The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1919-07-31
TELLS LYNDEN HOW TO
STAMP OUT THISTLES
To Wipe Out Army OF Weeds That
Threaten River Bottom


the army of Canadian thistles that
is over-running some of Lynden's fin
est river-bottom land, is the state
ment made today by w. A. Linklater.
superintendent of the Western Wash
ington Experiment Station at Puyal-
lup.
Strenuous measures must be taken
at once if the land is to be saved, in
Mr.. Linklater's opinion. He tells of
the most effective weapons to use ag-
ainst the pests as follows:
Canadian thistles and other root
stock weeds such as perennial SOW
thistle, hawkweed and quack grass.
are very difficult to completely Grad
icate under field conditions. They
can, however, by careful management
be kept we'll under control.
Canadian thistles should be allow
cd to come to a full bloom. then be
cut and as soon as the tops are we'll
dried they should be raked and burn
ed. unless they are mixed with
crop being saved for feed. The field
should be Immediately we'll plowed
six or seven inches deep. This will
be about the middle OF July. After
blowing the land should be allowed
to stand about a week to permit the
furrow slices to be we'll dried out.
which will in turn tend to dry out the
thistle's root. In about a week or
ten days the land should be worked
down thoroughly. Then ut intervals
of about ten days. and not more than
two weeks. the land should be very
thoroughly worked SO as to cut of
every thistle plant which shows above
the ground. II this method is care
fully followed until we'll into Sep
tember, most Of the thiStles will be
killed. The next season it Is we'll to
plant this land to some cultivated
crop such as corn, potatoes or a root
crop. In this way such Of the thistles
as were not destroyed the previous
season can be largely killed.
Under especially favorable condi-
tions. where the work is very we'll
done. it may be possible to entirely
kill out patches of thistles by this
method. Generally. however. some
will persist, but by this method OF
summer fallcwing. during the warm,
dry season, followed by a cultivated
crop the next year, the thistles can
be kept we'll in check. This method
needs to be repeated at intervals OF
four to six years. or whenever the
thistles get bad again. This method
is also the best method to follow IN
combating all Of the rootstock weeds
The blowing in every case should De
done about the first or second week
in July, and cultivation should begin
in about ten days after plowing and
should be repeated at about ten-day
intervals until the fall rain.
This method of combating Cana
dian thistles and other rootstock
weeds works in very we'll with such
crop rotation as clover and grass two
years. hoe crops or peas one year and
cereals one year. AS soon as the hay
crop is cut for hay or put into the
silo the second year the land Is In
grass, the field should be plowed and
summer following continued till fali
as explained above. II manure Is
vailable it should be plowed IN eith
available 1t should be plowed in eth
er in the fall or in the spring and the
land planted to hoe crops or sown to
field peas. These crops can then be
followed with cereal crops such as
fall-sown wheat. or spring-sown oats
or barley. and the land seeded down
again.
II short term crop rotation such
as this is followed and the land is
summer fallowcd during the dry per-
iod of summer every four years. ana
the following season the worst infest'
ed parts of the field are planted to
hoe crops, there should be no difii-
Guilty in controlling either annual OF
perennial weeds.