Available literature indicates that relatively few agricultural leaders and farmers became interested in weeds as a problem before 1200 A.D. or even 1500 A.D. For many centuries, weed control was mostly incidental to tillage for seedbed preparation and growing of crops and to growing and cutting or pasturing of thickly planted crops. Occasional references in literature previous to 1900 mentioned use of mechanical devices and a few inorganic herbicides specifically for weed control.State weed laws directed at control of plant diseases were enacted during 1721 to 1766, but weed and seed laws involving weeds directly were not enacted until 100 to 200 years later. Only a few extension-type publications on weeds were issued in the United States and Canada between 1860 and 1900. There was a rapid increase in such publications after 1900. Research with inorganic chemicals as herbicides was begun in the 1890's in Europe and in a few states and provinces, and was increased at a rapid pace until the early 1940's. New developments in mechanical and biological control of weeds increased steadily during the same period. However, weed control remained a relatively minor phase of agronomy, botany, horticulture, agricultural engineering, and plant physiology until the early 1950's.About 10 years after the discovery of (2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid (2,4-D) in 1942–1944, the much increased interest of scientists, federal and state governments, industrial companies, and the general public had begun to bear fruit. The word “weed” or “weeds” began to appear in the titles of college courses and extension specialists. Weed conferences had been organized in six regions of the United States and Canada and in 10 states.The first meeting of the Weed Science Society of America was held in 1956 and Weed Science was adopted as its official journal. The number of herbicides in general use in the United States and Canada increased from 15 in 1940 to 25 in 1950, and to 100 in 1969. The total support for weed research in 1962 in the United States was six times that in 1950. The number of full-time research and extension workers or their equivalents in part-time workers had increased 20-fold and 13-fold, respectively, over the number in 1940.The rate of advancement in the art and science of weed control has increased so rapidly that the progress in each of the recent brief periods 1941 to 1968, 1901 to 1940, and 1800 to 1900 is considered greater than that in all previous periods, beginning about 6000 B.C.
Available literature indicates that relatively few agricultural leaders and farmers became interested in weeds as a problem before 1200 A.D. or even 1500 A.D. For many centuries, weed control was mostly incidental to tillage for seedbed preparation and growing of crops and to growing and cutting or pasturing of thickly planted crops. Occasional references in literature previous to 1900 mentioned use of mechanical devices and a few inorganic herbicides specifically for weed control. State weed laws directed at control of plant diseases were enacted during 1721 to 1766, but weed and seed laws involving weeds directly were not enacted until 100 to 200 years later. Only a few extension type publications on weeds were issued in the United States and Canada between 1860 and 1900. There was a rapid increase in such publications after 1900. Research with inorganic chemicals as herbicides was begun in the 1890's in Europe and in a few states and provinces, and was increased at a rapid pace until the early 1940's. New developments in mechanical and biological control of weeds increased steadily during the same period. However, weed control remained a relatively minor phase of agronomy, botany, horticulture, agricultural engineering, and plant physiology until the early 1950's. About 10 years after the discovery of (2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid (2,4-D) in 1942–1944, the much increased interest of scientists, federal and state governments, industrial companies, and the general public had begun to bear fruit. The word “weed” or “weeds” began to appear in the titles of college courses and extension specialists. Weed conferences had been organized in six regions of the United States and Canada and in 10 states. The first meeting of the Weed Science Society of America was held in 1956 and Weed Science was adopted as its official journal. The number of herbicides in general use in the United States and Canada increased from 15 in 1940 to 25 in 1950, and to 100 in 1969. The total support for weed research in 1962 in the United States was six times that in 1950. The number of full-time research and extension workers or their equivalents in part-time workers had increased 20-fold and 13-fold, respectively, over the number in 1940. The rate of advancement in the art and science of weed control has increased so rapidly that the progress in each of the recent brief periods 1941 to 1968, 1901 to 1940, and 1800 to 1900 is considered greater than that in all previous periods, beginning about 6000 B.C.
DECENT experiments at the Fort Hays Branch of the Kansas f'.. Agricultural Experiment Station indicate that jack rabbits are important agents in disseminating the seed of prickly pear cactus. It may be responsible for much of the rapid spread of this weedy plant over the range lands in western Kansas and possibly in other sections of the Great Plains and Southwest in recent years. The increased attention now being given to the control of prickly pear encourages consideration of this me~hod of spreading the seed.Dameron and Smith (1) 3 estimated that the area in Texas infested with prickly pear (Opuntia spp.) comprises at least 6o million acres but stated that it is only during recent years that the plant has become sufficiently abundant to give concern to livestock men. Nearly 4 million acres of pasture land in Kansas are infested with prickly pear according to a survey made by. Yost (8) in 1939. The importance of rabbits and other animals as agencies in the spread of prickly pear (Opuntia spp.) was recognized in Australia (2) in 1919. Most of the seeds found in rabbit droppings were chewed into small bits but occasionally whole seeds were observed. The emu and the black magpie were considered of much more importance in the spread of prickly pear since they ate large quantities of the ripened fruit and the seed passed uninjured through their digestive tracts and was scattered by them over wide areas. Large quantities of seed were also found in the droppings of cattle.Toit (3) and Phillips (4) reported that in South Afric(!. the fruit of prickly pear (Opu_ntia spp.) furnishes an important item in the diet of native tribesmen and that~~~ed of increased viability is thus disseminated over wide areas. Monkeys, babdo~s, goats, and. various kinds of birds were also reported to play important rol~~:~ disseminating the seed. Cattle were observed to eat ripened prickly pear frtiits·ayidly, often acquiring such a craving for them that they would eat prac-ticaitY~othing else during the fruiting season.At Hays, Kans., the activities of jack rabbits in feeding upon ripened fruit and in disseminating seed of prickly pear were observed (7) by chance in August 1939 during the course of some cactus eradication experiments. Following this observation, rather careful studies were made to determine the nature and extent of the seed dissemination. Germination tests of seed recovered from rabbit droppings and from the dried fruits were made to determine the effect upon viability of passage through the digestive tract of the jack rabbit.
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