WEEDS. 3 



in a single year. The best known specimens of this 

 class (the annual weeds) are the Common Groundsel, 

 Chickweed, Wild Mustard (Charlock), Cleavers, &c. 



Nothing is more surprising than the length of time 

 the seeds of some of the above will remain dormant 

 in the soil, until, in the course of events, they are turned 

 up and exposed to the influence of light and air, 

 when they start into growth 'and produce a luxuriant 

 vegetation, to the astonishment of the farmer. The 

 latter in his perplexity to understand how such a 

 crop of weeds came there, usually takes a short cut out 

 of the difficulty by trying to connect the seedsman 

 with it in some way or other. Almost every seeds- 

 man can furnish from his experience instances of this 

 nature ; some of the instances being of an extraordinary 

 and almost unaccountable character. 



Professor Buckman, in his Prize Essay "On the 

 Extirpation of Weeds," mentions how Charlock will 

 often make its appearance in great quantities after the 

 breaking up of pasture or old sanfoin lea; how 

 quantities of wild plants wiU spring up quickly and 

 abundantly in woods after trees and underwood have 

 been removed; and how newly-formed earthworks 

 fi^quently caused the sudden growth of wild plants 

 which had never before been observed in the district. 



Sir John Sinclair has given us some observations to 

 the effect that though it is impracticable to extirpate 

 annual weeds altogether, yet the number of them may 

 be so much lessened as to prevent them from materi- 

 ally injuring corn crops. Two measures, he says, are 

 necessary for that purpose — first, to bring the seeds 

 within the limit of vegetation ; and, secondly, to de- 

 stroy every weed that vegetates — thus regularly lessen- 



