526 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



propose that the thauks of the meeting be given to Lord 

 Berners. (Cheers). 



Mr. Cavendish, M.P., seconded the motion, which 

 was put by Col. Challoner, and carried by acclamation. 



The Chairman siid, when he was elected Presi- 



dent he considered that a very high honour had thereby 

 been conferred upon him, and he rejoiced that his con- 

 duct during his Presidency appeared to have given sa- 

 tisfaction to the members. 

 The meeting then separated. 



WEEDS AND WEEDING. 



My last pai^er chiefly referred to the eradication of 

 weeds from the fallowing lands. This however is but 

 a small pai t of the subject ; and as my aim is to make 

 these papers practically useftil, I do not intend to give 

 any detailed description of the weeds of agriculture 

 further than will suffice to bear upon the question as to 

 the best means t ) insure their extirpation. A simple 

 enumeration of the names of many of thrse worst pests 

 to good cultivation will enable .every experienced far- 

 mer to recognise thrm. It will however be necessary 

 to my purpose to give some slight notice of each speci- 

 men ot these weeds, in connection with such suggestions 

 as may be presented to me, in passing, relative to their 

 habits of growth, injurious tendencies, and modes of 

 destroying them. First, 



The Weeds most commonly infesting Cokn 

 Crops. — They are principally the following (I give 

 their most common names) : The thistle or saw-wort, 

 dock, or curlid dock, carlick or ketlock or charlock, red 

 poppy or canker weed, goldens or corn marigold, corn 

 bind weed, daisy weed or gowans, darnel or di auk, 

 cockle, blue-bottle or knap weed, wild carmt, kecks or 

 hemlock, hariff or cleavers, fat-hen or wild spinage, 

 willow weeil, hog weed or wire grass, sow thistle, wild 

 oat, field scabious, fox-glove, liemp nettle, fumitory, 

 rag wort, wild parsnip, and many others. Tiiesc are 

 the most injurious weeds as growing up with, aud in- 

 terfering in, the progress of the crop. There are many 

 others which are denominated under-weeds : they do 

 not greatly interfere with or impede the growth of the 

 crop itself, but prevent the spreading of the roofs, and 

 do great injury in its early stages. They are not so 

 exhausting to the soil as those of larger growth, but 

 they prevent that free circulation of air and moisture 

 to the roots so essential to a healthy jjlant. They con- 

 sist chiefly of the following sorts : Corn mint, shep- 

 herd's or crowneedle, chickweed or stitchwort, dande- 

 lion or horse-gowan, colt's-foot or clay weed, toadpipe 

 or mare's-tail, twitch or squitch, black grass or slender 

 fox-tail, groundsel or grunsel, earthnut or pignut, 

 buttercup, ass's mart or biting persicary, persicary or 

 pa-sion dock, spurge, borage, louse-weed, rest harrow 

 or wild liquorice, field madder, &c., &c. 



The Thistle, or Saw-avort.— These are in great 

 variety, and common everywhere. It is almost im- 

 possible to efTect their destruction in the early stages of 

 growth. In corn crops they must be kept down by 

 hoeing and spudding; but on grass lands it is better to 

 permit them to attain a size sufficiently strong for the 

 nippers to draw them up, or the spud to cut them be- 

 low their crown. In some cases it may even be de- 



sirable to let them produce seed ; but before it is shed 

 the whole should bo mown and carried ofF the field. 

 Many fields have been in dry seasons thus cleared. 



The Dock or Curled Dock. — This is a very hardy 

 and injurious weed, to be found everywhere. Its roots 

 are extremely tenacious of life, and it sheds a vast pro- 

 •luce of seed, which are so hardy that after becoming 

 food for birds they are deposited all over the farm for 

 future growth. Hoeing and s])udding may retard their 

 progress, but nothing is effectual but drawing them up 

 and carrying them off the field, or burning — nearly 

 every particle of root will grow. 



Charlock, or Ketlock. — These arc great pests, 

 and ought to be constantly attended to, or the field will 

 soon become yellow with their flower. The weeding 

 and drawing must be continuous, none should be left 

 to ripen their seeds — even where they most abound this 

 must be prevented. With judgment, patience, and 

 perseverance they may be got rid of. No soil will 

 yield two good seed crops- Topping is a very partial 

 palliative : they come as thick as ever next season. It 

 is almoft a hopeless task to exterminate them from 

 poor soils, where they so thickly propagate ; but it 

 must be done before these can be profitably farmed ; 

 they must be resolutely dealt with. 



Poppy, Red Poppy, Canker Weed. — Light 

 soils and lands well pulverized are most subject to 

 this pest of the field. They abound generally in hot 

 seasons, with occasional showers — " poppy years." 

 The rapidity of their growth is surprising, and they 

 often make their appearance when the crop is in an 

 advanced stnge, which makes their extermination dif- 

 ficult. Hence poppy extirpators are of only partial 

 service. Hoeing deeply, and very careful hand-weed- 

 ing, is the best course to pursue in this case. 



Goldens, or Corn Marigold. — These infest 

 many upland soils and inferior clays very injuriously, 

 and are with great difficulty kept under. Early hoeing 

 and constant weeding is the chief resource to keep down 

 a weed of this kind, for its growth might be called suc- 

 cessional. 



Corn bind Weed. — This is of the class called 

 climbers, and most seriously affects the crop where it is 

 heavy and laid, actually fastening it close to the 

 ground. Its roots penetrate the soil very deeply, and 

 its seed is hardy and yielding. It abounds in clayey 

 loams, and is one of those weeds whose seeds injure the 

 samples of corn. It requires more than ordinary at- 

 tention to expel it from the farm. Hedgerows abound 

 with it. It creeps almost unseen along the surface- 

 drains and roadways, and the seeds are carried over the 



