THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



29 



waste lands where it is possible two or three times during the summer; 

 this will not kill the weed, because it will sprout from the cut stalk and 

 grow close to the ground, but it will be belter than nothing, and will 

 prevent such enormous seed development as would otherwise occur. 

 Grain fields should be disked and harrowed as soon as possible after the 

 crop is harvested. This will kill many thistles and retard the growth 

 of others. Another harrowing later in the summer will prevent subse- 

 quent growth from maturing seed. 



OVERFLOW LANDS. 

 On lands annually covered by winter overflow these control measures 



will not prove entirely satisfactory, though they will materially aid in 



keeping the weed down. For such lands an entirely new system must 

 be devised. Millions of seeds are carried annually 

 from the watersheds and waste lands onto the rich 

 river bottom lands. To devise ways and means of 

 meeting a problem of this nature, and to get the 

 best results from any control measures which 

 might be attempted, united effort is absolutely 

 essential. It is important that this weed be pre- 

 vented from spreading by all means at our com- 

 mand. If allowed to go unchecked it may cause 

 millions of dollars damage to our agricultural 

 crops. It is interesting to note that California is 

 the only state in the union which has reported 

 .yellow star as a serious pest. It has, however, 

 been known to do great damage in Europe, being 

 most serious in the grain fields of Russia. 



We have, therefore, no precedents in this coun- 

 try to show us the most practical and efficient 

 means of control. The rough hillsides, waste land, 



and cheap agricultural lands present a problem worthy of considerable 



thought and study. 



Fig. 7. — S eeds of 

 y < How star thistle 

 showing the character- 

 istic notch just above 

 the lower end. The 

 seeds are slightly 

 longer than broad, with 

 a point in the center of 

 the larger end where 

 the pappus is attached. 

 The color is cream- 

 white with a few light 

 brown lines. (Orig- 

 inal.) 



