Groiv Cultivated Crops. 79 



tainly not been properly cared for; for 

 otherwise the weeds would have gradually 

 decreased, rather than increased. No other 

 result could possibly follow where a succes- 

 sion of cultivated crops had been raised, 

 in which no weed had been allowed to ripen 

 its seeds. Other farmers cling to the opin- 

 ion that, whatever may be the value of cul- 

 tivated crops for destroying weeds in gen- 

 eral, they are not helpful in the fight with 

 creeping perennials ; or, at least, that these 

 crops are not so effective as the bare fallow 

 for the destruction of creeping perennials 

 in a single season. This view is a mistaken 

 one. It has arisen, doubtless, from the too 

 conumon practice of staying the destructive 

 processes too early in the season. Going 

 over the crop with the hand hoe once, twice, 

 or oftener, after horse cultivation ceases, 

 and removing all stray weeds that may 

 appear, will, as a rule, make a thorough 

 job of the work of destroying creeping 

 perennials, except so far as their seeds 

 remain in the soil. The weather must, how- 

 ever, be fairly dry if success is to be com- 

 plete. 



It is only too true that where cultivated 

 crops are grown, and sufficient attention is 



