formed by cutting up the old ones grow with great vigor, 

 and so form many weeds in the place of one. The under- 

 ground portions are eaten by stock when they can get at 

 them. Horses and cows are fond of them; hogs root 

 industriously for them and help to destroy them. 



The illustration of quack grass shown in Figure 80 

 makes further description unnecessary. 



The summer fallow is probably the most satisfactory 

 method of destroying quack grass on any large scale. 

 Turn the sod under in spring and plow again as often as 

 any amount of grass appears above ground, until Septem- 

 ber, when rye or wheat may be sown if desired. It is 

 best to remove fences or other obstructions to the plow, 

 that make a harboring place for the underground 

 stems. 



Small patches may be destroyed by covering the ground 

 deeply with straw or other litter, or by devoting the 

 ground to some crop that requires clean culture, as cab- 

 bage, cauliflower or celery, provided the required clean 

 culture be faithfully given. Patches of quack grass 

 should never be cross plowed or cross cultivated in tilling 

 the field that contains them, as this is one of the surest 

 means of spreading the underground stems to new loca- 

 tions. 



The Wild Carrot, Daucus carota. The wild carrot is 

 one of the most troublesome weeds in the eastern states, 

 and is rapidly spreading westward. It thrives in nearly 

 all soils and is spread rapidly by its many seeds. It re- 



