WEEDS INDICATING GOOD LAND 27 



by hand on ijth May, 1909. An attempt was made 

 to count the seedlings and separate them roughly into 

 species, with the following result : 



Buttercup (? chiefly Ranunculus repens) 

 Annual Meadow Grass (Poa annua) 

 Dock (Rumex sp.) .... 

 Goosefoot (Chenopodium album?} . 

 Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) . 

 Shepherd's Purse (Capsella Bursa-Pastoris] 

 Annual Sow Thistle (Sonchus oleraceus] 

 Chickweed (Stellaria media} . 

 Persicaria (Polygonum Persicarid) . 

 Charlock (Sinapis arvensis) 

 Creeping Thistle (Cnicusi arvnsis] . 

 Plantain (Plantago sp.) . 

 Clover (Tnfoliutn sp.) 

 Various ...... 



Total 



Number. 



654 

 107 

 60 

 26 

 25 

 15 

 M 

 10 



8 



5 



4 



i 



i 



120 



1,050 



In addition to these were found two plants of 

 Shepherd's Purse near the seeding stage, two growing 

 portions of Couch rhizomes, and one small potato 

 plant. 



WEEDS AS INDICATORS OF GOOD AND POOR LAND 



Weeds often afford a very good indication of the 

 character of the soil on which they grow, and to some 

 extent the state of fertility or otherwise of the land. 

 For example, it is well known that Mosses, Horse-tail 

 (Equisetum), Rushes, Sedges, Silver-weed, and other plants 

 chiefly grow upon wet, undrained land. Quaking Grass, 

 Ox-eye Daisy, Yorkshire Fog, Bromus sterilis, and other 

 plants indicate poor soils. Stinging Nettles, certain 

 Thistles, Buttercups, Coltsfoot, and others usually occur 

 on good land. It may perhaps be said as a general 



