LUTHER BURBANK 



Protection against destruction by animals is 

 afforded by spines, thorns, bitter juices, and 

 poisons. 



Understanding these provisions of Nature for 

 the production and perpetuation of weeds it is 

 quite apparent that prompt and efficient methods 

 must be used by farmers and gardners in destroy- 

 ing them on first appearance. 



A few mustard, thistle, or dandelion plants 

 which seem harmless because there are so few, 

 may spread to such an extent that in a few years 

 it will cost thousands of dollars to rid an infested 

 area from the pest which, if destroyed while still 

 few in numbers, would have cost only a few dollars 

 or dimes. 



Weeds are much like a leak in a boiler or a fire 

 let loose. They are easily attended to at first, but 

 lead to destruction if proper attention is not given 

 in the beginning. Never is the old saying "A stitch 

 in time saves nine" better exemplified than in the 

 case of weeds. 



As has already been intimated, many fields are 

 infested with weeds through the introduction of 

 the seeds in the seeding of the crops to be grown. 

 Weeds that thrive particularly well with certain 

 crops sometimes produce seeds so like the seeds 

 of the crop in size and appearance that it is often 

 practically impossible to separate them. 



[262] 



