64 
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA—EXPERIMENT STATION 
Coast Dandelion ( Hypochacris radicata). —Has taken thousands of acres of 
pasture lands on the immediate coast. Remedy, grow grain for several years 
and prevent going to seed. Summer fallowing. Lawns and waste places 
of Berkeley. 
Star Thistle, Napa Thistle, Tocalote ( Centaurea sp.). —Common weeds in 
grain fields. Interferring with harvesting. Lessens the yield. Remedy, 
sow clean grain—prevent seed production. Hand pull where not too abund¬ 
ant. Change to intertilled crop where possible. Clean summer fallow. 
Bermuda Grass ( Cynodon dactylon). —A persistent grass, troublesome chiefly 
in orchards. Portions of the plant separated in cultivation easily root 
and produce new plants. Spreads rapidly. Remedy, repeated shallow plow¬ 
ing so as to expose roots to sun and frost. Sow the land to a crop which 
will produce dense shade which it dislikes, e.g., cowpeas. 
Sour Clover ( Melilotus indica). —A valuable cover crop and at the same time 
a plant which causes great money loss to the wheat grower. A few seeds 
in a sack of wheat will taint the whole sack and make the flour unsalable. 
Remedy, being an annual, control by not allowing to go to seed. Thorough 
cleaing of grain at harvesting. Extremely abundant in California. 
Wild Radish ( Eaphanus raphanistrum') . —Particularly abundant in the coast 
region in oat fields. Looks like a mustard, except that the flowers are 
white or very pale yellow with purple veins, and the pods are constricted 
between the seeds. Remedy, try to stimulate seeds to germinate by culti¬ 
vation and destroy young plants before seeding down to grain. Hand 
pull before seeding. Treatment with iron sulphate not quite so successful 
as with the mustards. Eaten by sheep and goats. 
Mayweed or Dog Fennel ( Anthemis cotula). —Roadsides, fields, vacant lots, 
grain fields, and pastures. Not eaten by stock, hence allowed to multiply 
and take up space where useful forage plants should be growing. Remedy, 
as it is an annual, persistent prevention of seed production will eradicate 
it. In grain fields, in some soils, the seedlings might be harrowed out in 
spring. Ill-smelling foliage, white daisy-like flowers. 
Milk Thistle ( Silybum marianum) . —Recognized by its flecks of white on large 
prickly green leaves. Most abundant in the Bay region, but extending 
north to Mendocino and south to Los Angeles. Troublesome mostly in 
pastures, vacant lots, roadsides. Ordinance against it in Alameda County. 
Remedy, spud below the ground when the plants are young in February. 
An hour’s work at this time will save five later on. Prevent the plants 
going to seed. Plow and put into a cultivated crop. Stock do not care 
for it and so patches in pasture keep getting larger. 
Nut Grass ( Cyperus rotundus). — A sedge resembling a grass which bears little 
tubers on its roots the size of the kernels of a hazel nut. Propagates both 
by seeds and by these nutlets. Troublesome only when it gets into orchards. 
The tubers withstand almost any degree of drought. Remedy, cut the 
stems so as to starve the roots and tubers. Plowing and cultivating seems 
only to give the weed renewed vigor. Hogs are very fond of it and 
will root for the ground nuts. 
Plantain or Buckhorn ( Plantago Lanceolata). —In lawns and waste places 
but especially troublesome in coast pastures. It has a strong perennial 
tap root which penetrates the soil for a foot or more, making it drought 
