WEED. 



ing liis prey. A fimilar praAice exifts, as we learn from 

 AUoa, among the nations of Carthagena, upon the lake 

 Cienego de Terias. Staunton's EmbafTy, vol. ii. 



WEED, in Agriculture and Gardening, any fort of un- 

 cultivated and unprofitable plant or vegetable which grov?s 

 in ground, and which, in confequence of the mifchief it 

 does, requires to be extirpated and deftroyed. 



Weeds may be diftinguifhed, .iccording to the different 

 periods of their duration, into the annual, biennial, and 

 perennial kinds. 



The firft divifion comprehends all fuch as die after pef- 

 fefting their feeds in the firft year. Weeds of this clafs, 

 though abundantly produftive in feeds, and confequently in 

 plants, are capable of being deftroyed without any great 

 difficulty. 



The fecond divifion includes all fuch weeds as endure a 

 greater length of time than one year, and which after per- 

 fefting their feeds in the fecond year perifli. Thefe, hke 

 the former, are in general abundant in the produftion of 

 feeds as well as plants, but they are deftroyed with greater 

 difficulty. 



The third divifion comprifes all thofe weeds which are 

 capable of continuing many years. Some of which have 

 the property of perfefting their feeds annually, without 

 being thereby deftroyed ; while others, lefs prohfic in feeds, 

 have the faculty of reproduftion in their vivaceous roots ; 

 and there are others that are capable of increafe both by 

 feeds and roots. The plants of this clafs are therefore much 

 more troublefome and difficult of deftruftion than the 

 others. 



In the nature and vegetation of the feeds of weeds of 

 different forts, there is confiderable diverfity . Some are found 

 to fprout forth as foon as they have a fufficient degree of 

 moifture, fending down their roots though not in exaft con- 

 tact with the earth ; others only begin to germinate when 

 they are depofited and inclofed in a fuitable foil, and have 

 the proper influence of the atmofphere ; and there are many 

 of thefe kinds of feeds, even of the very fmall fort, which 

 are capable of remaining in a dormant or inaftive ftate for 

 a very confiderable length of time, and afterwards vegetate 

 on being placed in a favourable fituation, in regard to the 

 influence of the air, and other matters. 



There are other feeds of weeds, too, which are provided 

 with a foft feathery material which performs, in fome mea- 

 fure, the office of wings, by which they are conveyed from 

 their native fituations, and difleminated over lands and places 

 at a confiderable diftance. 



There is likewife a difference of fome confequence in the 

 vivaceous roots of vegetable weeds ; fome being branched, 

 others entire ; fome defcending direftly downwards, others 

 inclining ; fome fibrous, others tuberous ; fome creeping, 

 others knotted or jointed, &c. 



The great variety and multiplicity of weeds render it a 

 difficult matter to arrange them in any ufeful manner for the 

 purpofes of the farmer, as different forts of them are found 

 to prevail in different fituations and kinds of land. A late 

 intelligent writer has, however, confidered them as affefting 

 gardens ; corn-fields and tillage-lands ; meadows and paf- 

 tures ; wafte and uncultivated grounds ; the hedges of in- 

 clofures ; and woods and plantations. 



Weeds injurious to garden grounds are chiefly thefe : 



Couch-grafs, or which in fome places is known by the 

 names of twitch, fquitch, and many others, and which not 

 unfrequently comprehends the creeping roots of the hardy 

 perennial graffes, which are particularly tenacious of growth, 

 as dog's-grafs, white bent-grafs, tall oat-grafs, and fome 

 others. Of which, the two firft are readily diftinguifhed 



by their flowering ftalks, as well as by the ears which coii' 

 tain the feeds ; and the laft has been obferved to have 3 

 bulbous-jointed root, that affords fhelter to various deflruc- 

 tive grubs, worms, and infefts : they fhould all be carefully 

 rooted out and deftroyed. Thefe are to be deftroyed in 

 gardens by carefully picking out the roots in digging, and 

 as carefully rooting up whatever remaining fragments of the 

 roots may fend out a fhoot above the ground. Thefe fhould 

 never be allowed to get to any height, but be exterminated 

 as foon as pofTible. See Triticum Repens, Agrostis Alba, 

 AvENA Elaiior, Sec. 



Sujolk-grafs, or dwarf meadow-grafs, is another grafs, 

 which, though ufeful in paftures, is a very pernicious weed in 

 gardens and places about houfes. It is common in places 

 where the furface is not liable to be often difturbed by mean* 

 of cultivation. Its prohfic quahty, in refpeft to feeds, is 

 fo great, that it is faid to be capable of producing and re- 

 producing itfelf four times in the courfe of one fummer. 

 It may be deftroyed by rooting it out before its feeds are 

 perfected and (hed about, otherwife the vegetation of them 

 will be fo abundant and extenfive as almoft to bid defiance 

 to the powers of the weeder. See Poa Annua, &c. 



Catchiueed, or what in different fituations is called goofe- 

 grafs, cleavers, hariff, &c. is fometimes a troublefome gar- 

 den weed, but it is more common in the hedges. This is a 

 weed that may be readily deftroyed in garden-grounds, by 

 pulling it up before the feeds are perfefted. 



It is faid that young geefe are very fond of the tender 

 branches of this weed ; and that the feeds of it are capable 

 of being ufed inftead of coffee. See Galium Aparine. 



Garden night-Jhade is faid to be a common weed in the 

 garden-grounds about Chelfea and Brompton, but which 

 is feldom found in thofe in the country, though fometimes 

 met with on dung-hills, and other fuch places. See Solanum 

 Nigrum. 



Goofefoot, which is a weed of the wild orache defcription, 

 is common and luxuriant in many garden-grounds, being 

 very proLfic in feeds, and in the produce of weeds there- 

 from, if not rooted out before the feeds are fcattered about 

 on land under cultivation. Thefe, like all other annual 

 feedling weeds, is to be deftroyed only by rooting up be- 

 fore the feeds of it are fcattered. See Chenopodium 

 Album, Viride, and Hybridum. 



Wild orache, or fat-hen, is a weed nearly allied to the 

 above, and from which it is diftinguifhed only by fome 

 of the flowers having pointals only, while others on the 

 fame weed-plant have both chives and pointals, in common 

 with the above fort of weeds. The flowers are fmall, fo 

 that this diftinftion can only be afcertaintd by the micro- 

 fcope. It is a weed which grows much in kiicfien-gardens, 

 on rnbbifh, and on dung-hills ; is an hardy annual, very 

 fertile in feeds ; and which is to be prevented or deftroyed 

 in the fame way as the above kinds. See Atriplex 

 Hajiata. 



Fools' parjley, or leffer hemlock, is a weed common in 

 gardens, and which, in its early growth, has murh refcmblance 

 to parfley, for which it is often miftaken, and when eaten 

 occafions ficknefs, fwelling, and uneafinefs about the ftomach: 

 it fhould always be rooted out of garden-ground, when it is 

 running to feed, as at that time it is eafily known and beft. 

 deftroyed. See ^thusa Cynnpium. 



Knot-grafs is a weed that fometimes grows much on 

 the gravel-walks of gardens and pleafure-grounds, trail- 

 ing to a confiderable length in all direftions, being very 

 prolific in feeds, which readily take root. It is, therefore, 

 neceffary to root it well up before they become ripe : hogs 



are 



