Rural School Leaflet 1325 



the English Channel. There are several hundred varieties of cabbage 

 sold by seedsmen in the United States. 



The plants need well-drained, well-fertilized soil. The insect pests 

 should be discussed, particularly the cabbage womi. The children should 

 know the hfe history of this insect. They can find the eggs on the cab- 

 bage leaves. The young caterpillars change to chrysahds and then to 

 butterflies. 



Carrot. Parsley family. To this family belong poison hemlock, 

 parsley, meadow parsnip, and other plants. In its wild form the carrot 

 is a bad weed known as Queen Anne's lace. The boys and girls may be 

 interested in the carrot in both its wild and its crdtivated form. Culti- 

 vated carrots are used for the table and for feeding stock. A }'ellow 

 coloring matter is extracted from the carrot, which is used to color 

 butter. 



The children should notice the imibrellalike form of the blossoms of 

 the wild carrot. The seed cluster is also interesting, resembling, as it 

 does, a bird's nest. 



WEEDS 



K. M. WiEGAND 



The word weed is in general use among all classes of people, but there 

 is perhaps no term more difficult to define. Though most persons have 

 a definite idea about a weed, it will be found that they do not all agree 

 as to what such a plant really is. Plants that are weeds to some persons 

 may be of economic importance to others, or may even be grown as crops. 

 As an example of this, a letter recently came to the Department of Botany 

 at this College, inclosing a plant and containing the request that " this 

 weed " be named. The " weed " was alfalfa. The conception of a weed, 

 therefore, is a more or less personal one. Perhaps a weed is best defined 

 as a plant out of place, or still better a plant that grows where it is 

 not desired. From this point of view, alfalfa growing in a garden 

 where it was not wanted and where it interfered with cultivation 

 was, to the person mentioned, a weed, as much as quack grass or 

 Canada thistle. 



It happens, however, that a large proportion of plants that grow where 

 they are not wanted, are plants that very generalh' have this particular 

 habit; therefore weeds as a whole form a rather definite class of plants. 

 If a person takes pains to find out the native land of the weeds of this 

 country, he will find that most of them are not natives of North America, 

 but of other countries. They are in reality immigrants from abroad. 

 Not more than five per cent of the worst weeds are natives of New York 

 State. Fully eighty per cent have immigrated from Europe, and it has 



