“Of course you know that all the flowers cultivated in your gardens have come from wild flowers.
“Through years of care, the wild flowers have improved so that it would be almost impossible to trace each of the plants in your gardens to the wild flowers from which it was started.
“There are many hundreds of wild flowers, but none more beautiful than those growing in America. There are many different kinds which were growing here when America was discovered, but the seeds of many more were carried over from Europe in grain for the colonists.
“Some of the wild things are most helpful to human beings; such as mint, and dock, and dear old dandelions, and other ‘weeds’ which may be eaten. From ‘weeds’ also come some of the most wonderful of[J]medicines. Perhaps you have tested the medicinal effects of mustard, catnip, and boneset.”
“I tried catnip on our Jubey,” said Mary Frances. “It did her lots of good.”
“I’ve had mustard plasters, and mustard baths, and boneset tea when I’ve been ill with chills,” Eleanor added.
“Just so! just so!” nodded Jack-in-the-Pulpit; “so you see, many ‘weeds’ are not useless plants, but are very valuable. The Indians knew that.”
“My, I hadn’t any idea weeds were valuable,” said Eleanor.
“I always knew about mint and catnip,” Mary Frances replied, “but I didn’t know other weeds were of so much help.”
“Of course there are many weeds which seem of no value at all. They steal the food of valuable plants and choke them out.” Jack went on. “For instance, there’s corn cockle, the seeds of which are poisonous. It loves to grow among the corn and wheat, and troubles the farmers terribly.”