16 BULLETIN 397, U, S. DEPAETMENT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



There has recently been introduced into southwestern Virginia a 

 weed that gives promise of being more damaging to pastures than any- 

 thing that has heretofore appeared. It is the field hawkweed {Hie- 

 racium pratense), a low-growing plant, somewhat resembling narrow- 

 leaved plantain, but the stems and leaves are hairy. It spreads 

 by underground stems and forms a dense mat, which crowds out 

 most other plants. The flowers are bright yellow, borne on naked, 

 upright stalks 8 to 20 inches high. This weed, along with other 

 closely related species, has already damaged the pastures of New 

 York and New England greatly. It could now be eradicated from 



Fig. 14. — A pasture where weed mowing is practiced. 



the bluegrass region if the farmers would attack it before it is dis- 

 tributed farther. 



Hawkweed may be destroyed by chopping it out with a hoe or 

 mattock. If this method is used, care should be exercised to get all 

 the rootstocks in the upper inch or two of the soil and destroy them. 

 Another method, which seems to be about the best that can be sug- 

 gested at the present time, is to spray the plants on a clear day with a 

 solution of ordinary salt. Three pounds of salt to 1 gallon of water 

 is the proportion that has given the best results. Every patch treated 

 should be inspected occasionally, as it may require two or three spray- 

 ings to entirely kill the hawkweed. If the weed is in small patches, 

 which is the way it usually starts, a man equipped with a knapsack 

 sprayer can cover a large area in a day. The spraying may be done 

 at any time, but it is much easier to find the plant when it is in bloom. 

 The showy yellow flowers are very conspicuous and may be seen and 

 recognized for a considerable distance. 



