SOCIETY OF NOETHEKN ILLINOIS. 249 



was first introduced into this country as an ornamental plant, and 

 was long sold as such by florists. The surest way of ridding your 

 land of this pest is to pull it up by the roots. When this is done 

 before the seed-pod is formed, the plant may be left where pulled ; 

 but when the pod is formed, the plant must be burned. 



The Canada thistle {Cirsii(m arvense) is one of the greatest 

 pests that bear that very expressive name of weed. It is not a native 

 of America, as its name would imply, but is a European, and 1 am 

 sure many a farmer wishes it had never left its native soil and come 

 to seek its fortune among us. It has been nicknamed "cursed 

 thistle " ; and but let it get a good hold on your land, if you do not 

 agree with whoever had the pleasure of originating that epithet, and 

 with him call it "cursed," you will, at least, cvrse it! 



Like other thistles it only produces radical leaves the first year, 

 and aerial stems the second. These stems are from two to three feet 

 high, very leafy and branching. Linnaus, in one of his works ob- 

 serves, "of the thistle tribe the greatest part are annual and biennial 

 and hence easily destroyed. Some few are not only perennial but have 

 powerfully creeping roots, and none so much as the present. In 

 pulling this plant out of the ground we draw up a long slender root, 

 which many are apt to consider the whole of it, but if those em- 

 ployed in such business examine the roots so drawn up they will 

 find every one of them broken off at the ends, for the root passes 

 perpendicularly to a great depth and then branches out horizontally 

 under the ground.'' This pest has gained some ground in our state, 

 but not to any great extent in my immediate vicinity. I have only 

 heard of two cases in our county, although there may be many more. 

 In one of these cases the seed was brought in a lot of straw and 

 litter that was tossed into a field from a passing wagon. These were 

 killed by pouring about half a pint of salt around the crown of each 

 plant. In the other instance I do not know how the seed was 

 brought. The plants were killed by smothering with rotten straw 

 and litter. For large patches frequent plowing during the growing 

 season, or planting with some crop that requires frequent cultivation 

 is said to destroy them. 



In some districts the sour dock {runex crispus) is very trouble- 

 some. It can usually be destroyed by pulling up or cutting just below 

 the crown of the plant early in June before the seed is formed and 

 may be left where it is cut, later on however it must be burned. 



Pigweed {amarantns hyhridvs) in most localities is hard to 

 eradicate. It is found in most of the cultivated land in our part of 

 the state. Plowing will not always kill it as it is somewhat tena- 

 cious of life. 



The ox-eye daisy {LencAinihenuim rulgare) is well known by 

 reputation, although but few know it by sight. It is not found very 

 extensively in this state, and where it is found it has usually escaped 



