Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-01-09
The Russian ThisiIe-A Sccurge to Agri.
culture.

10 1891 the Russian thistle was ffst
reported 20 the Department of Agri
culture. Described as species Of
cactus, scientific investigation showed
that it was neither thi,tle nor a cac-
tus, but variety of common salt wort
lSalsoia kali tragus), with the habits Of
the tumble weed of the American
plains.
This weed, which has become the
worst scourge that hiss ever AFFECTED
agriculture in the prairie States, was
introduced 10 tho United States in fax =.
aesd brought from Russian and sown in
Bonhonme County, South Dakota. In
1892 it lad causet:damags amounting
to several millions of dollars.
Reports to the department in Nov
em6er 1898, showed all the oOuLtiss OF
South Dakota, east of the Missouri Riy-
er, aud twenty counties in North Da
k9ts infested BY the thistle. Its pres
ence was also reported from four places
west of the Missouri, Two counties in
minnesota, three in Iowa and four in
Nebraska The seed was scattered
from Denver to Madison, Wis. and
from the Red River of the North iato
Kansas on tie South. The dry season
of 1894. leaves territory of 100000
square miles thoroughly infested by
this courge and an area of 100, 900 has
felt its presence as destructive blight
upcn all grau crops.
Owing to the drought over this grain
growing region, no correct estimate Of
actual daAsge by Russian thistle can
be formed In the Dsko,as thou-ands
OF fields of grain and fax that would
have yielded partial crop were absnd
oned. No harvester or threshcr has
been found to handle crop infested by
this pest. 1t clogs the machinery.
fouls the grain aud reudeTs fall plow-
ing impossible Tie land must fist be
cleared Of thisties before it can be
plowed If thlstleS are plowed under,
even when partially matureG, 'hey will
spring up more tbiekly thsn ever,
through six inches of soil.
The treeless, wind swept prairie
States are the home of thsSthistle. 1t
is distributed by the wind, which rolls
he full grown ball shaped plants, from
one to six feet in diameter and each
holding from 10000 to 100000 seeds.
Like the tum Dleweed i, bounds over the
praircs With moment resem bling that of
a Jack rabbit. travelling hundreds of
miles, lesping over or breaking down
fsncss, cugy,ng FIRE before the wind,
5r G1dausel.Dg property oy aeclmnu
Iacing in heaps of inf ir n able material.
Horses or cattle cannot be driven
across Il field rankly grown up 10 this
ties. No animal will eat it after its
myriad of sharp spikes appear.
Grain elevators closed, railroads
withou. traffic, farmers without crops,
settlers leaving large areas Of other
wise rich farming lands, vast regions
wi,hCu, furrow turned where in OH.
er sensons all the grain la; ds we're
plowed for next years cIOp-these are
the signs on every hand of the devasta-
,ion wrought by the Russian thistle in
the Dakotas. At present it is impossi-
bic to predict the future rsvages OF a
scourge that has caused damage this
year running into the scores of millions
and that may drive the grsin farmer
cut Of all the prairie States.
The FIRST affects of tie thistle will be
to drive farmers in the infested region
to tilling more cultivated crops. The
grain acreage in this region will be re-
duced from fftv to twenty-five per
cent. The granger railroads will show
en:rmous falling off in grain freight re
ceip.s for the last quarter of 1894, and
about three elevators cut OF four are
closed for want of crops An immense
emigration is taking place oct of the
regions mentioned By E. Hcffer in
Scientific American.