Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1895-04-12
repeal by all honorable means within our

ana the common ROOd or humanity.
Look Out for the Thistle.
The following proclamation to farmers
has been issued from the state depart
ment of agriculture and labor:
AS there is going to be a largely in
creased acreage sown TO flax this spring
in our state, I desire to impress upon
our farmers minds the Importance of
procuring clean seed, especially Of the
later maturing grains, such as flax and
millet, and TO guard against sowing seed
containing the seeds of such terrible
pests rs Russian thistle, French weed
and mustard. AS the Russian thistle is
a late maturing plant, ripening it's seeds
in our latitude seldom earlier than Sep
TENDER LIST, it's seeds are not so liable to
be found in early maturing grains, viz:
wheat, oats and barley; also, as the
kernel of these grains are large a
coarser screen than that used in cleaning
fax and millet is used, and these noxious
weed seeds are mor easily separated.
Flaxseed raised anywhere in the large
area afflicted with Russian thistle, is fire.
quently full of the seeds of this rapidly
spreading pest; more especially that OBJ
tanned from flax that was sown very late
last spring, hence matured very late and
after the thistle seeds had ripened.
BY careful examination any one can
detect the presence Of Russian thistle
seeds, and the following short description
is given to assist those who are COM
PEELED to buy seed that has been brought
into the state for sale.
The Russian thistle OF cactus seed has a
| width at its widest part equal to that of
a mustard seed, conical in shape, and is
usually more or less clothed by a quite
delicate papery sack. Within this men,
braneous sack is the seed itself, which
when mature, will be a little %conical,
sp1rally wound like a common snail shell,
having about three turns from the base
to the apex. These mature seeds are
olive green to black in color.
Often short pieces of broken pink
stems or joints, to which are attached
short, needle-like stickers are found
which surely indicate presence of cactus
seed. Should only one seed be found in
every pint of flax seed the distribution
would be Hence, those who
contemplate sowing flax seed should be
very careful in the selection of their
seed. Examine your seed carefully, and
should any Suspicious foul seeds be dis
COPOA0us duu yOu uOfuOU huO" WAd1 UuoJ
are, send them either to this department,
or to Prof. H. L. Bolley, Agricultural
college, Fargo, before you SOW the grain.
Under date of April 4th, Prof. Bolley
writes me that he has examined fifteen
samples of wheat and flax seed--only one
being wheat; five contained Russian
thistle seed, and nine contained mustard
seed. some of them having a very high
percentage. The majority of farmers are
familiar with mustard, hence it is not
necessary to mention this scourge to
agriculture at length.
All ground where flax Is harvested
should be plowed just as soon as the
flax is cut or prior to August 25th, thus
destroying all Russian thistle plants that
may be growing.
This department is now preparing a
circular giving very plain cuts of the
Russian thistle plant when growing, and
will have them distributed through
every p~ostof1ice in the state before har-
vest to assist the farmers in detecting
the presence of this fatal pest.
Yours respectfully,
A. H. LAUGHLIN,
Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor.
Bismarck, April 6, 1895.