- 346 - 



land when- the soil readily falls into a fine, crumbly powder, and 

 leaves the roots and rhizomes of weeds clean, and it pays to 

 examine the soil carefully from this point of view before attempting 

 to drag out weeds from it. 



4) After cleaning in the manner just indicated, the land 

 should be sown with mangolds or other root crops, or with beans, 

 and the horse-hoe with grubbing tines should be kept at work 

 between the rows as long as possible. Rape, vetches, or other si- 

 milar crops which will grow luxuriantly and smother any weeds 

 may also be grown with advantage. 



5) In some cases isolated patches of couch may be forked 

 or dug out and carried off the land. 



P. GEDWORT FOULKES. Destruction of Thistles. -- Journal of 

 the ft. Agric. Soc. of England, Vol. 70, 1909, pp. 422-423. 



On few subjects is there so much divergence of opinion among 

 farmers as on the thistle (Carduus arvensis}. 



Prof. G. Foulkes has during the last three years carried out 

 experiments on the extermination of this pest at the Harper-Adams 

 Agric. College. 



II 1907 trial plots were laid out on a grass field on which the 

 common creeping thistle was very plentiful. It had been regularly 

 grazed with mixed stock. 



The plots were treated as follows during the first two years: 

 Plot. i. Thistles cut three times in the season, and dressed with 

 4 cwt. (200 kilos) common salt after each cutting (cut. 

 June 10, July 9, and 17). 

 I-A. Thistles cut three times, not salted. 

 2. Thistles cut once in season and dressed with 4 cwt. 



salt at time of cutting. 

 2-A. Thistles cut once, not salted. 

 3. Not cut., but headed with stick to prevented seeding, 



and dressed with 4 cwt. salt at same time. 

 3-A. Not cut., but headed. 



4. Cut once and sprayed with sulphate of copper. 

 4-A. Uncut., but headed with stick and sprayed with sul- 

 phate of copper. 



In 1909 the use of sulphate of copper was discontinued and 

 plots 3-A and 4-A were cut three times while in plots i and I-A there 

 were pratically no thistles present for the third cutting. 



