262 COMMON WEEDS 



8. Since it has been shown that the seeds of Dodder 

 may pass through the digestive system unharmed, an 

 infested crop should not be fed to stock. Frank 

 records a case in which a field was actually infested 

 with Dodder by means of manure from young cattle 

 which were fed on rape and linseed cake containing 

 Dodder seed which had not been destroyed. 



9. It has been found in Germany by Dr. Hiltner, 1 

 Director of the Agricultural Botanical Institute at 

 Munich, that spraying with a solution of sulphate of 

 iron destroys Dodder, but not the clover, although the 

 leaves of the latter turn black, and it appears as if 

 ruined at first, sprouting strongly afterwards however. 

 A 15 per cent solution should be employed, and 

 applied with a sprayer in such a manner that the 

 liquid falls with some force on the ground, wetting 

 both the plants and the surface soil. The solution 

 should also be applied after rain or when the dew is 

 on the leaf and in the early stage of the infestation. 



10. The use of arsenite of soda has been found 

 satisfactory for the destruction of Dodder in lucerne 

 in Cape Colony. 2 The solution recommended is 1 Ib. 

 arsenite of soda to 5 gallons of water. It is stated 

 that there is no fear of killing the lucerne, and if 

 sprayed properly one application will suffice. 



[See also Jour. Board of Agric., Sept. 1 906 ; Leaflet 

 No. 1 80, Board of Agriculture and Fisheries ; E. 

 Marre, La Lutte contre la Cu scute ; A. Thaer, Landw. 

 Unkrauter; Dr. A. B. Frank, Kampfbuch gegen die 

 Schadlinge unsere Feldfruchte ; Dr. P. Sorauer, Pflanzen- 

 krankheitenj\ 



1 Prak, Blatter fur Pftanzenbau und Pflanzenschutz, April, 1908. 

 * Agric. Jour, of the Cape of Good Hope, February, 1908. 



