PLATE 8. 



SHEPHERD'S-PURSE, Capsella Bursa-pastorh, Moench. 

 Other Latin names : Bursa pastoris, Weber ; Thlaspi Bursa-pastoris, L. 



(Noxious: N.W.) 



Introduced. Annual and winter annual. The Shepherd's-purse is well 

 known to every gardener. At all times of the year, when it is not actually 

 freezing, this plant is growing and ripening its seeds. 



There are few plants so variable in size and appearance. There may be 

 at the base a vigorous rosette of leaves, or there may be none at all. The 

 leaves may be deeply cut, pinnatifid, or quite entire, without any teeth at all. 

 The plant may be bright green and nearly smooth or canescently gray with 

 short hairs and stellate down. A seed-bearing plant may be a dwarf, little 

 more than an inch or two high, or a vigorous branching plant three feet high 

 with many pods. The stem leaves are for the most part arrow-shaped, with 

 two sharp ear-like projections, one on each side of the stem. The flowers are 

 small and white. The only part of the plant which seems to be constant is 

 the seed pod, which is flat, triangular in shape, J of an inch long, 

 wedge-shaped at the base, notched at the top with the outer angles rounded. 

 Each pod contains about 20 seeds. These [Plate 53, fig. 5 natural* size and 

 enlarged 4 times] are small, J T of an inch, oblong, reddish brown, the sur- 

 face dull and punctured. When put in water, they produce a large amount 

 of mucilage and a covering of rather long but very fine transparent hairs. 



Time of Flowering : Throughout the season. 

 Occurrence : Throughout Canada, in all soils. 

 Propagation : By seed only. 



Injury : The injuries due to this prolific weed are not, I think, fully 

 appreciated by farmers. It has an enormous power of propagation, a single 

 plant will ripen 50,000 seeds. It spreads rapidly and sometimes takes entire 

 possession of land. It will thrive in all kinds of soil; is of a succulent nature 

 and absorbs a large amount of moisture from the soil. In meadows which 

 have been thinned by winter, the vigorous rosettes of autumn-started plants 

 will crowd out grass and clover. The seed is found in all small commercial 

 seeds. Mr. Willing reports it as doing serious damage in wheat fields in the 

 North-west. 



Remedy : Although so aggressive and persistent, this weed can be easily 

 destroyed if farmers understand how much injury it may do them. The 

 small central root is easily cut by hoe or cultivator, and the plant is not re- 

 markable for vitality. Constant hoeing in gardens and early summer-fallow- 

 ing with frequent cultivation will easily clear infested farm lands. 



* The figure to show the natural size is slightly too large. 



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