WEE 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



WEE 



803 



and grow amongst the crop : hence the root-weeds are to be 

 destroyed in dry weather, and the seedling ones after rain : 

 and though the land should, after a dry season, be apparently 

 in excellent order for sowing, it will be better to wait the 

 effect of rain, and even give time for the seedling weeds to 

 vegetate, before the seed for the crop be actually sown. 

 From this it is suggested, that the destruction of root-weeds 

 and those of the seedling sort, on corn-land, must be effected 

 upon different principles : the former by working them out 

 of the soil in dry weather only; the latter by pulverizing and 

 reducing the particles of the soil so as to cause the seed to 

 germinate, and appear fully after rain, in order to plough 

 under the young plants : also that frequent ploughings and 

 harrowings are necessary to expose all the seedlings lurking 

 in the soil to the powers of vegetation. It is however con- 

 ceived, that the ploughings and harrowings of fallow ground 

 should, not immediately succeed each other: time should be 

 given for the consolidation of the soil, which after well har- 

 rowing will undergo a slight fermentation, and settle as it 

 were into a mass, after which it will turn up mellow, and 

 the weeds may bi- rapidly redestroyed. It has always been 

 observed, that when ploughing of a fallow succeeds another 

 too rapidly, it has no effect in destroying the weeds. They 

 should be suffered to spread their leaves a little between the 

 ploughings, taking care not to let them proceed too far, so 

 as to ripen their seeds, or to become too large for the plough 

 to bury them. From this view of the subject, it appears that 

 if a fallow for Turnips be cross-ploughed and harrowed down 

 in the month of March, it will generally lie very well till the 

 beginning of May ; and that in general no fallow will want 

 ploughing oftener in such intention than once in six weeks, 

 if sufficient harrowings be given between the ploughings. 

 The particular time most proper for these operations must, 

 no doubt, be determined, not by any general rule, but by 

 local circumstances, experience, and observation. Whenever 

 lands have not been properly improved, weeding will be very 

 expensive : but where lands have been well rnanagtd for a 

 length of time, the evil will be lessened ; because in such 

 cases, as well as in all others, every course of cropping should 

 render the land cleaner; and that will always follow where 

 the business is properly conducted. The means necessary 

 to be used, are these: Complete and well-managed fallows, 

 as already detailed, when fallows are proper or necessary ; 

 the use of such manures only as are frt :: from the quick-roots 

 or seeds of weeds; the careful choice of such seed-grain as 

 is clean ; the practice of short tillages, or not taking too 

 many crops in rotation; the practice of attentive weeding, 

 and an active use of the hoe ; and the plentiful use of clean 

 seeds of the best grasses and trefoils at the end of the tillage ; 

 the weeding of the land when in or at grass, so as not (o 

 allow the seeds of any injurious plants to spread themselves ; 

 and when the land is again broken up, to pursue such a plan 

 of cropping as will tend most to discourage the growth of 

 weeds. Much misiht be said upon each of these points, but 

 our limits will only allow us to submit a few particulars to 

 the notice and adoption of the intelligent farmer. Of fallows 

 we have treated above : and proceed therefore to other topics. 

 Fold-yard manure should always undergo a fermentation 

 before it is laid upon the land, to destroy the vegetative 

 powers of any latent seeds which it may contain ; it ought 

 therefore to be kept as free as possible in the first instance 

 from the seeds of weeds, and seems best adapted to grass- 

 land, applying only lime and other clean manures to fallows : 

 or if fresh dung must be laid on them, it should be applied 

 eo early as to allow the seeds to vegetate, and spend them- 

 selves before sowing for the crop. If corn-seed be suspected 

 VOL. n. 133. 



of containing weeds, they should, whenever it is possible, he 

 dressed out before the sowing. In some places weeding is 

 but imperfectly performed, on account of the difficulty of 

 procuring sufficient hands for such a temporary work. This- 

 tles are in general only cut off, but they should always be 

 drawn up by tongs or other suitable tools;, and the other 

 weeds by the hand. The hoe has hitherto been generally 

 used in Turnip-crops only, nor is it likely to extend further, 

 until the drill husbandry becomes more established ; as much 

 however should be done in all these ways as circumstances 

 will allow. Although the importance of clean seed is well 

 understood in laying down lands to grass, yet the seeds of 

 Docks are not unfrequently sold with Clover, and those of 

 other pernicious plants with Ray-grass. Docks or Thistles 

 should never be mown or cut off, but rooted up with what 

 are called docking-irons, consisting simply of a forked or 

 clefted spike of iron, which is jagged within the cleft, and 

 fixed to the end of a wooden lever, which being forced down 

 by the hand or foot so as to enclose the root of a Dock or 

 large Thistle, these it will easily bring up, especially after 

 rain. Upon breaking up a turf for sward, unless a Wheat 

 fallow or Turnip crop compose a part of the tillage, the land 

 will be injured, and rendered fouler and more liable to pro- 

 duce weeds : this good practice is too often relinquished for 

 the sake of present profit, under the delusive idea of cleansing 

 the land again next tillage. It is however well ascertained, 

 that land well cleaned by former good management will best 

 bear this deviation ; for the fewer weeds it lias at breaking 

 up, the less will be the increase of them during the tillage or 

 after-culture of the soil. It is not enough to attend to weed- 

 ing in the time of tillage-culture only: it is proper that grass 

 fields and lands should be rid of all noxious or unprofitable 

 herbage. The negligence prevailing in some districts with 

 respect to tiiis necessary practice, is disgraceful. Pastures 

 and grass-lands are sometimes so closely covered with large 

 weeds, that the animals turned into feed have hardly room to 

 pick up a mouthful; while the vegetable food, which should 

 nourish good pasture, is absorbed by weeds. It is not un- 

 common even with those who pretend to pay extraordinary 

 attention to their pastures and grass-lands, to cut down such 

 plants as Dock, Ragweed, Bur, Corn and Sow Thistles, 

 while in flower, which, if done in a rainy time, especially as 

 their vivacious roots extend below the reach of the plough 

 when the land is in tillage, the water descending into the 

 fresh-cut wound of the stem, debilitates the roots, and de- 

 stroys the growth of the plants for a time, though they are 

 seldom wholly destroyed thereby; but when such rains do 

 not occur, fresh leaves immediately arise to support the 

 roots, and the cutting has little or no effect. They should 

 consequently be pulled up by the roots annually, as soon as 

 possible after the flower begins to form and shew itself, 

 taking advantage of the first shower which happens to fall 

 to soften the ground, and make them draw up more freely. 

 This practice, steadily pursued for a number of years, would 

 cause the deeply fixed perennial roots to weaken and decay. 

 Nor is cutting down the Ragweed of much avail ; some of 

 the plants die, but many survive to branch out more luxu- 

 riantly in the year ensuing; but this plant is easily pulled up 

 when in flower, especially when the ground is soft, as it is 

 not deep-rooted. The Bur-Thistle may be killed at any time 

 by cutting it under the first leaves : but the Common Dock 

 is the most troublesome plant in grass-land, especially in 

 clayey soils, where it is always most frequent. Every piece 

 of its long tap-root left in the ground will grow, and form a 

 now stem and plant. It should be entirely turned out with 

 the dock-iron, in the manner already noticed, as soon as the 

 9S 



