Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1865-10-06
farm, Garlen 4 aJpasehula.
rnE CANADA THIsTLE,


THE CANADA THISTLE.
A4ew years ago tho Legislature Of this
State passed q law to prevent the introduction
and srread of the Canada thistle in certain
counties Of the Commonwealth. We annex
the law, in order that ether counties may in
woke Legislative aid in protecting themselves
against the vilest Of all vegetable pests, as
wen al point out the inefficiency of the act.
SIC. BE it enacted, dc, That every
owner. possesser or occupier Of land in the
counties of Lancaster, Washington, Fayette
Delaware and Erie, shall cut or NOW oil the
Canada thistles growing thereon, or III the
highways adjoining the same, so often as TO
prevent their going to seed and IT any owner
possessor or occnpier Of land knowingly shall
suffer any such thistles to grow thereon; or IN
any highway adjoining the same, and the seed
to ripen, so as to cause or eudanger the
spreading thereof, he shall forfeit and pay the
sum ef ten dollars; and any person may en-
teron the land of another who shallneglect or
refuse to cut or NOW down such thistless for
the purpose Of cutting or moving the same
down. and shall not be liable to be sued IN an
action of trespass therefor.
Sec II,-Fkat if any person in SAID eoan-
ties shall knowingly yend any grass or other
seed in which there is any seed OF the Ganda
thistle, such, person shall, for every such OF
fense, be fined the sum of twenty dollars
SEC. III. That all fines accruing under the
provisions of this act, shall be collected be-
fore Justice of the peace, in the name OF
the school directors of theproper district, and
be for the benefit of the schools in the dis
trict In which the fine is incurred
SEC. IT.--1hat the provisions of this act
shall extend to the county of Washington,
not only for the Canada, but for all other
species of thistle.
Tie law is defective in several important
particulars. First, if it is worth anything
it should have been made general through
out the Commonwealth. Second, the law Is
not specific enough, and liable to evasion.
Third, the thistle propagates itself as readily
by the roots as by the seeds-apiece not lar
ger than pea viii send forth full grown
plant. Third, the act should have included
snotherseetion, something like the following
THAT if any person shall throw into the pub
lie highway. or into any water course upon
his premises, the common dock, daisy, sr
other noxious weeds, shall be subject to tho
fine mentioned in Section H. There is no
source of propagating weeds more to be
guarded against than this. Our own premi-
ses have been covered with dock by using the
street dirt in autumn. But where the road
wash ii turned upon farms, as is often done,
weeds of all kinds spring up profusely and
would soon infest the whole farm, unless Wig
orous efforts were adopted for their extirpa-
ton.
In certain counties in central New I ork,
the Canada thistle prevails in the fields, gar
dens, door-yards and roadsides TO such an ex-
tentas to choke the growth of everything
else. The farmer in New-Jersey, Delaware,
Maryland and Eastern Pennsylvania cannot
conceive the overwhelming presence of this
curse in the section here mentioned. We
saw oats fields this season, with nearly this
tie for every half dozen stalks Of grain,
which, ata little distance, it was impossible
for person not previously acquainted with
the prevalence of this weed, to discover what
crop was intended to be produced. We saw
perfect plants growing in the roads, where the
ground appeared to beas hard almost as stone,
not more JDan SIX lncneS IN neignI. L he on
ly remedy or resort farmers appear to have
against them, that we saw or heard of, was
cutting them off. This could be done with
some crops, such as grass and corn; but for
the oats crop, which is general one in that
region, there was no help except thorough
cultivation and searching out in the spring.
The buekwheat, which is as a general crop
there, being sown late, and the ground cult
waited after the years growth of thistle had
made pretty good headway, was not 50 much
infested.
1t would take years of constant efforts to
extirpate the Canada thistle where It has Sc
cured so overwhelming power as in Central
New-York. Cutting or moving off is mere
temporary relief, and is generally done after
it has done its seasons work, and will never
lessen the number Of pllnts. Nothing shorf
of athorough eradication root and branch,
viii accomplish the work, and that viii no
be done within the lifetime of the presen
generation. Germantown Telegraph.