WEEDING. 



ture for fodder during the winter ; in either of which cafes 

 they cannot fail, it is fuppofed, of increafing greatly. Be- 

 fides, the mere cutting off this kind of weeds rather im- 

 proves than diminifhes their growth, by farcing them to 

 throw out new fhoots from the roots, and that in greater 

 abundance than before. Thus, a thiftle, which rifes at firft 

 with a fingle flem, if cut off above the furface of the ground, 

 fpreads with feveral lateral branches, and covers a large 

 fpace of ground. The moft likely method of deflroying 

 them is to draw tliem up by the roots, as already feen, 

 which may eafily be done when the ground is moifl, and is 

 Idone by thofe farmers there, it is faid, who are anxious for 

 their credit, nice in their herbage, and proud of feeing their 

 Ipaflures rivalling the neatnefs of a lawn. The negligence, 

 indeed, of a neighbour often operates as a difcouragement, 

 and it is an evil not eafily to be prevented : it is, however, 

 furprifing in another inflance, it is faid, to obferve an almoll 

 ^unanimous encouragement given to the multiplication of 

 noxious weeds. In- the highways they are left to grow to 

 maturity, and their feeds are difperfed in iznmenfe quantities in 

 every direftion, and all over the country, by the wind, or by 

 being carried by birds. Under thefe circumftances, it is faid 

 to be certainly of little ufe for one, or even all the occupiers 

 of ground, to clear their lands of weeds, while this plentiful 

 fource of them remains unmolefted. One fhould fuppofe, 

 the writer obferves, that the evident mifchief refulting from 

 this negleft would excite a general combination againil thefe 

 deftruftive enemies to the interefls of agriculture : that, 

 however, not being the cafe, might it not, it is allied, be 

 convenient to incorporate with the duty of the furveyors, or 

 overlookers of the roads, the bufinefs of cutting up, and 

 otherwife deflroying, fuch kinds of weeds within their dif- 

 trifts or boundaries ? Should the faft of the thoufand-fold 

 increafe of fuch felf-fown feeds be doubted or difputed, let, 

 it is faid, any one but obferve a patch on a common, from 

 which the turf or fward has been pared, how completely it 

 will be covered vi'ith thiftles in the following fummer ; and 

 the arable fields adjoiniijg are not much better, where this 

 negligence prevails. 



And the writer of the paper on the fubjeft of weeding 

 ftates, that there is another caufe of the increafe and propa- 

 gation of weeds, which may be termed a public caufe, and 

 which it is not in the power of any individual to prevent ; 

 but which a flovenly, negleftful, or ill-difpofed perfon may 

 promote and increafe, and which can only be effeftually pre- 

 vented by zpolitical regulation, and for which, it is believed, 

 no provifion has yet been made in our political code : thus 

 are the numbers of vigorous and luxuriant weeds which 

 are fuffered to ripen their feeds in our hedges, paflures, 

 woods, and otlier lands, and the feeds of which being pro- 

 vided with feathery matters, are difperfed over the whole 

 territory of the kingdom, and propagate themfelves far and 

 near, growing in whatever places they alight and fettle, and 

 producing a mofl abundant crop : the moft common and 

 pernicious of which are fuppofed to be the different forts of 

 fow-thiflles, fow-uorts, common thiftles, colt's-foot, ground- 

 fels, knap-weeds, &c. For as the feeding and fcattering of 

 the feeds of all thefe forts of plants is clearly a pubhc nui- 

 fance, and as they are fubjeft to be carried to a great diftance 

 by the above means, and to do harm to the lands of all oc- 

 cupiers indifcriminately, they (hould, it is thought, be under 

 the controul of our political regulations. This would be 

 the effeftual means of preventing much labour and expence 

 to the farmer and the occupier, in the weeding of different 

 kinds of lands and crops, and at the fame time go a great 

 way in rendering the territory of the country ultimately clear 

 of a great proportion of its moft noxious and hurtful weeds. 



