'36 



WEEDS OF FARM LAND 



TABLE V. WEEDS COMMON ON HEAVY LAND, BUT ALSO OF GENERAL 



DISTRIBUTION. 



( i ) Plants which Flourish Equally Well on Chalk. 



Corn sow-thistle (Sonchus arvensis) has a decided liking 

 for heavy soils, but is nearly as common on calcareous land. 

 In these two habitats it is more often dominant than else- 

 where. Considering the frequency with which the weed 

 occurs it does not often take the first place, but this may partly 

 be due to the fact that it is fond of growing among cereal 

 crops and so is liable to be pulled up, being a very conspicu- 

 ous plant, especially when in flower. 



Greater plantain (Plantago major) has much the same 

 distribution as the corn sow-thistle, except that it is more 

 often seen on medium soils. Although it is so common it is 

 rarely present in any quantity, and in all districts investigated 

 it was only once seen dominant on arable land, on clay. 



