The midland journal., 1894-03-16
RAGWEEDs.
Essay Read Before the Farmers In
stitute, at Rising Sun, by nrs. A. 6.
Shippers, Feb. 2lst, 1894.

Essay Read BEFORE the FARMERS III
stitute, at Rising Sun, by rlrs. A. G
Shippers, Feb. 2lst, 1894.
In the summer days of a certain
year, I was in a certain city anG
accompanied friend to hospital
AS we were lettering in the conva
lescent ward my attention was ar
rested by the beauty and bloom Of
the flowers growing in pots ano
boxes upon the ledges of the large
sunny windows. Among this beauty
and bloom | noticed a forlOrn little
ragweed struggling for existence in
a ten cent flower pot; in its limited
space, like Mark Twain's preacher
on the flats, the little weed was
doing it's level best. 1t had even
dared to throw out one or two little
branches and emphatically declared
it's intention of going to seed by
unmistakable foreshading in that
direction.
A few short months passed away
and ON a September afternoon of the
same year / was riding over the
prairies of Illinois, where gigantic
ragweeds lined either side of the
broad highway, forming a literal
grove of ragweeds. From the high
seat in an open blackboard l could
not look over this ragweed hedge,
the stalks of which in many in
stances were as thick as my arm,
and measured from ten to fifteen
feet in height.
That night while l was sleeping
in a strange house in a strange
State, (Which according to an old
superstition ought to make my
dream come doubly true, | dream
ed that | had been cast away upon
an island covered with ragweeds!
From centre to circumference moth
ing could be seen but ragweeds.
Dreary prospect wasn't it? But in
spite Of the unpromising appear
ance of things methought the in
habitants were tolerably content.
How they lived or where | did not
trouble myself to inquire-my at
tention was riveted upon the rag
weeds. Now you know a dream is
never logical or consistent in any
particular, it would not be dream
if it were. But it seemed to me
that rambling about the island !
came upon group of women, OF
sorrowful and perpleXed counte-
nances. ! stopped to join in their
conversation and learned with the
rapidity with which we always
learn things in dreams that they
were discussing the terrible state OF
things upon the island, especially
the presence of the ragweeds.
"Why don't you try to get rid OF
them - | asked. "Oh the men
have been trying that for over a
hundred years." they replied, "and
they insist that they will at last
succeed and that they don't want
any help from u.s." "Well," ]
replied, ~ wouldn't ask the men
whether they wanted me or not, il
l were going to stay here I'd just
go to work and I'd get a scythe
OF a sickle, or some kind Of an
instrument that would cut, and
I'd get all the other women to join
me and the way we would slash
ragweeds would be a caution to old
folks. And then we would gel
rakes and rake them all into the
sea-" "Ah, but" they mourn
fully replied, "the men won't let us
have the scythes and sickles and
rakes, they keep them all securely
locked up, and one day in the fal
of the year after the ragweeds have
all gone to seed they all turn out
and cut them down, and then they
rake the ground over and SOW tn,
wheat, and the consequence is tn,
next harvest is pretty much al
ragweeds."
At this juncture the breakfas
gong hung in an old apple tree jus
under my bedroom window, CAV,
forth some most unearthly sounds
and jumping out of bed I wok'
myself up.
| have often pondered over tina
dream, and wondered if those poo
women ever did get those men t.
let them helm eXterminate the rag