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Ox-eye Daisy {Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum, L.) 



Few pests of the farm are better known than this. It is a pernicious weed 

 which has become well established in many parts of the country. This is chiefly in 

 hay-fields and pastuies. 



To clean these the sod must be turned under and the land put into alternate 

 husbandry. A great deal of good may also be done b}'' digging up all plants found 

 along the sides of farm-roads, etc. 



"Upon the farm of Mr. S. A. Fisher, of Knowlton, Que., not a plant of this weed 

 can be found, although it occurs all round his farm ; and, more than this, a railwuy 

 passes right through his land. This exemption is entirely due to regularly pulling 

 every plant which shows its flowers. These are not pulled hap-hazard when they 

 happen to be seen, but a systematic search is made for them every year in June. 



Canadian Flea-bane [Erigeron Canadense.) 



This is an annual weed, which may be readily recognized by its numerous very 

 small greenish white flowers. It is a tall, erect, hairy plant, of a particularly weedy 

 appearance. It is easily destroyed by hand-pulling, hoeing and cultivation. 



Canada Thistle [Cnicus arvensis). 



The name " Canada Thistle " has now become so well known that it would be 

 useless to try and get it called by its proper name, Field Thistle. It is not a Canadian 

 plant at all but like most of our worst weeds and injarious insects is an importation 

 from Europe. Grindon in his " Botany" says : " Thistles, more than any other class 

 of farm weeds, indicate habitual neglect, yet they accompany cultivation wherever 

 practised by Englishmen and have now become an annoyance in Australia. Many a 

 good old proverb makes use of them. First we have the timely warning : * He that 

 sows not coi-n, plants thistles.' " 



The Thistle has a creeping perennial root-stock, which penetrates deep into the 

 soil, and which if broken up will produce buds and roots at each joint. It also 

 produces large quantities of seeds in the perfect flowers. There aie two kinds of 

 flowers, some smaller and paler than the others which are perfect and produce an 

 abundance of seed. Some others which are twice the size of these have abortive 

 stigmas and produce no seed. 



The Canada Thistle is perhaps the most difficult plant to conquer that the farmer 

 has to contend with ; but with determined persistence the worst patch may be 

 killed out entirely. The chief etfort should be made by frequent hoemg or cultiva- 

 tion to' prevent the plant from forming leaves ; in this way the roots soon become 

 exhausted and the plant must die. In heavy lan^, of course, it is more difficult to 

 destroy both Thistles and Couch Grass ; but two hoed crops well cultivated will 

 generally be sufficient. 



Couch Grass, " Quack," " Twitch, " &c. {Agropyrum repens). 



This is a pei-ennial grass with a creeping root-stock and possessed of such 

 vitality and vigour of growth that if neglected it very soon takes complete pos- 

 session of land. The difficulty in eradicating the pest is undoubtedly great, particu- 

 larly in heavy land; but at the same time it is ver^' much magnified in imagination 

 and I have never met the Canadian farmer yet who could not master it, if he attacked 

 it s^'stematically and observed its nature. Quack grass never sends its root-stocks 

 deep into the soil; therefore in farm land what is called " deep ploughing " rather 

 helps it than otherwise, because it merely breaks up the root-stocks ana plants them 

 deeper, and the young shoots soon appear from the bottoms of the furrows, even 

 when the top has been hariovved over and the Quack burnt. In gardens deep 

 digging and trenching bury the weed so deep that it is smothered, and if a few 

 blades do succeed in getting through they are soon hoed off. I have found that 



