Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-06-04


aHd yet one rarely sees a so-called wild
specimen among the floral pets Of the Texas
household. Show an interest IL one OF
these Indigenous species and not a few
people will laugh at you for Your pains.
with the exclamation: "Why, it's only
weed"
Now, are our wild lowers weeds? What
docs it take 10 constitute weed? The
word weed is not a synonym for "mdIg-
enous' or native" Webster says OF
weed that it is any plant that Is useless or
troublesome" Henderson says weeds are
such plants as "come up Spontaneously IN
the ground where crops are sown or
planted. no matter what they are; for if not
wanted there, no matter how ornamental
they may be. or how useful in other local
tiles. they are out OF place and should be
cut down as weeds Thus il will be seen
that plant becomes a weed, not for the
simple reason of its being common, but be-
cause it is troublesome. A tomato plant in
The onion row would be as much j weed as
would cookie bur, and an onion among
the tomatoes would be equally weed.
weed is simply plant out of place, and
uoxious wse1. 50 called, IS plant that
persists in putting itself out 81 place.
Under this correct ruling our beautiful
wild Towering plants of the Texas prairies
are not weeds, IS they grow on our uncul-
licated lands. for they are not out of place
Few indeed of them ever incline to become
V. eds-none uoXionS weedS-fOr they
promptly disappear before the work nj the
=-ssw Near all of our weeds are introductions
rom some other section of country, a very
large per cent of them being from the Old
World.
This word weed throws , shadow over
our beautiful wild flowers that ought to be
removed by common consent. 1t no doubt
lowers their general appreciation at the
hands Of many unthinlling people. Do YOU
suppose for moment that the people of
other regions, where our wild flowers do
not grow, would ever thind of CHASING
them as weeds could they be transferred TO
their flower gardens2 On the Their hand,
macy of them that our people consider IN
worthy of so much as a passing notice
would become the very pets of the collec-
ton, and they wori certainly be entirely
deserving of the rank.
some days ago, when the conductors
were on a visit to Fort Worth, NC CHANGED
10 be 8 passengoI on an electric car that
Look Il number of them and their Ladies' out
10 Arlington Heights. Many of the visit
iug ladies' were entirely carried away, as
we say, ii sight of the wild flowers on the
prairie con- that field of lovely red
flowers over yonder-what are thcy!' eX-
claimed one lady to a Texas gentleman sit
ting near her Then! why they are
only common weeds A gentleman sitting
further away remarked, aside 10 another
gentleman, that they were chigger weeds,
aud bred chiggers by the million.
and that magnificent group across
yonder-surely they cannot be mere
weeds!' Only common weeds said the
gentleman addressed, while the other gen.
tleman told his friend, aside, evidently in
tending for tie lady to hear it, that some
folks called them basket weeds, because
the blossom looked like it was sitting in a
waste basket. And them great white
flowers over there, what kind Of weeds are
they" 1T was bed of Mexican poppies.)
Let me sec-I forget the name of them. =
Cactus weeds, said the other gentleman.
aside. ooh, yes, them are cactus weeds"
And the mea Jlst weeds that ever grew"
said the other gentleman, aside, for they
are covered with sharp thorns, which take
fellow Just about the ankles when
he is riding on horseback And what
were these charming palm like
punches with the spikes Of large greenish-
white flowers that We're passed back
yonder2" Them were" Bear grass
broke in the other gentleman. aside 10 his
friend. Bear grass weeds responded
the lady with bit Of irony in her tone.
And" continued the other gentleman.
aside, they are no coed only for stringing
tish and hanging bacon with their leaves,
which are as strong s buckskin.' And we
were at the Heights
This made US think of case in which
once figured on Old German matchmaker
and the citizens of a little then hackwoois
village up in Kentucky. 1t was the first
Matchmaker who had yer materalized al
that particular village, and IN the early
days of his location all hands turned out TO
see his shop His tools. being very unlike
those OF the village blacksmith with which
hey were more OF less familiar, attracted
general attention and I'd 10 the asking of
numerous questions as 10 what
they were and what he did with
them. "Wast's this Mr. Schneider, and
what is it for 'gt ish I'm tool unit l works
NIT it Exactly; and what is this.
MIR. Schneider, and what is ii for!n y.
ISL IN tool, UNI works init it. too - And |
what is this" 1t is uG tool too. " And so
on until the curiosity of all had been sat
isfied. Thus it goes with reference to our
beautiful wild flowers of the prairies |
What is this 1T is 4 weed Aud |
what is this.' - is a weed. too. =" etc
Of course It is not TO be expected of |
everyone that lie should be botanist with |
lhe name and natural history of all our |
Texas plants at his fingers ends, but there |
are certainly none among us incapable q |
dropping this entirely inapplcable name of |
weed from them. They are no more |
weeds than are the plants cultivated in our |
flower gardens. The notion of a weed |
doubtless springs from the fact that they |
are seen growing wild. Ii indigenous |