138 PERMANENT AND TEMPORARY PASTURES 



fibres absorbs the available plant-food in the soil, without 

 making a return in wholesome herbage. Consolidation of the 

 turf is unfavourable to its existence, and in grass kept close 

 and firm it is starved out. The seed of Slender Foxtail, 

 sometimes in considerable proportion, is found in low-priced 

 samples of Alopecurus prat ends. 



Knapweed, or Hardheads {Centaurea nigra). — A 

 tough, much-branched perennial, common to many pastures 

 and leys, on both wet and dry soils. Where it is very abun- 

 dant or shows a tendency to spread, the use of ammonia salts 

 and mixed minerals wiU almost banish this weed from grass 

 lands. 



Ragwort (Senecio Jacohcea). — A coarse, perennial weed, 

 allied to the common groundsel, sometimes attaining a 

 height of four feet. It throws up bright golden flower-heads, 

 seeds freely, and is common in the light-soil pastures of many 

 districts. Cattle avoid it, but sheep are said to eat the leaves 

 when young. A single plant wiU spread over a space eighteen 

 inches in diameter. The roots are brittle, and it is futile to 

 attempt to draw them in spring, as every scrap left in the 

 ground will produce a vigorous plant in the following season. 

 Cutting the flower-heads before full development results in the 

 shrinking and hardening of the roots, which are then easily 

 drawn when the soil has been softened by autumnal rains. 



Rib Grass, or Narrow=leaved Plantain {Plantago 

 lanceolata). — A free-seeding, deep-rooting perennial, common 

 to most soils. Its presence among grass is countenanced by 

 some farmers, who have yet to be convinced that other and 

 more nutritious herbage might profitably occupy its place ; 

 on this point comparative analyses leave no room for doubt. 

 Whatever manurial dressings are favourable to the grass crop 

 are prejudicial to Rib Grass. The seed is one of the most 

 frequent impurities of Red Clover, and Perennial Rye Grass 

 often contains a considerable percentage of it. 



