Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1894-04-04
mn fAnMrns, uOnsr rOE.


the arm Of tho national government,
against the imported post. Various
kinds Of thistlcs, Cana Ian and others,
have iloufished 10 times pact without
exciting congressional ouiofJ; aud
even tho cvcf-rrcsrnt aud persistent
urillwcr has not been digulued with
so much n0ticr. ludUci, as q.
general thing weeds Of ail hnda
have been decmud sublcc.
Tor individual study toll and
warfare, not one which should DO
manipulated nu1 contested with funds
from the government treasury. Tho
gravity OF danger that 10 threatened
from this now loo will therefore be- mp.
prccialcd when it IL remembered that
propositions have been made In all
seriousness tina, the work OF battling
with, ro1lstlng and erhdicaling the
invader be- done under tue govern.
ment supervision and at government
expense.
We believe the Russian thistle has
not yet boon able 10 cross the Rocky
Mountains, though /, has already
reached their eastern base and has been
detected neir Denver 10 h only with.
In the last three yrarl that the weed
has b,en heard u 70 any extent in tho
United sta,c', the nut complaints
having BEEN received by the depart.
mcnt OF agriculture at Washington IN
the fallof 1891. The dry season Of 1893
gave 10 Unusual development, anu
farmers became thoroughly alarmed Ut
the fitualiOn. 10 made H. appearance
In the whoat.ralslug region Of tho
northwest a few yours ago, and ils
worst mvages are siill confined to those
a,ctions; but o. the damage already
done BY u ia estimated NJ several
millions Of dollars, and o. the thistle Is
rapidly spreading over now territory
ami being more destructive 10 the
region already infested, the subject
cannot be without interest TO agflCul.
turlsl- OF our hitherto exempt region.
For great deal Of valuable iniof.
nation concerning the habits aud the
proposed remedies for tho thistle, we
are indebted to . late report prepared
by tho division Of botany Of the depart.
mont Of agriculture, nud submitted by
the assistant SECRETARY to the House OF
Representative committee on Rgrl.
culture. The plant is au annual one,
easily killed NJ any time during tue
growing reason. lt produces no seed
before the middle Of August or iirst Of
September, anu the seed IL short-livud.
II would therefore seem 90 Oder ex.
cop,ionally good opportunity Tor being
checked or even UxtOTmiuniui. Per.
milted 10 scatter ~ seed, however, 10
spreads with extraordinary mpidity,
far exceeding, Ia this respect, any
weed known In America. A single
plant Of average size, OF two 10 three
feet In diameter aud weighing two to
four pounds when dry, bears about 20.
900 T. $4,000 seeds. Plants have been
found six feet In diameter ana
estimated 10 bear 2OO,O 900 troIs
The report maintains that the most ac.
tive mode Of dlslribulion OF the Rus,
sian thistle ami the one furnished los
nature, IL the wind, hnd fax seed con,
uuurs TO be, ia the absence OF good
tanning mills, the chief artificial agent
Of dhlubuuou. Railroads form % tliu
aud most important means OF trans.
porJation for the seeds over long dis,
,arcgs. There h. good evidence tha
the railroads have carried ihem DO Ga,
Bedding OF stock cars. These cnb 90,
solt 10 tho stock yards az indianapolis
Chicago and Sioux city AMI unl0aieI
but they ago arllom cleaned until ,byy
acc again sent oug and have reached
their destination Co be- reloaded,
The nsmlns Of those railway cen
tru Tor cattle shipment immediate
! !y ouggosls inquiry as TO tAo trc
tons OF Couutry most griuyously
Affected, aud the report on this PAR
OF the .uuec. Dc significant asst b
alarming. AZ the pr,seultime pll the
counties OF South Dakota east Of "a,
! M.s.un rivorHnI twenty countries o.
| Nluh Dakotf, Are infested with th
! #y.J, AMI the plants have crossed Il
tine west eide of tho Missouri river Boz o.
IraHt four places iu those states, Iw
counties Ia western Miuucsota, lhrr
| "a northwestern Iowa ana four 10
norlhcast,rn NoJp,ba arc thoroughly
| lmpreruatud with the weed. Alto
ether this makes one almost clulluu
Gus area o about 10000 sQuaic mile
| which has become more or 'ess c0vyry
! with the Russian thistle In compare
/ lively hrirt podod VI years, There ar
bpslIrs many isolated localities al9u.
the railroads as lar east as Madison
Wis, west 10 Denver, Colo, AMI south
To- tho sJutheru border Of Nebraska
where the plants have been introduced
Comiug to tho discussion Of % rem
ely, the report points Out tina. while