The Olneyville tribune. (Providence, R.I.) 1893-189?, 1894-01-20
A COSTLY WEED.
hE RUSSIAN THISTLE COSTS
US FOUR MILLION A YEAR.
Unknown . Few Years Ago IL Now
ovsrruns Many Farms in the North
west and is Still Spreading.

OF the Senate Committee on Agricul-
ture and, Senator Hansbrough pre-
siding, the cover was quickly knocked
up and of therefrom. A big brush
heap was the apparent contents Of
the mysterious inwardness of the
Senator's box. Appearances, how
ever, are deeeitful everywhere in gen.
eral and around the Senate end of the
Capitol in particular. The box did
not contain a brush heap, but the
pgliest, meanest, wickedest weed this
country has ever known or can know
the Russian thistle.
A few years ago it was unknown in
this country, and only travellers in the
trans-Ural regions of southeastern
Russia had ever seen it, But it is now
In full possession Of many Il good farm
in the Dakotas, and is spreading its
domain towards every point of the
compass. with the twin staes rs its
center and starting point, The plant
In Senator Hansbrough'S committee
room is probably full grown, for it is
five feet in in diameter, fully three
feet high and weighs twenty-four
pounds, 1t is the result OF one season ;
growth from a single seed, the plant
being an annual, The root is COM
paratively small, being about half an
inch in diameter and six to twelve
inches long, That part of the plant
which is above ground forms Il dense,
bnshy mass full Of branches, When it
is young and green it looks very harm.
less and its soft, fuzzy, tender and
Juicy little leaves scattered abund-
antly all over it's myriads of stems
look not only edible, but fairly
tempting from a bovine point Of
view,
When the long hot summe days of
the subarctic summer have, however,
brought Mr.. Russian Thistle to ma
turity, and the juicy little leaves
drop of, and the prickly stems har-
den and tougher in the dry air and
the plant keeps on growing bigger
and bigger and choking out every
other growing thing near it, then it
Is that the farmer recognizes in this
newcomer q terrible" foe. At every
half inch on the stems Of the thistle
there is a sharp spine about half an
inch long, which grows harder and
sharper as time passes. The Dakota
farmers find it impossible to pillow
their fields when once the thistle has
taken possession of it. The feet Of
the horses are cut raw in a single
days work, and at the end Of a week
are IA fostering mass of raw flesh. 1t
is only by having leatk~ boots made
81 .., ln @ln.. ,1nv. 4aap,, thnt
they can DO their fall work. The
poorer farmers wrap rags around the
ankles Of their horses, and SO protect
them.
Yet, to pillow fields that have once
become the prey of the Russian thistle
is a hopeless and usually "A fruitless
thing to do. Flowing only puts in
the ground millions of seeds to ger
inmate another season and ruin the
wheat. barley or rye that may be
sowed. Where each prickly spine in
the mature plant joins the stem
there is a little greenish black kerr
mel with a winged blossom on it. The
thing looks like a microscopic shuttle
cock. This is the seed. A careful
estimate computes the number in
Senator Hansbrough's specimen at
the Capitol TO be POO, 900. In the
fall the tough, well-braced plant
breaks loose from its root and gets
out on a journey Of propagation.
When, as often happens, the
prairies are swept by fires the Russian
thistle diversifies its evil career by
adding tenfold to the fury Of the fire.
A blazing, burning bush, speeding
before the wind, will spread the
flames to grain stacks, barns and
houses more swiftly and surely than
did SIMPSONS foxes in the grain
fields and vineyards Of the Philistines.
In this way many miles Of good wire
fence are destroyed annually.
But is as a weed that the thistle
is most dreaded. 1t is tenacious Of
life and disputes successfully with
every other growing thing for the
ground il needs to wax great upon.
1t drives every living herd out Of its
way, and as it multiplies more rap.
idly than any other contemporary it
holds fast all it once gains. Wheat
i, injured 20 per cent. by it the sec
n season after IT appears. After
that the farmer hardly dares SOW his
fields less his loss should be total.
Barley and rye fare almost as badly
as wheat. Oats and millet have an
even chance against it if they are
well put in on good ground. Where
the thistle has got into a grain field
it makes life a burden for the thresh-
ers.
They can hardly get gloves tough
enough TO withstand the sharp cuts
from the thistle spines. Flax is
usually a total failure when the
thistle once appears in it. 1t was in
fax seed<imported from Russia by
some Mennonites in Bon Homme
County, s. D., twenty years ago, that
the weed was first brought TO this
country. By some it is said that these