Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-01-09
Fighting Canada ThistIes.
North Dakota Agricultural Expert
ment Station Bulletin.

DlQuIIIl9 Sdud0a
North Dakota Agricultural Expert
ment Station Bulletin.
Method "a When 1t is in small
patches the ground should be spaded
UP and every particle Of the under
ground stems removed and burned.
This method is to be recommended for
patches which do not exceed rod
square in area, tho there may be sew
eral such patches on quarter mo
areas should be visited several times
each season 10 see that the work was
thoroughly done.
Method (2). Small areas may be
smothered out by covering the entlre
area with tar paper after cutting or
the thstles in late June or early July.
Tack the tar paper down closely WIN
wooden pins or by means of dirt or
stone so as to exclude all light. Leave
the paper thru the season. This re-
suits in the starvation of the weeds
so covered Straw or coarse manure
piled two to three feet deep upon the
thistles after cutting them OF close
to the ground in midJuly when they
have Just expended the most energy
will serve similar purpose. 1t VIII ne
necessary to discover and destroy any
scattering plants by deep digging else
the seeds and root-stocks from one or
two such plants will undo the work
Method (3). In case of large areas
to which giubbing or the smotherlns
methods are not reasonably applicable
it is recommended that these areas
be selected for cultivation Of corn, po-
tatoes or some other crop which de-
mands intense cultivation. If the
ground is thoroughly worked during
the growing season five or six times
and all scattering thistles are hoed out,
couple of seasons of such cultivation
will readily dispose OF them. Scattering
plants must be removed. If they are
allowed to produce a large amount
of green leaves they VIII
furnish nourishment, starch, etc, u
the underground root-stocks to wh1ch
they are attached and thus keep them
alive for further propagation.
Method (4). In regions in which the
ground is fertile and there is a heavy
rainfall. there are certain crops
which NAV be grown which will Sc
smother the thistles as to prevent seed
production, sls, for example heavy
growth Of thicllly seeded millet or fod-
der corn soWed broadcast. In using
this method for weakening or smoth-
ering out thistles the seeding should
be done late upon a thoroughly pre-
pared seed he'd so that there will be
as rapid growth Of the millet as pos
sible.
Method CD Tho summer fallow is
hardly to be recommended for a gen
eral farm procedure, when this is I'M
dertaken it is very effective way OF
reducing the thistles, provided the
ground is really kept bare. Here now
ever men should be sent over the IN
tested area with hoes and carefully
up root every plant which the harrows
have failed to bring to the surface.
FalloWs which are only turned once or
twice during, the summer are really
only a means Of further propagating
the thistle by breaking up the root
stocks.
Method (6.) Spraying: The work
of spraying with chemicals gives prom
Use of much aid in holding the Canada
thistle in check. Our experiments dur
ing the season of 1907 conducted on a
large field plan at st. Thomas Bath
gate and other points gave such re-
suits as to Indicate that farmers VIII
eventually get much benefit by the use
of sprays at the proper time, especial
ly where the thistles are growing IN
meadows and pasture lands. AS large
areas can be done much more rapidly
by spraying than by digging or now
ing and as it does not Interfere WIN
the growth of grasses, wheat, oats, or
other grain crop, it should now be easy,
at last. to prevent the thistles from
scattering seed.
Canada thistles, 50 far as tops are
concerned seems to be disposed of by
spraying. fully as easily as any weed.
The leaves wet up readily with the So
buttons and blight quickly. Sprayed
when quite young the thistles die back
to the ground but of course. sprout up
again from the underground root
stocks. If grain fields are sprayed dur
ing the second and third week of June
when the grain is to 10 inches nigh,
it will be found that the thistles VIII
be killed back sufficiently to prevent
the production Of seeds. In our exper-
iments with thistles which have
reached the budding stage, the buds
were blighted so that no seeds were
produced tho the underground stems
were not destroyed. Iron sulphate as or
dinarily used for mustard may be ap-
Piled to the young thistles so as TO
prevent blossoms but will not kill the
thistles back to the ground. Common
salt solution at the rate of 1-3 barrel
to SO gallons of water kills the thistles
back to the ground but seems to re-
duce the yield of grain slightly. So
dunn arsenite used at the rate OF 11s
pounds to So gallons of water was
found very efficient. the thistles be
Ing killed completely to the ground
within few hours after the operation.