GRAVESEND. 377 



Crows, Krakor, Magpies, Skator, &c, up in the 

 branches of the trees to frighten away their comrades 

 from coming thither either to scathe the trees or the 

 crops. From these suspended, half-rotted, and stinking 

 birds it was not difficult to know at a distance when 

 some cherry orchard was in the neighbourhood. All 

 through this time of the year whole boatloads of cherries 

 of many sorts are carried from Gravesend * to London. 



[T. II., p. 12.] The 8th July, 1748. 



Akrar. Many of the arable fields which were lying 

 fallow were so full of quickens, qvickrot, 105, that it was 

 esteemed a pity. I never saw any ditch in all the arable 

 fields which were in the neighbourhood around Gravesend, 

 or thereabouts, no water-furrows, no acre-reins. The 

 lowest places were commonly sown with Barley, Gum- 

 rik, which commonly had 12 to 13 grains in each row. 



The colour of the soil also in among the ploughed fields 

 was a flesh colour ; the mould very loose, with enough 

 small round and flat flintstones and bits of chalk among 

 it. In some places it could be plainly seen that ditches 

 were needed, because the water had stood there and 

 formed boggy ground, stannat OCh. syrts, so that the 

 wheat was very thin. In many places the fallow fields 

 had not yet been ploughed since the crop reaped on 

 them was carried, but they lay entirely overgrown with 

 weeds. 



Vau.f 439 Dyers' Weed, Weld. [Reseda Luteola] 



* The Cherry orchards have long disappeared from the neighbourhood of 

 Gravesend. 1890. Q. L.] 



■(■Vau. Dan. Vau, Vouvre ; Ger. Wau. — Miiller Dan. Deuts. Wurteri. 

 1800; Dut. Wouw; Eng. 'Weld, a kind of herb whose stalk and root is in 

 great use for dying the bright and yellow lemon colour.' — Bailey, Eng. 

 Die. 1730. 15th Ed. 1753 ; Fr. Gaude. Botan. Reseda Luteola, Dyer's Weed. 

 • Keseda Lut. yields ' Weld' a yellow dye.' — Hooker Stud. Flor. 870. p. 41. 



