1908.] 



Yellow Rattle. 



117 



while it is also believed by some people to impart a bad taste 

 to the butter made from the milk of cows grazing in fields where 

 it occurs. 



Henslow writes* of Yellow Rattle : " If the seeds are ground 

 up with the corn they impart a violet-brown colour to the flour. 

 This is due to a property called Rhinanthine. It is not known 

 whether this principle has really poisonous properties or not ; 

 but if so it is probably only after prolonged usage." 



Soil and Situation. — The weed is generally regarded as a 

 weed of poor meadow land ; well drained, closely grazed and 

 well cared for rich pastures and meadows seldom being infested. 

 Mr. J. P. Sheldon wrote in 1907! that an abundant growth of 

 Yellow Rattle " appears to be promoted by a prevalent low 

 temperature in the period when grass in meadows is — or ought 

 to be — a little past the middle of its growth. In a warm and 

 ' growing ' state of weather at this period all meadows worth 

 their salt fill up with bottom grass, and the Yellow Rattle is 

 not seen. Curiously enough, this weed is seldom if ever seen 

 on permanent pasture land." 



Thaer says J that well-drained pastures seldom suffer, but 

 chiefly poor pastures by streams which are fed more by 

 stagnant water than by drainage waters. 



The Board last year received specimens from Willingdon in 

 Sussex, where the weed was over-running land on chalk under 

 down grass. 



Remedial Measures. — The general character of Yellow Rattle 

 is such as to render it a very undesirable invader of grass land, 

 and immediate measures should be adopted to eradicate it. 

 One of the first methods which suggests itself is to mow the 

 weed early before the seeds are ripened, and this is probably 

 the best method of getting rid of it. Where land is intended 

 for hay this mowing must take place early. It has been clearly 

 shown that early mowing for two years in succession, so 

 preventing seeding, has been followed by entirely satisfactory 

 results. 



Stock do not appear to like the plant, but close grazing with 

 sheep seems to be useful. Thaer recommends depasturing with 



* Poisonous Plants in Field and Garden, Rev. Professor G. Henslow, p. 139. 



t Ag. Gazette, July 8th, 1907. 



X Landwirtschaftlichz Unkraitter, p. 56. 



