94 COMMON WEEDS 



vitality, and suggests that where chaff contains only a 

 few it should be steamed before use. 



The Corn Marigold is often very troublesome, especi- 

 ally on sandy and loamy soils, and in 1907 it was 

 reported to the Board of Agriculture as doing much 

 damage at Northallerton. " An attempt had been 

 made to eradicate it by taking four successive green 

 crops, but the weed was stated to be as flourishing as 

 ever. The present year has been very favourable to 

 its growth, and it has practically destroyed 2 acres 

 of barley and nearly destroyed a third, the 2 acres 

 being so bad that harvesting of the crop was not 

 attempted." ] 



This weed was troublesome to farmers a century ago. 

 "This plant (C. segetum) may still be found in our corn- 

 fields, although careful farming has greatly diminished 

 its places of habitation, and shortly it may find the 

 garden its only place of refuge. It is a very trouble- 

 some weed to the farmer, particularly in the turnip 

 fields of Norfolk, on a sandy soil. In Denmark there 

 is a law to oblige farmers to root it up out of their 

 fields ; and Threlkeld states, in 1727, that in Britain 

 " Maunour courts do amerce careless tenants who 

 do not weed it out before it comes to seed," a 

 laudable practice worthy of being retained. 2 



Where the Corn Marigold occurs some trouble will 

 be necessary to bring about its extermination, or even 

 a great reduction in its numbers. 



As the " seeds " occur in seed corn, and in samples 

 of red clover, sainfoin, and other grasses, an obvious 

 means of preventing infestation on clean farms is to 

 ensure a clean seed supply. 



Where the Corn Marigold is a pest, care should 



1 Jotir. Bd. Agric., December, 1907. 



2 Sowerby's English Botany r , Ed. 3, vol. v. p. <o. 



