154 What is a Weed? 



of the haycrop gives it a chance to master the 

 fields. 



The difficulty of determining the precise capacity 

 for mischief of many weeds is increased when they 

 or their berries are poisonous. Only experience 

 can determine how many white bryony berries or 

 laburnum seeds it will take to kill a child, or how 

 much meadow saffron or woody nightshade a cow ; 

 and there are grave objections to collecting a large 

 body of evidence. In many cases the only safe 

 plan is to refuse to give a plant the benefit of the 

 doubt, and either to eradicate it, if that can be done, 

 or to keep young children or farm- stock away from 

 it at the season when it is tempting. 



