102 COMMON WEEDS 



pest. 1 The infested land is " disked," cultivated, and 

 harrowed when dry, and buckwheat sown afterwards 

 in June, the resulting crop tending to smother the 

 perennial Sow Thistle. Seeding is prevented ; autumn 

 ploughing follows, and any young plants (seedlings) 

 are prevented from sending out lateral rootstocks. 

 Following this, a mangold, turnip, or other crop, by 

 which the growth of rootstocks can be prevented, is 

 taken. In a lucerne crop the weed is prevented from 

 seeding by cutting it down at least three times during 

 summer. 



CONVOLVULACE^: 



Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis L.), known also 

 as Small Bindweed, Bearbine or Bethbine, is a beautiful 

 but very harmful perennial weed, occurring in corn- 

 fields and waste places on almost all soils, especially 

 those of a medium or sandy nature. The stem (Fig. 

 29) is slender, twining, and leafy, the leaves being 

 rather variable, but always more or less arrow-head 

 shaped ; the large handsome and fragrant flowers are 

 solitary or 2 to 3 together, an inch across, funnel-shaped, 

 usually pink or whitish-pink, rarely white ; the roundish 

 capsules are two-celled, each cell containing two seeds. 

 The rootstock is slender and brittle, and creeps ex- 

 tensively and deeply underground. 



This weed trails along the ground over and among 

 low-growing crops, robbing them of food, moisture, 

 light and air, or climbs among corn and other tall crops, 

 pulling them down, preventing the ripening of corn, 

 and causing a reduced yield. It hampers harvesting 

 operations, and in unsettled weather may cause much 

 loss in view of the fact that stacking cannot take place 

 until the weed is sufficiently dried in the sheaf. 



1 Fanners' Advocate, October 7, 1909. 



