480 Journal of Agriculture. [10 Aug. , 1908. 



THE PROCLAIMED PLAOTS OF VICTORIA. 



{Continued from page 416.) 



Alfred J. Enart, D. Sc., Pli. D., F.L.S., Government Botanist; and 

 J. R. Tovey, Herbarium Assistant. 



The Stinking Majn^eed or Fetid Chamoniile. 



Antliemis cotula. L. 



The stinking Mayweed or fetid Ciiamomile is a native of Europe^ 

 Asia, and Africa. It is common on roadsides, waste places, and if 

 allowed to seed freelv is apt to spread into pastures and cornfields and 

 become troublesome. It is esp)ecially abundant along manv stock roads, 

 where travelling stock continually eat off the pasture plants and so give 

 them no chance to keep down the ^layweed. The plant is obnoxious to 

 stock on account of its unpleasant flavour, and if eaten by them in time of 

 scarcitv is apt to give their flesh, milk or butter an unpleasant flavour. 



The plant is an annual, a foot or more in height, with glandular dots, 

 and one or more daisy-like heads on long furrowed stalks, but dwarfed 

 on dry exposed roadsides and waste places. There are a few linear 

 pointed scales between the minute flowers on each head ; the latter 

 lengthens out during flowering, and the leaves are much divided, especiall\- 

 the lower ones. Ray florets w'hite and with no style, inner bracts of the 

 head with scaly tips, seed-like fruits rough with glandular dots. It 

 seeds freely but is ea.sily kept under by ploughing and cleanly cultivation,, 

 encouraging the seeds to germinate and then destroying the seedlings by 

 working the soil. The stouter pasture grasses, clovers and trefoils, wdll 

 keep it down on pasture land if not grazed too closely. Infested stock 

 roads should be narrowed to the breadth of the paved track and the sides 

 ploughed and cultivated alternately. It would pay in most cases to allow 

 the land-holder to take in the wasted border on condition of cleaning it and 

 keeping it clean. 



Proclaimed f'^r the Shires of Maldon and Orbost. 



A SUGGESTION FOR AYEED SUPPRESSIOX. 



Alfred ] . Eicart, D.Sc., Ph.D., F.L.S., Government Botanist. 



At some recent prosecutions under the Thistle Act at Leongatha the 

 Police Magistrate, Mr. G. Read Murphy, offered a series of prizes to the 

 children bringing the largest numbers of Ragwort, a plant with which 

 the district is infested, to the Head Teacher of the local State .school. 

 As the result, the Head Teacher writes to say that so far 19,943 plants 

 of ragwort have been brought to him and that over 12,000 were brought 

 in during the first four days. Apparently the idea has been very success- 

 ful, and the children have for the time being cleared the district, more 

 or less, of plants of ragwort of appreciable size. 



There can be no doubt that the same idea might be extended to other 

 districts infested bv proclaimed weeds Avith great effect, although it seems 

 hardly fair to throw a new burden on the alreadv heavilv laden 

 shoulders of the local teachers. If the fines obtained as the result' of 

 prosecutions were devoted in some suitable fashion as rewards for their 

 destruction, the good done bv the Thistle Act would l)e greatlv increasecT, 



