Weeds and Their Eradication 
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will not be far wrong, for Oats in an Onion bed or Potatoes 
among Carrots are just as much weeds as the common 
Groundsel or Chickweed would be. 
Why, then, are we so anxious to get rid of the weeds 
from our garden? 
1. Because, being much hardier than our cultivated 
plants, they grow much more quickly, and consequently 
choke the weaker plants. 
2. If allowed to grow, they keep the light and air — 
two necessary requirements — from the cultivated plants. 
3. They are plants themselves, and so compete with 
our crops for the food which is in the soil. Therefore 
we take all the measures possible to get rid of them, 
this method depending on the kind of weed desired to 
be disposed of, and the state of the weather. 
4. If growing in paths and similar places, they spoil 
the beauty and harmony of the whole. 
Weeds may be divided into two classes: annual and 
perennial. Annual weeds may be got rid of speedily, 
and without much trouble, by hoeing, that is, if the 
weather is fine and the work has been started early 
enough. When such weeds are small, and their roots 
turned up to the sun, by means of a Dutch hoe, they 
speedily die. In wet weather, however, this is not so 
easily accomplished, as the weeds will take root again. 
If the weather is only showery, the weeds, after being 
hoed, may be raked off; but if the ground is too wet, 
then hand weeding must be resorted to. This last is 
undoubtedly the best method of weeding, and frequently 
the most economical in the end. The weeds are lifted 
out by the root, taken away entirely, and either burned 
