THE SUNFLOWER FAMILY 177 



Remedy: Prevent it from distributing its seeds, by con- 

 tinued cutting along streams, ditches and other waste places. 

 Where this weed is established in fields, a thorough summer- 

 fallow, commenced early in the season, with deep cultivation, 

 is advisable. To check this and other weeds having deep, 

 persistent rootstocks, the arrangement of crops should allow 

 thorough cultivation with the disc or broad-shared cultivator 

 before spring seeding, and again in the autumn. 



ALLIED SPECIES: Skeleton Weed (Lygodesmia juncea 

 (Pursh) D. Don.) is a native, much-branched perennial, of a 

 rush-like appearance from its almost leafless stems and branches. 

 Leaves linear-lance-shaped, rigid, sharp-pointed, the upper ones 

 nearly reduced to scales. Heads 5-flowered, purplish, solitary 

 at the end of the branches. 



The seed is 1/6 of an inch long, slender, slightly tapering, 

 ribbed, crowned with a light brown pappus. 



This pest is scarcely less objectionable than Blue Lettuce and 

 should be treated in much the same way. It is more confined to 

 local, relatively moist areas. 



If we will plant nettles or sow lettuce, set hyssop and weed up thyme, supply it 

 with one gender of herbs or distract it with many, either to have it sterile with idleness 

 or manured with industry, why, the power and corrigible authority of this lies in our wills. 



Shakespeare, OtheUo, 1, Hi, 1604 



Who weeding slacketh, 

 Good husbandry lacketh. 



Thomas Tusser, Five Hundreth Pennies of Good Husbandrie, 1557. 



The farmer, who expects to make profit of his land from what he sows or plants 

 in it, finds not only Herbae inutiles, but also noxiae, unprofitable and hurtful weeds; 

 which come like Muscae, or uninvited guests, that always hurt and often spoil his crop, 

 by devouring what he has by his labour in dunging and tilling, provided for its sustenance. 



Jethro Tull, The Horse Hoeing Husbandry, 1731. 



