WEEDS AND WEEDING 



suckers to its host and coils spirally 

 around the stem of the plant, and 

 unless checked by being plucked up 

 with its host and burnt, it rapidly 

 extends to neighbouring plants. In a 

 short time large patches of plants may 

 readily be strangled and exhausted. 

 Careful cleaning of the subsequent flax 

 seed will help to check its recurrence. 



58. Dock is the bane of a flax 

 cultivator. It is a stout and erect 

 large-leaved plant, capable of attaining 

 a height of 2 or 3 ft. ; it has a strong, 

 tapering root which penetrates deeply 

 into the soil. The dock serves as a 

 host for the bean aphis, an injurious 

 insect ; it also fosters a fungus growth. 

 Like the thistle weed it may be pulled 

 up by hand or cut by a knife when 

 large in a crop of growing flax. Fig. 25 

 illustrates the upper and flowering part 

 of this plant. 



The dock, thistle, charlock, and 

 bindweed are amongst the worst weeds 

 found in flax. 



59. " Clean " Land. The land on 

 which a crop of flax is grown should 

 be " clean." Pests of the worst type 

 are seldom dangerous in fields which 

 are kept clean. 



The weeds should be carefully, per- 

 sistently, and systematically destroyed 

 throughout the rotation series. Ac- 

 cording to personal observation and 

 experience this is the most satisfactory 

 method of dealing with undesirable 









-*%<$* 



^ 



FIG. 25 



FLAX WEED 

 Flowering part of the Dock 



