74 Of W e e d s. Chap. VII. 



it with their naufeous Scent and Relifh, as Melilot, 

 wild Garlick, &c. 



Weeds ilarve the fown Plants, by robbing them 

 of their Provifion of Food (a) 9 not of their Room 

 (asfome Authors vainly imagine) ; which will appear 

 by the following Experiment. 



Let three Beds of the fame Soil, equal, and equally 

 prepared, be fown with the fame Sort of Corn. Let 

 the firft of thefe Beds be kept clean from Weeds: In 

 the Second, let a Quantity of Weeds grow along with 

 the Corn ; and in the Third, ilick up a Quantity of 

 dead Sticks, greater in Bulk than the Weeds. 



It will be found, that the Produce of the Corn in 

 the Firft will not exceed that of the Third Bed •, but 

 in the Second, where the Weeds are, the Corn will 

 be diminiuYd in Proportion to the Quantity of Weeds 

 amongft it. 



The Sticks, having done no Injury to the Corn, 

 fhew there was room enough in the Bed for Company 

 to lodge, would they forbear to eat •> or elfe (like 

 Travellers in Spain) bring their Provifion with them 

 to their Inn, or ( which would be the fame thing) if 

 Weeds could find there fame Difh fo difagreeable to 

 the Palate of the Corn, and agreeable to their own, 

 that they might feed on it without robbing ; and then 

 they would be as innocent as the Sticks, which take 

 up the fame Room with the Weeds. 



The Quantity of Ncunfhment Weeds rob the 

 Corn of, is not in Proportion only to their Number 

 and Bulk, but to the Degrees of Heat in their Con- 



(a) A Tree of any Sort will fpoii Corn all round it, in a large 

 Circle ; half an Acre of Turneps has been fpoil'd by one : Here- 

 by 'tis plain, that Trees rob as Weeds ; becaufe 'tis not by their 

 Shadow, there being as much Damage done by them on the South- 

 Side, where their Shadow never comes, as on their North-Side: 

 Nor can it be bv their dropping; for 'tis the fame on the Side where 

 a Tree has no Boughs to drop over the Plants, when they are 

 alfo at a very great Diftance from all Parts cf the Tree, except 

 its Pvoots. 



ftitution 3 



