Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1870-08-05
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Eradicating ThiStles.

?" A SUMMER fallow will eradicate thistles,
and do 1t by keeping the thistles from see-
ing the light. The beauty here is to be-
gin early in blowing. This prevents the
first crop from appearing. In this way,
by regular course of four plowings,
there is no chance for thespests to see the
light. They are thus kept in the dark
not only in the summer, but the two win
tiers are added, making "a continuous
dearth of a year and a half. This will
kill them. We have known three plow-
ings to do it, and that is all that is neces-
sary where the blowing is deep and the
ground all turned down, SO that no strips
or careless burrows give chance for the
thistles to appear by the next blowing, or
if the last blowing, in the fall. lie> q
Care must be taken, and this pest can
be removed as well as not. And land
thus treated, plowed three or four tinaes,
with the mum erous thistle roots and young
shoots rotted in it, is a bed fit for any
crop. No manure is needed, as the land
that grows j., thistles successfully lis not
poor land. But the working the soil is
the greatest benefit. TIA blowing is given
it late in the fall or early winter, whether
after the summer treatment or preceding
1t, all the better this may be the fourth
blowing. It would be best were it done
the fall before, and then plowed q little
deeper than usual. m Three times blowing
will then be sufficient the season follow
ing. The late blowing in the TALL will
prevent any growth Of the thistles by the
first blowing time in the spring, which
may be late, for it viii answer as the first
blowing, and it may even be considered
as one ofthe three plowings, thus neces-
stating but two plowings during the sum-
mer. But it wants to be done as it were
in the winter. The frost will then
have its effect upon the insects,
seeds of weeds, weeds themselves, and
the raw ground brought up from be-
low. will become mellowed and par
TALLY decomposed, the process Of disinte-
grafton finished during the summer, SO that
there will be great depth of thoroughly
mellow, and soma new. soil, having most
or all of the ingredients necessary to
farming. It will take thistles such long
time to penetrate this soil, that Two plow
ings, besides the fall or winter blowing,
will suffice This iii clay soil, or, as we
know by experience, in drift, where there
is considerable clay and much gravel and
sand. In your low rich plains of river
made soil, the thistles will be too fast for
the plow if passing but twice through the
soil. a lhr..i5r,,a ad5 ~ ID
In the old thistle districts like this, the
pest is not considered at all; land is not
valued at a dollar less in consequence.
The thistles are probably worth as much
in the manure they furnish as is the dam
age they do. A fallow is sure to clear
them, or heavy meadow will do about
the same thing. There may be few left,
but they will dwindle, and must struggle
for existence; rich meadow is not the
place for them, especially one prepared
from good fallOw bed.
The summer fallow as means of eradi-
eating the thistle has reference more
particularly to grain farms. Flowing
favors the thistle in the ordinary treat
ment of the land. Hence our grain farms,
before the dairying epoch, have had o
hard time Of it, as we well enough know
ourselves, 1t was only by the thorough
work of three plowings that we succeed
ed. Fallows were made in those days II
Since the introduction of the dairy, all
is changed. There are few thistles,; aud
these are becoming less. Grass is an OBJ
struction to them, whether meadow or
pasture, but particularly meadow, and
more particularly, when heavy and kept
heavy. Top-dressings are good for grass,
but in general not for thistlse.-Cor O0usa-
Ge15 fif-lfrlE gr.sez