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is alone to blame for the predominance of this troublesome plant at 

 the back of the island, and that like the far less injurious Orobanche 

 minor, it might be kept under, if not wholly eradicated with but little 

 labour or expence. At present, the poverty-weed is permitted to grow 

 up and ripen its seeds with the grain, which they thus contaminate ; 

 much is left to flower and seed on the stubbles after harvest, and is 

 ploughed in to lie dormant till the land is again sown with wheat, 

 and thus a perpetuation of the evil is ensured. The Melampyrum is 

 up and coming into flower before the wheat is in ear, and with a little 

 practice might easily be distinguished in a yet earlier state, when it 

 could be weeded out by hand with facility ; women or children being 

 engaged for the task, the cost would be moderate, and not worth con- 

 sidering as a set off against the benefit obtained.* A specimen of 

 this plant with the flowers white was found by Miss Hadfield near 

 Ventnor ! Many plants of this natural order (Scrophulariaceae), as 

 Melampyrum, Pedicularis, Bartsia, Rhinanthus and Gerardia, that 

 turn black in drying, can hardly be made to grow by artificial culture, 

 though from the beauty of most of these genera, it would be desirable 

 to have them common in gardens. Decaisne T think it is, who as- 

 serts that these plants, like the Orobanchacese, are parasitic on the 

 roots of other vegetables, and explains the difficulty experienced in 

 their cultivation by a knowledge of this curious fact. 1 have several 

 times sown the seeds of M. arvense, but though they come up freely 

 at first, few of the seedlings attain to a flowering state, and such as 

 do blossom look weakly and die off without maturing seed in their 

 turn. It has once or twice appeared spontaneously in the garden 

 at St. John's, near Ryde, amongst the flower borders, but has uni- 

 formly disappeared in a year or two in spite of every care taken to 

 leave it undisturbed. Of its pai'asitism 1 have hitherto been unable 

 to assure myself, and there is nothing in the structure of its roots dif- 

 ferent from other annuals to favour Decaisne's assertion. When the 

 seeds of M. arvense begin to germinate, the radicle elongating, ele- 

 vates the yet entire seed considerably above the surface of the soil, 



* I understand from my friend Capt. Love, R.N., of Yarmouth, I. W., who had 

 the information from Mr. Jolliffe of the Dean farm, that sheep are partial to the 

 purple cow-wheat, and as the seeds are not all matured hefore the crop is off the 

 ground, by folding the animals on the stubbles as soon as the com is carried, the land 

 might in some degree be freed from this pernicious annual. The expedient, it is ob- 

 vious, must be very partial in its operation, whilst careful weeding would ultimately 

 effect a complete cure of the evil. 



