The Globe-republican., 1895-07-05
Russian Thistle Dying Out.

Russian Thistle Dying Out.
1t Is reported from portions of the
DakOtaS, where the Russian thistle
first made its appearance in this coun-
try, that 1t is dying out, that where q
few years ago gigantic plants were uni
versal that last year they grew but
three to four inches high. This but
confirms the theory of some of the
ablest bOtanists in the country. among
them Prof. Lugger of the Minnesota
experiment station. which is to the
effect that the so-called Russian thistle
belongs to family of plants that
thrive only upon land possessing saline
properties, and when those properties
are exhausted the plant will no longer
grow. The sea coast is the only place
where this family of plants is perma-
nent, and while they may flourish on
the new lands of the west, which are
more or less impregnated with alkali
and other salines, for time, their
duration will be measured by that Of
the salts in the land.-EX.
Digestibility Measures Nutrition
We can make no advance in scientific
cattle feeding until we start on the
basis of the equivalence of like food
elements from whatever source OBJ
tanned. AS the Maine station puts it
in one of their reports: Science has
given practice no safer or more useful
conclusion than this: Cattle foods
have nutritive value in proportion to
the digestible dry matter they contain"
In other words pound of digestible
fat from one food is of just as much
value as pound of digestible fat from
each and every other food, and the
same of the digestible starch. cellu-
lose and albuminoids. Moreover, the
rule can be made wider and include
digestible dry matter as a whole with
out reference to the proportion of its
parts: i. e., the digestible dry matter
of timothy hay, for instance, is just as
valuable, pound for pound, as the d.
gestible dry matter of corn meal, roots
or any other food material.-PrOf. H
p. Armsby.
Weighing Wheat.-A farmer of Min
nesota has a scheme for reducing the
charge for transferring grain at the
central markets Of the state, which
if put into force would cause a con-
tinual blockade and much dissatisfac-
ton. He wants the railroad commits
sion to force the carriers to adopt ap-
pliances for weighing and transferring
wheat from incoming to outgoing cars
without putting it through an elevator.
The grangers claim that the identity OF
wheat could thus be preserved, and the
mixing of lots by elevator men to bring
up grades would be prevented. This.
they argue, would tend to build up for
sections raising superior grains repu-
tation which would be of great value
to them. 1t is claimed that this work
could be done at cost of one-quarter
cent per bushel, as opposed to three
quarters cent now charged by the ele-
vators for transferring and 10 days.
storage.-Elevator and Grain Trade.
Value of Sweet Corn as Fodder
While We have several varieties of
sweet corn, it is waste of time and
thought to give any ear to the so-called
new forage plants. Sweet corn is one
of the most agreeable and nutritious
of folders, and to think of displacing
it with such ill-conditioned weeds as
the coarse sachaline, or the costly
Iathryus sylvestris, is mere folly. OF
the smallest kinds, eight to ten tons per
acre of the most valuable fodder may
be grown on one acre in sixty days, and
by replanting the same land, not for
getting the fertilizer to restore the loss
of fertility of the soil, ten more tons
may be got in the next two months.
The cost of the two crops will be under
SO per acre, thus giving, unquesti0n-
ably. the best of all folders. for all
kinds of animals, either to be eaten
fresh or made into silage, or dried, at
a cost Of so cents ton.-Ex.
Protecting by Earth Covering.-On
the evening of May 18th we cultivated
our private garden, throwing up the
loose earth so as to cover wholly or In
mart the potatoes and corn. AS frost
was expected, we did not follow with a
pronged hoe, as usual. AS might be
expected, the covered parts are bright
and sound, while the exposed tips are
dead. Many do not appear to be aware
of the fact that even beans and cucum-
hers can be covered with earth for one
night without injury and that it Is the
cheapest and best way to protect young
garden plants from frost.-F. L. Budd.
The New Strawberry Bed.-In set
ting a new bed Of strawberries, II pis-
tlllaCe plants are uScU, piduI every IulEO
row with strong, perfect Towering
plants that bloom at the same time.
The narrow row system have found to
be the most profitable. roofing a few
runners from each plant, cutting away
the rest. This gives more room for cul.
and yet enough young plants
to form a continuous row, plenty Of air
and sunlight to reach the berries. Il
costs but little to clean out bed Of this
kind, and It will last longer.-Ex.
Il was the custom, years ago. 1oR
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