*ii Mr. William Pitt on the 



The creeping red stalked bent grass fAgrostis stoloniferaj, and the creeping 

 soft grass f Helens mollisj, are commons quitch grasses on strong or cold wet 

 lands ; the tall oat grass (Avena elatiorj, is a very common squitch grass, on the 

 light gravelly soils of this neighbourhood ; its roots are composed of a bunch of 

 bulbs, affording shelter to pernicious grubs, worms, and insects ; it is difficult of 

 eradication, and very pernicious to a crop, particularly in wet seasons. 



These grasses, though so troublesome and injurious on arable land, are yet, 

 probably, good meadow grasses, where their roots are not so liable to run as on 

 arable land, loosened, broken, and pulverised by tillage. 



With regard to their destruction on arable land, it can only be effected by giving 

 an early and complete spring and summer fallow, by repeated ploughings in hot 

 weather, with sufficient harrowings between each ploughing to work out the squitch 

 and bring it to the top ; and unless the summer prove dry for some length of time, 

 even this will be insufficient, in which case many active industrious farmers have it 

 forked together by hand and burnt ; others carry it in heaps to rot ; and I have 

 known it mixed with quick lime, which is to be commended : it should, however, 

 be observed, that the great increase of the roots of these grasses is occasioned by 

 hard tillage, or bad management, and often by both. 



7. Wild oat, hover (Avena fatua), common on hard tilled land, and when 

 abundant, very unsightly and injurious to a crop. Dr. Anderson observes, that this 

 plant abounds so much in the corn fields in most parts of Aberdeenshire, as in many 

 cases to constitute nearly one half of the bear crop (bear is the six rowed barley, 

 Hordeiim hejrastichon^ which is much grown in Scotland); it may be destroyed by 

 the turnip culture, or by well managed early fallowing; and prevented by short 

 tillages, and frequent seeding down to grass. It never occurs, I believe, in any 

 considerable quantity, where there is good systematic management, and due atten- 

 tion to clean seed : the awns are used for hygrometers, and the seeds instead of 

 artificial flies, in fishing for trout. Withering, and Flora Riistica. 



8. White darnel ( Lolium temulenttim), often found in a wheat crop, but I be- 

 lieve always produced from seed sown with the wheat, to prevent which, great 

 attention should be paid to clean seed, and particularly that it contain none of this 

 piatit, it being extremely prolific, very injurious to a crop when growing, and to its 

 value at market : it is an annual plant, which I never recollect to have seen grow, 

 except in a crop, and very rarely there without neglect in management ; the seeds 



