The Savannah morning news., 1903-09-09
THE COCKSPUR WAR
CITY OFFICERS IN A TANGLE ON
THE SUBJECT.
CALLS 1T A FARCE.
ALDERMAN DIXON THINKS 1T THE
MOST STUPID THING YET.

Others Contend That the COckspur
Brigade of Fifteen Boys Are Do
ing Good Work and That Their
Services Are Easily Worth so
Cents Day-CIerk Dreamer Be
leaves He Has the Only Way to
Eradicate Them-Says That the
Ground Should Be FurrOwed-BOys
still at Work.
Because there are fifteen boys pick
ing cockspurs in the Park Extension.
under the direction of the streets and
lane departments, an account of which
was given in the Morning News, the
city government is badly stirred up.
The publication in the Morning News
of the fact that a cockspur brigade of
juveniles was working industriously in
an effort to clear the parade ground
of the Objectionable spurs attracted
a good deal of attention and was the
topic at the City Exchange. Some
thought the scheme asinine while
others considered it wise. All agreed
that cockspurs are nuisance.
Alderman Dixon, who is a member
of the Streets and Lanes Committee,
declared that the employment of the
boys to pick the cockspurs is about
the most absurd thing the city has
ever done. He told Mayor Myers so
and expressed himself freely on the
subject. There were others, however,
who did not agree with the alderman
and the argument waxed warm. Citi-
zens were brought into the discussion
and a hundred and one cockspur ex-
perts were discovered during the day.
AS a matter of fact the 'stickers"
that grow in the Park Extension are
not cockspurs, according to Webster.
He says in his little book that cock
spur is a variety of hawthorn, and
therefore it must be a shrub.
Good to he Derived.
Chairman Davant of the streets and
lanes department contends that the
cockspurs. as they are generally
known, can be got rid of if the system
of picking them is followed. They grow
only from the seed, he believes, and
by picking and destroying the spurs
before they go to seed the crop can be
done away with in two years. That is
why the cockspur brigade is working
on the parade ground, plucking the
spurs before the seed mature. The
boys are paid so cents a day and are
working faithfully. 1t is expected
that they will complete their labors
this week.
Clerk of Council j. Robert Dreamer,
who is something of a farmer, declares
that the cockspurs will never be Grad
icated if the present system is follow
ed. His contention is that the spurs
come from the roots of the grass as
we'll as from the seed and that a fur
row should be used on the ground. Mr.
Creamer says that he is certain that
the cockspurs can be eradicated if a
furrOw is used. Other farmer city
officers take stand with Mr.. Cream
er and say that the ground should be
furrowed if the cocksDurs are to go.
But the question has not yet been de-
cided to the satisfaction of all con-
cerned. Nor is there any likelihood of
satisfactory decision being reached
inasmuch as after all the "stickers''
are not really cockspurs.
Picking Does Good.
Even those who contend that the
cockspur picking is a farce have to
admit that there will be few, if any,
spurs on the parade ground during the
winter months if the boys continue to
work as faithfully as they have. The
spurs may put in an appearance again
next spring, but certainly this years
crop will not be on the ground during
the winter months.
The announcement that the city is
employing the boys caused more than
score of juveniles to swoop down upon
those connected with the streets and
lanes department. All of the boys
wanted to go to work, and Foreman
George Aliens life was made something
of a burden. The city has no idea of
increasing the force of boys, however.