44j A TOPOGRAPHICAL 



The weeds common in grass-land which should be extirpated, 

 are, 1. docks, (rumex); to be destroyed only by perseverance in 

 rooting up ; 2. thistles, (the carduus lanceolatus, palustris, and 

 pratensis, are called boar thistles, from their roughness) ; these, 

 with the creeping thistle, (serratula arvensis), should be cut off close, 

 or rooted up ; 3. knapweed, (centaurea nigra and scabiosa), should 

 be rooted up, being useless and unsightly ; 4. goose tansy, silver 

 weed, or feathered cinquefoil, (potentilla anserina], refused by cattle, 

 and a mark of surface-water and want of shallow draining ; 5. 

 rushes, (juncus], where permanent, a general indication of under- 

 water and want of deep drainage ; 6. red rattle or louse wort, 

 (pedicularis sylvatica), another indication of want of drainage, and 

 a sure mark that the land is unfit for sheep, which soon become 

 scabby and unsound where this plant abounds ; 7. ramsons, (allium 

 ursinum), common near streams, and give a garlic flavour to the 

 milk of cows that eat it ; 8. dog's mercury, (mercurialis perennis), 

 common on the hedge banks of moist land, and said by Dr. Withering 

 to be noxious to sheep and deleterious to man ; 9. common nettle, 

 (urtica dioica), common on rich land in patches, but should be rooted 

 out ; and, 10. sedges, (carex), on moist land, and to be extirpated 

 by draining and top-dressing. 



Care should be taken always to sow clean seed. The following 

 are often sown with the seed, and will, in that case, abundantly in- 

 crease : 1. white darnel, (lolium temulentum) ; 2. eriff or goose 

 grass, (galium Jparine) ; 3. beggar's needle, (scandix pecteri) ; 

 4. bearbind, (polygonum convolvulus} ; 5. cockle, (agrostemma 

 githago] ; and some of those above-named. Summer fallowing, 

 and well-managed hoe crops, with attention and industry, are the 

 means of destroying all weeds. 



Weeding, For extirpating weeds, the drill husbandry is to be 

 highly recommended. It gives a good opportunity of working be- 

 tween the rows of grain, and particularly of pulse, beans, and pease, 

 and thereby keeping the crops clear. In broad-cast sowing, thistles 

 which cannot be handled should be drawn up with tongs, and grasses 

 and other weeds by hand. Turnips are cleaned first by the hoe, 

 and if any weeds remain they should be drawn by hand, and not 

 suffered to shed their seed. 



Every good farmer will root up the docks, and the ranker thistles, 

 which infest his pastures, which may be done by a docking-iron when 

 the ground is moist after rain ; if they are only mown, it checks 

 but not destroys them. Other luxuriant weeds, as knapweeds and 



