WEEDS OF GARDENS AND FIELDS 35 



succulent Purslane or "pusley." Its thick brown stalks 

 creep along the ground, spreading rapidly from the root, 

 and seriously interfering with crop growth. The leaves, 

 as well as the stems, are smooth and thick, while the pale 

 yellow flowers borne in the axils of the leaves generally open 

 only in the morning, when the sun is shining. The small 

 seeds are produced in capsules, the tops of which come off 

 when the seeds ripen. It has been estimated that 1,250,000 

 seeds are sometimes produced by a single plant. Fortunately 

 this Purslane is an annual, requiring only frequent surface 

 tillage for its prevention, although when the plants become 

 large, it is necessary to remove them to prevent their grow- 

 ing again. This is one of those weeds that compel the gar- 

 dener to keep a soil mulch through the summer, and thus 

 conserve the moisture during the driest season of the year. 



GOOSEFOOT AND AMARANTH FAMILIES 



The plant commonly called Lamb's Quarters, Goosefoot, 

 or White Pigweed, is a widespread and troublesome gar- 

 den pest. Where it finds room, it be- 

 comes a large and vigorous weed, five 

 or six feet high and about two feet in 

 diameter. Usually it is two or three 

 feet high. The leaves are somewhat 

 arrow-shaped, with irregular teeth along 

 the margins, and rather long, slender 

 petioles. The narrow clusters of green- 

 ish white flowers appear in the axils 

 of the leaves, toward the ends of the 

 branches. The general color of the plant is pale green, 

 with a whitish powder scattered over the flowers and young 

 growth, and often over the leaves, also. The small seeds 

 are black and shiny when separated from their greenish 



