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John Farey in his General View of the Agriculture and Minerals of Derbyshire volume 2 1813 made notes on all the “noxious and useless plants” he found on the Derbyshire moors.
'The High Moors above-mentioned, are distinguished into black and white lands, the former being by far the most extensive, and are uniformly covered by Heath, which at a distance appears of a dark brown, approaching to black, of a most dismal aspect; the latter are the better and green parts, where Grasses prevail instead of Heath, or the aquatics on the very wet peaty parts called Mosses, which are still more dreary in their appearance than the black Heaths. The following are a few Memorandums that I made on the Herbage of these disgusting Moor Lands
Bilberry stems, Black Whorts, Wortleberry, or Huckleberry (vaccinium myrtillus), are the next most prevailing Herbage on the Moors, after and among the Heaths, especially where the soil is rather looser and better in quality, than where short Heath is alone seen, and which parts are generally found far the most difficult to improve: Moors much abounding with Bilberry wyzles or stems, are very unproductive of keep, and won’t summer, or carry much more than half a Sheep to an acre, exclusive of the improved valleys. The Bilberry, a small black Fruit, is gathered by the Poor, and used for Puddings and Pies, and it is also served up in Desserts at the Tables of the more wealthy, in the vicinity of the Moor Lands.
Cloudberry (rubus chamoemorus) is sometimes found on the Grit-stone N of Buxton, and elsewhere.
Clusterberry, very much resembles the Bilberry Plant, but has larger leaves on a smaller and more wiry stalk: they abound less than the Bilberry, and are alike worthless to the Farmer.
Cowberry, Red Wortleberry, Whort, or Crowberry (vaccinium vitis Idoea), is found on parts of the Gritstone Moors: the Berries are mealy when ripe, and the Leaves nearly like the Bilberry, but smaller.
Cranberry (vaccinium oxycoccus) grows and ripens its Berries, which the Poor gather, in some of the moister parts of the Moors.
Crowberry, Crake-berry, or Black-berried Heath (empetrum nigrum), differs little in leaf from the sort of Heath here called Ling, but has not the same wiry stalk: its small black Berries are not used, being bitter and vapid to the taste.
Heath of the common sort (erica vulgaris), is much too common, according to the view which I have taken of its effect, in producing Fox earth and other most unfertile vegetable soils. It abounds on all the Moors, and on most of the remaining Commons in this County, in a less or greater degree. Within a few years past, nearly all the fine Limestone Hills between Ashburne and Buxton were occupied by Heath, which is now happily becoming rather scarce there; and when the only remaining Commons, or unimproved Lands in this calcareous district, in Middleton, Yolgrave, &c shall have been inclosed, pared and burned, and limed, &c this noxious and useless Plant will, I hope, disappear altogether from this District. The cross-leaved Heath (erica tetralix), and another species (erica cinerea), are also common in some parts of the Moors; one of these being known by the name of Ling in the northern part of the County, and as rather more worthless, as Herbage, than the common Heath.
Lowk Grass, a kind of fine Benty Grass, occupying the wetter parts of the Moors, is found more productive of keep than the coarse Bents that occupy some other parts, among the Heath, Ling, and Bilberry Plants.'
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