LAMB'S QUARTERS— PIGWEED 37 



a twentieth of an inch in diameter. Generally a dark gray covering 



almost entirely envelops the seed, leaving a shiny black spot, un- 

 covered, in the center. Immature seeds are reddish brown. The 

 young plants are often used for "greens." 



Flowering continues from June until autumn, and the seeds 

 ripen from the latter part of July until the plant is killed by frost. 

 The plant thrives best in rich soil, being common in cultivated fields 

 and gardens throughout the State. The seed is found mingled with 

 that of grass and clover, and with all cereals. 



Eradication. — Lamb's quarters is not a persistent weed, but it 

 spreads rapidly because of its heavy seeding propensity. Avoid 

 sowing the seed. Crop rotations and clean cultivation will hold it 

 in check. 



Where fields are badly infested with seeds, it will be wise to 

 disc the land immediately after the crop is off tc cover the seeds. 

 The plants resulting from early germination may be destroyed by 

 plowing later in the fall. Frequent cultivation of the seed bed before 

 sowing the grain crop will aid in exterminating the weeds. If the 

 weeds should start thickly in the grain, they can be destroyed by 

 harrowing it when three to four inches high without injuring the grain 

 materially. In cultivated crops, late plants should be watched and 

 destroyed before the seed ripens. 



Pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.) 



Other common names. : — Red root, rough pigweed, green amaran- 

 thus, Chinaman's greens. 



Description. — Pigweed is an annual weed which grows from a 

 well-formed and fairly deep rooted tap root The root is generally 

 red, which gives this plant its name "red root." The plant grows 

 from one to three feet high and is branched, the branches coming 

 obliquely from the stem. Stem and leaves are rough. The leaves 

 are long stalked. The flowers are very inconspicuous and are formed 

 in the angle formed by the stem and leaf stalk. The seeds are oval, 

 small, black, and shiny. Pigweed does most injury by crowding out 

 crop plants. It flowers from July to September, but usually ripens 

 its seeds during August or before. The seeds occur in those of almost 

 all other crops, particularly clover, alfalfa, timothy, and grass, but 

 are not difficult to remove by means of cleaning machinery The 

 weed occurs in all parts of the State and thrives in all kinds of soil, 

 but prefers a rich loam. It is common in gardens and waste places. 



Eradication. — Prevent pigweed from going to seed, and avoid 

 sowing the seed in grain and grass seeds. Frequent and thorough 

 cultivation of the seed bed before sowing the seed will check growth 



