ENEMIES OF WHEAT 



95 



141. Cockle. — Cockle is a widely and anciently distributed weed of the wheat 

 field, belonging to the pink family {Caryophyllaceae). It grows from one to two feet 

 high and is readily distinguished 

 by its large pink blossom. Its seeds 

 are black, angular, kidney-shaped, 

 one-half to one-eighth of an inch 

 across, marked with spiny reticula- 

 tions arranged in rows around the 

 curved side of the seeds. They 

 are quite injurious to flour, and as 

 they are readily seen in the grain, 

 reduce the commercial value of 

 the wheat. They are so near the 

 size and weight of wheat grains 

 as to be removed with difficulty. 

 They may remain in the ground 

 several years without germinating. 

 As the plant is rather conspicuous 

 and Its number usually not rela- 

 tively large, they may be pulled 

 from the growing wheat. 



142. Wild Garlic. — This 

 weed is sometimes found in the 

 wheat fields of eastern United 

 States. It grows one to three feet 

 high and bears a cluster of bulblets 

 in place of seed. When these bulb- 



Wild garlic. (One-fourth natural size.) 



lets are ground with the wheat the flour is spoiled. Careful 

 screening will remove the bulblets from the wheat. If the land 

 is badly infested, it should be put into cultivated crops for 

 at least two years. 



143. Wheat-Thief. — This winter annual is also knowTi as 

 bastard alkanet, corn gromwell, redroot, pigeonweed. It grows 

 six to twelve inches high and has narrow rough hairy leaves. It 

 bears a large number of inconspicuous whitish flowers in a leaf 

 cluster in March and April. The seeds are hard and stony, dark, 

 one-tenth of an inch long, roughened, conical with a narrow base, 

 and borne in fours in the axils of the leaves. The plant is ver^ 

 hard to destroy, without destroying the wheat crop, which may 

 Wheat-thief ^^ some cases be ad\isable. It is probably less of a pest to the 

 B, seed enlarged, wheat than it is to the subsequent meadows Badly infested 

 (After Selby.) fields should be put int" cultivated crops. 



144. Wild Mustard. — There are two mstards, black mustard {firoisica nigra* 

 (L.) Koch) and wild mustard or charlock {B. sinapistrum L.) found growing in spring 



