48 THE STATE AS FARMER 



The eradication of weeds would make 

 a fine test of the adequate working by the 

 State of its own lands. If we became short 

 of food it would be no great consolation to 

 know that we had 50 per cent, of our produce 

 in the form of weeds. It is, however, quite 

 possible that fifty is below the percentage 

 that we are losing through the lack of a 

 determined effort to produce crops only and 

 no weeds. The matter is not confined to 

 the mere act of weeding. The seed-bed that we 

 have prepared so warm and moist and aerated 

 is spoiled by the interloping weed ; and when 

 the reduced crop is gathered, the cereals 

 and other kinds whose seeds are garnered 

 become mixed with the seeds of the weed 

 and are separated with difficulty and only 

 partially. In aiming at a good crop in 

 which the individual plants are required to 

 attain a fine standard, the presence of weeds 

 is a complete stumbling-block. There is no 

 elbow-room, and the plant food is robbed, 

 meddled with, and spoiled. Now, if we 

 want a larger yield, we must make a special 

 point of allowing nothing to divide the 

 attention of the soil with the crop itself. I 



