The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-24
Uses of Weeds.

We are learning to have a more friendly
feeling for weeds than formerly.
says the Indiana Farmer. They are not
the unmixed evil we used to think them.
Some of them, like purslane and the crab
grass, are worth gathering as feed for
hogs and cows. For a month past we
have had the boys hunt through the gar
den and fields for purSlane to bait the cows
while milking. Coming in from the dry
grass In the pasture they eat it greedily
preferring it even to bran. The leaves
| and stems are succUlent and rich. Every
farmer knows how fond the hogs are of it,
and there is no question but that it is
healthful for them between their rations
of corn In the southern states crab grass
is largely used as hay. 1t covers
the fallow ground everywhere and is
| pulled up, as it lies upon the ground and
cannot be cut with a scythe, and fed to
the horses. We have heard it suggested
that the SO-called horse weed, so common
in bottoms and other rich lands, would
make good feed for stock, if cut before
the stalks were hardened. Horses eat
them with great relish when green. They
might not care for them dried at least
clover and timothy are much better. This
new weed pest that is rapidly spreading
everywhere, the wild lettuce is another
food plant it seems, for horses and COWS
crop them eagerly. Sheep eat almost all
kinds of weeds, and it is due to this fact
that mutton from pasture-fed animals
has its delicious flavor, according to cpl
cures.
But is chiefly for their benefit to the
soil that we are disposed to speak good
word for weeds. at least for some of them.
We would much prefer having purslane
cover the garden, after the vegetables
have been removed than to have no
IL l. IL.
advantage to the wheat field. 1t springs
up quickly after the grain is cut and
shades the ground preventing the escape
of ammonia and forming a valuable
coating of green manure if turned under
as it should be, before the stalks are
dried Even the thistle and the
burdock are valuable as Fertilizers.
We have In mind a poor and neglected
garden, which, after two years
growth of these weeds was broken up and
produced better crops of sweet corn and
other vegetables than any of the gardens
around. This dry, hot summer, when
everything in most gardens in the vicinity
is withered and spindling this old weed
patch shows green and vigorous vegeta-
ton, Notwithstanding the drOuth. The
weeds sent their roots deep into the sub
soil and brought up the fertilizing material
that had sunk down there. and loosened
up the soil so that the roots of the vege-
tables had little trouble in finding plenyy
of nutriment. Letting field lie idle and
grow up in weeds is natures way of re-
cuperating the soil and some of our So
called worst weeds are often the best for
her purpose. OF course clover is better
than any Of them if there is enough
strength in the soil to give it start. But
if there is not, give nature a chance and
she will send some weed thai will make
its living there and prepare it for clover
or some other valuable crop. Weeds are
not an unInitigated evil and as we come to
understand them better we are finding
that many of them, perhaps all, are bless
inCs in disguise.