A YEAR IN THE FIELDS 



known to start up on the site of an old farm 

 building, when it had not been seen in that 

 locality for thirty years. I have been told 

 that a farmer, somewhere in New England, 

 in digging a well came at a great depth 

 upon sand like that of the seashore ; it was 

 thrown out, and in due time there sprang 

 from it a marine plant. I have never seen 

 earth taken from so great a depth that it 

 would not before the end of the season be 

 clothed with a crop of weeds. Weeds are 

 so full of expedients, and the one engross- 

 ing purpose with them is to multiply. The 

 wild onion multiplies at both ends, at the 

 top by seed, and at the bottom by offshoots. 

 Toad-flax travels under ground and above 

 ground. Never allow a seed to ripen, and 

 yet it will cover your field. Cut off the 

 head of the wild carrot, and in a week or 

 two there are five heads in room of this 

 one ; cut off these, and by fall there are ten 

 looking defiance at you from the same root. 

 Plant corn in August, and it will go forward 

 with its preparations as if it had the whole 

 season before it. Not so with the weeds ; 

 they have learned better. If amaranth, 

 or abutilon, or burdock gets a late start, 

 it makes great haste to develop its seed ; 

 138 



