The Somerset reporter., 1901-05-23
A PerniciOus Weed.

Mr.. Hiram X. Morrill, of Gardiner,
formerly of the "Gardner Home
Journal" contributes to the columns of
the Maine Farmer a valuable article,
sounding the alarm in regard to pestif-
erous weed, "King's Devil" that has
recently made its appearance In Maine
and advises that the Agricultural Depart
ment of the State be authorized TO take
Immediate and vigorous measures for its
determination.
Mr.. Morrill, found this weed growing
in West Gardiner, Litchtleld and Oak
land in 1895, in Chelsea and at Togus
later, and on his own premises in the
city of Gardiner, last year. He thus de-
scribes the weed:
"a single stalk with several yellow
! blossoms close together on the top of the
stalk, and no leaves on the stalk and
pale green leaves lying close TO the
ground and largest at the outer end. 1t
will live, thrive and grow anywhere.
One noticeable feature is that the heads,
before opening, are dark, and look al
most black at a distance. "Praealtum"
means livery high or lofty" 1t Is so
named because it has habit OF keeping
its stalk as high or higher than the grass
or weeds around 1t. 1t does not intend
to take any back seat or hide its light
under bushel. If one knows the
orange hawk weed, | should tell him
that king-Devil Ito use Brtton's English
name) is nearly like that, but is bright,
light lemon yellow. The leaves all lie
| ha hn
along under the ground and sends up a
new lot of leaves, just as witchgrass
does or as strawberries do, except the
strawberry runs on the ground. There
are several flowers (not quite as large as
the orange hawkweed) all clustered to-
gether, and the clusters looks some like
the single blossom of fall dandelion
which around here Is generally very
enormously called "Arnica." The plant
spreads very fast from this root ana had
the plant no other way of spreading
itself, it would soon crowd out all
others.e
Britton's Botany, published In 1878,
gives the following description
"Hieracium Praealtum (VILL.) King
Devil.-Stoloniferou or stolons want
ing; stem glabrous, or somewhat hispid,
glaucous, slender, one and one-half to
three feet high, hearing one to three
leaves near the base. Basal leaves tuft-
ed, narrowly oblong, lanceolate, OF
spatulate, entire, obtuse or acute at the
apex, narrowed below into margined
petioles; hirsute with stiff hairs, two to
four inches long, three to seven-twelfths
inches wide; heads several or numerous,
corymbose, four to six-twelfths broad
peduncles mostly short pilose and
granular; involucre about three.
twelfths inches high, its bracts linear,
acute or acueminate, pilose and some
what glandular, intoxicated in about two
series; flowers yellow; achenes oblong,
truncate; pappas row of slender,
brownish bristles. In fields, meadows
and along woodsides, in north central
New York, locally, troublesome weed,
naturalized from Europe"
MIR. Morrill, SAYS: II doubt il it can
be extirpated. 1t blossoms before hay
ing and from three to five days are
sufficient to set the seeds flying. 1t
blooms again in the fall The most
effectual way that | can conceive of
killing it is to NOW it before it fully
! blossoms, and dry and burn the hay on
the ground where it lies, then turn it
under thoroughly. In small lots | pick
the flowers and dig up the roots, put
salt on and burn them. This last is
eiiectual, for it will kill the King Devil
and everything else. But it would be
expensive on large field.