Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1908-10-19
WEEDS AND L0AFERS
Nuisances of Which Every Town
Should Rid Itself.
TWO MODERN LIFE PLAQUES.
Practical Suggestions For Freeing
Railway Stations Of lounsers-How
to Destroy Plants Of Noxious Growth.
Drummers and Tourists Can Help.

halfway stations OF loun9erS-0oW
to Destroy Plants Of Noxious Growth.
Drummers and Tourists Can Help.
Weeds and loafers are rarely joined
together to practical effect. But here
is seemingly hopeless suggestion to
bring them together. A reader Of
cattle breeders journal who travels
out of Louisville, KY, sends the sub
joined
I write you with reference to a topic
which to my idea Is very important-that
Is, the weeds. My occupation Is that Of
a travelling salesman. and 1t puts me IN
a position to see a great deal of what Is
doing on the farm, at the country store
and at the railroad station. l have new
er got off at any station In my territory
and not found men of different ages
from the boy In knee pants to the old
man, hanging around the depot. Only re-
Gently my attention was attracted at the
far end of the freight depot while walt
ing for my train by two boys who were
getting something out Of box. When
they saw me walking toward them they
both ran between some freight cars and
hid. Upon investigation I found that
they were stealing oranges, and could
tell of many other happenings OF similar
nature tnat l nave Seen 10 you iloe
think II you publish article about
weeds and the loafers hanging around the
depots. learning nothing and doing moth
ing, that some railroad official might read
the article and start a campaign against
such a curse? Then probably the weeds
will not be so prosperous.
Our correspondent has touched with
his pen two plaques Of modern life,
says the Breeders Gazette, Chicago.
Possibly descent from Mother Eve per-
mits us to thrill with pleasure at every
opportunity to kill snake. but we ell
Joy just rs fully the privilege Of killing
a weed. A hatred of weeds Is the be-
ginning of agricultural knowledge. In
seasons favorable to the growth OF
weeds the writer sometimes loses pleas
ure in his farm, so ObtruSive and so
aggravating Is the presence OF weeds.
Certainly no farmer can read his title
clear to honor in his calling unless he
is the unceasng militant foe of weeds.
And the trouble of it all is that many
a farm. cleaned of weeds by unremit-
ting toll, is fouled by the seeds of nox-
ious plants that carry over from lazy
neighbours uncut weed patch.
Here are the loafer and the weed.
They are not confined wholly to the
railway stations. Railways are the ar
teres of civilization. They are also the
arch distributors of noXious weed seed.
Weeds and rats are the concomitants
of the civilization which the iron horse
carries into pioneer sections. Most rail-
way stations are weedy and most de-
pots have their quota of loafers Some
of the eastern roads years ago planned
a broad policy of Improvement for
their depots, and greensward, spouting
fountains and shrubbery and flowers
ornament the railway grounds and re-
fresh the eyes of the weary traveller
And, moreover, many railways post
conspicuous signs warning lOafers off
railway grounds and property. We
would not want to say that the depot
loafer and the weedy sldetrack are
more common in the south than In the
north. We have observed them from
Maine to Texas and from Washington
to Florida.
Since the problem is known to be
general rather than local to any one
section, its treatment must be on gen.
eral lines. Many roads make an ear
nest effort to keep the weeds moved
along their right Of way. But over
vast stretches of country weeds run
riot around railroad grounds and
switches and stockyards, with little
or no attempt to suppress the nuisance.
1t is comparatively easy for the
roads to keep loafers of their grounds.
An imperative order to the station
master to keep the premises free from
loungers, followed by visits Of an in
spector will quickly cure that evil, but
It will not bring the muscle of the
loafer in contact with the weeds. The
productive member Of the community
Is a problem which has commanded
the earnest attention Of political ecOno-
mists, socioNgists and philanthrOpists,
and vet there are thousands who In
some way manage to eat bread with
out sweating. Such loafers could, in
deed, redeem themselves somewhat in
the estimation of their neighbors II
they would set for themselves the COM
mendable task Of cutting the weeds in
public places, including railway sta
tons.
Here Is practical suggestion: Let
travelling statesmen and tourists and
farmers notify the railway passenger
agents or division superintendent Of
grossly neglected weed patches along
their lines, signing their names and
giving places and dates accurately and
in detail, and some beneficial results
are apt to follow. In the same way
complaints against dirty, ragged loafers
around railway stations will certainly
result in sharp order to the depot
master to keep his buildings and
grounds free from such undesirable
gentry. Much may be done with the
railroad people II they are approached
In the proper way.