The Olneyville tribune. (Providence, R.I.) 1893-189?, 1894-01-20
compensating incentive and mutton
is only dead sheep when your flock 10
fifteen hundred miles from market.

IL only dead sheep when your mock 10
fifteen hundred miles from market.
That the thistle is spreading, is in
deed coming rapidly eastward, there
can be no doubt. 1t first appeared
in Bon Homme county, South Da-
kota, and from there spread north
ward along the Jim river, for n long
time seeming TO be unable 10 cross
that stream and advance eastward.
At last, like the Yankee who crossed
the Connecticut river by walking up
TO its source. where he could step
across, the thistle leaped over the
Jim several hundred miles to the
north Of Bon Homme county. 1t
also went on TO the west along the
Chicago and Northwestern railroad 10
Pierre, on the Missouri. With the
building Of various railroads the weed
travelled north and west as far as the
Northern Pacific and to Bismarck on
the Missouri. 1t is now at the inter-
national boundary, where the fertile
Red River valley ceases TO be Ameri-
can and becomes the domain of the
old lady across the Atlantic. Indeed,
this big weed Of Senator Hansbrough's
came from Lamoure in North Dakota,
not a hundred miles from the Mani
toba line. The Agricultural Depart
ment sent out inquiries to corre-
spondents in every county in North
and South Dakota, Minnesota, Wis
consin, northern Iowa, Montana,
Wyoming and Nebraska. Over 300
replies have come, showing its widely
and rapidly extending march of de-
struction. 1t is already in st. Paul
and Minneapolis, where it first APP
peared in the stockyards, and is
spreading all over the suburban
streets to d~isfigure them into the
hateful presence. Al Hudson, across
the Mississippi and the st. Croix
rivers, it is to be seen.
1t is even found south ms far as Eau
Claire. 1t has got as far as Arbor
Lodge, Secretary Morton's home in
Nebraska, on its journay to Texas.
Out in Wyoming, il is now common,
and Denver chronicles its unwelcome
arrival there under the shadow Of
Pixies Peak. Northwestern Iowa
knows what ii is, and the eastern and
southern parts of the State expect it
to visit them next year. Like the
English sparrow, it enjoys railroad
travel, and as that little foreigner
hoped from New York TO Utah in
ten years it is not unlikely that this
other foreign visitor may get over the
country quite as fast.
1t is estimated that the Russian
square miles Of territory, and that
the borders Of this array are con
stantly increasing ut the rate of ten
TO fifteen miles Il year. There are
over a million acres Of wheat land
embraced in this western thistledom,
and careful estimates at the Agricul-
tural Department last year place the
loss at ~, 900, 900 from this weed alone.
This past year it~k&s caused "A loss in
that region, il is calculated, exceed
ing 81, 800, 600. At this geometrical
rats it is easy to conjecture what is
going to happen in II very few years.
The danger is SO appalling that the
States and Congress have been asked
to provide relief and protection.
Senator Hansbrough has introduced
a bill providing "A scheme of warfare
to exterminate the thistle by digging
it up before it goes to seed. This
seems to be the only way to fight it.
1t goes to seed about August ID. 1t
it is plowed before that time it is
likely to die without hope Of pos
terity II Washington Star.