MAGAZINE OF SCIENCE AND ART 
122 
Markham, Armidale, forwarded by the 
President. 
Description of a Reaping Machine in¬ 
vented by Mr. Lewis Markham, of Armi- 
dale, accompanied with a working model, 
forwarded by the President. 
The next monthly'meeting will he held 
on Tuesday, 1st December. 
ON THE DESTRUCTION OF COLONIAL 
WEEDS. 
]>y K. Mestos, Esq., op Rocky River. 
“ Weeds ate the thieves of the soil,” Aliqitis. 
*< _- Segnis horreret in aryls 
Carduus-Cappac tribuliquc.” Virg. 
What are weeds ? Any plants growing in supcrabun- 
donce and of no recognised use may be considered as 
weeds. The oat on the Lower Hunter and the gamboge 
plant; the last of which was introduced near Scone lor 
the purpose of obtaining the colouring matter known by 
that name, hut afterwards neglected, are examples, that 
useful plants may become noxious weeds. So hore- 
liounds and marigolds, with numerous others, now- 
cumber the soil where wheat and maize once were or 
might be produced. 
By weeds however, in the absolute sense, we are to 
understand, such plants as have never been cultivated, 
are positively injurious to laud, useless for man, nay 
highly detrimental to human industry; the witnesses 
of the* first awful denunciation on the ground. 
As a British farmer in by-gone years, it was held to 
be a special duty, alike causing myself and neighbours, 
to wage a constant warfare against docks, ragweed, 
thistles of sundry kinds, crowfoot, couchgrass, wharlock, 
sorrel, spurrv et multis aliis. Here in Australia only 
a few of those as yet begin to appear; but, instead, 
some very formidable foes to the pastoral and agricul¬ 
tural interests have been introduced, which threaten to 
defy the efforts of man to prevent their dissemination. 
Amongst these, the weeds known by the names of 
Bathurst burrs aud milk thistles at present claim more 
than usual attention. Nine tenths of the Australian 
weeds have been imported, either by the operations of 
commerce, or have sprung into new forms through 
transmutations occasioned by the presence of man, or 
of his sheep or of his cattle. 
Dame Nature is a great reformer, but fre¬ 
quently would seem rather indifferent how she 
brings’about her reformations. The old lady testifies 
her strong partiality to shifts, or what farmers under¬ 
stand by dotations ‘of crops, but whether beneficial or 
disadvantageous to man, madam feels in no way very 
particular." Hence an indeterminate series of B. burrs 
will be succeeded by indefinite terms of thistles; these 
mav in turn be displaced by the dock, (vuviex) or 
some others : rautatis, mutandis, secula, sceulorum. 
Kohl gives a very graphic description of the weeds, 
burien, infesting the Russian steppes, which extend 
from the marches of Hungary to the wall of China. 
Thistles are most common, of what species he does not 
tell us. The agriculturist mantains a perpetual strug¬ 
gle against these burien. and fire alone is the weapon 
f SI . a gene, v ha finds most effectual for arresting their pro- 
n vasss and preventing their complete possession of the 
>)i*. That pernicious weed termed the Bathurst burr, 
but a native of South America, at present is one of the 
worst weeds the wool growers have to contend with— 
and the carduus marianus, or milk thistle, takes its 
place of bad pre-eminence amongst farmers and set¬ 
tlers- How to eradicate these plagues in the most 
effectual manner is the problem to be solved, and a 
life partnership in the Sydney Horticultural Improve¬ 
ment Society—the Prize. 
Naturalists have remarked, that the Allwise, amply 
rovides those plants and animals against which the 
ands of man, (or, other destructives) are continually 
raised, with the abundant means for taking care of 
themselves. In the two weeds especially named, wo 
find examples of two very different wavs by which 
similar results arc accomplished in the inodes of dis¬ 
tributing their seeds. The B. burr seeds are hooked; 
those of the thistles, alated or winged. Burr seeds 
may he conveyed, unwittingly by their most bitter 
haters, to all points of the compass. They are scattered 
abroad, by sticking in the manes, tails, or legs of 
horses; or by cattle or sheep, migratory flocks move 
especially ; or on the clothes, or in the valises of man 
himself. They will stick closer than some constables 
to their prisoners or bailiff to a debtor. But the downy 
thistle seeds fly about with every puff of wind, and find 
access to every hole and corner. When permitted to 
mature their seeds, the art of man in vain is employed 
to prevent their dispersion. 
It is % very doubtful if burning itself is sufficient at 
all times to destroy the vitality of Burr seeds, although 
fire certainly makes a pretty sure exterminator. But 
futile are all attempts to bum when once the seeds are 
ripened. The concussion of cutting down shakes out 
one moiety of the seeds, the act of collecting in heaps 
allows others to drop, and a part will pertinaciously 
stick, like soldier ants, to every object which is desti¬ 
tute of a metallic. surface, in fact any attempt to cut 
down matured burrs or thistles may be denominated 
labour uselessly expended, tending only to increase, not 
diminish the evil. 
Milk thistle seeds are eaten by birds. By their 
rotundity, these and many other varieties escape the 
triturating action of the grinding gizzards, and so aro 
scattered over bill and valley, mountain aud meadow, 
by the excrementary matter of those serial tenants. 
Only ono rule can bo assuredly relied on for checking 
the increase, cut down or eradicate, ere the seeds are 
ripe. To squatters no other course is available. Every 
shepherd, overseer, or master, ought at all times to 
he armed with a weapon for cutting down and eradica¬ 
ting burrs. It is wonderful what united and zealously 
prosecuted efforts can accomplish. Shepherds ought to 
receive premiums to stimulate their activity. 
"With strong feelings of dislike to compulsory en ■ 
actments, it would not be excessively harrowing to the 
writer’s feelings, if. he saw a little sage legislation 
applied to this subject. There is no law in this colony 
as in Scotland, whereby magistrates can enforce eradi¬ 
cation of these thieves in the soil, as they are 
empowered to take up and root out the thieves of 
human society. So the burrs increase and multiply 
exceedingly. ’ One flockowuer is ready and willing to 
keep his run clear ; but thou two of his neighbours— 
promise—talk about it —and that U all. As soon will 
burrs aud thistles grow talL as forest gums, as will the 
stockowners unite for any useful purpose until dire 
necessity drives thorn, perhaps a little too late, to 
associate for the common good both of themselves and 
of the country. 
But, altho’ the advice to u cut down the weed before 
it seed ” is both short, sensible, and sure; yet the full 
application of this rule may not be so easily managed, 
and other means may be called in as valuable auxili¬ 
aries, with great propriety. We shall require all our 
weapons ana .all our energies. 
On open aud tolerably level grounds repeated rollings 
will be found of great advantage as extirpators. A 
heavy roller will soon crush down whole acres, if a 
home- can be got to walk through the thistles. They 
are mast vulnerable when young and succulent. Two 
or three, rollings qt snch times as the weeds begin again 
to grow, will prove sufficient to destroy all thistles, as 
experience fully demonstrated iu Britain, and the plan 
is worthy of a trial in Australia. As proof, who ever 
saw weeds growing on footpaths or beaten tracks, or 
hard roads or on indurated soils ? 
Again; alkaline substances in general will have the 
effeet of destroying weeds, if the salts are not applied 
in too large quantities. A top dressing with hydrate f 
