WEEDS OF ARABLE LAND 99 



Wild Chicory (Cichorium Intybus L.) or Succory, the 

 cultivated form of which is so extensively used for the 

 manufacture of chicory for admixture with coffee, is a 

 stout perennial, rather rough, with large tapering fleshy 

 roots. It occurs on waste ground and roadsides 

 throughout England, but is " rare, if native, in Scot- 

 land and Ireland" (Hooker). The stem is i to 3 feet 

 high, alternately branched, tough, angled and grooved ; 

 the stem leaves are small, more or less oblong-lanceo- 

 late and clasping the stem, but the lower leaves are 6 

 to 8 inches long, and resemble those of the Dandelion ; 

 and there are many heads, i to ii inch in diameter, of 

 delicate, bright blue flowers, the individual florets of 

 which are clearly five-toothed. The flowers appear 

 between July and October, and usually close about 

 mid-day. An average plant is stated l to produce about 

 3,000 seeds. 



Chicory may sometimes be found troublesome on 

 arable land, especially on light sandy or calcareous 

 soils, and in districts where the plant has been culti- 

 vated in the past. The seeds occur as an impurity in 

 samples of clover seeds and Italian ryegrass. It should 

 be attacked by careful and persistent spudding to pre- 

 vent seeding or even strong growth above ground ; by 

 removal of the roots during ploughing and cultivating 

 operations ; shortening the rotation, taking more root 

 crops, which should be persistently hoed. It has been 

 said that " Chicory is not often seen in good farming 

 districts except as a wayside weed." 2 



Annual Sow Thistle (Sonchus oleraceus L.) is fre- 

 quently very troublesome in arable land, and appears 

 to grow most freely on medium sandy and calcareous 

 soils. In gardens, too, it is often much too common, 



1 Ont. Agric. Coll., Bull. 128. 



2 Farm Weeds, Dept. Agric., Ottawa. 



