"GO 



Weeds. 



Seedsmen and florists should be careful not to introduce as orna- 

 mental plants such as are likely to escape to the fields and "become 

 pestilent weeds. Farmers' wives and daughters should keep a close 

 watch upon any new ornamentals of the flower garden and, if they 

 manifest a disposition to be too aggressive, they should destroy them 

 at once. Especially should this be done if the plants possess any of 

 the characters that distinguish the most troublesome weeds. It would 

 have been far better that our flower gardens had never known the 

 orange hawk-weed than that we should now have it as an additional 

 pest in our pastures and meadows. 



The fact that many weeds find their way into the fields in barn- 

 yard manure should afford an additional incentive to the farmer to 

 keep his meadows free from weeds. If there are no weeds in the hay 

 and no weed-seeds in the grain fed to stock, there will be no weed- 

 seeds in the manure and it may be spread in the fields with unal- 

 loyed pleasure. Much may be done toward diminishing the number 

 of weed-seeds in the manure by early mowing. Meadows sprinkled 

 with daisies and buttercups should be mowed before these ripen their 

 seeds. Meadows that have become filled with them should be plowed 

 up, enriched with clean barnyard manure or commercial fertilizers, 

 planted with crops which will admit of cultivation that the soil may 

 be cleansed from weed-seeds. When this has been done it may be 

 seeded down again with clean grass seed. A long step may be taken 

 toward securing pure hay and clean meadows by putting the soil in 

 excellent condition both as to fertility and friability before seeding, so 

 that the grass shall be able to make such a dense and vigorous growth 

 as to choke down or crowd out all intruding weeds. 



Many weeds grow along the roadside. These are a constant men- 

 ace to the neighboring fields. To overcome this danger as far as pos- 

 sible a law has been placed upon the statute books of this State, re- 

 quiring the destruction of all noxious weeds, briers and brush grow- 

 ing along and within the bounds of the highway, twice in each year ; 

 once between June loth and July 1st and again between August 15th 

 and September 1st. This law is so little observed that in many places 

 you would not suppose the inhabitants to be aware of its existence. A 

 man who will not destroy the weeds in his own fields can hardlv be 

 expected to destroy those along the highway unless compelled to" do 

 so. It is therefore made the duty of every person or corporation own- 

 ing or occupying under a lease of one or more years, the lands border- 

 ing the highway, to cut or destroy these weeds according to the law. 

 It is the duty of the overseer of each road district to enforce the law, 



