28 o 
Garden Work 
or put in some place where there is no chance of their 
seed becoming ripened, and so getting back to the garden 
again. 
The object aimed at with regard to annual weeds is 
to keep them from seeding. If this is done, at the end 
of the season the majority will be got rid of. Most soils 
are more or less infested with the seeds of certain weeds. 
These keep germinating, and, after the digging has been 
done, send up young shoots every season. When the 
ground is dug, seeds which have been buried deeply get 
nearer the influence of the sun and air and begin to grow. 
It is surprising how long the seeds of weeds will retain 
their vitality when buried deep in the soil. This is seen, 
sometimes, when soil which is turned up from a consider- 
able depth gets covered very quickly with them. 
Perennial weeds are more difficult to deal with. They 
generally root deeply in the soil, and if the tops are cut 
off with the hoe, they simply grow up again. Of course 
if this is done regularly, the plants will be weakened so 
much that they will eventually die, but this takes a long 
time. It will be found more satisfactory to dig the roots 
up and take them right away. Perennials are not, as a 
rule, so persistent as annual weeds, and when once the 
ground is thoroughly cleansed it is not difficult to keep 
it clear. Some of them, however, as Equisetum and Couch 
Grass, are very difficult to eradicate. Equisetum, especially, 
roots very deeply into the soil. It is found principally on 
damp soils. 
At the end of the season, when trenching or rough 
digging is going on, the roots of perennial weeds should 
be carefully collected and taken away, while the annual 
