NATION.

1. The right kind of a man, who will carefully observe and study the
kinds of weeds and their habits, fighting each to the best advantage, i.
e. with method.

2. See that all seeds purchased or grown at home for seed are free from
seeds of weeds. Although often heard, these words are too little
heeded.

3. See that threshing machines, hay racks, grain bags from other farms
are well cleaned before used on the farm.

4. Cook or grind screenings and burn chaff when certain weeds are
suspected.

5. Send seeds to the Agricultural College, East Lansing, for
identification, unless they are known to be harmless.

6. Strive to prevent weeds from ripening seeds. This is especially
important late in the season in case of all pigweeds, purslane and
others where the flowers are very small and are liable to be overlooked
and the seeds ripen before their presence is suspected.

7. For meadow or pasture make the soil very fertile, as most weeds will
then be killed or crowded by the better grass and become of little
account.

8. Modify the rotation of crops with reference to killing the weeds.

9. Make a specialty of hoed or cultivated crops.

10. Make soiling crops a prominent feature in certain fields.

11. Smother weeds with quick growing and thickly seeded crops, like red
clover or rye or buckwheat.

12. Keep some crops growing on the land from early spring till late
autumn,--double cropping, i. e., two cultivated crops in one year for
barn and cellar instead of one for use and one of weeds.

13. Cultivate thoroughly after a crop is removed.

14. Clean up and avoid leaving any vacant or out of the way places for
breeding ground.

15. Where practicable, remove fences and cultivate to the gutters of the
highway.

16. Keep some sheep.

17. When once begun, continue the work thoroughly from year to year,
giving no quarter to weeds. This is the easiest in the long run and the
royal way.

18. Where hand labor is employed, it is far less expensive and much
easier to keep weeds down by raking or hoeing once a week than by going
over the ground much less frequently.

The habits of a weed determine to a great extent the best mode of
fighting it. Certain remedies suggest themselves for creeping
perennials, like quack grass and toad flax, while different treatment is
best for narrow-leaved dock; and still a different mode of attack may be
adopted for crab grass and purslane.

Weeds are annuals, as pigweeds,