35 



of allowing the land to remain idle, or surrendering it to weeds, as 

 is most frequently the case among farmers after the crop has 

 been taken off, it should be thickly seeded down to some crop 

 such as rye or mustard ; or much better, if the climate would 

 allow it, to crimson clover, alfalfa or melilotus. 



This practice of green manuring improves the soil. It not only 

 adds organic matter to it but it conserves the elements which the 

 soil contains. In case a leguminous crop is grown, such as clover, 

 alfalfa or melilotus, considerable nitrogen would be added to the 

 soil when ploughed under. Crimson clover and alfalfa have not 

 proven hardy with us but melilotus appears to be, and Professor 

 Brooks has hopes that this plant can be of some service to the 

 farmer in this climate. 



With good thick growths of rye or some such plant in the soil 

 soon after the main crops have been removed, the large amounts 

 of shepherd's-purse, purslane and five-finger grass — which natu- 

 rally thrive at this season and produce enormous quantities of 

 seeds for the year to come — could be kept down. The worst 

 weeds found upon our lawns are plantain, common dandelion, 

 chickweed, money-wort, three-fingered crab-grass and fall dande- 

 lion. The only remedy for the plantain, common and fall dandelion 

 is spudding. The plantain is less likely to occur on a well-kept 

 lawn. The money-wort and chickweed thrive the best in the 

 shade, although both are more or less troublesome in sunny lawns. 

 Nitrate of soda or common salt are used by some to kill money- 

 wort. It is used even strong enough to kill the grass, but new 

 grass will eventually come up at the exclusion of the money-wort. 

 The three-finger crab-grass is seen abundantly late in summer, and 

 appears to be spreading. We know of nothing to recommend for 

 this. 



The introduction into our fields of such weeds as chess, char- 

 lock, etc., is due to impure seed. 



Another method, therefore, of checking many weeds, and one 

 which would appear to be a very logical one, would be to start 

 with pure seed. We have not in this country quite waked up to 

 the necessity of buying pure seed, or of even buying seed of a 

 guaranteed germination. 



Some of our grass weeds can be controlled by mowing them just 

 before they go to seed. One field at the Agricultural College 

 which was densely covered with the white daisy a few years ago 

 has, by this method of treatment, become almost completely rid of 

 this plant. Other field weeds are more difficult to eradicate by this 

 method as their time of maturing seed does not correspond with 

 the time of mowing grass. 



