194 HANDBOOK OF NATURE STUDY 



of eradication. The writer has seen fields which were 

 yellow with mustard flowers, and the owner with his wife 

 and children had to pull mustard the whole summer for five, 

 six years in succession, before the pest was under control. 



Description. It is a coarse, rough, annual plant, resem- 

 bling in general appearance the garden radish in bloom, but 

 has a more irregular and branching root. The stem and 

 branches, which are sparsely clothed with leaves, terminate 

 in heads of yellow flowers, of which the lower ones open 

 first. The stem in the meanwhile continues to lengthen, 

 forming a long, leafless raceme, with knotted pods towards 

 the base, open flowers towards the summit, and a head of 

 closed flower buds at the apex. The flowers are typical 

 of the mustard family. There are four petals and six sta- 

 mens, two of which are shorter than the other four. Com- 

 pare the flowers of radishes, turnips, and cabbage. The 

 seeds are spherical, resembling those of the cabbage, and 

 have a harsh, biting taste. 



How disseminated. Wild mustard is often sown with flax- 

 seed. After it has once appeared in a neighborhood, the 

 seeds are scattered by the wind, by running water, in 

 manure, and by threshing machines. 



How best destroyed. A careful farmer goes over his fields 

 from time to time and pulls up the plants while in bloom, 

 as the yellow flowers are easily seen. Thus he never per- 

 mits them to get a hold and the annual labor involved is 

 very light. After the land becomes badly infested, it takes 

 heroic pulling. If it can possibly be avoided, no grain con- 

 taining mustard seeds should be sown. An ounce of preven- 

 tion is always better than a pound of cure. 



2. The Yellow Foxtail, or Pigeon Grass. 



This grass is too well known to need any detailed descrip- 

 tion. It was introduced from Europe, and is now common 



