Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-05-09
EVENING Chat

That hardest and hardest cussed
of perennials. the cichoriaceous plant
known as the dandelion. has invaded
harrisburg and its environs in un-
precedented numbers this year and
every man who owns scrap of grass
patch is out with the carving knife
OF scIewdriver or anything that will
uproot and is thinning OUT The
weather rather held back the dande-
mons until this week, but they have
made up for 1t. The yellow crown of
the plant so much noted for its dur
etc or stomachic qualities is rearing
itself by The million in and about the
city and people who thought that they
mad banished the pinnatified leaved
pest from their lawns last year are
watching with amazement the unfold
ing OF the blooms with each morn
ing Apparently the weather condi-
tions must be just right for the dande-
lions for they have sprung up, jumped
up, hopped up in numbers that would
give census enumerator heart dis
ease. And the worst part of it is
that If the blooms are not destroyed
now they will go to seed and the
nouseffv which raises a nation or two
or progeny annually has nothing on
the average dandelion plant as a
propagation. All one has to do is TO
observe the puff ball seed of dande-
lion plant this year and then take an
observation about the end of next
April. There will be a yellow stain
on the grass plot or in the field which
Will show that nature knows how to
take care of her own and that her
own are not believers in species sui
eide. The wisest thing to do is to get
out with a knife and uproot the dan
delion even if you do develop back
ache and have to take five grains of
asperin on Sunday morning. In a few
more days those brilliant yellow flow
ers that dot the lawn and the park
and the common will commence to as
sumo the globular shape that we used
to hunt to blow about when we were
children and did not know that we
were playing game of Mother Ma
ture and scattering to the four winds
the seeds that would serve to start
new legions of dandelions.
National Guardsmen in Harrisburg
and vicinity especially those connected
with the cavalry arm for the last flf-
teen years or more. will be interested
in an announcement in the general
orders from National Guard head
quarters to the effect that Lieutenant
Colonel John P. Penney. of Pitts
burgh, inspector general on the divi-
sion staff, had been retired at his own
request Colonel Penney is known to
probably as many Guardsmen as any
inspector in the State. He has in
'spected the Governors Troop for
years and has been a lieutenant
colonel and inspector general since
July 25, 1900. Colonel Penney lives
in Pittsburgh and has had a career of
twenty-four years in the National
Guard. He was educated at the West
ern University of Pennsylvania and
entered Company G. of the 18th in
becoming a lieutenant in 1884. He
advanced to captain and then became
an inspector of rifle practice in the
Second brigade, becoming a major
and inspector in 1895. He has been
reappointed to his present place four
times.
It's odd the manner in which each
recrudence of the war scare stirs up
new offers of organizations for serv-
ice in the National Guard or in the
federal volunteer service. When it
looked like hostilities with Mexico last
month the offices of Governor John
X. Tener and Adjutant General
Thomas j. Stewart received numerous
messages and letters proffering the
services of organizations for war or
OHerlnS TO 20 out ana form every
thing from a company of infantry to
regiment of cavalry. When the me-
diators got busy the offers dropped
and there were days on which not one
letter on the subject was received. In
the last forty-eight hours prospects of
some active service have started
things moving again and there have
been dozen or more organizations
offered. Some of these are of foreign
ers who served in European armies.
To-day's was a Spring vegetable
market and the stalls were piled high
with rhubarb, asparagus. radishes and
all sorts of other homegrown good
things. Some of the farmers found
that the demand was greater than the
supply and said that it appeared as
though people were list crazy" for
home stuff. The attendance at the
was greater than at any mar
ket during the year and the lilacs were
sold in profusion.
Among State visitors to the city to-
day We're Paul w. Houck, former leg
islator and member of the State Phar-
maceutical Board; General j. B. Cor
yell, commanding the Fourth Brigade,
and w. NJ. bravo, Pittsburgh business
man.