56 



THE INDIANA WEED HOOK. 



and then often spring up where clean seed wheat has been sown, 

 giving rise to a common belief among farmers that wheat turns 

 to cheat. Needless to say, the two are very distinct grasses and 

 each comes always from its own seed. Remedies: preventing the 

 seed from ripening by pulling or mowing the cheat ; sowing clean 

 seed of wheat, oats or other cereal ; cultivation with hoed crops. 



The downy brome-grass or slender chess {B. tectorum L.) oc- 

 curs in the northern part of the State, and is liable to become a 

 bad weed. It may be known by its weak stem and somewhat one- 

 sided downy panicles. The lower empty scale is but 1-nerved 

 whereas in cheat it is 3-nerved. Remedies the same. 



9. Agropyron repens L. Couch-grass. Quack-grass. Dog-grass. Devil's- 

 grass. (P. I. 1.) 



Stems several, 1-3 feet tall, from a long jointed running rootstock ; 

 sheaths smooth ; leaves flat, rough above. Spike 2-8 inches long, not 

 branched ; spikelets in 2 rows. 3-7 flowered, the scales glabrous, acute 

 or short-awned. Seeds slender, f inch long, 5-7 nerved and short-awned 

 at tip. (Fig. 24.) 



A perennial grass, sometimes cut for hay but in most places 

 a vicious weed, occurring in grain fields, spreading by its large, 



strong creeping rootstocks and 

 crowding out the grain. June- 

 Sept. The rootstocks run just be- 

 neath the surface and are so strong 

 and unyielding that they have been 

 known to push their way through a 

 potato. Remedies: {a) in culti- 

 vated fields, shallow plowing in 

 early autumn, then li arrowing to 

 work the rootstocks free from the 

 soil, followed by raking and burn- 

 ing, or if too wet, throwing them 

 into heaps and allowing them to rot. 

 A second and deeper plowing, har- 

 rowing and raking will often be 

 necessary to thoroughly remove the 

 deeper growing stocks. Such fall 

 plowing, followed by thorough cul- 

 tivation the next season, will usually 

 clean out the weed. (b) Shallow 

 plowing and harrowing in hot dry weather, (c) Plowing under 



Fig. 24. (After Vasey.) 



