THE PROBLEM OF AA^EEDS IN THE AA^EST. 
BY L. H. PAMMEL. 
AA^eediness is an. indication of poor farming. It has been said by some 
one that the farmers of the east do not fear the Canadian Thistle or 
other agressive weeds because the better methods of tillage make the 
fields clean. 
The average yield of corn in Iowa according to the latest statistics is 
32.9 bushels per acre. This can by proper methods of cultivation be 
more than doubled. According to the Year Book of the United States 
Department of Agriculture for 1903, the yield of corn per acre in Iowa 
from 1894-1903 was as follows: 1894, 15.0; 1895, 35.1; 1896, 39.0; 1897, 
•29 ; 1898, 35 ; 1899, 31 ; 1900, 38 ; 1901, 25 ; 1902, 32.0 ; 1903, 28. During 
this period most of the years the state of Alaine had a greater yield 
Y>ev acre than Iowa. Iowa is in the corn belt and has a greater acreage 
tlian any other state in the Union. A part of the low yield is due to 
unfavorable seasons as in 1894. We have not, however, had a year 
since then which was in any way unfavorable for a good or fair crop 
of corn. The unfavorable crop returns then must be due to other 
causes, chief among these are the weedy fields. In the year 1908 the 
writer had estimates made of the yield of some typical corn fields in 
Iowa. It was found that good clean fields yielded 50 to 60 bushels per 
acre while the Aveedy fields only between 25 and 30. An increase of 
20,000,000 bushels in Iowa should be possible by better methods of culti- 
vation. This would mean that the farmers could easily increase their 
Avealth by $8,000,000, alloAving a little extra expense for labor. 
The present day farming in the corn belt is an economic Avaste. Most 
of the Aveeds are easily destroyed, like the Pigeon Grass {Setaria glauca), 
Foxtail {Setaria viridis) , SmartAveed {Polygonum pennsylvanicum and 
other species), the Cocklebnr {Xantldum canadense) , RagAveed (Am- 
hrosia trifida) and A. artemisaefolia, etc. Nearly all of onr troublesome 
Aveeds are those common to the east and in Europe. Such perennial 
Aveeds as Quack Grass {Agropyron repens) and the Canadian Thistle, 
Horse Nettle {Solaniim carolinense) are local. To the north as in Alinne- 
sota and AA^isconsin snch perennial AA^eeds as the Quack Grass and Ca- 
