count -to allow any weeds there to run to seed; 
for however much stray seeds are brought in by 
strong winds from neighbouring or comparative- 
ly distant places, the grand supply for the propa- 
gation of new races of weeds is always furnished 
within a farm’s own limits. Another important 
precaution, though properly but a subdivision of 
that which we first named, is to use only such 
grass-seeds as have been raised upon the farm 
itself, and saved from a very cleanly crop, or at 
least not to use any which have been imported 
from the Continent, or obtained from any un- 
known party in Britain ; for the grass-seeds com- 
monly sold in the market, particularly the seeds 
of rye-grass, often contain intermixtures of weed- 
seeds which cannot readily be detected by the 
eye, and which sometimes so sadly befoul com- 
paratively clean land that after it has lain years 
in grass, and is broken up again for tillage, a 
vast quantity of weeds of different kinds for- 
merly unknown upon it rush upin mixture with 
the first crop, and occasion great loss and trouble, 
And a fifth precaution, more important far than 
any of the rest, is to work well a wise system of 
rotation. “ Upon every farm where steady and 
judicious management is exercised,” says the 
writer formerly quoted, “ weeds of all kinds may 
easily be kept under at a moderate expense, pro- 
vided regular rotations of crops are strictly ad- 
hered to, and care used to prevent weeds from 
securing an effectual lodgment in the soil. Up- 
on all clay soils, or those that are most infested 
with perennial weeds, summer fallow is the radi- 
cal mode of destroying these adversaries; and if 
this mode is resorted to once in six years, and 
carried into execution with accuracy and preci- 
sion, any injury from weeds, during that rota- 
tion, will be of small importance. But upon light 
soils, independent of the ordinary ploughings, 
harrowings, and rollings, the horse and hand hoe 
must be used as often as possible, to keep down 
and destroy the numerous host of foes, with which 
such soils are infested; and if these operations 
are duly attended to, much injury cannot be 
sustained, even upon the richest or driest soils, 
from the attack of weeds, whether of the an- 
nual, biennial, or perennial varieties.” 
“Though it is impracticable to extirpate an- 
nual weeds altogether, either by summer fallow 
or turnip culture, yet the number of weeds may 
be so much lessened, by these means, as to pre- 
vent them from materially injuring corn crops. 
Two measures are necessary for that purpose,— 
first, to bring the seeds within the limits of vege- 
tatien,—and secondly, to destroy every weed that 
vegetates, thus regularly lessening the original 
stock. As the seeds of annual weeds are natur- 
ally furnished with the means of preservation 
while stored in the ground, it is absolutely ne- 
cessary to bring them into life, before their de- 
struction can be effected. This is accomplished 
by the operations of ploughing, harrowing, and 
rolling, by which the ground is pulverized and 
WEED. 
reduced, whilst the seeds are brought to the sur- 
face, or so near it as to allow their speedy ve- 
getation. All the seeds within two or three 
inches of the surface, may be expected to vege- 
tate according to circumstances, such as, richness 
of soil, fineness of mould, and the degree of mois- 
ture which may prevail when the above pro- 
cesses are executed. When the first crops of 
weeds appear above the surface, a second plough- 
ing should be given, by which that crop will in- 
stantly be destroyed, and a foundation laid for 
producing anothercrop. Harrowing and rolling 
should again be resorted to; and in this way, 
several crops may be annihilated, in warm and 
moist seasons, before the turnips are drilled; 
more especially if attention has been paid to 
harrow and roll the land after every ploughing, 
so that sufficient moisture may be preserved to 
insure vegetation. When under turnips, both 
the hand and horse hoe should be constantly 
employed whenever weeds appear; and upon no 
account should a single one be allowed to run to 
seed. By paying due attention to these mea- 
sures, many farms which formerly were a nest of 
seed-weeds, are now brought into such order 
that the weeds are kept. under subjection and 
easily managed. In this way the destruction of 
many annual weeds may be accomplished, before 
the turnip-seed is sown, and the seeds of almost 
every annual weed, locked up in the ground, may 
be brought to the surface, and within the reach 
of vegetation. Besides, the several horse and 
hand hoeings given to the turnip crop, serve to 
destroy every annual weed as fast as it appears; 
and if the seed-furrow given the corn crop which 
succeeds the turnips, is not taken deeper than 
the horse-hoeing furrow, (and a greater depth is 
unnecessary,) few weeds will appear in the corn 
crop which afterwards follows. As grass-seeds 
are always sown in the improved districts, with 
the corn crop that succeeds turnips, no annual 
weeds can appear in that season; but it very 
often happens in the succeeding year, from 
ploughing the clover stubble a little deeper than 
the seed-furrow given to the crop which succeed- 
ed turnips, that a fresh growth of annual weeds 
make their appearance. To get the better of 
these enemies, some experienced farmers have 
hand-weeded the crops which followed clover, at 
an expense not less than from ten to twenty 
shillings per acre, and evidently much to their 
advantage; whilst others have resorted to the 
drill husbandry to get quit of annual weeds. 
The great object of both was, to procure clean 
crops, each being perfectly satisfied, that if their 
crops were full of weeds, the productive powers 
of the soil would not only be deteriorated, but 
that the amount or value of those crops would be 
also considerably lessened. 
“ Owing to the nature of the soil and climate, 
many perennial weeds are much more abundant 
in Scotland, and also in Ireland, Wales, and the 
north and north-west of England, than in other 
