WEEDS. 



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observe and follow the graduated scale of natural objects that 

 daily and hourly occur for observation and reflection, begin- 

 ning with the lowly plants on which he treads, and which he 

 may think are useless, and following the upward course of 

 nature till he arrives at the utmost bounds of comprehension, 

 and finally loses himself in immensity. Such a course of ob- 

 servation and reflection is most necessary in order to draw 

 just conclusions about the works of nature, to raise the ideas 

 above a mole-eyed plodding in the world's mud, and the clay- 

 born sympathies and cold contemplations that are engendered 

 by the mind being chained to the earth it inhabits. 



The word weed" must, therefore, be understood as a plant 

 that is useless for a certain purpose, and for which a better 

 agent has been found ; and as being hurtful to another plant, 

 which has been found to be the most valuable, yet known to 

 yield the purpose that is desired ; and that these plants are 

 only useless and hurtful in the light in which we view them, 

 or for the purposes of agriculture. 



The tillage part of agriculture is formed entirely of a con- 

 tinual warfare between the cultivator and the weeds that 

 grow on the land : and as in farming nothing should grow 

 except what is sown, the efficiency of cultivation is judged 

 by the presence or absence of the useless growths that appear 

 on the ground. And as the removal of all useless vegetation 

 is the main object of arable culture, a knowledge of the na- 

 ture of the plants that are included in the name of "weeds" 

 may prove useful when accompanied with a description of the 

 easiest and most approved modes of eradication. 



Weeds being many in number, some division or classifica- 

 tion becomes necessary, in order to elucidate the subject, and 

 relieve the memory. The most suitable arrangement appears 

 to be into — I. Annual; II. Biennial; III. Perennial. The 

 periods of their duration are thus distinguished, and there will 

 be added the nature of the soil on which each plant is most 

 abundant. 



Annual weeds are such as die after perfecting the seeds in 

 the first year. They produce seeds very abundantly, and on 

 light soils give much trouble. 



B 2 



