Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-06-26
ANNUAL SOW
TH|ETL..,E|;WIAR
STARTED Al
Special Week Will Be De.
voted to Fight Late
In July.

3 a lcT III luS uOTlIledSLern pdTt
OF the state are already resuming the
annual battle against the inroads of
the perennial SOW thistle, and con-
certeds campaigns against the weed
are planned in Pembina, Walsh and
Grand Forks counties. Weed COM
missioners have been or will be ap-
pointed in all these counties, and the
county agents are carrying on cam
paigns of education to arouse the
communities to the situation which
faces them and the necessity for Or
ganized action.
Each year the perennial SOW thistle
ts overlapping it's previous boundaries
by Is or 20 miles and several thou
sand acres of land has been practic-
ally abandoned due to the presence
Of This weed. On scores of farms
last year the yields of grain were So
reduced by the thistle that the crop
did not pay to cut, and the farmers
simply went in with a mower and cut
the crop-about 10 per. cent grain
and 80 per cent SOW thistles, in or
der to destroy the weed before seeds
were produced.
Five weed commissioners Jay been
appointed in Pembina county. and
they have been authorized to APP
point at least two deputies during the
busy season in order to effectively
carry out the regulations prescribed
TN the SOW thistle law. A special SOW
thistle week will be observed late in
July. at which time the weed commits
sioners and the county agent will hold
afternoon and evening meetings to
encourage farmers to prevent the
SOW thistle from going to seed. Ef-
forts will be made to get the farm
= ers to sign pledges to prevent the
SOW thistle from poisoning on their
land. and absentee landlords will be
urged to share the expenses with the
tenants of effective control practices.
The county commissioners are to
make q special effort to see that SOW
thistle is not allowed to bloom along
county roads, drainage bitches and
river banks, and to see further that
the authorities in towns and villages
keep the weed frons %blossoming on
vacant lots and around the outskirts,
Meetings! have already been held in
every township Of the county by
County Agent Parizek, n in % OF
the "a townships, weed men nav
been elected to cooperate with the
weed commissioners, particularly in
plating the amount of the infestation
in the county. The weed commits.
sioners are Chas. Gilroy, Drayton:
Thomas Fuller. Hamilton; Alfred
johnson, Neche; ]. A. Jamison, Wal
halla, and Frank Ralston, Crystal.
Grand Forks at Work.
Weed commissioners in Grand
Forks county, who hold over until
July L Ofathis year, are AL Lindsey
Marvel; Chris. Binez, Grand Forks;
A. B. Muir, Inkster; S. +. Mercer,
larimore. and Mons Rasmussen,
Thompson. Meetings will be held in
all areas where the SOW thistle is bad
for the purpose of arranging coop
GRAFTON with the weed commission
Agent D. 3. Harris. These meetings
will be held late in June or early in
July. Weed commissioners for Walsh
county will be appointed at the mex
nAeting of the country board.
Experiences related by. farmers
who have been successful in fighting
SOW thistle show that grain farming
encourages the spread of SOW thistle
making necessary summer tillage OF
the raising of crops that mature be-
fore the SOW thistle produces seed. A
system of livestock farming or di-
v~ersffication which involves the rails
crops tends to control and check the
spread of the SOW thistle.
Best Practices.
The following facts are apparent
from the experiences of these farm
ers:
1. Almost invariably the farmer
who has some stock and pasture and
is rotating his crops has little SOW
thistle to worry about. while the
straight grain farmer often hal lit
tie grain to worry about and a con.
siderable amount Of SOW thistle.
2. Pulling the plants and then dig
ging out the roots is effective 70,
scattered plants or small patches.
3: Smothering with a straw pile
OF tar paper will kill small
patches, but they nNst be watched
This should be done the first part Of
July. after the SOW thistle has start.
ed to blossom.
Early Crops Good. "
n 4. Where the farmer feels that hi
cannot afford to summer fa1low, hi