El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-09-08
Roundabout Town
johnson Grass Must Be Curbed;
Is Spreading Fast In Valley
An El Paso Boy Who Is Making Good AS Scenic
Artist-Mayor Lea Has a Fondness
for Guns-A Couple of Stories
By G. A. MARTIN.

JOHNSON grass is seriously menac-
ing the FL Paso valley. It is a
y fact that has TO be faced and the
sooner it Is faced and something is
done to rid the land Of its dangers. the
better it is going to be for the entire
community few years ago only
lew punches Of the grass were to oe
seen al isolated spots over the valley.
Today there is scarcely a piece of lana
IN the valley that is without Johnson
Grass. and what IS most serious. ali
the ditch banks are covered with it.
The seeds drop into the water and are
carried over perfectly clean land. en-
dangerinz the soil Of those owners
:. no have been putting up fight TO
keep it out
Ride down the valley any time and
look carefully into the fields and note
the growth O. this menace upon the
hanks OF the canals and over the land
almost everywhere. The spread has
been fearfully rapid in the past few
years. Some small tracts that have not
been given careful attention are liter
ally covered with Johnson grass Il
Is growing along the sides of the road
IN hundreds of places and Mexicans
operating decrepit wagons with bur-
and harvesting this stuff every day as
food for their fOrlOrn animals The
manure dropped by these animals scar
tiers the seed OF the grass wherever il
drops. Some Of it is even beginning
TO appear in yards inside the ci.y
limits
Johnson grass is one Of the worst
enemies OF the land owner and il has
already secured a start in this valley
that II is going 20 very difficult 70
stop In east Texas, the Johnson grass
has grown so fast on some pieces OF
land that II has been found necessary
happen in the Fl Paso valley II the
land owners dc not begin work q
once to kill il and stop its spread \
wear or so ago the county comm isSion-
rs employed a man 10 kill Johnson
grass. but if his work ever amounted
TO anything. il is not apparent TO-DAY
Land owners who pay no attention %
this growth and who keep silent while
their neighbors allow il to grow. are
going to see the day they viii regret
their inactivity
woman renowned for her beauty
and an ardent admirer of Scotland
crowned her praise of il by saying:
u think / was meant for a Scotch
woman Madam said Hughey Nc
Lean. who happened to be present. 7
think YOU were meant for a Scotch
man
Mayor Tom Lea mas a production
for collecting guns and pistols He
had a cabinet specially constructed TO-
them in his new home on Newman
street and he has it full of weapons
Of all ages. sizes and states of prese--
vation. The mayor likes to shut him
self in his den when the rest OF the
family have gone TO bed and read and
smoke a big black cigar-almost as
big and black as VIII Winch smokes.
Fl Paso has a young man who IS
destined 10 achieve fame as a scenic
artist II he continues in the future II
make the success that he has in the
past Ben Upton is the boy He is
hut % years OF age, yet the three ne-v
drop curtains at the Crawford which
he recently completed for manager ;;
T. Maxwell are as good examples Of
the decora tors art as one usually sees
In any theater- They are better than
the average curtain and reflect credit
upon the ability OF the young man
Tip" As he is known. has had buI
little experience in the work he