A few weeks ago I wrote an “Under The Wire” in which I complained about my on going battle with weeds here on the Hodgson Rancho. It included descriptions of moving, spraying, chopping with a shovel, grazing with cattle and horses, anything to discourage their growth. Nothing seemed to work. My list of problem weeds read like the Who’s Who of bad plants of the world. In spite of my efforts, they flourished nearly everywhere. Then, one day something mysterious happened.

It was one of those sunny fall days when you just can’t find much of anything wrong with the world. The sun...