WEEDS 177 
erect stem and branches easily reaching a height of two or 
three feet. It is quite leafy, most of the leaves being narrow 
and with even margins. The flower heads are very numer- 
ous but small, greenish white, and not at all showy. The 
flowers are composite, and the seeds have the tuft of hairs 
so typical of many composite flowers. ‘‘ Horse weed ”’ refers 
to the fancied resemblance of the full-grown plant to a 
horse’s tail. It is also called colt’s-tail. 
PROJECTS 
1. Identify the weeds. — Learn the names of the 
common weeds found in your vicinity. The easiest 
way is to let somebody introduce them to you, but 
if your friends do not know them either, you must 
identify them by the help of books, which can be 
done best at the time when they are in bloom. A 
good way to begin is to take a few that you know 
and see how they are classified in the ‘Bird’s Eye 
View” or key, and further described in the pages 
that follow. Taking the dandelion, for example, 
you turn to the ‘“Bird’s Eye View,” compare it 
with the “general types” in the first column, and, 
passing those types with which it does not agree, 
come to “‘light-yellow composite flowers.”” As this 
looks promising, you read the “‘special features”’ in 
the last column and notice that those of the dan- 
delion are the only ones that tally with your speci- 
men. You turn now to “No. 35, Dandelion,” in 
the “Brief Descriptions” and all doubts you may 
have had are removed. 
A little practice of this sort with plants you 
already know should make you so familiar with 
the key and the descriptions and pictures that you can identify others 
without great difficulty. Before going to the book with a new weed, 
observe a good variety of specimens and then select for the examination 
such as are typical and are in blossom. In some cases it is also neces- 
Horse WEED 
