CHAP. ix. DOCKS. 851 



after they have begun to flower by cutting them anywhere below the 

 lowest branches. 



It is not to be expected that land can be freed from weeds by 

 extirpating those which spring up in one year; these have been 

 propagated by former plants that have shed their seeds on the ground, 

 and many of these seeds, if not in a situation favourable to germination, 

 may lie dormant for years, and then shoot up. 



Perennial roots cannot be destroyed, except by pulling them out of 

 the ground, and either carrying them away, or exposing them to the 

 air until they become dry and dead. As, however, this can only be 

 thoroughly effected by the plough, perennial weeds cannot be com- 

 pletely eradicated out of grass land, but only checked to a greater or 

 less degree. As the roots are unable to thrive without the leaves, these 

 plants may be considerably discouraged by repeatedly depriving them, 

 during the season of growth, of their leaves and stems. Cutting them 

 through the stems about the middle of June, or when the weeds are in 

 full vigour, and before they mature their seed, will tend considerably 

 to diminish their future growth. 



When perennials have once been allowed to get full possession of the 

 soil, a summer fallow is the only remedy. 



The COMMON DOCK (Rumex pratensis and Rumex crispus, L., nat. 

 ord. Polygonacese) is too well known to require any description ; it is 

 a most troublesome plant. On grass land it should be completely 

 drawn put of the ground with the docking-iron as soon as the flower- 

 ing-stem is formed. As the plants rise at two seasons, the fields should 

 be weeded twice in the summer, in order that no seeds may be allowed 

 to ripen. The roots must be thoroughly desiccated ; for, if suffered to 

 lie in a moist place, they will continue to vegetate on the surface, and 

 strike their rootlets into the ground. Docks should be pulled up by 

 hand after iteavy rains, when the soil is soft enough to allow their long 

 tap roots to be drawn without breaking, and before their seeds approach 

 to ripeness ; but this is a matter of extreme difficulty, unless the ground 

 is very loose. The best plan, perhaps, is to dig them out with a spade. 



In the sowing of clover on arable land care should be taken that 

 none of the seeds (really the fruits) of the dock are intermixed. They 

 cannot be separated by the sieve, for they are too nearly of the same 

 size as the red clover ; but they may be distinguished by their bright 

 brown colour and triangular form, and their general resemblance to 

 very small buckwheat seed. Should the dock unfortunately be sown, 

 it must be carefully drawn or spudded up as soon as it appears above 

 ground. Seedling docks are largely destroyed by hoeing, and this is 

 the quickest way of dealing with them; were the hoe used in the 

 root crops later in the year in the autumn seedling docks and 

 seedling couch, which become established after that time, would have 

 little chance of causing trouble. 



The WATER DOCK (Rumex aquaticus, L.) is a troublesome weed in 

 grass land. It is most common on land adjacent to streams which flood 



3 I 2 



