1904.] 



Destruction of Weeds. 



i95 



Winter beans are treated in the same way as wheat, and thus 

 all hand-hoeing, which is the expensive operation connected with 

 this crop, is avoided. The horse-hoeing in the case of beans must 

 be repeated two or three times at intervals to a much later date 

 than in the case of wheat. This is more especially to be 

 observed in connection with spring-sown beans. Beans sown in 

 rows 26 in. apart and fairly thick in the rows (two bushels of 

 seed per acre) give very good results by this system. 



The same method may be followed with regard to winter 

 oats provided great care is taken and the lighter implements 

 used, as the oats are much less deeply rooted, and are therefore 

 easily torn up. The horse-hoe in this case must not go in so 

 deep, and in a dry season the roller should follow the horse-hoe. 

 Spring oats are similarly treated. 



Barley, like wheat, is chain-harrowed just before it appears 

 above the ground, in order to stir the surface and kill the 

 redweed and charlock. After the barley has appeared, that is, 

 after it has lost the brittleness of the first few days, it is gone 

 over once a week if necessary with a light scratch-harrow, 

 or preferably with the American weeder or the poppy-killer, up 

 to the date of sowing the clover seeds. This latter operation 

 should be followed by a horse-hoe, which cuts up and kills where 

 it goes any weeds that have escaped the various harrowings. 



By the end of May, the barley is so far advanced that it is well 

 to sow the clover seeds then, though in a late season on a late- 

 sown crop they may be sown as late as the middle of June 

 without damage to the barley. 



Should any redweed or charlock appear after the horse- 

 hoeing, it need not be feared, as the barley has by that time got 

 a good start, and the weeds will be smothered to such an extent 

 as to prevent their reaching maturity. 



One great advantage of this system is that the yield of grain 

 crops is increased ; but, in the case of barley, unless care is 

 exercised to avoid burying any of the young plant, the quality 

 is likely to suffer through irregular ripening of the grain. 



Land should be harrowed down two to four weeks before 

 drilling, when time allows, then the harrowing after drilling kills 

 the first growth of weeds. 



There is risk in putting small seeds in during May if the 



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