Extirpation of Weeds. 255 



other effect than that of rooting about the clods, and prevents the general effect of 

 consolidation and fermentation. The suffering of weeds to spread their leaves a 

 litde between the several ploughings of a fallow is not injurious ; care, however, 

 must be taken not to carry this idea too far, particularly in the case of squitch 

 grasses, or so as to suffer any of the quick growing weeds to ripen their seed, or 

 the luxuriant ones to become too large for l)urying with the plough. 



If a fallow for turnips be cross ploughed and harrowed down in March, it will 

 generally lie very well to the beginning of May ; and in general no fallow will 

 want ploughing oftener than once in six weeks, if sufficient harrowings be given 

 between the ploughings ; the particular time most proper for these operations must, 

 however, be determined not by any general rule, but by local circumstances, expe- 

 rience and observation. 



The list here given of arable weeds may perhaps appear long, and the evils at- 

 tending them, as well as the pains and labour necessary in their extirpation, may 

 appear formidable to those who have not experienced or considered the subject: 

 there is, however, no exaggeration in the account, and in the case of unimproved 

 or ill managed land the statement here made will apply in its whole extent; where 

 lands are already improved, and have been for some length of time under gogd sys- 

 tematic management, the business is in part performed, and the evil much lessened; 

 in such land, and in all other, every rotation and course of cropping ought to ren- 

 der the land cleaner and freer from weeds, which it will certainly do in a judicious 

 system with due attention: the means to be used are generally, 1. Complete and 

 well managed fallows, when fallows are necessary or proper : 2. Manures free from 

 the seeds or quick roots of weeds : 3. A careful choice of clean seed : 4. Short til- 

 lages, i. e. not taking too many crops in rotation : 5. Attentive weeding and a spi^ 

 rited use of the hoe, in which view the drill husbandry doubtless affords superior 

 advantages to broad-cast, in keeping land clean from weeds; but land must be well 

 cleaned before the drill husbandry is applicable : 6. A plentiful use of the clean 

 seeds of the best grasses and trefoils at the end of the tillage : 7. Weeding the land 

 when at grass, so as not to suffer the seeds of any injurious plants to spread them- 

 selves: 8. Upon again breaking up the land to pursue such a system of cropping 

 as will not increase or encourage weeds. 



Upon these subjects much might be said, but I think it unnecessary, as the intel- 

 ligent farmer will eaily supply himself with every precaution necessary from his own 



