pa EL A 
048 
mon knotgrass, Polygonum aviculare,—wild car- 
rot, Daucus carota,—hedge parsley, Torilis infes- 
ta,—fool’s parsley, Zthusa cynapium,—and fennel, 
Anethum feniculum.—The principal weeds which 
impoverish the soil and encumber crops are wild 
mustard, Scnapis arvensis,—black mustard, Sina- 
pis nigra,—wild radish, Raphanus raphanistrum, 
—rape charlock, Brassica napus,—corn poppy, 
Papaver rheas,—blue bottle, Centaurea cyanus,— 
stinking mayweed, Anthemis cotula,—and corn 
marigold, Chrysanthemum segetum. These abound 
most on light soils in dry districts, and may gen- 
erally be regarded as indicating careless, neg- 
ligent, or unskilful farming; and can be kept 
down or extirpated only by good husbandry, 
assiduous tillage, and careful supervision of ris- 
ing crops.—The principal weeds which never rise 
in the crops or come into the sickle, but which 
at the same time so infest or overrun land as to 
impoverish it, are groundsel, Senecio vulgaris,— 
annual meadow grass, Poa annua,—chickweed, 
Stellaria media,—shepherd’s purse, Thlaspi bursa- 
pastoris,—spurrey, Spergula arvensis,—wild cha- 
momile, Matricaria chamomilla,—goosefoot, Che- 
nopodium album,—lamb’s lettuce, Media olitoria, 
—flixweed, Sisymbriwm sophia,—common fumi- 
tory, Mumaria officinalis,—and sand mustard, 
Sinapis muralis. These are specially abundant 
on over-cropped, and scourged and exhausted 
lands; and when they become plentiful and lux- 
uriant, can seldom be extirpated without summer 
fallowing and laying down to grass.—The chief 
weeds on dry, sandy, calcareous pastures or on 
light loamy grass lands are the dwarf or stemless 
thistle, Cirsium acaule,— common chamomile, 
Anthemis nobilis,—star thistle, Centaurea calci- 
trapa,—great white ox-eye, Chrysanthemum leu- 
canthemum; — ploughman’s spikenard, Conyza 
squarrosa,—cheese rennet or yellow ladies’ bed- 
straw, Galium verum,—wild thyme, Thymus ser- 
pyllum,—\ong-rooted hawkweed, Apargia autum- 
nalis,—sheep’s sorrel, Rumex acetosella,—ccmmon 
knotgrass, Polygonum aviculare,—yellow rattle, 
Rhinanthus crista-galli,— and common carline 
thistle, Carlina vulgaris. The most formidable 
of these are the thistles, the sheep’s sorrel, and 
the knotgrass. The chief on loamy, clayey, and 
damp pastures are yellow goat’s beard, Zragopo- 
gon pratensis,—marsh thistle, Cirsiwm palustre,— 
melancholy or various-leaved thistle, Crrsiwm 
heterophyllum,—the meadow thistle or English 
thistle, Cirsium anglicum,—common butterbur, 
Tussilago petasites,—common ragwort, Senecio ja- 
cobea,—common daisy, Bellis perennis— black 
knapweed, Centaurea nigra,—broad-leaved dock, 
itumex: obtusifolius,—common cow parsnip, Hera- 
cleum spondylium,—several sedges, Carices,—and 
several orchises. 
The chief weeds which are liable and ready to 
overrun so much of the surface of the ground 
as to render the produce of farm crops of little 
value, and which serve as indicators of tempo- 
rary barrenness and as instigators to special 
WEED. 
diligence and exertion on the part of farmers, 
are,—corn cockle, A grostemma githago,—common 
daisy, Bellis perennis, —common fumitory, Fu- 
maria officinalis, — corn bindweed, Convolvulus 
arvensis, — goose-grass, Galium aparine, — corn 
poppy, Papaver rheas,—broad-leaved dock, Ru- 
mex obtusifolius,—curled dock, Rumex erispus,— 
groundsel, Senecio vulgaris,—common butterbur, 
Tussilago petasites,—colt’s-foot, Tussilago farfara, 
—chickweed, Stellaria media, — black fox-tail 
grass, Alopecurus agrestis,—sedge, or carnation 
grass, Carex,—stinking may-weed, Anthemis co- 
tula,—common couch grass, 7riticum repens,— 
corn thistle, Cnicus arvensis,—common cow-pars- 
nip, Heracleum spondylium, — crow garlic, Al- 
hum veneale—mare’s-tail, Hippuris vulgaris,— 
cheese rennet, or yellow ladies’ bed straw, Gal- 
wum verum,—shepherd’s needle, Scandia pecten- 
veneris,—sheep’s sorrel, Rumex acetosella,—great 
white ox-eye, Chrysanthemum leucanthemum,— 
corn marigold, Chrysanthemum segetum,— black 
bindweed, Polygonum convolvulus,—corn butter- 
cup, Ranunculus arvensis,—corn horse-tail, Hgwi- 
setum arvense,—blue-bottle, Centaurea cyanus,— 
wild mustard, Sinapis arvensis,—yellow goat’s- 
beard, Zragopogon pratensis,—corn mint, Mentha 
arvensis,—tall, oat-like soft-grass, Holcus avena- 
ceus, —narrow-leaved stoloniferous bent grass, 
Agrostis stolonifera angustifolia,—common rag- 
wort, Senecio jacobea,—black knapweed, Cen- 
taurea nigra, — ploughman’s spikenard, Conyza 
squarrosa,— darnel, Loliwm temulentum, — wild 
oats, Avena fatua,—smooth brome grass, Bromus 
secalinus,—rest-harrow, Ononts arvensis,—dwarf 
or stemless thistle, Cirstum acaule,—and star 
thistle, Centaurea calcitrapa. These plants, be- 
sides indicating more or less a bad state of things 
by their very presence, also show to a consider- 
able degree the comparative fertility or barren- 
ness of land by always being more luxuriant on 
fertile than on barren soils; and most of them 
are not at all nice as to either the composition 
or the condition of land, but will grow with more 
or less readiness on all kinds of soils.—A list 
of plants which spring up spontaneously among 
the herbage of sterile or exhausted pastures and 
meadows, and also a list of grasses of harsh, in- 
nutritious, or noxious nature, which take pos- 
session of pastures, downs, moors, bogs, and 
wastes, to the extensive or total exclusion of 
good grasses, have already been given in the ar- 
ticle Barren Soiis. 
Some weeds have valuable medicinal proper- 
ties; a few possess an ornamental character, and 
lend to the fields and wastes where they grow some 
of the gentle attractions of the parterre ; and many 
or even most may be applied to some useful pur- 
poses of the farm, and made to yield some little 
compensation for the injury which they have 
done to the soil or the crops, or for the trouble 
which they occasion to the cultivator. Sow 
thistles and some others afford good and grateful 
food to rabbits and hogs; the cow parsnip is 
