WEED. 



erafs, and probably fome others. It is faid to be the 

 plague of arable cultivation ; and that the roots of thefe 

 weeds are fometimes fo interwoven together in the land or 

 foil in ground that has been under hard tillage and bad 

 management, as to form a peifeft matting, and to choak 

 the plough : they abound molt, it is obferved, m light and 

 mixed foils, not infefting ftrong clays in an equal manner. 

 The arable land fquitch-grafs, which is the moft general, 

 is, it is faid, of the agrojiis family ; but to which particular 

 fpecies or fort that the moft complained of by farmers be- 

 longs, is not yet well agreed upon. Some refer it to the fine 

 bent, while others affert it to be a variety of the white. 

 And there are others of great authority who think this 

 fquitch-grafs has never yet been rightly fpecified or referred. 

 The ear or awn of this grafs has, however, been often ob- 

 ferved to have the general habit of the agrqftis ; and that it 

 is very probable that more fpecies than one of this genus 

 have the property of running in the roots, and producing 



It is noticed, in addition, that the creeping red-ftalked 

 bent grafs, and the creeping fcft grafs, are common fquitch 

 or couch-grafles on ftrong or cold wet tillage-lands ; and 

 that the tail oat -grafs is a very ufual fquitch-grafs, on the 

 light gravelly foils of fome neighbourhoods ; that its roots 

 are corapofed of a bunch of bulbs, which afford ftielter to 

 pernicious vermin, as already feen ; and that it is difficult 

 of eradication, and very pernicious to crops, efpecially m 

 wet feafons. 



The dog-grafs couch, which, in the county of Salop, is 

 often termed /w/cA, is very common every where, and well- 

 known to the coft of the farmers. 



Withering, after obferving that it can only be deftroyed 

 by fallowing in a dry fumraer, ftates, that at Naples the 

 roots are coUefted in quantity, and difpofed of in the mar- 

 ket to feed horfes. The tafte is much fimilar to that of 

 liquorice, dried and ground into meal, which has been made 

 into bread in years of fcarcity. They have befides a deter- 

 gent quaUty, and may be ufeful in the difeafed hvers of 

 animals. 



However, thefe grafles, though fo troublefome and inju- 

 rious as weeds on arable lands, are yet probably good as 

 affording meadow-herbage, where their roots are not fo 

 liable to run or fpread themfelves as on tillage-land that is 

 loofened, broken, and reduced, by being conftantly wrought 

 by the plough, and other tools. 



The deftruftion of weeds of this fort on arable land, is 

 chiefly effefted by the free ufe of the plough, and other 

 fuitable implements, when the weather is in a proper ftate 

 ofheat for the purpofe: fome think the bufinefs can only 

 be effefted by giving an early and complete fpring and 

 fummer fallow, by repeated ploughings in time of hot 

 weather, with fufficient harrowings between each ploughing, 

 to work out the fquitch, and bring it to the top ; and that 

 unlefs the fummer prove dry for fome length of time, even 

 this will be infufGcient ; in which cafe, many aftive and 

 induftrious farmers have it forked together by hand and 

 burnt : others have it collefted and carried into heaps to 

 rot ; and it is fometimes mixed with quick-lime, and reduced 

 into a fort of compoll heap, which is a pradice to be much 

 commended, as wholly deftroying it, and at the fame time 

 converting it to ufe : it ftiould not, however, be forgot, 

 that the great increafe of the roots of thefe weeds is oc- 

 cafioned by hard tillage, or bad management, and often by 

 both. In the county of Gloucefter, it is faid by the 

 writer of the correfted account of the agriculture of that 

 diftrift, to be a moft troublefome and almoft unconquerable 

 weed on clay-lands, but that on light lands and loams it 



may be dragged out and finifhed by hand-picking with 

 tolerable eafe ; while on the ftiff foils, and particularly in 

 the wet furrows, nothing but repeated ploughings and ex- 

 pofure to the heat of the fun during the fummer can check , 

 the increafe of it ; hence, in that county, the vale-lands, | 

 after a wet fummer, are generally foul. A crop of fpring- j 

 vetches is faid to be well fuited to fmother and keep it i 

 down, and other fmothering green crops may be had re- j 

 courfe to in the fame intention. See Tkiticum Repens, \ 

 5i.C. Alfo Agrostis Stolonifera, HoLCUS Mollis, &c. 



Wild oat, or haver, is a common weed on hard tilled ' 

 land, and when abundant, very unfightly and injurious j 

 to a crop. It has been obferved by Dr. Anderfon, it is ^ 

 faid, that this weed-plant abounds fo much in the corn-fields ' 

 in moft parts of Aberdeenfhire, as in many cafes to con- 

 ftitute nearly one -half of the bear or fix-rowed bailey-crop, 

 which is much grown in that part of the kingdom : it may 

 be deftroyed or greatly reduced by the turnip-culture, or 

 by well-managed early fallowing : and prevented by fhort 

 tillages, and frequent feeding down to grafs. Dr. Wither- 

 ing, and the Flora Ruftica, have ftated, that the awns 

 of it are ufed for hygrometers, and the feeds inftead of 

 artificial flies in fiftiing for trout. The author of the 

 Correfted Report of the Agriculture of the County of 

 Gloucefter ftates, that it is the growth of particular diftrifts, 

 and that it cannot be deftroyed ; that in fields where the 

 greateft care has been taken to hand-pull every ftalk, it has 

 appeared in the following year in equal abundance. That 

 in new broken up leys, which have been in turf or fward 

 beyond the memory of man, thefe weeds often fpring up 

 with as much luxuriance as if they were the natural produce 

 of the foil. When the land is planted with beans or peas, 

 hoeing will check and reduce them ; but when they grow 

 among wheat, it is not eafy to diftinguifh the plants while 

 young ; and that in this cafe, they are left until they are 

 nearly in ear, and are then drawn out by the hand. See 

 AvENA Fatua. 



Wliile dame! is a weed not unfrequently found in wheat- 

 crops, though, it is believed, almoft always produced from 

 the feed of it fown with that grain, to prevent which, con- 

 fequently, great attention fhould be paid to clean feed- 

 wheat, and particularly that it contain none of the feeds of 

 this weed, as it is extremely prohfic, very injurious to a 

 crop while growing, and to the value of the produce at 

 market. It is an annual weed, which has never been recol- 

 lefted to have been feen growing, except in a crop, and 

 but rarely there without negleft in the management of the 

 feed grain, and in other ways. See Lolium Temukntum, 



Goofe-grafs, or catchweed. Sec. is a weed in tillage-land, 

 the feeds of which are roundifti, rough, two from each 

 flower, fo large as not all to be eafily feparated from the 

 grain in drefling. This weed is not very common in well- 

 managed lands and crops, being more generally reftrifted 

 to the hedge banks. It is obferved, in the Gloucefter Cor- 

 refted Agricultural Survey, to be a troublefome and fre- 

 quent weed, on all forts of foils among corn, and which is 

 not eafily deftroyed, except by much early care and attention. 

 See Galium Apar'ine, and Spur'mni. 



Field /callus is a weed found fometimes in corn-fields, 

 as well as paftures, though not very abundant. See 

 SCABIOSA Avoenjis. 



Parjley-piert is a diminutive weed of but fmall account, 

 though fometimes too much abounding in tillage-lands. 

 This weed might probably be weakened and leffened when 

 in too great quantity by pulverifing and reducing the foil 

 well when in fallow, very early in the fpring feafon, and by 



ploughing 



