WEEDS. 



WEEVILS. 



The underling weeds, above mentioned, flou- 

 rish and prosper under this state of the land, 

 brought on by either cause. The remedy is 

 therefore obvious, viz., rest, or a clear-out sum- 

 mer fallow ; and if in the first mentioned case 

 (which is to be met with in deep fen land and 

 in old garden mould), apply a dressing of lime, 

 and sow down with the superior pasture-grasses 

 and clovers, to remain for not less than five 

 years. In the latter case, or when the fertility 

 of the soil is worn out by injudicious cropping, 

 and a niggardly supply of manure, joined to 

 the naturally thin and poor staple of the soil, 

 then a full application of manure, or marl and 

 manure, the latter consisting as much as pos- 

 sible of cow-dung, should be given, and the 

 land sown down with the superior permanent 

 pasture-grasses suited to the soil, with a due 

 admixture of clover. 



5. Pasture Weeds. Some fanners seem to 

 suppose that if they keep the weeds subdued 

 in the growing crops, they have performed 

 wonders (and too many have reason to con- 

 gratulate themselves if they do this), while all 

 kinds of nuisances in the shape of weeds dis- 

 figure and overrun their pastures. But this- 

 tles, milkweed, everlasting, John's-wort, sweet 

 elder, &c., flourish undisturbed, and fill the 

 earth with seeds or roots in readiness to spread 

 and grow whenever the earth is moved for 

 their reception. Any plant not wanted oo a 

 farm, or not required in course of cultivation, 

 should never be allowed to perfect its seeds on 

 any part of it ; if they are, the farmer will 

 find, to his sorrow, that he has suffered an ene- 

 my to steal a march upon him, one which it 

 may require much time and labour to subdue. 

 Allow, then, nothing to go to seed on your farm 

 you do not mean to cultivate; dig them up root 

 and branch, or, i this is not practicable, take 

 your scythe and cut them at once. 



The following weeds are more frequently 

 found to infest dry, sandy pastures, and calca- 

 reous soils, than loamy or damp grass lands. 

 Dwarf-thistle (Carduus acaulis), common camo- 

 mile (jSnthemis no6i7i's), ox-eye daisy (Chrysan- 

 themum leucanthemum), great fleabane,or plough- 

 man's spikenard (Conyza squarrosa), cheese 

 refining, or yellow ladies' bedstraw (Galium 

 rerum), longrooted hawk-weed, wild thyme 

 (Thymus serpyllum), sheep's sorrel (Rumex Ace- 

 tosella), knot-grass, or snake-weed (Polygonum 

 aviculare), yellow rattle (Rhinanthus cristagalli), 

 "common Carline thistle (Carlina vulgaris). 



Where these are found to prevail to a great 

 extent, there is no remedy like breaking up the 

 land and taking a course of crops, for pallia- 

 tive remedies are of little avail. The this- 

 tles, sheep's sorrel, and knot-grass, are the 

 most formidable. Hand-weeding, when the 

 weeds are confined to local spots, and are only 

 just beginning to spread generally over the 

 soil, will be found effectual ; but when once 

 the pasture becomes generally infected with 

 the seeds and roots of these plants, no time 

 should be lost in using the plough, harrow, and 

 horse-hoe, and a judicious course of cleansing 

 crops, before returning the land again to perma- 

 nent pasture. 



The pasture weeds which generally prevail 

 in loamy soils, and such as are prevalent in 



clayey and damp soils, are principally as fol- 

 lows : yellow goat's beard (Tragopogon praten- 

 sis), marsh, or red thistle (Carduus palustris^ 

 melancholy plume-thistle (Cncius hetercphyllus), 

 meadow plume-thistle (Carduus pratensis), 

 common butter-bur (Tussilago Petasites}, rag- 

 wort (Senecio'Jacobcea'), common daisy (Bcllis 

 perennis), black knap-weed, or matfellow (Cen- 

 taurea m'gra), broadleaved dock (Rumex obtusi~ 

 folius) ; several species of orchis, common 

 cow parsnip, or hog-weed (Heradeum Sphondy- 

 lium), and sedge (Carex). 



The means to be adopted for the extirpation 

 of these noxious weeds in pastures must be 

 regulated by the nature of the soil and the 

 comparative prevalence of the weeds. In good 

 pasture land, where, from accident or neglect, 

 these weeds, in part or wholly, have insinuated 

 themselves, hand-weeding may most advan- 

 tageously be had recourse to ; and particularly 

 for the larger weeds, such as thistles, rag-weed, 

 docks, and knapweed, it will be found the best 

 temporary remedy. Should the coarseness of 

 the pasture have been occasioned by too fre- 

 quent haying, then depasturing closely for two 

 or three years, with a good top-dressing of dung 

 compost applied in the early part of the spring 

 or late in the autumn, with strict attention to 

 hand-weeding, will be found effectual to reco- 

 ver the pasture and extirpate the weeds. Fre- 

 quent top-dressings are of the greatest use in 

 effecting the above improvements on deterio- 

 rated thin pasture lands, as regards the destruc- 

 tion of weeds, as well as of improving the 

 quality of the pasture. When the sedges, 

 marsh-thistle, pestilent wort, &c., prevail in 

 meadows, then recourse must be had to other 

 means than that of hand-weeding, viz., drain- 

 ing, paring and burning, liming, and a judi- 

 cious rotation of crops under the horse-hoe 

 husbandry, until every vestige of the seeds and 

 roots of these noxious weeds disappear. The 

 ground may then be laid down to permanent 

 pasture, with the seeds of the most valuable 

 species adapted to the soil, and, where water 

 can be commanded, converted to water mea- 

 dow, by which the value of the land will be 

 considerably increased. (Holdich's Weeds; 

 Pitt's Essays on Weeds.) See CANADA THISTLE, 

 CHARLOCK, COUCH, &c., &c. 



WEEVILS. In the winged state, the insects 

 thus called are hard-shelled beetles, which, 

 says Dr. Harris, are distinguished from other 

 insects by having the forepart of the head pro- 

 longed into a broad muzzle or a longer and 

 more slender snout, in the end of which the 

 opening of the mouth and the small horny 

 jaws are placed. The flies and moths produced 

 from certain young insects, called weevils by 

 mistake, do not possess these characters, and 

 their larvae or young differ essentially from, 

 those of the true weevils. The latter belong to 

 a group called Rhynchophoridce, literally, snout- 

 bearers. 



Among insects of this class is the Pales 

 weevil, Curculio (Hylobius') Pales. See PL 16, 6. 

 This is a beetle of a deep chestnut-brown co- 

 lour, having a line and a few dots of a yellow- 

 ish-white colour on the thorax, and many small 

 yellowish white spots sprinkled over the wing- 

 covers. All the thighs are toothed beneath, 

 5A2 1109 



