The Washington herald., 1907-02-09
Farmer Mann,s Timely Warning.

Looking out over his broad acres fin
the Eighth ward of Chicago. Farmer jim
Mann shudders at the spectacle Of
blighted crops His corn is whitening
and his wheat is shriveling. The al
falfa struggles out OF the ground joy
fully in the morning dew. only to be cut
down by some strange maIady before the
sun sets. All IS desoIatoa and woe as
far as the eye Of Farmer Jim can sweep
When the remnants OF his blighted
crops have been harvested and marketed.
Farmer Jim journeys 20 Washington TO
take his place among the seats Of the
mighty in the House Of Representatives.
From his post in the watch tower he
calls out a warning TO his country. The
dOdder plant has ravaged his fields. and
what this terrible monster failed to de-
your was left as prey To the Unsuitable
appetite of the Russian thistle and the
yellow trefOiI How anything escaped
this trinity of Gargantuans with such
incredible hunger Farmer Jim did not
attempt to explain to his feIlow-farmers
of the House
A recital Of his woes was made when
the annual appropriation for free seeds
was under discussion The Chicago farm
er addressed himself not 10 the merits
of that great proposition per Sc. but to
only one phase Of it, It was the aduI-
teTation of seed against which he in
Weighed with hot eloquence. "An my
life declared Farmer Jim. I have had
some connection with the subject Of
food as every other member of Congress
has had, and al my life. nearly. I have
had some connection with the question
Of seeds" Let us pause here to con-
slider and admire what fine distinctions
this horny-handed son Of toll made in
this brief but sapient utterance. All his
life he has had some connection with the
subject Of food, and all his life.
nearly he has had some connection
with the question" Of seeds Food is a
subject seeds is a question" It is
more. 1t is an issue. But we pass on.
One of the most common and per
niciOus enemies Of clover" asserted this
hard-worldng farmers of Chicago. lis the
dodder plant. with which I suppose. most
of the farmers Of the House are IA
miliar-" Mr. Mann then gave a descrip-
ton Of the dodder. which shows it to be
a hideous monster. indeed. THE dodder
is a parasite" said he 1T starts from,
seed grown In the ground. and as soon as
1t attaches itself to the neighboring plant
it disconnects itself from the ground and
lives as parasite on the plant to which
it connects itself" Then he cast a SHIN
mering ray of light on a dark mystery.
Said he: You viii often see in a clover
field yellow spot That yellow SPOT
means spot of dodder, and ft is one of
the most pernicious enemies Of the clover
field"
Farmer Jim Mann thus proceeded to
enliShten the House on the evils of seed
9dulteration until that great body of
farmer-statesmen was in seething fer
ment Of excitement The veteran farm
er, J, Warren Keller, could hold his
peace no longer. Up he sprang. We
quote from the Congressional Record of
January IS:
Mr. Keifer-NIr Chairman, desire to ask the
gentleman before he gets so far away from alfalfa
seed whether in any Of the authorizations renorted
it Is shown that Russian thistle seed is found? Rus
sian thistle seed, if ! may be allowed
Mr. Mam-Is the greatest disaster to this coun-
try
Further along, Mr.. Mann denounced the
yellow trefoil as terrible scourge that
crept into the farmers fields stealthily
through the seed annually distributed by
a paternaI government. and he pleaded
for the passage Of a law to
stop the adulteration of seed. He seemed
to forget about the marvellous dodder af- |
ter Gen. Keifer reminded him of the
Russian thistle; and thus it happens that
he is committed uncompTomisingIy to the |
that the Russian thistle is |
the greatest disaster to this country"
Wherefore. we call upon the farmer !
statesmen on Capitol Hill to cease their
luarreling and pickering over the Jan
anese question, the predatory trusts the /
ruthless railroad monopoly. &c. and de-
vote themselves to a defense of the conn 1
try from the despoillng ravaees of the |
Russian thistle. the dodder plant and the
yellow trefoil-a trinity of evils that are 1
endangerins the very foundations Of our
Institution.
V~I1iTa