490 



WEE 



WEE 



sap. Others overtop them, and 

 shut out the direct influence of the 

 sun, and further oppress them with 

 their unwholesome dripping on 

 them. And there are still others, 

 the dodder in particular, which 

 draw their nourishment directly 

 out of the bodies of plants, by strik- 

 ing their fibres into them, and cause 

 them to languish. 



So that, on the whole, the mis- 

 chiefs done by weeds are so great 

 and many, that when they are suf- 

 fered to grow unmolested among 

 useful plants, whatever culture has 

 been given to the soil to prepare it 

 for a crop is thrown away ; and the 

 seeds that are sown are entirely 

 wasted and lost. 



Weeds may be divided as plants 

 in general are, into annuals and pe- 

 rennials ; or, as Mr. Dixson has 

 done it. into those which are propa- 

 gated by the seed, and those that are 

 propogated by the root. But 1 shall 

 pursue a method which is different 

 from both, and which better suits 

 my present inclination: And only 

 consider those weeds in a general 

 way, which chiefly infest our lands 

 that are in tillage, and those that 

 prevail in our grass land ; and how 

 to prevent the existence, or preva- 

 lence of these kinds ; and the best 

 methods of preventing, subduing 

 and destroying them. 



1. As to those which infest land 

 that is employed in tillage, and 

 which are very numerous, there 

 are several ways to prevent their 

 existence in fields; at least, to pre- 

 vent their arising in such plenty as 

 to be very troublesome or detri- 

 mental to the crops. 



The first thing that I would in- 



sist upon is, that no seeds of weeds 

 should, by any means, be carried 

 into the fields. And that this evil 

 may be avoided, no dung nor com- 

 post, should be laid upon the soil, 

 until it has undergone such fermen- 

 tations in heaps, as to allow oppor- 

 tunity to destroy the vegetative 

 quality of all the seeds that are 

 contained in it. Therefore all 

 dunghills intended for the manur- 

 ing of sowed fields, should be shov- 

 eled over two or three times in a 

 summer; by means of which, most 

 or all of the seeds contained i;) the 

 heaps will vegetate, and be destroy- 

 ed. But when land is laid down 

 for grass, this precaution is not 

 necessary : Because tillage weeds 

 will not flourish in grass lands ; at 

 least not so much as to do any 

 great damage. 



But when there is a necessity of 

 using new dung, which abounds 

 with the seeds of weeds, on land 

 to be continued in tillage, let it, 

 if possible, be applied only to a 

 hoed crop, in the tilling of which, 

 the weeds will be destroyed as fast 

 as they rise, during the summer. 



Or, if low ground hay has been 

 used by itself, in feeding the young 

 part of the stock (as indeed it 

 ought always to be) let the dung 

 that is made of that be laid on the 

 driest parts of the farm. There 

 will be no danger in laying it on 

 while it is new ; for if the seeds 

 sprout and come up, they will 

 not prosper, as the soil does not 

 suit their nature, being mostly aqua- 

 tics. 



As to other manures, such as 

 marie, mud, ashes, lime, soot, sea 

 weeds, &;c. these having no seeds 



