WEEDS OF AGRICULTURE. 331 



This weed produces an abundance of seed, which attracts 

 the smaller birds, as well as pheasants and partridges, which 

 are fond of the seeds. It is execrated by farmers under the 

 names of black-bent, black-grass, spear-grass, &.c. It is 

 most prevalent in poor soils, or rather such as are reduced 

 to poverty by hard injudicious cropping. Although an 

 annual, yet it is most difficult to extirpate, for it sends up 

 flowering- stalks during the summer and autumn ; cutting it 

 down, therefore, previous to the time of its flowering, or of 

 ripening the seed, — an effectual remedy for most annual 

 weeds, — is not of avail with this. It can bear to be 

 repeatedly cut down in one season, without suffering essen- 

 tially by the process. 



It has already been remarked, that the appearance of 

 black-bent among wheat, is a certain sign that the crop will 

 be light and worthless. It rises on poor loamy gravels, that 

 have been sown when in too wet a state : and it is remark- 

 able that it only appears on strong clays which have been 

 sown when too dry. It is seldom seen where a superior style 

 of farmingis carried on : and this, which is always most pro- 

 fitable to the farmer, will be found the best remedy for re- 

 moving, as it will be the best preventive of its intrusion. 



GREAT ROUND-HEADED GARLIC {alliatn ampelo- 

 prasum ). 



This is a most noxious deep-rooting weed, in some of the 

 deep clayey loams of England. The stem and head of the 

 plant is reaped with the corn, and if also threshed together, 

 the rank and disagreeable scent of the garlic is conveyed to 

 the grain, rendering it almost unsaleable. The roots lie far 

 below the range of the plough-share, and are therefore difficult 

 to extirpate by the ordinary processes of fallowing. Luckily 

 this wild garlic is but locally distributed, and by no means 

 a generally prevailing weed. 



