260 MY GARDEN 



part of wisdom to burn all weeds, whether in seed or not, 

 and to keep the ground well stirred, especially in the 

 spring, to insure the destruction of all aspiring seedlings. 



Weeds rob the soil of food intended for plants that 

 are in the garden by invitation and in times of drought 

 are a real menace, for they are a thirsty lot and do not 

 hesitate to take all they can get of the meagre supply of 

 moisture in the ground. 



The list is not long of those plants which give Jonas 

 and me great trouble in the garden. 



The worst is Chickweed, an insignificant appearing 

 thing, with a meek white eye and no conscience. It 

 looks a harmless thing, but do not be deceived; the seed 

 is as hardy as iron and is ripening all the time. Even in 

 midwinter, if the sun but opens half an eye upon it, the 

 tiny blossoms unfold and become seed. It loves the 

 rich soil of the garden, but in spite of its taste for liigh 

 life it is not too nice to harbour plant lice, or to covet 

 anything that is its neighbours. It is one of the most 

 difficult weeds to eradicate but is dealt with more easily 

 in dry weather. It is an annual. 



Butter-and-eggs (Linaria vulgaris) is a truly lovely 

 thing, so lovely that I used to encourage it to grow in a 

 thicket of peach-leaved Campanulas, among whose lilac 

 and white blossoms the little yellow weed was charm- 

 ing. This was several years ago and we have made little 

 headway in getting rid of it, but the poor Campanulas 

 were choked to death in short order. It is a deep-root- 



