The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1897-06-03
CANADA THISTLE,
Mr.. Gilfll1an Thinks it the Most
DANGEROUS of Weeds.

relatives there and his recent trip was
one which he makes every year to the
old homestead, and which he counts
on making until his relatives there
have all passed away, or until he him
self has passed into the great beyond.
Speaking of the conditions in Hi
nois, Iowa and Minnesota, Mr.. Gilfl-
Ian remarked that the sturdy farmers
of Minnesota were a great deal better
off than were the farmers of Illinois
and Iowa. The fact that the latter
are so closely curbed in, and conse-
quently not having such land as they
could use makes life more unpleasant
than if they we're on the broad prairies
OF Minnesota, according to Mr.. Gilfil-
Ian. "Our soil is as rich as is that of
Illinois," remarked Mr.. Gilfllan, "and
it not only does not cost as much but
it is great deal easier getting at. 1
have no doubt that many farmers in
Illinois would like to trade places with
farmers in Minnesota. You can see
evidence of that almost every week in
Illinois farmers visiting Minnesota
with the expectation of buying land"
Mr.. Gilfllan regretted very much
that the Larson bill, which originated
in the house with Representative Lar
son of this county as it's father, did
not pass the Senate, where it was al
lowed to die an untimely death for
the want of nourishment. The bill
sought to appropriate $1,000 for the
stone house of August Knuepple, in
Sherman township, which was used as
a government store house during the
Indian troubles. It is generally known
that Mr.: Gilfllan wants to see all of
the historic spots marked, and he re-
GREETED that this tract and building
was not bought by the last Legislature.
He thinks that every historic place,
such as Little Crows camping
grounds, the dancing grounds, the
pow-wow grounds, the places of mas
sacre of families or individuals,
should be marked by some small or
large tablet.
There is one thing you should call
the attention of your readers to-" con-
tinued Mr.. Gilfillan during the course
of his conversation. ''That is that
there are some Canadian thist]es in
Redwood county and that there is
nothing worse for the soil than this
weed pest-Russian thistles not ex-
copied. My attention was first called
to the weed by an employee walking
to Morgan who found quite bit of
the weed along the railroad track
The company was notified and the
weed was eradicated. Since that time
[ have learned that there is farm in
Morgan township. about mile and a
half from Morgan, having an acre OF
more of the weeds. This is the only
spot I know of just now, but farmers
should be on their guard and the
farmer who owns this tract should
commence to eradicate the weed at
once. It will take years to ultimately
wipe it out.
"The Canadian thistle is like cot,
tonwood tree in it's seed. In Other
words the seed is in cotton and when
loosened from the bulb the wind will
carry it many miles only to alight and
send forth another crop. It's root is
frequently four, five, six feet in length
and if you dig it all out except the
last foot the remaining portion will
force itself through the ground and
go to seed again. The root is of a
transparent white-in fact, I have
never seen anything more beautiful
I remember when I was a boy on the
farm in Germany that a great many
Canada thistles appeared on the farm
was ordered to destroy them yea,
after year. 1 used hoe for the pur-
pose, cutting the thistle off about two
inches under ground before it went to
seed. On each recurring year the
thistle would appear from the root
however, and as often as the thistle
appeared just so often did I have a
job. fought against it for 20 years
and during my recent trip abroad
visited the old homestead just to see
whether those thistles we're growing
yet. They we're there and the bulbs
seemed to open in mockery as I gazed
on them. I presume that the owner
of that tract is still hoeing away at the
thistles. But it keeps them from