710 



WEED FLORA OF IOWA 



weed, European morning-glory, shoo-fly, and others have been 

 spread from cultivation and have become weeds. In regard to the 

 introduction of plants, Dr. Fernald has stated the case very well 

 in the following paragraph : 



A review of the history and spread of this vagrant class of 

 plants presents many aspects which are well worth consideration. 

 John Josselyn, in 1672, stated that several species of European 

 weeds had "sprung up since the English planted and kept cattle 

 in New England", thus implying that these plants had come un- 

 bidden or at least were not purposely brought to this country. 

 He records no less than 40 European weeds introduced in this 

 manner. According to a time-honored tradition, based perhaps on 

 fact, the first weed to spring up in the track of the pioneer is 

 plantain, and on this account it has been called by some primitive 

 races "White-man's Foot", a name of more than fanciful appli- 

 cation; for without question the plantain and many other roadside 

 species are spread directly by the foot of man. For some years 

 strange and outlandish weeds have been appearing along the river 

 below Waterbury, Connecticut. These plants, upon careful study, 

 prove to be vagrant species from geographically remote portions 

 of the world, and their presence along the Naugatuck river has 



Pig. 544. Poison Hemlock (Coniam maculatum). Common in Salt Lake Basin. 

 (After Chesnut, U. S. Dept. Agr.) 



