The Hope pioneer., 1922-07-20
NORTH DAKOTA FARMERS IN
FINISH FIGHT ON SOW THISTLE

Farmers in the northwestern part of
North Dakota have girded themselves
for fight to the finish on the inroads
Of the perennial sow thistle, according
to bulletin just issued from the
North Dakota Agricultural college, the
work of Sidney w. Hooper, one of the
members of the extension staff, con-
certed campaigns have been begun
against the noxious weed, whose in
roads have become so alarming that
whole counties have declared martial
law against it and have decreed that
1t must 90.
Concerted campaigns are planned in
Pembina, Walsh, and Grand Forks
counties. Weed commissioners have
been or will be appointed in all these
countless and the county agents are
carrying on campaigns of education to
arouse the communities to the situation
which faces them and the necessity for
organized action.
Each year the perennial SOW thistle
is overlapping it's previous boundaries
by Is or 20 miles and several thousand
acres of land has been practically
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 order to destroy the weed
before the seeds were produced.
Five weed commissioners have been
appointed in Pembina county and they
have been authorized to appoint at
least two deputies during the busy sea-
son in order to effectively carry out
the regulations prescribed in the SOW
thistle law. A special SOW thistle week
will be observed July 1915 at which
time the weed commissioners and the
county agent will hold afternoon and
evening meetings to encourage farmers
to prevent the SOW thistle from going
to seed.
Efforts will be made to get the farm,
ers to sign pledges to prevent the SOW
thistle from blossoming 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 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 keeI
the weed from blossoming on vacant
lots and around the outskirts.
Meetings have already been held ir
every township of the county by Coun
ty Agent Parizek, and in % of the q
townships, weed men have been elect
ed to cooperate with the weed commits
sioners, particularly in plating the
amount of the infestation in the county
The weed commissioners are Charles
Giroy, Drayton; Thomas Fuller, Ham
lton; Alfred Johnson, Neche; ]. A
Jnmison, Walhalla, and Frank Ralston
Crystal.
Grand Forks at Work.
Weed commissioner in Grand Forks
county, who hold over until July OF
this year, are AL Lindsey, Marvel
Chris. Binaz, Grand Forks; A. b. Muir
1nkster, S. f. Mercer, Larimore, an(
Mons Rasmussen, Thompson. Meetings
will be held in all areas where the SOW
thistle is bad for the purpose of arrang
ing cooperation with the weed commits
sioners, according to the plans o.
County Agent D. B. Morris. These
meetings will be held late in June OF
early in July. Weed commissions fol
Walsh county will be appointed at thu
next meeting of the county board.
Experiences related by farmers WHIT
have been successful in fighting SOW
thistle show that grain farming en-
courages the spread of sow thistle
making necessary summer tillage o.
the raising of crops that mature befor'
the SOW thistle produces seed. A sys
ten of livestock farming or diversif
cation which involves the raising o
cultivated feed and pasture crops tend
to control and check the spread of tn
SOW thistle.
Best Practices.
The following facts are apparen
from the experiences of these farmer
according to the information in thi
| new college bulletin:
Almost Invariably, the farmer VIII
has some stock and pasture and is re
tating his crops has little sow thistl
! to worry about while the straight graf
farmer often has little grain to worr