MORE ABOUT WEEDS 



137 



or four feet in height, and ends in a long, somewhat 

 plumelike, compound flower stalk of greenish leaves. 

 These are followed by numerous angular brown 

 seeds, shaped some- 

 what like kernels of 

 buckwheat. The 

 rather long and nar- 

 row, sharp-pointed 

 leaves have distinct 

 vein markings, and 

 are strongly wavy- 

 curled on the bor- 

 ders. They are borne 

 on rather long leaf 

 stalks, and, where 

 each one of these 

 clasps the stem, a 

 branch starts out. 

 The plant has a long, 

 spindle-shaped, yel- 

 low taproot. A spec- 

 imen is shown in 

 Figure 74. 



Perhaps the best 

 method of destroy- 

 ing the yellow dock 

 is to root it out by hand at times when the soil is very 

 wet. By clasping the stem just at the surface of the 

 ground and giving it a slight twist and a strong quick 

 pull at the same time, the root will usually come out. al- 

 most entire. The more common method of cutting off 



FIG. 74. Yellow dock; a, seed, magnified. 



