The best tract of cultivated arable lands appeared to us to lie between Penrith and Longtown, and the worst between Chester and the Mersey. In the latter tract were many fields with crooked ridges, and many pastures overgrown with rushes: and the hedges and roadsides were covered with large thistles and other rampant weeds. Some fields between Liverpool and Preston, were nearly as bad; and, to give an idea of the state of intelligence among the farmers there, we may add, that a landlord told us that he had repeatedly remonstrated with his tenants as to the rushes, but they replied, that the cows preferred rushy fields; and refused to eradicate them. In but few parts have we found the corn crops sufficiently clear of weeds, and certainly not so much so in Cheshire and Lancashire as they generally are about London, in the Lothians, and in Northumberland. The charlock and wild radish are almost every where much more abundant than we expected to find them, and it will be difficult to get rid of the quantity of seeds of these weeds which must be already in the soil, otherwise than by a long course of drill culture both for root and herbage and for corn crops. It was many years ago suggested in the Edinburgh Farmer's Magazine, that it would be a good thing for parishes to take cognisance of the weeds that grow on the sides of the public roads, and to eradicate them at the common expense. If parish, county, and national roads were subjected to the system of management which we have suggested (p. 522.), the superintendence of the sides of these roads, together with the fences and the trees, would be included in the system. This is the case in several states on the Continent; and in Flanders, in particular, the authorities order not only the weeds by the roadsides and on public lands to be cut down, but also the leaves of the trees which are infested by caterpillars, to be cut off, by the process known there by the French term echeniller. If individuals neglect to do these duties at the proper seasons, the parishes do them, and charge the individuals with the expense; and if the parishes neglect them, the districts do it, and charge the parishes. It is clear, at all events, that it would be for the general good in Britain to prevent all troublesome weeds from running to seed, especially such as thistles, docks, ragwort, cow parsnep, hemlock, &c. At present, in many places, however disposed a farmer may be to keep his lands clear, the dissemination of the roadside thistles, by their downy seeds, renders it impossible for him to do so.
