i9i i.] Identification and Eradication of Weeds. 467 



lobed (sometimes lyrate), with a large terminal obovate 

 segment, while the upper leaves may be entire and narrow; 

 the flowers resemble those of charlock in size and form, but 

 the petals vary in colour from white to pale straw yellow or 

 pale lilac, with purplish veins ; the seed-pods are 1-3 ins. long, 

 terminate in a long pointed beak, are cylindrical to flattish or 

 compressed, and are four- to eight- or even twelve-jointed, each 

 joint containing a seed, and commonly breaking off when the 

 pod is ripe (Fig. 2, e). 



Prevention and Remedy. — This weed may be dealt with 

 in identically the same manner as charlock, but it does not 

 yield so readily to spraying in the older stages, and it is 

 essential to spray when the seedlings are in the first rough- 

 leaf stage. 



Note. — In September, 1907, the Board received from 

 Wolverhampton specimens of two cruciferous weeds allied 

 to and resembling white charlock. These were Raphanus 

 micro carpus, Willk., and R. sativus, L., var. oleifer, DC. 

 The former is not very common in this country, while the 

 latter is a rare casual. Some of the plants are very bulky, 

 consisting of as many as twenty stems, while they are from 

 2 to 3 ft. high. As they were growing freely amongst corn, 

 they were sprayed early with strong, pure, copper sulphate 

 solution, which, however, was stated to have no effect on them 

 whatever.* They should be combated by the mechanical 

 means recommended in the case of charlock, as also should 

 all species of wild Brassicas allied to the turnip. 



Shepherd's Purse. 



Shepherd's Purse (Capsella Bursa-Pastoris, DC.) is a well- 

 known and widely distributed annual weed of arable land, 

 and occurs in almost all situations and flowers at almost any 

 season of the year from March to December. It grows well 

 on most soils, but Brenchley found it "frequent" on chalk, 

 clay, and heavy soils, and "occasional" on sand and light 

 loams. Occasionally it occurs in great quantity, and as it 

 grows rapidly and produces seeds and fresh generations 

 throughout the summer months, it may cause much trouble, 

 the seedlings following after one another in rapid succession 

 as they are hoed out. A further objection to the presence of 



* Jour. Bd. Agric, February, 1908. 



