THE AMKRICAN BOTANIST 17 



recognize the stranger upun his hmd and it is possible that 

 his foresight may have saved his community from the ravages 

 of a new weed pest. 



New weeds are constanlly appearing in (Air midst, as wit- 

 ness the Russian thistle, sow thistle, and Russian pigweed, and 

 more recently the lawn pennywort and leafy spurge. Not 

 only are new weeds introduced from abroad, but native weeds 

 are carried from one section of our country to another. Thus 

 the blue sage {Salvia lanccaefolia), a western weed, has re- 

 cently appeared in Ohio alfalfa fields where it was carried by 

 the agency of impure seed from the west. The bracted plan- 

 tain {Plantago arista ta), one of the species designated as nox- 

 ious in the recent Indiana Seed Law, is a western species that 

 has been widely introduced in the east by means of baled hay 

 and impure grass seed. A knowledge of the farm flora is of 

 (Hstinct advantage in recognizing new weeds and may be of 

 considerable value. If the first patches of Russian thistle had 

 been recognized as a new weed and immediately destroyed, 

 the saving to agriculture would have been great. The farmer 

 should be ever on the alert for new weed pests, but it is first 

 necessar)' to become familiar with the common plants occur- 

 ing in our fields so that strangers can be immediately recog- 

 nized and adequate eradication measures instituted. 



Entirely aside from the practical value, the pleasure derived 

 from a knowledge of plants is worthy of consideration. 

 Such a knowledge has a recreational value that cannot be esti- 

 mated in dollars and cents. The joys of country life may 

 l)e greatly enhanced with the surrounding flora. It is an in- 

 spiration and a pleasure that cannot he valued liy the ordinary 

 standards. — Albert A. JJaiiscii in Purdue Agriculturist. 



