88 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



getlier, inclosed by a 5-toothed green involucre. These heads are 

 arranged in a slender, spikelike raceme 2 to 3 inches long, each one 

 nodding on the very short recurved pedicel. At the base of the raceme 

 are a few female flowers, which are erect, some of which develop into 

 small hard nutlets or fruits. The flowering spikes are quite variable, 

 sometimes being nearly all male, and sometimes mostly or entirely 

 female. It seems to be an American weed, native of the warmer parts 

 of the continent, but by cultivation introduced and spread over the 

 United States and Canada. 



It is very common in wheat-stubble and along roadsides. In Ohio 

 it was reported to the State experiment station in 1883 by the greatest 

 number of correspondents as the most troublesome weed in corn. 

 It thrives on all soils, and can be eradicated only by the most care- 

 ful cultivation. It is kept down in well-seeded meadows, but some 

 of the plants persist, and produce seed when but a few inches high. 

 Sheep are a valuable stock to keep on land infested with this and 

 other weeds. 



* Plate IX, a branch with the flowering spikes; Fig. 1, a single male 

 head; Fig. 2, a fertile nutlet. 



Chrysanthemum leucanthemum (white daisy, ox-eye daisy, 

 white- weed). 



A perennial plant, 1 to 2 feet high, simple or with few branches, 

 often several stems from one root. The stem is rather sparsely 

 clothed with narrow, coarsely-toothed or gashed, obovate or spatulate 

 leaves, the upper ones sessile with a clasping fringed base, the lower 

 ones more or less petioled. The main stem and the few long branches 

 are each terminated with a single head of flowers, which, when ex- 

 panded, is an inch to an inch and a half in diameter. There i^ an ex- 

 ternal set of thinnish scales, which is called the involucre; within this 

 are the florets, or flowers, of 2 kinds — an outside row of showy, white 

 flat florets called ' ' the ray," and a central mass of short tubular yellow 

 florets, which constitute the "'disk,"' 



Both the ray and disk florets are fertile; that is, provided ■with an 

 achenium or seed at the base. If the small disk florets are carefully 

 examined they will each be found to contain 5 stamens united by 

 the anthers around the central style. In the ray florets the stamens 

 are absent. The plant is a native of Europe, but has become widely 

 spread over all the eastern part of this continent. 



The daisy is most troublesome in meadows and pastures. Though 

 long known in this country, it is still spreading westward into new 

 localities. In some cases it has escaped as a weed from flower gar- 

 dens; in others it is introduced in grass or cloverseed or hay. It has 

 been introduced in some places as a grazing plant for sheep, though 

 the close grazing of the sheep will exterminate it. Where the plant 

 is abundant it has been utilized to restore worn-out land too poor to 

 grow clover. For this purpose it is sown at the rate of one-fourth 

 bushel per acre. It is too much of a weed, however, to be introduced 

 into a new locality for any purpose. If the land is brought to the 

 proper state of fertility grass and clover will keep the daisies down, so 

 that the few which remain may be readily exterminated. (Plate X. ) 



Ahutilon avicennce (Indian mallow, velvet-leaf). 

 A coarse annual plant of the order Malvaceoe. The stem is branch- 

 ing and grows to the height of 4 or 5 feet. The stem, branches, and 

 leaves are covered with short soft hairs; hence the name of velvet- 



