-CORNBIND. 



23 



The " Rumex acetosella," or Sheep's sorrel," is less than 

 the common sorrel by half. Root creeping, perennial. 

 Flowers dioecous ; valves grainless. Leaves lanceolate, 

 hastate. 



The presence of any plant of the dock tribe on arable or 

 pasture lands, shows a moisture which requires draining to 

 carry it away, and the appearance of the sorrels indicates a 

 sourness which requires the application of calcareous matters 

 to remove it. And in case of all permanently rooted plants, 

 deep and clear ploughings are again recommended for the 

 purpose of eradicating them. 



The " Dock " ripens an abundance of seeds, which are shed 

 round the parent, not having the means of being dispersed 

 to any great distance. The seeds are very tenacious of life, 

 and nothing but burning is a sure destruction of them. The 

 roots are equally tenacious, and require to be removed from 

 the field on being pulled up. The roots send forth new shoots 

 from almost any depth. 



17. The " Cornbind weed," or the "Convolvulus arvensis" 

 of botany, is found occasionally growing among wheat, and 

 twining round the stalks of corn. The plant belongs to the 

 class and order "Pentandria monogynia" of Linneus, and 

 the natural order " Convolvulacese" of Jussieu. 



Generic characier. — Calyx : perianth five-cleft. Corolla : 

 monopetalous, bell-shaped, or funnel-shaped, plaited ; border 

 generally spreading, more or less five-lobed. Stamina : 

 filaments five, awl-shaped, shorter than the corolla, approxi- 

 mating at the base. Pistil : germen superior, roundish ; style 

 filiform ; stigma simple or bifid. Pericarp : capsule sur- 

 rounded by the calyx, roundish, one, two, three, or four-celled ; 

 one, two, three, four, or many-valved. Seeds one or two 

 in each cell. 



Essential character. — Calyx five-cleft. Corolla bell or 

 funnel-shaped; stigmas one or two. Pericarp: a capsule or 

 dry berry. Seeds one or two in each cell. 



The calyx is often called " five-leaved," when it is very 

 deeply "five-cleft." 



The common field bind-weed is a native of Biitain and 



