804 



WEE 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



WEI 



flowering-stem is formed ; and as the plants of this kind rise 

 at two seasons, the pasture or grass-fields should be weeded 

 twice in summer, that no seeds may be allowed to ripen. The 

 roots should be fully exposed to the heat and drought; for 

 if in a moist place, they will continue to vegetate on the sur- 

 face as they lie, and strike out side-roots into the ground. 

 All other useless herbage in pastures, and all seed-bearing 

 weeds by the sides of roads, ditches, brooks, and other such 

 places, should also be cut down when they begin to flower. 

 Farmers in general suppose that the scythe will be early 

 enough to cut .them down, but unfortunately their seeds are 

 generally matured and dispersed before mowing-time; and 

 if not, they are carried with the hay to the stall, and mixed 

 with the manure, or into the pasture for fodder during the 

 winter; in both which cases they are sure almost of being 

 planted. Besides, the merely cutting off' rather improves than 

 diminishes their growth, by forcing them to throw out new 

 shoots from their roots more abundantly than before. Thus 

 a Thistle, which rises at first with a single stem, if cut off 

 above the surface of the ground, spreads with several lateral 

 branches, and covers a large space of ground. We have 

 already stated, that the proper method is to draw them up 

 while the soil is moist, as practised by all who regard their 

 interest or credit. It has been judiciously remarked, that 

 the negligence of a neighbour often operates as a discourage- 

 ment: but it is really marvellous that there should be in 

 some districts an almost unanimous encouragement of weeds. 

 In the highways they are left to grow up to maturity, dis- 

 persing their seeds in immense quantities all round, as carried 

 by the winds or the winged tribes. Under these circum- 

 stances, it is evidently of no use for one, or even all the 

 occupiers of ground, to clear their land of weeds, while this 

 principal source of them is overlooked. One would suppose 

 that the extensive mischief arising from such a cause would 

 create a general combination to remove such nuisances ; but 

 as that is seldom the case, would it not, it may be fairly 

 asked, be convenient to incorporate with the duty of sur- 

 veyors, or overlookers of the roads, the duty of rooting up 

 and destroying such weeds within their respective districts? 

 It is worthy of observation, how completely a patch on a 

 common, from which the turf or sward has been pared, will 

 be covered with Thistles in the very next summer, and with 

 its seeds infest the arable fields in the neighbourhood. In 

 some parts of the country, the weeds in the less heavy tillage 

 lands are destroyed, by an entire and perfect summer fallow 

 every third year, which is an effectual but expensive method 

 of proceeding; but on the stionjj loams and other heavy 

 soils, by good hoeing and hand-weeding the drilled or set 

 crops of Beans, Peas, and some other kinds. On the sandy 

 and other light loams, by well hoeing and weeding by hand 

 the crops of Peas, Potatoes, Turnips, and some others. As 

 soon as the Peas or Tares are off" the land, the ground is 

 ploughed and well harrowed, and the root-weeds picked or 

 raked together, and burned or otherwise disposed of, as 

 noticed above; which is generally repeated after the cross- 

 ploughing and harrowing have been performed. The ground 

 being then in a great measure free from root-weeds, the 

 Turnips are sown, and the seed-weeds that may arise are 

 destroyed by repeated hand-hoeing and weeding. This me- 

 thod, when practised once in every three or four years, will 

 keep light land tolerably clear from weeds. But in the 

 event of a hot dry summer, the labour and expense of raking, 

 collecting, picking, and burning the weeds, may not unfre- 

 quently be saved, and the roots destroyed, by only harrow- 

 ing them to the surface after every ploughing ; so as to expose 

 them to the heat of the sun long enough to kill them, which 



a week's time will effectually accomplish ; yet care must be 

 taken that they are quite dead, as they are very tenacious of 

 life, and would be very destructive if they should be removed 

 alive so as to recover. Wherever the depth of the staple or 

 vegetable mould is deep enough to admit of trench-ploughing, 

 it, with the assistance of heavy rolling, will sometimes entirely 

 destroy root-weeds, and often proves more efficacious than 

 any number of ploughings. It is an excellent plan, where it 

 can be executed without turning up a poor barren subsoil. 

 There is, says a sensible writer, what may be termed a public 

 cause of the increase and propagation of weeds, which it is 

 not in the power of any individual to prevent: and this has 

 been slightly alluded to already. This, a slovenly, neglect- 

 ful, or ill-disposed individual, may promote and increase; 

 and it can only be prevented by a political regulation, for 

 which it appears no provision has yet been made in our 

 political code : thus are the numbers of vigorous and luxu- 

 riant weeds, which are suffered to ripen their seeds in our 

 hedges and pastures, woods, and other lands, and the seeds 

 of which being provided with feathery matters, are dispersed 

 over the whole territory of the kingdom, and propagate them- 

 selves far and near, growing in whatever places they alight 

 and settle, and producing a most abundant crop; the most 

 common and pernicious of which are supposed to be differ- 

 ent sorts of Thistles, Coltsfoot, Groundsel, Knapweeds, &c. 

 For as the seeding and scattering of the seeds of these plants 

 is clearly a public nuisance, and as they are subject to spread 

 to a great distance, injuring all lands indiscriminately, they 

 ought certainly to become the subjects of political regulation. 

 This would be the effectual means of saving much labour 

 and expense to the farmer; and it would eventually be a great 

 benefit to the country. While, however, matters continue as 

 they are, weeding should be begun early in the spring, in the 

 meadows and pasture-lands, as well as in the corn-fields; 

 and then it may be concluded, that the present immense 

 crops of mischievous plants would be at least greatly dimi- 

 nished, to the incalculable advantage of the agriculturist. 



Weigflia ; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Mono- 

 gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : perianth superior, 

 of five awl-shaped, erect, equal leaves. Corolla: of one 

 petal, funnel-shaped; tube the length of the calix, internally 

 hairy; border bell-shaped, cloven halfway down into five 

 ovate, obtuse, slightly spreading segments. Stamina: fila- 

 menta five, inserted into the tube, thread-shaped, erect, 

 nearly as long as the corolla ; antherse erect, linear, obtuse, 

 cloven at the base. Pistil: germen superior, quadrangular, 

 abrupt, smooth; style from the base of the germen, thread- 

 shaped, rather longer than the corolla; stigma peltate, flat; 

 fruit not ascertained. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Corolla: 

 funnel-shaped. Style: from the base of the germen. Stigma: 

 peltate. Calix : superior, of five leaves. The species are, 



1. Weigelia Japonica; Sessile-leaved Weigelia. Leaves 

 sessile, ovate-lanceolate ; they are opposite, pointed, copi- 

 ously serrated, rather more than an inch in length, veiny, 

 smooth on both sides, except the veins, which are hairy, 

 paler beneath; flower-stalks axillary, compressed, three- 

 flowered, longer than the leaves, with two awl-shaped bractes 

 at the base of each partial stalk, and two more half way up; 

 flowers about an inch long, and of a reddish purple colour. 

 The stem is shrubby, with opposite branches, slightly quad- 

 rangular when young, but afterwards round and smooth. 

 Native of Japan. 



2. Weigelia Corseensis ; Large-flowered Weigelia. Leaves 

 opposite, stalked, obovate. It is a trailing or i-limbing shrub, 

 with round branches; flower-stalks axillary and terminal, three- 

 flowered, an inch and half long, with awl-shaped bractes; 



