Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-08-09
SIXTY THOUSAND WEEDS AND MoRT
How to Get Aong with Them in the Suburbs-Theyre Goo
Deal Like Foks--Coaxing Crops With Song Pro-
posed Method of Agriculture
Nv PERRY BALsAM

percentage Of thoroushbreds ls smau -.
in our own blinded estimation. BY the 49,.
token there are innumerable weeds that
produced for a good purpose Even MAJ
ivy is decorative and field of wild mrs,s' !.
Is a delight to the eye. II you have 49,.
seen the 1re-weed in the full glory n, y.
purple ralment on the cleared hillside. y
northern Maine you have seen somethta.
that surpasses in beauty any and al ,s
products Of the hothouse. sprlngtima 49,
early summer on the southwestern pra,,,.-
bring a succession OF magic carpets Of vv,,s
flowers, every one of them the bloom \.
weeds. There is no more nourishing prosrs'
of the soil for the fattening of Cattle ,h..
the tallow-weed.
Going back a few cons, the entire mn,
dane surface of things was blanketed ~,
weeds. Mr.. and Mrs. Troglodyte let th.-
bloom their heads or, or occasionally J..
down on their hands and knees and rrl
mated. II Mr.. Troglodyte noticed that M.
II. was browsing on some choice morsels 1.
asserted his manhood rights by tapping ~
on the head with club and turning her :,
a coarser cover while he appropriated A.
tldblts There are not SO much al "A.
crudest records on stone to indicate a.,
Mrs. T. rotaliated in kind or organised sv,n
an academic protest.
A Suggestion From the Hindoo
what we call plant life is just mans choIo.
Of weeds. For centuries he has been select.
ing varieties and breeding them up on N.
eugenic principles Many intelligent, II not
learned, farmers did this by rule of thumb
planting by the moon and observing certain
superstitions Of their ancestors. What ".
-
to correct all this, to name and pedigree An
things that grow. to nurture and comfcrs
them and bring them along to the fullest
frution. A Hindoo scientist comes alonF ana
tells us to be kind to all things that grow
to coddle and pet them, and sing to them. II
we display anger or annoyance they win
droop and wither.
According to his theory IL you sat down
beside milkweed and fddled one Of Chopn's
or Beethoven symphony ssid
weed would thrive nightly would fairy
kick UP its heels with JOY and produce
mighty foliage, and possibly supernL
bloom. II you have a blighted lemon tres
bring in a ragtims quartet and have II sing
10 1t through the cool hours Of the morning
The lemon, the orange and the grapefruit
we're all weed growths once, in the estima.
Ion OF certain pOuOlOBlSJS. 'Lne tomato was I
called the love apple and was regarded as
poisonous weed. All the cereals have been
brought UP from weeddom, and so far as W.
znow no especial Establishments were en-
oloyed to coax them along. It will be 4
ong time before we find all our farmers sit
ing on the fence singing up their crops, Tor
they could sing up their crops so could
hey sing up their weeds, and past experi.
nee will show that the weeds not only thirty.
Without song, but despite persistent male.
Iiction and the liberal use of a spring-tooth
narrow.
But the subject of weeds Is endless and
an always be made fascinating. We can
pply weed PHILOSOPHERS to every brand o.
uman knowledge We can immensely I'M
rove our understanding of plant life BY
tudy OF weeds; and as we get our weeds
ned up and doped out we can apply the
,ssons learned to a study OF folks We
ear that the great war is devouring ths
over Of Europe's youth and manhood, and
y the same token innumerable human weeds
lust be included In the slaughter. Some
undreds Of millions regard the Kaiser as
ne most vicious weed OF the age, but ths
erman hosts look upon him as the ultimate
I thoroughbreds, the product OF the moa
Itensive system OF culture the world hal
yer known. And so It goes. A weed is,whal
ou make Of it. If you viii cultivate moft
the milk OF human kindness and less Of
le acid Of pessimism. you will md The
eed problem joyful rather than dis.
essing and hopeless subject.