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ficulty to be dreaded is the rush of intruding- weeds and 

 grasses. 



The best possible season must therefore be that, when 

 this HOST of enemies is able to do the least mischief, which 

 I find is from the 8th of September to the 25th ; for in 

 this interval the efforts of vegetation are strong, and both 

 florin and its rivals come forward vigorously ; but the latter 

 is soon destroyed by the winter frosts, to which the florin 

 is quite insensible, and remains torpid, or rather languid, 

 until it is with all other vegetables roused by the genial 

 spring, and in its vigorous progress finds no rivals to en- 

 counter but those which are just beginning to vegetate — 

 of course diminutive and weak. 



Had we commenced earlier, the intruders would have 

 time to acquire strength enough to sustain the frost, and 

 the contest between them and the fiorin would have been 

 carried on on equal terms. 



This is all theory ; but, however sound, my own practice 

 has generally been diff*erent, for the obvious convenience 

 of laying down fiorin after a potato crop has commonly 

 thrown me so late as November: but I prefer availing my- 

 self of the nice state potato culture leaves the ground in, 

 even at the expence of repairing in spring, the failures that 

 have occurred from languid winter vegetation. 



If we lay down in spring, we have the enemy to en- 

 counter in full vigour, and in this case I advise laying 

 down in drills, that we may have the assistance of the rake 

 in exterminating the weeds : but I totally condemn the 

 proceedings of some, who, out of greediness, lay down 

 fiorin like other grasses, with a crop of spring corn; when 

 this is done, many small vegetables survive the corn, and 

 encounter the fiorin with mischievous vigour. 



I once tried two ridges for experiment with barley, but 

 never could master the weeds : I would long ago have 



