Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1899-04-14
RUSSIAN THISTLE A BOON
GREAT VALUE or AN INTRUDER ~
THE FAR WEST.


Fu-I-A Case of Pigs From ThIstIes.
The Nebraska State Agricultural De
partment at Lincaln is ia RECEIPT Of
some interesting data relating 10 the
use Of the Russian thistle ia Nebraska
Ps food for all lines OF stock and as
fuel orheating purposes. Thousands
Of tons OF this extraordinary plant are
consumed annually in that State for
those purposes. The agricultural de
partment shortly will issue a lengthy
report on the subject, treating il IN all
rs details. According to the informa-
lion the department has secured, the
! Russian thistle, which few years ago
was considered dangerous menace to
The agricultural interests of the entire
Missouri Valley, has proved to he one
nf the best grazing plants known to
this section. For the last two years
farmers organizations have been ex-
perimenting with the plant. but the
progress of the experiments have not
been fully reported until now, when
there is no longer any doubt as to the
utility Of the weed
Five years ago the Russian thistle
first made its appearance in South Da-
kota and scientists declared that the
agricultural prosperity OF the whole
country was threatened by the weed.
The stock range was soon alive with
the new growth and the whole State
became a vast seed bed for the thistle
There was much genuine alarm among
stocEmen aud farmers The fall winds
carried the seeds to the four parts of
the compass and the extraordinary vi.
tality Of the plant was evidenced by
vast beds OF thistles appearing in spots
so barren as to refuse to yield other
forms Of vegetation. The rapidity
with which the growth oyerspread the
whole country between TIE Missouri
river and the mountains caused many
students of agriculture and stock rails
ing to declare that this vast domain
would again revert to the wild things
Of the prairie.
+ The Department of Agriculture at
Washington sent out men to iuyestl-
gate the situation and many Govern
meut bulletins were issued on this,
1.-THE greatest of evils to agriculture. "
\ quotation from the agricultural lie.
partment report of 1898 reads: There
is no doubt that the plant will spread
throughout the whole great plains and
still farther east, destroying large
portion of the wheat producing region
Of the United States.
In spite of this prediction Of awfal
calamity from the highest sources of
/ agricultural Information, this same
/ Russian thistle is filing a long-felt
want in Northwestern Nebraska. The
thistle in dry state very much re-
sembles alfalfa and tie experience of
farmers and stock men is that it is
more sought by stock than is any other
wild hay,
As fuel, the thistle is not to be de-
( spised. Two bales of thistles are de-
/ clared to equal cord of wood in point
/ Of heat, and four bales equal ton OF
coal. The cost of the weed is nothing,
/ rs it can be secured by tens in any
draw on the prairie, where it has been
tumb!ed by the winds. The manner
III which the weed is used as fuel is
novel, but successful.
A vessel of heavy sheet iron, formed
like the old.fashioned wash boiler. is
used for the two-eyed cooking stove.
! The thistle is thrown into this and
/ tramped down as hard as possible.
/ Then the vessel is inverted over the
stove in which ii is to he consumed.
! The absence Of air IL the vessel pre-
vents the flames from extending too
| ,apidIy in that direction and the fuel
lrops gradually into the body of the
,tove as the fire burns its way into tine
mass. 4 vessel full of the weed will
leat large room for several hours to
l very comfortable temperature.
Louis p. Cummins is one of the
argest farmers and stock raisers in
! Nebraska. His ranch and farm is
near Nashville. Neb., and he is presi-
lent of the grange Of that section. In
1 speech before the organization a few
lays ago. in which he had been re-
luested to give the members the bene-
lit of his experience in feeding thistle
% stock, MIR. Cummins said:
My first use of the thistle was last
winter, when | fed it alike to horses
and cattle. Though at first a little shy
hey soon learned to eat it with avid.
ty. | found that cattle of all ages,
including the young calf Just begin.
ming to eat hay, will eat the thistle
and grow fat On the weed. During
the present winter my horses and
cattle have fed mainly on thistles
gathered from my own place, which
started as fodder early III the fall.
The stock even fed to advantage on
thistles as they stood in the field. but
/ believe that much of the nutritious
element of the weed is lost by leaving
it in the weather. When in February
the stock could nc longer feed on the
thistles in the field, because CT the
weather, | began foddering them from
thistles, which | had cut aud stacked
in the open on August 81, 1897. 1t il
proper to note that this date is rather
late for harvesting thistIes for fodder,
rs tho weed becomes old at that time
and the thorns become brittle enough
to stick severely. During the present
winter | have fed thistles to a large
number of young stock of all kinds
and find them the equal of anything
! can purchase. The stock seems to
find something especially appetizing
about the thistle and lick the very
chatf from the ground. As a healthfui,
milk producing feed l believe the
thistle has no superior.
| /