5 o THE STATE AS FARMER 



weed keeps alive for its future deadly work 

 on valuable crops an insect or pest that 

 would otherwise perish ; and, in any case, 

 these injurious creatures lie upon weeds com- 

 paratively immune from detection, whereas 

 upon a row of beans or mangolds some 

 attempt might be made to combat them. 

 And what incentive is there to one active and 

 intelligent farmer to get clean acres and try 

 to get well-fed and ripened crops, if he 

 knows that the seeds of his routed enemies 

 are floating gaily to him over the fences, and 

 the insects and rusts are being maintained 

 in tranquillity by his neighbour across the 

 road ? There is so great a field for organisa- 

 tion in these matters. The weeds themselves 

 may contain members, such as henbane and 

 nightshade, that are worth attention from 

 the medical point of view. Or some other 

 nuisance may have a use and may do no harm 

 if grown in some inferior patch and not indis- 

 criminately among the crops. But the only 

 place where such questions can be considered 

 in all their bearings — the market value of the 

 crop, the necessary methods of cultivation, and 

 the general convenience — is the headquarters 



