854 THE COMPLETE GRAZIER. BOOK ix. 



ord. Compositse), is a weed- which often grows in abundance in old 

 pastures : its presence is to be attributed to neglect, for it could be 

 easily destroyed by cutting it when in flower, and before its seeds are 

 ripe. 



Thistles of all kinds are widely disseminated by means of their light 

 downy "seeds." They should, therefore, be cut down before the 

 seeds (strictly speaking, the fruits) are ripe ; and it should be a golden 

 rule with the farmer never to suffer a thistle to grow in any of the waste 

 places or hedges of his farm. In some countries there are penalties 

 inflicted on those who allow thistles to remain in their hedges, or along 

 the high-road which borders their land. 



EAGWEED (Senecio Jacobsea, L., nat. ord. Compositse), or RAGWORT, 

 as it is also called, not being deeply rooted, is best extirpated by the 

 hand. Cutting it down will be of little service, for, though some of 

 the plants die, many survive, and branch out more copiously in the 

 following year. It is a mere weed, of no beauty, and is much larger 

 than the closely allied common groundsel, Senecio vulgaris. When the 

 ground is softened by rain at about the period of its flowering, it should 

 be pulled up by hand ; or it may be kept down by pasturing with sheep, 

 as these animals will eat it when it is young, but hoeing while weeds are 

 young is by far the best and cheapest means of keeping weeds in check. 



GROUNDSEL (Senecio vulgaris, L., nat. ord. Composite) is one of the 

 most common of the annual weeds, and flowers from March to 

 December. It can scarcely be extirpated where it has once grown, 

 though it may be kept in check by hoeing. It is a weed of arable land. 

 It is not remarkable either for beauty or for utility, but it is gathered 

 as food for cage-birds, particularly the canary-bird, and contributes 

 largely to the support of most small birds. It has been calculated 

 that, on an average, the number of flower-heads borne by each plant 

 of the groundsel is 130 ; number of seeds in each flower-head, 50 ; and 

 thus each plant bears 6,500 seeds. 



COLTSFOOT (Tussilago Farfara, L., nat. ord. Compositse) is so-called 

 from the similarity of the flower-buds to the foot of a colt. The flower- 

 head appears before the leaves, and the seeds ripen early and are dis- 

 persed by the wind before the corn crop ripens. The presence of 

 coltsfoot is one of the surest signs of wetness in the soil, and the plant 

 cannot be eradicated until the land is thoroughly drained. It is a 

 weed which chiefly infests arable land, though it occasionally appears 

 on very wet and poor pastures. 



The BURDOCK (Arctium lappa, L., nat. ord. Compositse) is a frequent 

 weed on the hedge-side. It is known by its very large leaves, whilst 

 the flower-head is furnished with hooks, which stick obstinately to the 

 clothes of those who rub against it, and particularly to the hair and 

 wool of animals. Beyond this it does no harm, and, growing singly to 

 a large size, may be easily extirpated by spudding. 



