‘We have beftowed on this plant the harfh name of cu;fzd, with a view to awaken the attention of the 
agriculturift to its nature and pernicious effe&ts ; repeated obfervation has convinced us that many hufbandmen 
are ignorant of its ceconomy, and while they remain fo they will not be likely to get rid of one of the greateft 
pefts which can affect their corn-fields and paftures. 
Of the Thiflle tribe the greateft part are annual or biennial, and hence eafily deftroyed, fome few are not only 
perennial, but have powerfully creeping roots, and none fo much as the prefent; in pulling this plant out of 
the ground, we draw up a long flender root which many are apt to confider as the whole of it, but if thofe 
employed in fuch bufinefs examine the roots fo drawn up, they will find every one of them broke off at the end 
for the root paffes perpendicularly to a great depth, and then branches out horizontally under ground. 
To give an idea of its aftonifhing increafe, we fhall fubjoin from the*memoirs of the Bath Agricultural Society 
an experiment made for the very purpofe of afcertaining it *. When this paper was delivered to the fociety 
from experiments then made, I was of opinion that repeated mowing or fpudding would not deftroy this 
Thiflle, I have fince had caufe from further obfervation and experiments to thnk differently ; fo deep however 
does it penetrate that thefe operations are the only ones which can well be applied to its deftruétion, and if 
they do not effe&ually overcome, they will greatly enfeeble it. 
This fpecies is feen every where by. road-fides, too frequently in corn-fields, and more rarely in paftures; it 
flowers from fune to Augu/t. 
The Papilio Cardui feeds on its foliage; the ftalks are frequently disfigured by large tubercles, the effect we 
apprehend of a Cynips, and the leaves, efpecially on the under-fide, are fometimes obferved of a deep brown 
colour, as if covered with fnuff, the effect of fome difeafe, with the caufe of which we are as yet 
unacquainted, . 
It varies with white flowers, and the leaves have fometimes few or no {pines on them. 
* April 1ft, 1778, I planted in a garden a piece of the root of this Thiftle, about the fize of a goofe-quill, and two inches long, with a fmall 
head of leaves, cut off from the main root juft as it was fpringing out of the ground; by the 2d of the November following this {mall root had 
thrown out fhoots, feveral of which had extended themfelves to the diftance of eight feet, fome had even thrown up leaves five feet from the 
original root ; moft of the fhoots which had thus far extended themfelves were about fix inches under ground, others had penetrated to the depth 
of two feet and a half; the whole together when dug up and wafhed from the earth weighed four pounds. In the {pring of 1779, contrary to my 
expeGlation, this Thiftle again made its appearance on and about the fpot where the fmall piece was originally planted; there were between 5o 
and D young heads, which muft have fprung from the roots which had eluded the gardener’s fearch, though he was particularly careful in 
extracting them, 1 ; 
Be 
