WEED. 



woods in StafForddiire, and fome other counties. See 

 Pyrola. 



Wood-furrel is a weed very common in woods. See 

 OxALis Acetofclhi. 



Wood-fpurge is a weed frequently met in woods, fituated 

 in a clayey foil. Plentifully in Needwood-foreft, in StafFord- 

 fhire. < See Euphorbia Amygdaloides. 



Rafpberry, dewberry, and common bramble, are weeds 

 common in moft woods, in fome of the forts. See Rubus. 



Wild Straivberry is a weed common in fome woods. See 

 Fragaria Vefca. 



Tormentill is very common as a weed in fome woods. 

 .See ToHMENTILLA Reptans. 



Herb bennet, and wood anemone, are common weeds in 

 fuch iltuations. See Geum Urbanum, and Anemone 

 Nemorofa. 



IVood crotvjoot is a common weed in woods on a clayey 

 foil. See Ranunculus Aurkomus. 



Stinting Hellebore is a weed in woods, in many parts of 

 the kingdom. See Helleborus Eatidus, 



Wood Jage, betony, hedge-nettle, and baftard baum, are 

 weeds of the common wood kind. See Teucrium Scoro- 

 donia, Betonica Officinalis, Stachys Sylvatica, and Me- 

 LlTTls MeliJfophyUuin. 



Co'w-grafs, or cow-wheat, is very common in many 

 woods, and faid to be an excellent cow-herbage ; but 

 little found in paftures, in any fituation. Sec Melampy- 

 KUM Pratenfe. 



Fig-'wort, and coral-wort, are weeds in fome woods. See 

 crophularia Nodofa, and Dentaria Bulbifera. 

 Pea-everlajling is a luxuriant weed-plant, that has been 

 ken with the ftem five or fix feet long, in a wood in Rut- 

 landfhire. See Lathyrus Sylvejlris. 



Wood-vetch, wood-peafling, St. John's wort, fhrubby 

 hawk-weed, fow-wort, hoary groundfel, golden-rod, butter- 

 fly-orchis, friary -blade, fedge-graffes, and fpurge-ohve, or 

 fpurge-laurel, are all plants of the weed kind in woods in 

 different places. See Vicia Sylvatica, Orobus Sylvatica, 

 Hypericum Perforatum, Hieracium Sabaudum, Serra- 

 TULA TinBoria, Senecio Crucifolius, Solidago Virguurea, 

 Orchis Bifolia, Ophryis Ovata, Carex and Daphne 

 Mezereum and Laureola. 



It has been remarked, that as no fort of cattle can be 

 properly introduced into thefe fituations, in the early 

 growth of the woods, there appears no particular room for 

 the choice of the under herbage ; but all large coarfe grow- 

 ing weeds of thefe and other kinds, (hould be removed or 

 kept well under, and that briars and brambles, if they ap- 

 pear, fliould on feveral accounts be grubbed up and de- 

 ftroyed. Ivy, too, as clafping, confining, fretting, and in- 

 juring the plants on which it rifes, fhould be early cleared 

 away to prevent the mifchief of its after removal. 



It is hardly neceffary to obferve, as it muft be evident, 

 that this account is far from comprehending all the plants 

 which have been confidered as weeds by writers, and thofe 

 engaged in the cultivation of land ; as fuch as are known to 

 be prejudicial or hurtful, in fome way or other, to fome 

 forts of cultivation or other, have, for the moft part, been 

 only introduced. 



Thofe who may wifh for further information on the fub- 

 jeft, may confult the paper on weeds, by Mr. Pitt, inferted 

 in the fifth volume of *' Communications to the Board of 

 Agriculture ;" and alfo the new edition of Miller's Dic- 

 tionary, by Martyn, in which a very large catalogue of 

 weed-plants is given ; as well as many of the Correfted 

 Reports on the Agriculture of different Counties. 



