356 



Destruction of Charlock. 



was made on a bright, dry, and cairn day. At this centre the 

 operation was a decided success. The second test was at 

 Stainton, on a showery day, and of all the centres this was 

 one of the least successful. At Wressle, where the third trial 

 was made, the weather was not only wet, but very windy, and 

 it was found that the spray was blown by the wind against 

 the rows of corn, which acted as a shelter to the charlock 

 growing between them, and this, combined with the wet 

 weather, brought about a result scarcely more successful 

 than that at Stainton. In the subsequent sprayings,which were 

 discontinued until the weather had improved, the experience 

 was uniform, viz., that charlock or runch sprayed with a 

 proper amount of material, before, during, or immediately 

 after wet weather, to a large extent escaped destruction, the 

 same being the case when the weather was windy. 



With regard to the question of the age of the charlock, a 

 number of tests had been arranged, but the weather was 

 unfortunately unfavourable. One was made at the proper 

 time, and, in this case, the charlock plants were just getting 

 into rough leaf and the rows of barley were about 3 inches 

 high. The result was that where the solutions were put on 

 in proper quantity the effect on the charlock was to reduce 

 the leaves to a black cinder, from which few recovered. The 

 results of spraying fully-grown charlock varied according to 

 the strength of the solution ; in all cases when the 

 weather was suitable the leaves were killed, but the flowers 

 and stems were only partially destroyed. If the charlock is 

 sprayed after the stems and flowers are formed, though the 

 leaves are destroyed, the stems and flowers retain sufficient 

 vitality to form seeds, the number of which is, however, much 

 less than in the case of a plant in its normal condition. 

 Spraying strong well -grown charlock produces a stunted 

 growth, and enables the corn, it good, to gain the mastery 

 of it. 



On account of the probable danger of destroying the corn 

 and the young seeds, rather weak solutions were at first 

 applied. Later, however, these were strengthened in the 

 case of sulphate of iron to 12, 14 and 16 per cent., and it was 

 quite apparent on the one hand that solutions of greater 



