WEEDS OF ARABLE LAND 71 



sary. In damp weather, especially in garden cultivation, 

 the hoed-out weeds may with advantage be raked off and 

 placed on the compost heap or smother fire, or be 

 deeply buried in the rubbish trench for the growth of 

 marrows. On the farm, surface cultivation to encourage 

 the germination of the seeds, followed by harrowing in 

 hot weather, will destroy large numbers of the seedling 

 plants. Deep ploughing, with the use of the skim coul- 

 ter, will also destroy this weed. In root crops, where 

 the weed presses closely around the base of the plants, 

 especially on the tops of potato-drills, the hand and 

 horse hoe must be freely used. 



Sandwort (Arenaria tenuifolia L.) is an erect, slender 

 annual, 3 to 9 inches high, with fine narrow leaves, rather 

 crowded below and widely separated above. The white 

 flowers, J inch across, in many -flowered cymose 

 clusters, appear from June to August. It is not 

 commonly troublesome, but occurs in sandy fields in 

 some districts, chiefly in the Eastern counties (Hooker). 



Thyme-leaved Sandwort (Arenaria serpyllifolia L.) is 

 another annual somewhat similar to A. tenuifolia. It is, 

 however, downy, more or less decumbent, repeatedly 

 forked, with broader leaves, which are ovate and 

 pointed, resembling those of thyme, and much smaller 

 flowers (J inch in diameter), which open between June 

 and August. This weed is abundant in dry places, 

 even on walls, and in dry cornfields. 



Both species of Sandwort require the vigorous use 

 of the hoe, and encouragement of the seeds to ger- 

 minate for subsequent destruction with the harrows 

 during spring. Owing to their small size they are 

 unlikely to do much harm in cornfields, unless present 

 in quantity. 



Spurrey (Spergula arvensis L.) is one of the most 

 troublesome weeds of arable farms on light sandy soils, 



