TENDRILS. 



hold). In law, one who holds or possesses 

 lands or tenements by any kind of right, eithe 

 in fee for life, for years, or at will. See LEASE 



TENDRILS. The curling, twining organ 

 of prehension, by which some plants lay hold 

 of others. 



TEN-O'CLOCK. A troublesome perennia 

 plant and weed, with a bulbous, fibrous root 

 difficult to destroy, as it will grow even years 

 after the tops are cut off. Fields must not be 

 ploughed. This foreigner has escaped from 

 the gardens, and has become a grievous nui- 

 sance on many farms. Although it rarely per- 

 fects its fruit, the bulbs are propagated laterally 

 with great rapidity; and are extremely difficul 

 to extirpate. One native species has been 

 found in the United States, on the Rocky 

 Mountains. (Flora Ceslrica.) 



TETHERING. The practice of confining 

 to precise limits or pasturage any kind of 

 stock, by means of light chains or ropes fas- 

 tened to iron pins (with swivel rings) driven 

 into the ground. For the small farmer with 

 indifferent fences, or for gentlemen with limited 

 and ornamental lawns, this practice, which 

 secures shrubs and pleasure-grounds from 

 injury, is obviously often an advantageous 

 system ; and indeed a rich lawn immediately 

 in view of a house is the fittest situation for 

 tethering, as an impoverished field would dis- 

 appoint, and demand a too frequent and there- 

 fore troublesome change of tether. The prac- 

 tice is almost universal throughout France, 

 even in common farms. 



THATCH. Straw, or any other dry vege- 

 table substance, laid on the top of a building, 

 rick, &c., to keep out the wet. 



There are many different sorts of materials 

 that may be made use of as thatch, but the 

 straw of wheat and rye, when well laid, forms 

 the neatest and most secure covering for gene- 

 ral purposes. 



The reed is a highly valuable article for the 

 purpose of thatch, where a lasting roof is re- 

 quired; but is much too expensive at first, 

 although it is cheapest in the end. Reed is 

 also thought to be too stubborn for common 

 purposes. Fern is also occasionally used. 

 See FERN. 



THERMOMETER (Gr.). An instrument for 

 measuring variations of heat or temperature, 

 too well known to need description. See AT- 

 MOSPHERE, CLIMATE, METEonoLoor, &c. See 

 also Table in next column. 



THISTLE. A well-known prickly weed, 

 common in corn-fields and pastures. Where- 

 ever thistles grow naturally it is a sure sign 

 that the land is strong, and of a tolerably good 

 quality ; but they are at the same time a great 

 annoyance to every plant intended to be cul- 

 tivated. 



By an excellent regulation in France, a 

 farmer may sue his neighbour who neglects to 

 thistle his land at the proper seasons, or may 

 employ people to do it at the other's expense : 

 and it were to be wished that a similar law was 

 in force here, to prevent the wide-spreading 

 mischief occasioned by the seeding of this 

 pernicious weed; among which may be reck- 

 oned, besides its choking the young corn, that 

 if wheat in particular be not well thistled, the 

 1034 



THISTLE. 



reapers take up the grip so tenderly, lest they 

 should prick themselves, that, by their loose 

 handling of them, they sometimes leave upon 

 the ground corn enough to sow the whole field. 

 There are no plants over which the economical 

 farmer ought to keep a more watchful eye than. 

 the thistle tribe, as they are not only useless, 

 but occupy much ground, and, being furnished 

 with winged downy seeds, are capable of being 

 multiplied and carried almost to any distance: 

 besides, they do much mischief by impeding 

 the work both in handling hay and corn crops, 

 [t is, of course, a matter of much consequence 

 to be well acquainted with the qualities of each 

 kind, in order to enable us to judge with cer- 

 tainty how far and by what means their de- 

 struction may be effected in the most certain 

 and ready manner. 



There are in England many sorts of thistles, 

 but those which chiefly deserve the attention 

 of the farmer are either of the annual, bien- 

 nial, or perennial kinds. 



The annual species of thistle are the musk- 



hislle (Carduus nufans), the milk-thistle (C. 



marianus), the welted or curled thistle (C. acan- 



hoides), the slender-flowered thistle (C. tenui- 



florus), the common sow-thistle (Sonchus okra- 



