WEEDS AND THEIR ERADICATION 



223 



be distinguished at quite a distance on account of its distinct yellowish 

 cast. 



Dodder seed is very difficult to remove from clover and alfalfa seed. 



Eradication. — The first step in the control of dodder is to sow clean 

 seed. Clover and alfalfa seed should be carefully examined for the pest 

 before it is sown. 



When a field is badly infested the crop should be plowed under before 

 the seeds form. Dodder seed, plowed 

 under, may remain in the soil for seven or 

 eight years and then germinate. After 

 plowing, plant a cultivated crop for a year 

 or two; as the weed is an annual, it yields 

 readily to cultivation. 



When dodder occurs in small patches 

 it may be successfully eradicated by dig- 

 ging up the infested areas. To avoid scat- 

 tering the seed, dry and burn the plants 

 on the spot. 



The dried plants may be burned by 

 covering them with straw or shavings 

 soaked with kerosene. After the first 

 burning, stir the surface with a rake, then 

 burn over for the second time, so as to de- 

 stroy any seed that may have matured and 

 fallen to the ground. 



After a patch has been dug up, burned 

 and re-seeded, it will be well to watch for 

 stray plants which may come. If such 

 plants appear, destroy them before flower- 

 ing time. 



When dodder seed is allowed to 

 mature in clover or alfalfa hay it should not be removed from the field, 

 but should be dried and burned. 



Weed sprays are sometimes recommended for killing dodder in clover 

 and alfalfa. The spraying should be done before or at blooming time in 

 order to prevent the seed formation. A twenty per cent solution of iron 

 sulphate is found effective on alfalfa fields. The spray will kill the parasite 

 and apparently destroy the crop, but a new growth of alfalfa will spring 

 from the roots as soon as the plant is relieved of the pest. 



Buckhorn. — Buckhorn is a perennial of European origin. The weed 

 propagates by seed, which matures any time from May to November. 

 The plant has a short, thick root-stem which enables it to exist over winter. 

 Buckhorn leaves are long and slender, borne in rosette-like clusters at the 

 surface of the ground. The plant does not produce stems as other weeds 



' Courtesy of The Pennsylvania Fanner. 



BUCKHORN OB NaBROW-LEAVED 



Plantain (Plantago lanceolata). 1 

 B — Two times natural size of seeds. 



