The Story-Book of the Fields 



tidying our walks, and everything has disap- 

 peared ; the ground is clear — at any rate we 

 think so. It is a mistake : in a few days 

 the weeds have reappeared more flourishing 

 than ever, and the reason for this is evident. 

 By raking we have cut down all the stalks, 

 and the wounds have produced adventitious 

 shoots, so that instead of destroying the 

 weeds we have multiplied them. The only 

 way to clear the ground is to pull them up. 

 That makes an end of everything. 



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