The Portland daily press., 1873-05-29
Killing Canada Thistles.

The Country Gentleman furnishes the fol-
lowing directions for subduing these pests.
Advice in this direction is almost as plenty as
the thistles on an illy-kept farm.
A young farmer inquiries how to destroy the
Canada thistles which have spread in large
patches over portions OF his farm. We give
him our own experience, which'is similar to
that of many Others. 1t is founded on the
well-knUvn principle in getable physiology,
that pants cannot live uBless Jrey can
breathe through their leaves. Smo' her them
for one summer, and they will perish. This
will apply to all weeds that spread by the
roots. Our first experiment was made many
years ago OF a rough spot Of ground selected
for a new gardeu-the only place where on
building new house, the garden could be
thistles, milk weeds. and many other weeds.
In a single season every one was completely
eradicated, and the whole urfacp left as clean
and mellow as garden bed. The whole pre-
cess was deep and repeated ploughing. As
soon as any weeds began to peep at the sur
face, or rather little before, the ploughing
was repeated. The intervals between the
poughings we're usually three or four weeks.
-Four months are enough 10 kill the weeds.
But ii they are allowed to get above s,-..l.I4d
they will soon recover all they have lost by
buryiue, and the work will be interminable.
Many years after the above experiment, we
had occasion to prepare a sixacre grass field
for wheat. Nest of it was densely covered
with Canada thislles. The work was COM
menced in June, and the thist es, which had
already 70 med their blossom buds. were turn
e deeply and completely under by means of a
large sod-plOugh. Once month the ope a.
tiun was repeated, until at the last ploughng,
late in September. when the whole surface
was clean and mellow as an ash-heap, the
wheat was sown. No thistles made their a
pearance the following year except along the
fence. where the DlougGing was not done.
Many other experiments have since been
equally effectua. Some precautions must be
observed. The operation is niost easily and
successfully performed on heavy soils, which
lie more compactly, and more eifectually ex-
clude the air. On the light soils the opera
ton is more dificut-more care must be ia.
ken to perform the ploughiug deeper and
more perfectly, and it must be repeated often
er.
The owner can judge best on the spot. ar
must see that the weeds are kept completely
under. Again, il there are stumps, stone
heaps, OF olher obstacles in the way of per-
feet ploughing, it will be found that the
weeds have kept their bold in those places.
The obstacts must therefore be removed pre-
viously, if thorough work would e made.
If fences interfere with the complete eradica-
lion of the thistles, they should be removed
if temporary; or a spade should be used in ..
stead of the plough, if there are post and rail
fences which are permanent. Many years
ago, when performing these experiments,
and when labor was ch, a5, We ascertained
that land wholly covered with the thistles
might be thoroughly cleaned in one season
for five dcllars per acre; now it would cost
ten or fitte dollars. The purchaser OF
make a deduction of about fifteen dollars per
acre in price for the expense of eradication.