38 



Corn Cockle. 



[APRIL, 



Raspberries commenced to flower May 24th, were in full 

 flower on June 3rd, and finished flowering about July 6th. 

 Picking began on July 14th. The crop was not good, much 

 being spoilt by excess of rain and deficiency of sunshine. 



CORN COCKLE. 



(Agrostemma Githago, L. = Lychnis Githago, Scop, et 

 Lam. = Githago segetum, Desf.) 



Description. — A weed of cornfields which is of consider- 

 able importance to the farmer is that known as Corn Cockle, 

 Corn Campion, or Purple Cockle, and also as Bastard 

 Nigella, and Wild Savager. It occurs on sandy, loamy, or 

 clay soils, and is a common weed. Fream says its presence 

 indicates a poor soil or neglect in cultivation. 



Corn cockle (see Fig.) is a handsome, erect plant, 2 to 4 feet 

 in height, and covered with smooth white hairs. The straight 

 leaves are up to 5 inches long, narrowly lanceolate, and 

 placed opposite one another in pairs on the stem. The large 

 pale purple or violet-red flowers, ij to 2 inches in diameter, 

 are borne singly on long stalks which spring from the axils 

 of the leaves; they open from June to August. The large 

 petals are five in number, and the corresponding sepals are 

 green, narrow, and very long, extending much beyond the 

 petals. 



The fruit (1) may be described as a one-celled capsule open- 

 ing at the top by means of five teeth. This seed capsule con- 

 tains from 20 to 40 seeds, and Perseke states that from 1,000 

 to 2,000 seeds have been counted on a single plant, while 

 Nobbe quotes as many as 2,590. The seeds (2) and (3) are 

 rough, black or dark brown, and irregularly spherical, and 

 owing to their comparatively large size (3 mm. or one-tenth 

 of an inch, or even more, in length) they are not easily sifted 

 from wheat. Winton describes them as " globular-kidney- 

 shaped, resembling a rolled-up caterpillar." 



The seeds are odourless, but bitter to the taste when 

 chewed, and their weight averages 8 milligrams (Cornevin). 

 When ground up with wheat they discolour the flour, and 

 are stated to give a greyish tint, disagreeable odour, and 



