CHAPTER III 



The Weeds of Gardens and Cultivated Fields 



THE weeds that infest gardens and cultivated fields are 

 familiar to most people. Such plants are seen daily by 

 every one in town and country, and must be constantly 

 kept in mind by all farmers and gardeners. To a large 

 extent they are annuals and produce seed in such abundance 

 that neglected soil is quickly covered with young plants. 

 Most of them are easily kept in check when the ground is 

 given proper tillage. 



GRASS FAMILY 



By far the most troublesome of these garden weeds is 

 the Quack-grass or Witch-grass, which is known by a dozen 

 other names. This notorious pest multiplies both by seeds 

 and by underground rootstocks 

 that penetrate the soil in all direc- 

 tions, sending up leafy branches 

 everywhere. If these rootstocks 

 are cut into pieces, each piece 

 will produce a new plant. On 

 this account, hoeing and culti- 

 vating ground infested by Witch- 

 grass is likely to do more harm than good. When the 

 grass has taken complete possession of a piece of land, it is 

 often cut for hay, but this only leads to the wider scatter- 

 ing of the seeds through the fertilizers from the barn. 



Quack-grass thrives upon ordinary tillage, and is to be 

 subdued only by a vigorous and persistent course of treat- 



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