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1. Ox-eye-daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum L.). Also called 

 White Daisy, Marguerite and White-weed. 



This perennial plant is by far the worst weed of the hay field. In 

 many sections the hay is mostly daisies, with a sprinkling of timothy. The 

 proportions to which the hay industry has grown of recent years has neces- 

 sitated the setting apart of large areas of meadowlands on most farms 

 which cannot all be brought into the rotation. Moreover, this large 

 amount of "daisy" hay which is fed to cattle and horses produces manure 

 filled with daisy seeds. When such manure is spread on land which is left 

 undisturbed, daisies will make their appearance iu lai-ge numbers. 



The best method of dealing with hay fields infested with Ox-eye-daisy 

 is to put into operation a special 3-year rotation, such as the following: 

 hoed crops, cereals, clover. The clover should be cut early, so as to pre- 

 vent the daisies from seeding, and then broken and cultivated during the 

 remainder of the season in preparation for the hoed crops of the next year. 

 Such a treatment of the land will destroy not only the old plants but also 

 any seedlings that may spring up. 



2. Couch Grass (Agropyron repens L.) 



Also called Scutch grass, or Twitch Grass, or Quack Grass. — This 

 common weed has taken possession of many fields. Its white creeping 

 root-stocks are very persistent and soon spread through the soil, crowding 

 out other plants. 



Authorities differ with regard to the best treatment of the soil to 

 adopt. One method is to plough rather shallow, as soon as possible after 

 the hay is cut, then to follow with the harrow and the spring-tooth culti- 

 vator with the object of bringing as many as possible of the root-stocks to 

 the surface, to be killed by exposure to the hot sun. It is advisable to rake 

 the roots together and to burn them when dried out. This cultivation 

 should be repeated again and again throughout the season ; then late in the 

 fall, rib up the land and allow to stand ovei; winter. In the spring the 

 land should be cultivated again and a hoed crop grown. 



According to the advocates of this method disk-harrowing of couch 

 land is not advisable, as it cuts tiie shallow creeping root-stocks into frag- 

 ments, which are not readily drawn to the surface by the spring-tooth 

 harrow, and which will bud and send up an increased number of plants. 

 Deep plowing also is not recommended, as it transplants the buds to a 

 greater depth, thus aggravating: the trouble. 



Another method is to plough 6 or 7 inches deep, about 15th June, and 

 to work the surface soil thoroughly with disc and harrows, the object being 

 I. P.— 6 



