Haymaking, Arable Lands. 535 



rendered much less fit for acting on the soil of the field, than 

 it was when newly taken from the kiln ; and the carbon of the 

 dung, or organised matter in the heap, is rendered insoluble 

 in water, and consequently unfit for being taken up by the 

 roots of plants. A reading farmer who forms such composts, 

 has read to very little purpose. 



The best tract of cultivated arable lands appeared to us to 

 lie between Penrith and Longtown, and the worst between 

 Chester and the Mersey. In the latter tract were many fields 

 with crooked ridges, and many pastures overgrown with 

 rushes: and the hedges and roadsides were covered with 

 large thistles and other rampant weeds. Some fields between 

 Liverpool and Preston, were nearly as bad ; and, to give 

 an idea of the state of intelligence among the farmers there, 

 we may add, that a landlord told us that he had repeatedly 

 remonstrated with his tenants as to the rushes, but they 

 replied, that the cows preferred rushy fields ; and refused to 

 eradicate them. In but few parts have we found the corn 

 crops sufficiently clear of weeds, and certainly not so much so 

 in Cheshire and Lancashire as they generally are about Lon- 

 don, in the Lothians, and in Northumberland. The charlock 

 and wild radish are almost every where nmch more abundant 

 than we expected to find them, and it will be difficult to get 

 rid of the quantity of seeds of these weeds which must be 

 already in the soil, otherwise than by a long course of drill 

 culture both for root and herbage and for corn crops. It 

 was many years ago suggested in the Edinburgh farmer's 

 Magazine, that it would be a good thing for parishes to take 

 cognisance of the weeds that grow on the sides of the public 

 roads, and to eradicate them at the common expense. If 

 parish, county, and national roads were subjected to the 

 system of management which we have suggested (p. 522.), the 

 superintendence of the sides of these roads, together with the 

 fences and the trees, would be included in the system. This 

 is the case in several states on the Continent ; and in Flan- 

 ders, in particular, the authorities order not only the weeds 

 by the roadsides and on public lands to be cut down, but 

 also the leaves of the trees which are infested by caterpillars 

 to be cut off, by the process known there by the French term 

 echcnillcr. If individuals neglect to do these duties at the 

 proper seasons, the parishes do them, and charge the indi- 

 viduals with the expense ; and if the parishes neglect them, 

 the districts do it, and charge the parishes. It is clear, at all 

 events, that it would be for the general good in Britain to 

 prevent all troublesome weeds from running to seed, especially 

 such as thistles, docks, ragwort, cow parsnep, hemlock, &c. 



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