BEAL ON MICHIGAN FLORA. 25 



WEEDS;, NATIV^E AND INTRODUCED. 



A new country is comparatively free from weeds. l)ut as the years pass 

 by. one after another, weeds are introduced. Some of them are natives of 

 the neighborhoods in which they are found, but most of them have been 

 introduced from other portions of our own country or fr«m foreign coun- 

 tries. The farmer is not inclined to adopt Emerson's notion of a weed as 

 *'a ])lant whose virtues have not yet been discovered," at least he doesn't 

 purpose trying to find a use for them. The seeds of most weeds find their 

 way onto a farm nicely mixed with seeds of grasses, grains and clovers, 

 whicli are drilled in or sowed broadcast on fertile soil, where they are 

 afforded an excellent oi)i)ortuuity to grow and multiply. In some in- 

 stances weeds are introduced as a part of the packing or straw employed 

 to protect castings, marble, crockery or fruit trees. Such foreign packing 

 should always be burned at once. 



By these processes the older the country the more troublesome weeds ir 

 will have, as every new intruder usually comes to stay. In most cases a 

 weed becomes well established before it is discovered and the inquiry 

 comes: "What is it. and how can I get rid of it?" 



Weeds are likely to become most troublesome, where farmers are 

 slovenly and where they are not thorough in cultivating throughout the 

 season the so-called "hoed crops.'' In regions where "hoed crops" are 

 sehlom raised or only raised in small quantity, certain weeds are likeh^ to 

 prove very annoying. The majority of our weeds have been introduced 

 from Europe, as will be seen by a comparison of the two lists which 

 follow : 



LIST OF WEEDS INTRODUCED FROM EUROPE AND ASIA. 



The List includes at least seventy-eight species, and very likely more. 



Abutilon Abutilon (L.) Rusby. Velvet Leaf. 



(Aliutilon Avicenncv Gaertn.) 



Agrostemma Githago L. Corn Cockle. 



(Lychnis Githago Scop.) 



Alsine media L. Common Clickweed. 



(Stellaria media Cyr.) 



Alyssum alyssoides (L.) Gouan. Yellow Alyssum. 



(Alyssum calycinum L.) 



Amaranthus hybridiis L. Slender Pig^veed. 



(Amaranthus chlorostachys Willd.) 



Amaranthus retroflexus L. Rough Pigweed. 



Anthemis Cotula L. May-weed. 



Arctium Lappa L. Burdock. 



Brassica arvensis (L.) B. S. P. Charlock. 



(Brassica Sinapistruyn Boiss.) 



Brassica juncea (L.) Cosson. Indian Mustard. 



Brassica nigra (L.) Koch. Black Mustard. 



Bromus hordeaceus L. Soft-Chess. 



(Broymis mollis L.) 



Bromus racemosus L. Upright-Chess. 



Bromus secalinus L. Cheat. Chess. 



Bursa Bursa-pastoris (L.) Britton. Shepherd's Purse. 



(Capsella Bursa-pastoris Medic.) 



Camelina microcarpa Andrz. Small-fruited False-flax. 



Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz. False-flax. 



Carduus arvensis (L.) Robs. Canada Thistle. 



(Cnicus arvensis HofEm.) 



Carduus lanceolatus L. Common or Bull Thistle. 



{Cnicus lanceolatus Willd.) 



4 



