238 Mr. William Pitt on the 



sitical plant, often climbing up beans and other garden plants, bsrdy, and extremely 

 prolific in seeds, of which one plant will sometimes produce many haidreds; if the 

 ground be meant to be kept clean of this plant the seeds should never be suffered to 

 shed : the seeds contain a fine white flour, and are good for pigeons, poultry, and 

 small birds. 



12. Spurge devil's milk (FAipborbia) chiefly I believe the sun spurge ( Euphorbia 

 belioscopaj, an annual plant, not very troublesome, nor difficult of eradication, yet 

 not uncommon in gardens, where I believe it would soon become extinct, if atten> 

 tion were paid to root it out before its seeds were scattered. 



13. Red dead nettle, or dee nettle fLamium piirpureumj, called an annual plant 

 by Linnaeus, and a perennial by Hudson ; common in our gardens, and flowering 

 early, and a greater part of the year ; the growth doubdess principally from seeds, 

 which therefore should not be suffered to shed. Withering observes that the young 

 leaves may be eaten as a pot herb, but I believe they seldom or never are in this 

 country. 



14. Henbit fLamium ainplexicaulej, an annual garden weed, which should be 

 weeded out before its seed are perfected. 



15. Nettle hemp (Galeopsis tetrahiij, a luxuriant and disagreeable garden weed, 

 which should be rooted out in time. * 



16. Garden sow thistle fCoiicbus oleraceus), common, and of luxuriant growth. 

 The seeds of this plant should never be suffered to shed in any situation, for being 

 furnished with feathers, they fly over a country with the wind, and vegetate on the 

 first loose or cultivated ground they setde on. The plant will pay for drawing out 

 of a garden, being a favourite food with rabbits and hogs : the leaves are good 

 amongst other pot herbs. Withering. 



1 7. Fumitory fFumaria o^cinalisj ; common but not very injurious ; an annual 

 plant, which may be destroyed by preventing its seeding. Hoffman prefers the 

 expressed juice of this plant to all other medicines, as a sweetener of the blood ; 

 the dose is two or three ounces ; an infusion of the leaves is used as a cosmetic, to 

 remove freckles, and clear the skin. Withering. 



18. Common thistle (Serratula arvensisj ; seeds numerous, and furnished with 

 feathers to fly any distance before the wind, on which account they are liable to 

 grow in gardens, though ever so much pains may have been used in their eradica- 

 tion, which when the case, they should be drawn up by the roots in moist weather 

 with long.'-, for they cannot be handled. The suffering of the seeds of this, and many 



