WEEDS AND THEIR ERADICATION 367 



season. An average size plant will produce about 2000 seeds. The seeds 

 are very small and covered with a transparent, mucilaginous material 

 which preserves them in the soil for several seasons. 



Control. — Shepherd 's-purse may be controlled in the field or garden 

 by thorough cultivation and use of the hoe. 



In meadows or small grain fields the weed may be destroyed by spray- 

 ing. Spray while the weed is still young, and if possible before it blooms. 

 Seventy-five pounds of iron sulphate to fifty gallons of water is recom- 

 mended as a good weed spray. The spray material should be applied under 

 high pressure and in mist. It will take about fifty gallons to the acre. 



If one intends to spray weeds in pastures or small grain crops on a 

 large scale, it will pay to purchase a weed sprayer, which is better adapted 

 for the work and will be more effective and economical than ordinary 

 sprayers. 



Weeds can be sprayed in grass fields, but not in alfalfa or clover 

 fields, as the spray will kill the clover as well as the weeds. 



Peppergrass. — Peppergrass is a native of this country; an annual, 

 and propagates by seed. It seeds from June to October and will be found 

 in small grains and clover fields. The seed is often found in timothy and 

 red clover seed on the market. 



Peppergrass grows from six inches to two feet tall and is much 

 branched. The weed sometimes becomes a tumble weed because of its 

 spreading growth. 



The flowers are white and very small, borne on racemes or elongated 

 heads. The seeds are formed in round but flattened pods. They are 

 small, measuring about one-sixteenth of an inch in length. 



Birds are very fond of the seed and dispose of large quantities. 



Control. — The control is similar to that of shepherd's-purse. Care 

 should be taken in plowing under plants that are nearly mature, since part 

 of the seeds will germinate. 



Badly infested land should be planted to a cultivated crop and thor- 

 oughly cultivated; thorough cultivation being all that is necessary to 

 control the weed. 



Cocklebur. — Cocklebur is known by several other common names, 

 i.e., "Clotbur," "Sheepsbur," "Buttonbur" and "Ditchbur." This weed 

 is an annual and native of this country. The plant is coarse, rough and 

 branched, growing from one to four feet tall. The stems are angled and 

 often reddish, spotted with brown. The leaves are broad, bristly rough on 

 both sides and placed alternately on the stems. 



Cocklebur bears the male and female flowers at different places on the 

 plant. The male flowers are borne above and near the end of the main 

 stem, while the female flower clusters are borne below in the axils of the 

 leaves. 



The seeds of the cocklebur are borne in reddish-brown, two-peaked 

 burs which are covered with stout hooked prickles. Each bur contains 