It is remarked by the writer of the above paper, that the 

 Vol. XXXVIII. 



plants we term weeds, confidered as refpeaing mankind, are 

 not totally ufelefs ; many of them have valuable medicinal, 

 and, perhaps, other quahties and properties, and fome of 

 them may be applied to ufes fo as to pay fomething towards 

 the expence of clearing them from the ground : thus, fow- 

 thiftles are good for rabbits or hogs, the hog-weed is ufeful 

 for either pigs or cattle : horfes are faid to be fond of 

 young thiftles when partially dried, and the feed may be 

 prevented from fpreading by gathering the down, which 

 makes good pillows ; however, there is fome danger in 

 trufling them to this ftage of growth, as a high wind would 

 and frequently does difperfe them over a whole country, as 

 has been feen already. Chadlock, when drawn, may b« 

 given to cows, who are very fond of it ; and it is faid in the 

 Oxford Report on Agriculture, that it can be converted into 

 good hay. Further, that nettles, fern, and the more bulky 

 hedge-weeds, may be collefted and annually burnt, as has 

 been feen above ; their afhes being afterv/ards formed into 

 balls, which are of confiderable value, as being ufed in eom- 

 pofing a ley for fcouring and cleaning linen and other 

 cloths. 



It is ftated, too, that pigeons are of ufe in picking up the 

 feeds of many weeds that would otherwife vegetate ; and 

 the writer has no doubt but that a prodigious quantity of 

 the feeds of weeds are eaten by different forts of fmall birds, 

 particularly of thofe of moft of the lake-weeds, of fpurry, 

 and in fevere weather, of the different forts of chadlocks, as 

 well as of many other kinds. But that it has been ob- 

 ferved, that bees have not thriven or done fo well in this 

 country fince the extirpation of weeds has been more at- 

 tended to, and become more general. 



It is noticed, that in Japan, and in China, not a weed, it 

 is faid, is to be feen ; and that they make ufe of night-foil 

 only as a manure, partly with the view of preventing any 

 rifle of weeds being produced in that way. 



In concluding, it may be noticed, too, that the fame 

 writer has remarked, that the vegetables we term weeds are 

 more hardy and tenacious of growth than any others ; nor 

 can it indeed be otherwife than that thofe plants, which fuc- 

 ceed in fpite of oppofition, muft be of the moil hardy kind. 

 But that the produftion or growth of weeds is equally con- 

 fiftent with the divine goodnefs with that of the moft va- 

 luable plant, for myriads of diminutive creatures, enjoying 

 hfe and animation, are fed and fupported by them, and to 

 whom they are a more natural prsy than the dietetic plants 

 of mankind : and that man, poffeffed of reafon, refledtion, 

 and intelhgence, has powers and abihties to feledt and culti- 

 vate fuch vegetables as are adapted to his ufe, and proper 

 for his fuftenance, and to deftroy and extirpate others ; and 

 thus to appropriate to himfelf what proportion he may think 

 proper of the earth's furface ; which if he fhould negledl to 

 drefs and cultivate properly, it will, in fome degree, revert 

 to its natural ftate, producing the hardier and more coarfe 

 and acrid plants for the fuftenance of numberlefs tribes of 

 infefts and other little animals, and for an infinity of other 

 known and unknown ufes and purpofes ; and that indeed 

 were it otherwife, the indolence of tlie human race might, in 

 fome meafure, fufpend the bounty of providence, and the 

 fertile parts of the furface of the earth, inilead of being co- 

 vered with an univerfal verdure, would, by inexer ton or 

 negleft, be rendered little di3"erent to the fterile and barren 

 delert. 



Weed, Dyer's. See Dyer'j Weed, Baftard Rocket, 

 and Weld. 



Weed, Fuller's. See Teazel. 



Weeo-Hoo^, in Agriculture, a very ufeful implement for 



cutting up thiftles, and other ftrong plants of the fame na- 



I i ture ; 



