ts
have ceased to produce seeds, such as the horse radish, and some of them
are not conspicuously bad. Not far from half the illustrations are made
from small seed-like fruits, likely to be mistaken for seeds, such as
are produced by dandelions, burdocks, narrow-leaved dock, all grasses.
Cuts of seeds of several clovers are inserted that students may learn to
distinguished them from weeds too often mixed with them.

No apology is offered for making use of the decimal scale instead of the
cumbersome antiquated English scale, which fortunately is gradually
growing out of use. In the back part of the bulletin are duplicate
copies of the decimal scale that any one can cut out and use for
measuring.

For copies of the following figures some time ago prepared by Mr.
Hillman, we are indebted to the authorities of the Agricultural College,
of Reno, Nevada: 7, 11, 12, 16, 17, 23, 24, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37, 39,
40, 41, 42, 44, 46, 55, 56, 58, 63, 68, 69, 71, 74, 75, 84, 86, 87, 91,
92, 95, 97, 98, 99, 108, 110, 116, 125, 130, 135, 138, 140, 144, 146,
152, 153, 158, 159, 172, 173, 174, 175, 178, 179, 181, 182, 185, 187,
189, 190, 191, 199, 203, 205, 212, 214, 215.

"A weed is any useless or troublesome plant."
"A plant out of place or growing where it is not wanted."
"Tobacco."
"A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered."--Emerson.

Weeds everywhere; they thrive in the cornfield, they choke wheat in the
field, they annoy the gardner, they thrive in the meadow, they spring up
by the roadside, they encroach on the swamp, they damage the fleeces of
sheep. The rapid increase in the number and variety of weeds should
cause alarm.

DISADVANTAGES OF WEEDS.

1. They rob cultivated plants of nutriment.

2. They injure crops by crowding and shading.

3. They retard the work of harvesting grain by increasing the draft and
by extra wear of machinery. (Bindweed, thistles, red root.)

4. They retard the drying of grain and hay.

5. They increase the labor of threshing, and make cleaning of seed
difficult.

6. They damage the quality of flour, sometimes making it nearly
worthless. (Allium vineale L.)

7. Most of them are of little value as food for domestic animals.

8. Some weeds injure stock by means of barbed awns. (Squirrel tail
grass, wild oats, porcupine grass.)

9. Some of them injure wool and disfigure the tails of cattle, the manes
and tails of horses. (Burdock, cocklebur, houndstongue.)