AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 185 



FALSE FLAX, OR GOLD OF PLEASURE. 



Camelina sativa, (Crantz.) 



This weed may be known by the following description : Pod 

 pear shaped, pointed, swollen, flattish parallel to the broad par- 

 tition that divides the pod into two cells ; valves with one nerve. 

 Seeds numerous, oblong and some larger than a flax-seed. Flower, 

 small, yellow. The plant is an annual, has lance shaped, or arrow 

 shaped leaves and a large margined pod. Introduced from Europe 

 where, it is used somewhat for the oil contained in the seeds, 

 known as Oil of Pleasure. The stem yields a fibre sometimes 

 used for making sacks, rough paper and brooms. We call attehtion 

 to this weed as it has appeared in the State and though perhaps not 

 so bad as the black mustard, yet it belongs to the same family and 

 has the same habits and if allowed to spread will add one more 

 annoyance to the farmer. Below we copy a letter, regarding this 

 weed that appeared in the Maine Farmer, which may be interesting : 



Mr. Gilbert, Dear Sir : — I enclose a weed taken from a field of 

 oats on the farm of Lincoln Sprague in South Presque Isle. The 

 field consists of about two acres sown with oats raised by himself. 

 One-half of the piece was sown with a quantity of Bradley's 

 superphosphate. On the half sown with the phosphate the oats 

 are full of the weed, while on the other half the weed is not to be 

 found. It is a new weed in this section. Please tell me the 

 name of the weed? 1 would like to know at the same time if 

 foul seed is one of the ingredients used in manufacturing super- 

 phosphate ? Yours very respectfully, 



Presque Isle, July 27. 



H. H. COOK. 



[Will Prof. Harvey examine and report to Maine Farmer?^ 



Z. A. GILBERT. 



Z. A. Gilbert, Dear Sir:— The weed which you enclose for 

 determination belongs to the mustard family (Cruciferae) and is 

 known to botanists as Camelina sativa, Crantz. The common 

 name is False Flax or Gold of Pleasure. The name Wild Flax is 

 in allusion to the fact that it is a weed in flax fields and was sup- 

 posed by the ignorant to be degenerate flax. The plant has been 



