Garden Weeds 



367 



lie fresh for indefinite periods, until brought, 

 by digging or otherwise, within the proper 

 depth of covering requisite for promoting 

 the vivifying influences of light, air, and 

 moisture. Hence the impropriety of the too 

 prevalent practice of digging down weeds 

 that are in full seed, and of throwing them 

 into the manure or compost heap. True, in 

 economically kept gardens no weeds should 

 ever be allowed to perfect their seeds ; but 

 herein sound theory is seldom backed by 

 practice ; and w^here weeds have run to seed 

 they should, before the ground is dug, be 

 cleared off and burnt, the ground surface 

 smooth-raked, and allowed to lie for a few 

 days, till any seeds which may have been 

 shed are sprouted. We are aware that many 

 disapprove of burning seeded weeds, pre- 

 ferring, for manurial purposes, to throw them 

 into a heap, where they will quickly waste by 

 heating or fermentation ; but it is astonishing 

 how few seeds are actually destroyed by this 

 process ; and few who will take the trouble to 

 satisfy themselves of its inefficacy, by actual 

 experiment, will afterwards stop short of burn- 

 ing their seeded weeds. Or if these are dis- 

 posed of in the compost-heap, among waste 

 leaves and garden haulm, such compost should 

 never be laid on the ground till all the seeds 

 contained in it have been brought to vegetate 

 by the often-repeated turning of its whole mass. 

 Annual weeds have been affected in a some- 

 what unusual manner by the peculiarities of 

 the present season. In spring an unusual 

 quantity of their seeds vegetated, and the 

 young plants were stimulated into exuberant 

 growth by a rather unusual excess of rain, 

 while the dry weather that followed allowed 

 of their being easily destroyed before the 

 maturation of their seeds. Then the long 

 continuance of drought which followed was 

 adverse to the further brairding of those seeds 

 which had been ripened and deposited in 

 former years, while it ensured the early destruc- 

 tion of any which did appear; and more 

 recently while the growth of these have been 

 further induced by occasional showers ; inter- 

 vening short tracts of drought have accom- 

 plished their destruction wherever the hoe was 

 passed through them. And at the present 



advanced period, many kinds now brairding, 

 even if allowed to grow unchecked, will not 

 have time to ripen their seeds ; others, how- 

 ever, may, and it will be safe policy to keep 

 the hoe going whenever the weather is suitable. 

 Some may feel inclined to ask, why not re- 

 commend the rake as well as the hoe? We 

 have certainly no objection to the rake when- 

 ever its employment does not involve an un- 

 necessary waste of time ; but an hour with 

 the hoe, say in the morning of a sunny day, 

 when Aveedsare just brairding, will be of more 

 service, and that without disfiguring the 

 ground surface, than a day at the hoe and the 

 rake, when they have begun to seed, and wet 

 weather may have set in. Insects have this 

 season been unusually abundant upon weeds. 

 Green fly on groundsel has been so prevalent 

 over wide districts that the young plants 

 appeared as if quite crumpled up, and such as 

 did flower only produced small weakly stems, 

 and very little seed. The panicles of the 

 all-prevailing annual meadow-grass is much 

 infested with a small brownish aphis, but we 

 cannot perceive much injury which it has 

 done either to the foliage or seeds ; and the 

 shepherd's purse is in many places much 

 infected, as well as injured by mildew. 



Perennial garden weeds have no place in 

 well-kept gardens, but in those that are 

 slovenly managed bishop-weed may be found 

 in the hedges, dandelions in the strawberry 

 breaks; couch, and other creeping-rooted 

 grasses in the edgings ; nettles among the 

 roots of raspberry bushes, or in the perennial 

 herb ground ; and the white-flowered bind- 

 weed (Convolvulus sepium) anywhere except 

 where it should be ; and that according to a 

 recognised authority, is in a flower-pot, and 

 hung in the air. These may all be got rid of 

 by carefully grubbing up and picking out the 

 roots, watching diligently for any left rem- 

 nants, and removing them on their first ap- 

 pearance. Spreading-rooted perennials are, 

 in general indifferent producers of seed, and 

 as perennial seedlings do not develop them- 

 selves nearly so rapidly as annuals, they are 

 when young, easily destroyed. Even seedling 

 dandelions are no exception to this rule, for 

 they will quickly perish if merely hoed when 



