194 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



proven hy the following extract taken from a report recently received 

 from J\Ir. L. W. Boggs, deputy horticultural commissioner of Lassen 



County : 



"The Russian thistle was evidently brought in to this county by the 

 railroad construction companies, who built the Western Pacific and 

 graded the Southern Pacific Railroad from Fernly, Nevada, to Went- 

 wood, California. These twc rights of way were the starting lines for 

 the Russian thistle, that is now spreading from their tracks over the 

 adjacent lands. Portions of the Western Pacific Railroad right of 

 way were badly infested with this thistle. Last summer I had both 

 Southern Pacific and Western Pacific lines cleared or mostly cleared, 

 by getting their roadmasters to put their section gangs under my 

 orders. The Southern Paciiie Railroad made a good job of their work, 

 but the Western Pacific Railroad made only a pretense, consequently 

 their line was only partially cleared. Very late in the season I received 

 a letter from the Sacramento office saying they feared the section men 

 would not be able to finish the clearing and would put on a small 

 force of six or eight men. The work was not very satisfactory because 

 it was not done at the right time, and was not done thoroughly. 



"In August and September, 1914, I supervised the clearing of the 

 Southern Pacific Railroad right of way from Susanville to the Nevada 

 state line— a distance of about thirty-five miles. This right of way is 

 from 100 to 400 feet wide at stations. The thistle was mostly in evi- 

 dence at the localities where the construction crews camped while at 

 work, viz., Susanville, Leavitt, Litchfield and Stacv stations. The 

 hay and grain fed their stock was brought here from Nevada and Utah, 

 so I am informed, and as the thistle was not known here previously, it 

 is evident that it came here in the stock feed of the railroad construc- 

 tion crews. Practically the same can be said of the Western Pacific 

 Railroad right of way. 



"The Nevada, California and Oregon Railroad (narrow gauge) inter- 

 sects both the Southern and Western Pacific lines, and its tracks 

 are also badly infested with Russian thistle. All three lines placed 

 the work of clearing on their section men last year. The men have 

 more regular work than they keep up with and feel the added oppres- 

 sion of cutting thistles and greatly resent it, and drop it at every 

 chance to do other work. Hence I claim special men are necessary for 

 this work. With four men I cleared thirty miles of county road in 

 three weeks, doing more than double what the railroad companies did. 

 "The farmers, generally, are willing to do what is right, only asking 

 that all be required to cleai their lands. In this I think they are 

 right and we want the cooperation of every one in the county." 



Due to its spiny character, Russian thistle is a difficult weed to 

 handle when once" allowed to reach maturity. It can not be plowed 

 under, and it is often impossible to plow fields at all until the weeds 

 are removed. In many parts of the i\Iiddle West it becomes so bad 

 at times that leather "leggings have to be put on the horses before 

 the grain can be cut. This is a condition which we do not want to 

 see in California. 



