222 DRY FARMING 



175. How to Prevent Weeds from Developing Seeds. 

 A knowledge of the appearance of the different weeds, 

 their duration, habits of growth and means of spreading, 

 enables a man to outline intelligently the practices he 

 should employ in controlling them, under the particular 

 soil and climatic conditions that exist where he lives. 

 He will seldom use all of the means available to accom- 

 plish the end he desires but only such of the methods as 

 best fit into his system of farming. 



Among the chief means that are now followed on 

 western farms for preventing weeds from developing 

 seeds are : 



1. Fallowing, to get the seeds in the soil germinated 

 and the seedlings killed, 



2. "Duckfooting" the fallow in late fall if biennials 

 are growing on it, 



8. Late spring cultivation after weeds have started, 

 and before early maturing crops are sown, 



4. Sowing annual hay crops such as oats or beardless 

 barley, to be cut before weed seeds mature. 



5. Using early maturing grain crops such as Winter 

 rye and Early Six barley, which ripen before 

 many of the weed seeds, 



6. Harrowing growing crops of grain after they are 

 up to kill the small weeds that may be starting, 



7. Early fall cultivation of stubble land to encourage 

 germination of seeds, which may then be destroyed 

 by the low temperature of winter, 



8. Plowing stubble land in fall or spring if biennial 

 weeds are prevalent, 



9. Sowing perennial hay crops which (1) smother 

 many weeds, and (2) are cut before most weed 

 seeds mature, 



