the ground would be the worst possible thing to do.

"The greatest business of all annuals is to form seed. Now I know you
wish to say that this is the business of all plants. It is. But with
annuals there is only one chance to produce seed. That chance is the one
short year of their lives, and this is doubtless the reason why these
chaps work so hard at seed forming, and produce so many seed. Therefore,
the thing evidently to be done is to make it impossible for annuals to
form seed.

"The biennials and perennials must have further treatment than just that
of preventing seed formation. The underground part of such weeds must be
destroyed. For these live in the ground ready to come up again.
Biennials may be killed out by deep hoeing. Get rid of all the young
plants, keep at the older ones with the hoe and prevent seed formation,
too. Biennials are found most abundantly in waste places along woodsides
and where the soil for a long time has been left undisturbed.

"Perennials need about the same treatment as biennials. But even greater
persistency should be exercised in destroying the underground portion.
For these underground plants produce new plants as surely as seeds do.
The bindweed has a creeping root, wild garlic has a bulb, and such forms
are always producing new forms underground while the seed above the
ground is able to do the same thing.

"Ploughing helps destroy perennials, as the roots are exposed to direct
sunlight and so destroyed. Another method of treatment is that of
cutting off the top down to the root and putting salt on the freshly cut
root tap. Then again these roots may be starved out by never allowing
the top or leafy part to form. You will remember that it is the leaf