12 THE INDIANA WEED BOOK. 



displacing our wild and cultivated native plants and in taking, if 

 unmolested, complete possession of the soil. Most of these foreign 

 weeds possess that "ingrained coarseness, scrubbiness, squalor and 

 sordidness, that stringiness of fibre, hairiness of surface or prickly 

 defensive character" which marks them as masters of the plant 

 world, as weeds par excellence. 



Of the 150 species of plants which are hereafter listed as being 

 most harmful to the farmers of the State, 77 are natives of Indiana, 

 that is, indigenous to her soil, while 73 are introduced species. Of 

 the latter 58 came from Europe, 2 from Asia, 8 from tropical 

 America and 5 from the plains of the Western States. 



These 150 weeds are grouped in 3 classes. Class I. comprises 

 our worst weeds, those which are fighters from start to finish, not 

 only holding the soil in which they grow but ever striving to gain 

 a hold on new territory. Of the 150, 46 belong to this class, and 

 of the 46, 34 are introduced and only 12 are native to the State. 

 Of the 34 foreign species 27 came from Europe, 2 from Asia, 4 

 from tropical America and 1 from the "West. 



Class II. comprises those weeds which are less aggressive, but 

 are yet annoying to the farmer and the gardener* All have a 

 weedy character and many of them seem to be waiting only for 

 the proper conditions to arrive before jumping over the line into 

 Class I. This Class is evenly divided, 32 species being introduced 

 and the same number native to the State. Of the 32 outsiders, 24 

 are from Europe, 4 from tropical America and 4 from the West. 



To Class III. belong those weeds which in Indiana occupy for 

 the most part waste farm lands, rarely encroaching upon cultivated 

 fields, or if they do being easily subdued by hoe or scythe. A 

 number of them yield more or less forage for grazing stock, while 

 some are cut for hay when other crops are short. Of the 40 

 species belonging to this group 33 are native to our soil while 7 

 came from Europe. 



It must be borne in mind that this grouping is only from the 

 view-point of the writer, based upon long observation of the weeds 

 of the State. The reader may, from personal experience, have a 

 widely different opinion as to which class a certain weed should 

 be assigned. Moreover, this grouping refers only to the weeds of 

 Indiana. Some of those in Class III. are doubtless members of 

 Class II. or even I. in other States, while some of the worst of 

 Class I. may there do little harm. 



In addition to the 150 weeds listed and described, 77 others 

 are, in their proper order, mentioned and briefly characterized. 



