The Globe-republican., 1901-10-31
The Russian Thistle.

wright ) raflcn there Is Il large pafcn 01
it. The obnoxious plant Is insiilionsly
working its way from west TO east. and
it follows along the river banks, though
its appearance is noted away from the
river bottoms. Mr. Wright was in
wakeeney last week and he says that the
Russian thistle has taken a firm hold in
Trego county.
The specimens of the plant shown
are withered and dried and the seeds have
fallen oat of the pods The matured
plant breaks off like IL tumble weed .wh ich
ir much resembles. Git is known the
Russian cactus or Russian tumble weed)
aud it is carried about with the wind,
much in the manner of the ordinary tum-
BILE weed; and the seeds of the Russian
thistle thus scattered to the four
winds. The theory that cattle and horses
devour the thistle in its green state, does
not bear the assertion, though this may
be true in many cases; but the prodi-
gious and rapidly multiplying growth of
the weed would keep cattle and horses
racing after it. Only the jackass eats
this prickley weed. says Mr.. Wright, and
he does not know any better. A sample
of this weed can be seen at the State
Bank of Dodge City.
Several years ago the Russian thistle
caused much dread in parts of Kansas,
but its failure to propagate fast it
was known to spread, has somewhat re-
lieved people of the dread of it, In 1894
the Russian thistle was introduced into
Mitchell county in alfalfa seed from
Colorado. AT that time thistles re-
ported also to some extent in RawIins,
Decatur, Norton, Phillips and Logan
counties. The later bulletins from the
Kansas State Board of Agriculture report
that the weed has made slow progress and
it has done but little injury to crops. Its
prof gate character is shown when a sin
gle plant is estimated bear 20, 900 to
$4,000 seeds. Single plants have been
found six feet in diameter, and estimat-
ed to bear 200 900 seeds. The Russian
thistle resembles the common tumble
weeds of the plains more than any other
species found in America. Like these its
season of rolli ng is in the fail, and when
blown into piles along fences it is with
difficulty distip gusled from them at
distance.
Seven years ago the Secretary of the
State Board of Agriculture. F. ID. Coburn,
said: elf the thistle is allowed to go to
seed in our state, its rapid spread is inevi
table, This is particularly to be feared
for the western portion OF the state, where
fences and wiudbreaks are less nnmer-
Gus, and stroug winds of frequent occur
renee"
We remember the same alarm was felt
for the Canadian thistle 40 years ago, but
the country survived the dread
How the thistle becomes so widely dis
seminated. When seed crops grown,
unless extreme care is taken in threshing
and cleaning the grain. where Russian
thistle abounds, the seeds of the thistle
are certain to be present and to be sown
with the grain the following spring. If
the grain is shipped to different localities,
the seeds of the thistle go with it. In
this way it came from Russia into the
United States, and from Colorado into
Kansas.
In fields it is especially troublesome to
wheat and flax. Besides injuring crops,
the rigid, bushy weeds make it very diff
ficult to run harvest machinery. In many
regions binders cannot be run at all, and
even headers are used with extreme diff
Guilty. Flowing is clogged with the
weeds. The sharp spines the plants
not only irritate and worry both horses
and men, but often, by breaking under
the skin, cause fostering sores on the
horses legs. So that in many localities it
has been found necessary to protect them
with high boots or leggings- During
prairie fires the burning thistles. like the
| tumble weeds, cause great amount of
damage by crossing fire breaks. which
would otherwise be ample protection to
buildings and stacks. The plant. being
compact and woody at maturity. is better
fitted to carry fire than any other tumble
weed in the prairie region.
The Russian thistle is disseminated by
varieus means 1t covers piece of once
overfiowed plowed ground on Mr..
Wright's land, and the seed was evident
a.
sas- Several years ago Capt. John II.
Churchill found some Russian thistle
growing the railroad track. He in
formed Secretary Coburn. who gave no
tice to the railroad company, and the