THE SPINACH OR GOOSEFOOT FAMILY 51 



convex face grooved from the margin to the central scar, minute- 

 ly wrinkled; colour shining black. The seeds, as found among 

 crop seeds, have a thin envelope closely adhering to them, as a 

 brown or gray mealy deposit, which gives them a granular- 

 roughened appearance; they also often have the dried 5-angled 

 calyx closed tightly over them. When plants are cut or shaken 

 roughly after the seeds are ripe, but while the plant is still green, 

 the seeds fall out of the calyx very easily. Seeds from which 

 the brittle black coat has been partially broken away, showing 

 the yellow ring-like germ, may sometimes be found in screenings 

 of grain. 



Time of flowering: From June to frost; seeds ripe August 

 to November. 



Propagation: By seed. 



Occurrence : Everywhere in rich land. 



Injury : A gross feeder and a vigorous rapid grower in field 

 and garden crops. It is most conspicuous in fields of potatoes, 

 corn, and other hoed crops, where the seeds germinate and the 

 rapid-growing plants mature after general cultivation has been 

 discontinued. The succulent plants are a harbour for plant 

 lice and other insects destructive to field and garden crops, 

 particularly to mangels. They also provide a breeding ground 

 for mildews and for the spot fungus disease {Cercospora) common 

 on the leaves of beets and mangels. The seed is abundant 

 in commercial seeds and grains. 



Remedy: The seeds germinate at considerable depth in the 

 soil, and those buried deeply do not retain their vitality for more 

 than three or four years, unless the soil continues very dry. In 

 eastern Canada, land badly infested might be seeded to grass 

 for three years or more. An application of the harrow to cereal 

 grain fields before the crop appears above the ground, and 

 again when it is three inches high, will destroy most of the seed- 

 ling plants. If the field is to be seeded to clovers and grass, 

 the seed should be sown quite thickly directly in front of the 

 harrow. Sheep readily eat the leaves of the plant and the seed- 

 lings. Seed-bearing plants should be pulled and removed from 

 the clover seed crop before it is cut. Late plants in hoed crops 



