A WORLD OF GARDENS 105 
In some hot countries bamboos supply food, 
clothing, and shelter. In some islands in the 
South Seas, boys and girls wear jackets of bam¬ 
boo, live in bamboo houses, and gather tender 
young bamboo shoots to eat for vegetables. 
They use sections of the smaller bamboo stems 
for cups and the larger ones for pails. The 
fiber is also used in making paper and rope. 
Not the least of the grasses’ service to man¬ 
kind is in supplying beauty. How ugly the 
fields and yards would be if they were not 
covered with a soft green carpet of grass. 
A weed is any plant out of place. A rose 
bush might be called a weed if it grew in a field 
of wheat, and so might a corn stalk if it grew in 
a flower garden. Usually, however, the word 
weed means a plant that is not wanted any¬ 
where. The ragweed, cockle-bur, dandelion, 
thistle, and plantain are always a nuisance and 
are not welcome in any place. Weeds spoil the 
appearance of lawns and gardens. They take 
up light and space that other plants need. They 
steal moisture and nourishment from the soil, 
Bamboo is the 
tallest grass 
