116 FAMILIAR WILD FLOWERS. 



narrow, and stalkless, their bases being- produced down 

 the stem, their upper surfaces of a deep green, and the 

 whole leaf more or less covered with rough hairs. The 

 lateral segments of the upper leaves are long and 

 narrow, while the terminal portion of the leaf is carried 

 out into a still longer and more acute point, giving a 

 very quaint and marked character to the form. . The 

 flower-heads are numerous, and densely massed in clusters 

 at the end of the stem ; the flowers themselves are of 

 the well-known composite type, and are succeeded by 

 a mass of feathery down. As the plant is a biennial, 

 there should be no great difficulty in its extirpation by the 

 husbandman, but it is very necessary that it should be 

 eradicated or cut down before seeding-time, otherwise each 

 passing breeze will waft its winged seeds far and wide 

 over the country-side. The neglect of one farmer falls 

 on all in such a matter. In many cases it would pro- 

 bably be possible to meet the plague most effectually by 

 effective drainage operations. 



