506 COMPOSITAE (COMPOSITE FAMILY) 
Achenes minutely hairy on the ridges with a long, silky, white 
pappus, by which the wind is able to distribute them very 
widely. (Fig. 351.) 
Means of control 
Prevent seed production by every means possible. Sheep graz- 
ing; frequent and persistent hoe-cutting while young; cultivation 
of the ground; even hand-pulling for small areas. Being annual, 
the weed must succumb if not permitted to reproduce itself. 
STINKING WILLIE 
Senécio Jacobaéa, L. 
Other English names: Common Ragwort, Tansy Ragwort, Stagger- 
wort, St. Jameswort, Cankerweed, Baughlan. 
Introduced. Perennial. Propagates by seeds and by rootstocks. 
Time of bloom: June to November. 
Seed-time: July to December. 
Range: Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and 
uci locally in Ontario, Maine, southern New York, and New 
ersey. 
Habitat: Fields, meadows, pastures, roadsides, and waste places. 
The range.of this coarse and dangerous weed is not at present 
very extensive, and every effort should be made to prevent its 
further dissemination. When eaten by cattle it causes a fatal 
disease of the liver (Hepatic cirrhosis), locally known as Pictou 
Disease, which for many years was supposed to be contagious be- 
cause of the fact that whole herds were often affected at the same 
time. But long investigation and a series of careful experiments 
made under the direction of the Veterinary Director General of the 
Dominion of Canada have proved that this weed is the cause of 
the trouble. The Molteno Cattle Disease of South Africa is simi- 
lar and is due to the same cause. When green, the whole plant 
emits a most disagreeable, fetid odor, and is disliked by grazing 
animals; but when dried in hay it is freely eaten by all kinds of 
stock and is then a serious danger. Plants that are harvested and 
cured just before coming into bloom are said to be at their most 
noxious stage. (Fig. 352.) : 
