HARROWING, CULTIVATING 159 



farmer can ill afford to spare water, even to grow 

 weeds that will enrich his soil when plowed under. 

 He had better grow plants to plow under in late 

 fall, after the crop has ceased to need much water. 



This advice is unnecessary for the majority of 

 farmers, who hate a weed and understand how 

 much it works against their interests. But some 

 farmers appear to have gotten so accustomed to 

 having weeds in their fields that they have come to 

 view them with greater leniency, even with toler- 

 ation. Weeds, like the poor, are always with us; 

 we are liable to grow indifferent to both. 



Cultivation is the greatest weed-killing device 

 yet known, at least for crops that permit of inter- 

 tillage. Some people are always looking for some 

 new or patent way of getting rid of weeds with 

 little labour, but no good substitute for cultivation 

 has yet been found. In making the earth yield 

 her increase nothing can take the place of stirring 

 the soil. Most weeds are annuals; these are 

 shallow rooted and are easily uptorn by the 

 cultivator teeth. Some, however, are perennials 

 and deeper rooted. These may require special 

 treatment, such as rotation of crops. 



THE BEST TIME TO KILL WEEDS 



In cultivating to kill weeds it makes a difference 

 what stage they are in. The vulnerable stages of 

 most weeds are immediately after they have 

 sprouted, and when they are in flower. Some 

 perennial weeds, especially pasture weeds, may be 

 killed best when in flower; but the sprouting 

 stage is the time to attack most weeds on cultivated 



