THE IRON-WEED. 97 



mentioned result. The perennial roots of the old 

 weeds weakened and in time died, and the only ones 

 which he now has to keep down are those which each 

 year spring from seed grown in other places. The 

 work of mowing the weeds three or four times a year, 

 at first a difficult one, gradually became less and his 

 pasture was in time almost redeemed from the scourge 

 which had rendered it comparatively worthless. On 

 the other hand his neighbor, who lets the weeds grow 

 until August and store up a good supply of nourish- 

 ment in the roots, not only loses the summer's pasture 

 but retains the weeds from year to year. 



It has been said that all things in nature have their 

 use that nothing exists but for a purpose. It is the 

 work of science to discover and make known the use 

 of nature's objects ; and day by day her secrets are 

 gradually being exposed, thereby advancing man in 

 civilization, by enabling him to better control the 

 ravages of those existing forms which are injurious' to 

 his interests. If, however, the iron-weed has a use, 

 other than that shown in the beauty of its flowers, no 

 one has yet discovered it. But there is time; for of 

 the thousands of plant forms which exist, we know 

 the uses of only a few, as corn and hemp, ginseng and 

 blood-root. Let us hope that some valuable medicinal 

 or other property will soon be discovered in the iron- 

 weed and a reason for its existence thereby pointed 

 out to the doubting humanity of the present. 



Meanwhile the naturalist will go on admiring the 



beauty of its bloom ; for however coarse and repulsive 



the stem and leaves may appear, yet each head, with 



its 25 or 30 dainty florets so prettily grouped within 



7 



