Cultivation of Arable Land. Wheat. Coltsfoot in. *9 



grafs, the tall oat grafs, &c.* The roots of thefe different gralTes are not unfre- 

 quently in fuch lands as have been exhaufled and worn out by improper tillage, 

 fo interwoven with the foil, and in fo matted a condition, as to obftruct the pro- 

 grefs of the plough. They are found to be mod abundant in the lighter and more 

 mixed kinds of foil. Weeds of thefe kinds are only capable of being completely 

 removed and deftroyed by having them drawn out, while the land is under fal 

 low, by means of heavy harrows constructed for the purpofe, with a greater 

 number of teeth, or tines, than is neceffary for thofe of the common fort, and 

 placed fo as to incline more forward. When brought into heaps in this way, 

 they may either be confumed by fire, or reduced into a compoft, by the incor 

 porating of lime, in its unflaked or moll cauftic (late, with them, and afterwards 

 adding dung, or rich mould, in a fuitable proportion. The latter is by much the 

 mod economical method when lime can be readily procured, and is not at. 

 tended with much trouble, as fuch compofts may be formed in the corners or 

 other parts of the fields where the weeds are produced. The ufual method of 

 picking out the roots by hand labour, which is termed couching, is not only tedi 

 ous and expenfive, but feldom effectually performed. The well-known property 

 of thefe roots to propagate and encourage different forts of grubs, worms, or 

 other infects, affords a ftrong inducement to effect the dedruction of fuch root 

 weeds by every poflible means, efpecially where wheat crops are to be grown. 



Befides thefe weeds, there are others that are equally hurtful to wheat crops 

 in lands that have not undergone a proper preparation by tillage, and are rather 

 ilrongand moid, fuch as the corn crow foot, the tare, &c.| In grounds where 

 the latter predominates, care mould conftantly be taken to deftroy it, by reducing 

 them into a (rate of fine tilth before the wheat is put in. 



Coltsfoot + is a weed that, in foils of the moid and rather heavy kinds that 

 have been confiderably exhaufted by tillage, is liable to become troublefome 

 and of great difad vantage to the wheat crops. As this weed begins to fhevv its 

 flower rewards February and : March, and foon afterwards ripens its feeds it 

 fhould not by any means be neglected at fuch periods, as from the levity of 

 them, and their downy nature, they are quickly conveyed to. a diftance, by which 

 means they foon eftablifh themfelves in different places. Repeated ploughing 

 during the fummer feafon, by rendering the foil light and mellow, may render 



* Theagrostii, the triticum repens, the holcus mollis, and the avcna clalior of botanical authors, 

 t The ranunculus arrf nsis and croamtet rasper narn of botanists. 

 J The tvffilagofarfara of writers ou botany. 



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