The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-04-16
WEEDS, Useful and OthersOise
LOVES WHISPER.
By Frederic J. Iiaskin.


 There are said to be more than 1lo.- 900 different species of fiower-bearinK plants in the world. Less, than 5.eoo l of these have been used by man. m the United States 300 kinds are about all that enter into the important con- cerns of the people. It Is said that the world uses less than per cent. or the inhabitants of the plant Kingdom. North America Is rich in plant species. | possessing not only thousands Of Kinds that are indigenous to the soil put other thousands that have been borne here on the wings of commsrce. Yet with her superabundance of kinds of plant life the United States has only about 200. kinds that are written down in the catalogue of weeds. ana many | of these are highly useful under proper 1 circumstances. For instance. Bermuda grass. Johnson grass, crab grass. and sweet clover get into the weed class oftener, than not, yet they are all use- ful as forage, and sweet clover makes excellent bee pasture. There are many weeds which have valuable medicfnai qualities. and others that make me 1 pot herbs for the poorer classes In the rural communities. Even poke-weed | and pursiaine are in favor in many localities as substitutes for asparagus and cress. s 5j-, .s... 7. The Department of Agriculture has 1 issued bulletin which Is a. guide Tor | the boy who wants to earn some pm money. It is entitled. Weeds Used in Medicine" and tells how to prepare the weeds for market. giving approxi- l mately the prices that can be expected. | The prices paid are not large, but the | city or country boy who has to pull the weeds can make some money while doing 1t.
 Burdock has a large tap root about foot long. This and the seeds are useful. The root brings from to $ cents a pound. according to the care used in curing, and the seeds ering | from to 10 cents. About bo,00O l pounds of burdock root are imported | every year the best coming from Bell gium. With millions of pounds of It | going to. waste every year, and with | good farmers willing to pay a bounty for all that is dug on their planta- l tions. digging burdock root and cur Ing 1t might be tiptop suggestion for the boy who wants to earn some l money.
 Dandelion is a great tonic In d,s- eases of the liver and in dyspepsia. The | root is the part used in medicine, yet
 with dandeIion root selling at from to cents per pound, every lawn and l every field is permitted to remain GOV" 1 cred with it. and the American drug-
 gist has to import more than l0O,OO0 pounds of the root to supply demand | that the American small boy might | sunnIy Tn the country dandelion greens are a prime favorite, not less for their | flavor than for the excellent effect they | have on the human system.
 One hundred and twenty-five thous-
 andiN hounds of runeAN-the seientific
 name of dock root--are imported into Nrybt1 Ia f1at1I O
 of pounds of the home product waste for want of gathering Dock root is fayorfte remedy for purifying the blood
 and for various skin diseases. The | price of the dried roots Is from 2 to 6 cents. Couch, or dog grass, is another
 common weed that is in demand for
 medicinal purposes. The United States
 imports nearly the whole supply, which | amounts to a quarter-million pounds. It's fluid extract is widely used in kid-
 ney and bladder disorders. The price
 Is from to cents.
 Even the unseemly pokeweed has a commercial value. Both the roots and
 the dried berries are salable, the dried 1 roots selling at from to cents a pound, and the berries at about cents. They are used in skin and blood dis 1 eases. Fox-glove is a fugitive from
 the flower garden. and In many places
 has lost its caste as flower by allow
 ing itself to associate with weeds. The
 medical name is diRitalis. and 1t Is
 widely used in affections of the heart.
 The annual importations of digitalis
 amounts to some 60.000 pounds. The
 American product has been but little
 used, although 1t has been aasayed and
 found to be fully equal to the European article.
 The despiSed mullein Is always ready
 to contribute it's share to the relief of
 the ills that beset mankind. It is
 used in coughs and catarrh, to quiet
 nervous irritation. relieve pain and
 check Inflammation. It is said that the
 dried leaves make an Ideal smoke for
 nasal catarrh. Most of the verbaBoum.
 or mullein flowers, which the druggists
 sell, comes from Germany The price
 Is variable--ranging from 26 to TS cents
 a pound.
 II Lobelia, taosy and catnip all have
 their medicinal values. LobeIia seeda
 are worth from 15 to 90 cents a
 pound. and the dried tops from 3 to l
 cents. When the physician pFescribea