856 THE COMPLETE GRAZIER, BOOK ix 



liarly astringent taste. On account of the shape of its leaves it is, 

 in some localities, called willow-weed. 



CLIMBING BISTORT, or BEABBIND (Polygonum Convolvulus, L., nat. 

 ord. Polygonaceae). This is a very injurious weed, and difficult to get 

 rid of, on account of the roots penetrating so deeply into the soil as to 

 render it almost impossible to eradicate them. It is one of the prettiest 

 of the native plants of this genus ; but it twines round wheat, turnips, 

 and other plants, and prevents them from attaining their proper growth. 

 It cannot be too persistently suppressed. 



CORN MINT (Mentha arvensis, L., nat. ord. Labiate). This weed 

 chiefly prevails in moist pastures, and its creeping roots are difficult 

 to extirpate. It will always be best conquered by correcting those 

 defects of the soil which encourage its growth, by draining and 

 paring. 



The RED DEAD NETTLE (Lamium purpureum, L., nat. ord. Labiatse). 

 This plant has established itself in all our hedges, whence it is 

 apt insidiously to encroach on land destined to better purposes. It 

 has an aromatic earthy odour. 



CHARLOCK, or WILD MUSTARD (Sinapis arvensis, L., nat. ord. Cruci- 

 ferse). This weed thrives in most soils, and is a seriously troublesome 

 pest. It is utterly useless, except that the seed is saleable for adulterating 

 cakes and feeding stuffs, a practice which must be condemned. It 

 is not a pasture weed. When land is much infested with it, it is 

 necessary to subject it to a long fallowing : the best method is to leave 

 the land after a corn crop unploughed during autumn, but it may be 

 harrowed to promote germination. Where the seeds lie on the surface 

 they are readily eaten by birds. It is advisable to plough the land 

 very shallow in the spring so that the seed may be kept near the 

 surface ; the land should occasionally be harrowed during spring so 

 that as the seeds germinate they may be killed, and a fresh supply of 

 seeds be brought to the surface to germinate, as they cannot grow if 

 buried deeply. This process should continue until such time as the 

 land is required for sowing with roots, when a deeper furrow may be 

 ploughed. This will probably contain many seeds, which will prove 

 troublesome, but this may be avoided by putting in a crop, such 

 as cabbages, by transplanting; horse-hoeing and hoeing can then 

 continue uninterruptedly, and the crop will grow unchecked whilst the 

 land is being freed from the pest. Considerable success attended the 

 trials that were made in many parts of the country during 1899 of 

 the efficacy of sulphate of copper as a destroyer of charlock growing 

 amongst corn crops. A 2 per cent, solution of sulphate of copper 

 sprayed at the rate of 40 gallons per acre, before the young charlock 

 plant had got into its sixth leaf, was found very effective. Care should 

 loe taken that the sulphate of copper is pure, and especially that it is 

 not adulterated with sulphate of iron. The spraying can be done with 

 Strawson's Charlock Destroyer (see p. 730). 



