464 



Weeds and Their Suppression. 



than repaid by improved yield of crop and enhanced quality of 

 the produce. 



1. The first and most obvious mode of suppressing weeds is to 

 prevent their seeding. When it is recognised that an ordinary 

 charlock plant produces more than 1,000, and a moderate-sized 

 poppy at least 10,000 or 15,000 seeds, the force of the adage 

 that " one year's seeding is seven years' weeding" is obvious, 

 and to allow the production and distribution of these seeds is to 

 court trouble. 



The mischief is greater than it appears at first sight, for 

 many weeds are remarkable in producing seeds which do not 

 germinate uniformly. Some of these may remain in the soil 

 for one or more seasons without germinating and come up 

 subsequently at very inconvenient times. To be really efficient 

 the prevention of seeding must extend to the weeds growing 

 in hedgerows, on roadsides and waste places near at hand, as 

 well as to those on the cultivated portions of the farm. 



Not only must we prevent the seeds of weeds from being 

 sown naturally, it is equally necessary to avoid sowing them in 

 samples of grass seeds, clover, and cereals. And at the same 

 time we must be careful about the disposal of screenings, 

 sweepings of barns and haylofts, and other rubbish likely to 

 contain them. Such refuse is best burnt, or, at any rate, 

 disposed of in such manner that it will not find its way to 

 the manure heap and finally to the land. 



In cases where manure is suspected of containing living 

 weed seeds, it is the lesser of two evils to apply it to pastures 

 and meadow rather than to arable land. 



2. On foul land where the seeds of weeds are abundant, 

 deep ploughing so as to bury the rubbish is sometimes 

 practised with a certain amount of success. Many seeds rot 

 when buried deeply ; others, however, remain dormant without 

 losing their vitality, and may be subsequently brought to the 

 surface, where they grow and cause mischief. Burial in this 

 manner is therefore generally inadvisable, as it only delays 

 the worst troubles and does not get rid of them altogether. 

 Shallow cultivation and the preparation of a good tilth, so as 

 to encourage germination of the seeds, is , a better plan, for., 

 as soon as the seeds have sprouted the young plants can be : 