Befides, regulations of the above kind have been applied m 

 different countries and places to weed-plants, which are much 

 lefs injurious and hurtful than thefe. See Weed, and the 

 above paper in the fifth volume of Communications to the 

 Board of Agriculture. 



In fome cafes and parts of the country, the weeds in the 

 lefs heavy tillage-lands are deftroyed, by an entire and per- 

 feft fummer-fallow every third year, which is an effeftual 

 but expenfive method of proceeding ; but on the ftrong loams 

 and other heavy foils by good hoeing and hand-weedang the 

 drilled or fet crops of beans, peas, and fome other kinds. 

 On the fandy and other light loams, by well hoeing and weed- 

 ing by hand the crops of peas, potatoes, turnips, and fome 

 others. As foon as the peas or tares are off the land, the 

 ground is ploughed and well harrowed, and the root-weeds 

 picked or raked together, and burned or otherwife difpofed 

 of, as noticed above ; which is moftly repeated after the 

 crofs-ploughing and harrowing have been performed. The 

 ground being then in a great meafure free from root-weeds, 

 the turnips are fown, and the feed-weeds that may arife de- 

 ftroyed by twice or oftener hand-hoeing and weeding. This 

 fort of praftice being repeated or put in execution once in 

 three or four years, is capable of keeping light land tolera- 

 bly clean and free from weeds. However, in the cafe of a 

 hot dry fummer, the labour and expence of raking, coUeft- 

 mg, picking, and burning the weeds, may not unfrequently 

 be faved, and the roots deftroyed, by only harrowing them 

 to the furface after every ploughing ; and by that means 

 expofing them well to the heat of the fun for a fufiicient 

 length of time to kill them, which is fometimes effeftually 

 done in the courfe of a week. Care muft, however, always 

 be taken that they are fully and completely deftroyed, other- 

 wife much mifchief may be the confequence, as they are 

 extremely tenacious of life. 



In all cafes, where the ftaple or vegetable mould of the 

 foil is of a fufBcient depth to admit of trench-ploughing, 

 that fort of ploughing, with the affiftance of heavy rolling, 

 and other proper means, will in fome circumftances com- 

 pletely deftroy root-weeds. In fome cafes, it is even more 

 effeftual for that purpofe, it is faid, than any greater num- 

 ber of ploughings, and is an excellent method, where it can be 

 accomplilhed without turning up a poor barren fubfoil. The 

 great utility and importance of it in cleaning garden-grounds 

 have been already feen, and it is fuppofed to be equally be- 

 neficial in deftroying weeds, and preferving the foil moift 

 in the moft drying weather of the fummer feafon. See 

 TRENCH-P/oa^^V/f, and Trenching. Alfo Ridging-k/i. 



The work of weeding in all cafes fhould be begun fufS- 

 ciently early in the fpring, that the weeds may not be in 

 too forward a ftate, and the bufinefs, in whatever way it is 

 undertaken, be effeftually and completely performed, with- 

 out any fort of omifTion or negleft. In the meadows and 

 pafture-lands it fhould be equally attended to as in the corn- 

 fields, as in all fituations weeds are a very great drawback 

 upon the farmer's profit, and of vaft inconvenience in many 

 different ways. 



It is prefumed by the writer of the paper on weeding, 

 that if the above propofed regulations, precautions, and me- 

 thods of deftroying injurious plants were generally adopted 

 in praftice, they would render the Britifh empire as free 

 from weeds as thofe of China and Japan. 



It may be concluded that, on the whole, by great, unre- 

 mitted, and proper attention, with fome fuch regulations as 

 the above, to the extermination and deftruftion of all forts 

 of ufelefs and hurtful weeds in cultivated grounds, and from 

 meadows and paftures, the growth of injurious and worth- 

 lefs plants may be prevented, and the arable crops be ren- 

 dered 



