WEED. 



are quite as good for ufe as thofe of that wheat, are pro- 

 duced in greater quantity, and the plant bears cold better. 

 From its twining hurtful nature, when among crops, it 

 fliould be early deftroyed, and prevented from feeding and 

 multiplying itfelf. See Polygonum Convolvulus, and Sa- 

 gopyrum. 



Knaiuell is a diminutive weed, but prohfic in feeds, and 

 of vigorous growth ; it is often found on pieces of poor 

 thin foil, when in tillage, but is not believed to be very 

 pernicious : it may probably, when neceflary, be weakened, 

 reduced, or deftroyed, by an early fpring working of the 

 land when in fallow. See Scleranthus Annuui, and 

 Perennis. 



Bladder campion is a weed that is common in wheat and 

 barley crops, growing in tufts, with many ftalks from each 

 root ; which, when the cafe, fhould be rooted out by the 

 hand, or other convenient method. It is a perennial weed, 

 and has the habit and property of increafing from the roots. 

 See CucuBALUS Behen. 



Cockle is a luxuriant, vigorous, annual weed ; perfefting 

 many feeds, and drawing much from the foil or land : care 

 fhould, therefore, be taken not to fow the feed of this in- 

 jurious weed. The feeds are fo large, that they cannot all 

 be dreffed out from the grain, it is faid : the plant fhould, 

 therefore, be plucked out by hand, before the feeds ripen 

 and (hed themfelves. It is a common weed among wheat 

 and other crops, in many diftrifts. See Agbostemma 

 Githago. 



Red and 'white campion are weeds of the perennial kind, 

 growing occafionally in hedges, corn-fields, and paftures. 

 When they become abundant and injurious, they may be 

 weakened, reduced, or deftroyed, by well-managed fallows, 

 in moft cafes. See Lychnis Dioica. 



Moufe-ear is a weed that has fomewhat the habit of chick- 

 weed, but is of a duller appearance : it is frequent amongft 

 corn-crops, and in paftures, but perhaps not very injurious 

 to the former. See Cerastium Arvenje. 



Corn fpurry, or yarr, is a frequent weed in corn-fields, 

 though not very bulky or luxuriant, yet quick and tena- 

 cious of growth, and producing feeds in a plentiful manner. 

 Dr. Anderfon has ftated, that in Aberdeenfhire it is a per- 

 nicious weed, growing in fuch abundance among the crops 

 as to choke the grain : it has often been feen fo thick, that 

 over a vaft extent of furface a pin could not have been put 

 down, without touching a plant of it ; and that the farmers 

 there think it indeftruftible : and it is added, that whenever 

 any of the land had been poached, by being ufed as a road, 

 efpecially in wet weather, none of this weed appeared there : 

 that it was evident that this was oc9afioned by the clods, 

 thus produced, not giving room for the fmall feeds to ger- 

 minate freely ; which fuggefted, that if, therefore, he could 

 contrive to bring the ground into a cloddy ftate, when 

 fown, he (hould be free of the weed for that crop. As a 

 crop of bear or fix-rowed barley in one field was entirely 

 loft, the foil or mould being in a loofe, mealy, incoherent 

 ftate when fown ; it was refolved to delay ploughing it the 

 next feafon as long as poflible, and to plough it at laft 

 when it was very wet. Fortunately it came a violent rain in 

 the beginning of the month of March, and it was ploughed 

 when nearly in the ftate of a puddle, turning over more like 

 mud than foil or earth : dry weather fucceeding, this mud 

 bound, it is faid, a little on the furface, and produced a 

 kind of clod ; the corn was then fown ; it got a very flight 

 harrowing, barely to cover the feeds, in an imperfeft man- 

 ner, and to leave the field as rough as poflible : none of the 

 weed appeared, and the crop at harveft was one of the moft 

 Juxuriant that had ever been feen by the writer. The fuc- 



cefs of this cafe is not, however, fufficient to recommend it 

 as a general praftice. 



It has been fuggefted, that as fmall birds are very fond 

 of the feeds of this weed, it is probable that, by the furface 

 of the ground being left undifturbed through the winter, a 

 large portion of the feeds would be picked up and devoured 

 by them. It is believed too, that in all cafes of a ftubble 

 very full of fmall feeds, it is well to defer the ploughing as 

 long as it conveniently can, on this account. In refpeft to 

 land rendered very fine by tillage, it is well underftood, it 

 is faid, by the farmers of fome diftrifts, as thofe of Staf- 

 fordfhire, to be a fault, and that it is much better left only 

 knappy, as they call it, that is, in fmall lumps. This is 

 attained in fallows, by working the land early in fummer, 

 and letting it lie to confohdate th»-ough the latter part of it ; 

 and in the turnip culture, by the treading of ftieep and 

 cattle: and it is one great reafon, it is fuppofed, why land 

 ftiould not have too many ploughings, but only a proper 

 number judicioufly timed ; however, that ploughing in 

 general, particularly of broken land, is much beft done 

 when the land is diy. 



By fome means of this kind, this fmall weed may be kept 

 under without much difficulty. See Spergula jirvenjis. 



Bafe rocket is a weed of the annual kind, that does not 

 abound very much, though it is met with in fome places. 

 It has been obferved among corn in the county of Gloucef- 

 ter. See Reseda Lutea. 



Diuarf /purge is a weed that is common in corn-fields, 

 and generally in fingle plants, but is not very injurious to 

 the crops. See Euphorbia Exigua. 



Corn-poppy is an annual weed that, produces numerous 

 feeds, and is fometimes very abundant in corn-fields, being 

 a pretty fure indication of a light crop. It has been quef- 

 tioned, whether the lightnefs of the crop be occafioned by 

 the abundance of this weed, or the increafe of this weed en- 

 couraged by the hghtnefs of the crop ; and fuggefted, that 

 probably both are the cafe. In a full crop it is fcarcely to 

 be found ; its flowers appear in July. In the Corredled 

 Report on Agriculture for the County of Gloucefter, it is 

 ftated to be common in all light and fandy foils, parti- 

 cularly in the neighbourhood of that town. But that fince 

 the praflice of hoeing has become more general, this weed 

 has been much diminiftied in quantity. It abounds much, 

 too, on chalky ftone-brafli poor foils, in fome cafes. And 

 in fome parts of Berkfliire, it is faid, in the account of its 

 agriculture, that the poppy almoft conceals the corn, when 

 it is in bloflbm. It is fuppofed that it might without doubt 

 be weakened, reduced, or wholly deftroyed, in fallows, by 

 promoting an early vegetation in common with other feed- 

 ling plants. See Papaver Rhreus. 



Corn croivfoot is a weed that is fometimes very abundant, 

 and injurious to a wheat-crop, on ftrong moift land. It is 

 an annual weed of early growth, which can only be brought 

 into a full ftate of vegetation in the fallow by an early til- 

 lage ; otherwife the growth of the feeds is, it is faid, de- 

 ferred to the next fpring, to the great injury of the crop. 

 In the Flora Ruftica it is noticed, that in fome countries it 

 has the name of hunger-weed, whence it is fuppofed to in- 

 dicate a barren foil. The orthography, however, is not, it 

 is faid, derived from the nature of the foil, but from the 

 hungry profpeft it holds out to the farmer. In the county 

 of Gloucefter, it is faid to grow moft abundantly in ftrong 

 loamy or clayey foils ; and that deep and frequent ftirrings 

 with the hoe are to be had recourfe to, as the moft proper 

 means for reducing it, and keeping it under. See Ranun- 

 culus Arvenfis. 



Dee nettle, or dead nettle, is a weed that much abounds 



among 



