Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1908-12-17
AND L0AFERS
Nuisances of Which Every Town
Should Rid Itself.
TWO MODERN LIFE PLAQUES.
Practical Suggestions For Freeing
Railway Stations Of Loungers-How
to Destroy Plants Of Noxious Growth.
Drummers and Tourists Can Help.

IOScllel W pldCllSdl eAeCI. Dul HelS
is a seemingly hopeless suggestion to
bring them together. A reader of a
cattle breeders journal who travels
out of Louisville, KY, sends the sub
Joined:
I write you with reference to a topic
which to my dea Is very im~portant-that
Is, the weeds. My occupation is that Of
a travelling salesman. and 1t puts me In
a position to sec a great deal Of what Is
doing on the farm, at the country store
and at the railroad station. I have new
er got off at any station in my territory
and not found men of different ascz.
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 wait
ing for my train by two boys who were
getting something out Of a box. When
they saw me walking toward them they
both ran between some freight cars and
hid. Upon investigation l found that
they were stealing oranges, n I could
tell Of many other happenings Of similar
nature that l have seen. Do you not
think II you publish an 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 q curse? Then probably the weeds
will not be 80 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 a snake, but we ell
Joy just as fully the privilege of killing
a weed. A hatred of weeds Is the be
ginning of agricultural knowledge. III
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 u%nceasing 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 noS-
ious plants that carry over from a 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,
teries 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 70,
their depots, and greensward, spoutins
fountains and shrubbery and flowera
ornament the railway grounds and re-
fresh the eyes of the weary trave:er.
And, moreover, many railways post
conspicuous signs warning loafers off
railway grounds and property. W.
would not want to say that the depot
loafer and the weedy sidetrack ars
more common in the south than in ths
north. We have observed them from,
Maine to Texas and from Washington
to Florida.
Since the problem is known to he
general rather than local to any n
section, it's 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 20 suppress the nuisance.
1t is comparatively easy for the
An imperative rrder to the station
master to keep the premises free from
loungers, followed by visits of al in
spector, will quickly cure that evil, but
it will not bring the muscle of the
loafer in contact with the weeds. The
conversion of the idler into a useful
productive member of the community
is a problem which has commanded
the earnest attention of political econo
mists, socioloSlsts 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 If
they would set for themselves the com.
mendable task of cutting the weeds lie
public places. including railway sta
lions.
Here is Il 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
places and dates accurately and
in detail. and some beneficial results
are apt to follow. In the same way
against dirty. ragged loafers
around railway stations will certainly
result in a 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 if they are approached
In the proper way.