50 



insulated one from the other, so that all the current 

 would not be discharged though any one weed. A 

 current of ten thousand volts was found to be most 

 satisfactory. 



Burning weeds with jets from burners using crude 

 oil and compressed air. has been tried on the 

 Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Sainte Marie Railroad. 

 This apparatus was mounted on a self-propelled flat- 

 car and could work over ten miles a day consuming 

 fifteen to twenty gallons of oil per mile. A strong 

 solution of brine, delivered from a sprinkling at- 

 tachment on a water tank car was used at one time on 

 the Atchison, I opeka and Santa Fe Railroad. It ef- 

 fectually killed the weeds, but care had to be taken 

 not to let the brine get on the rail, or it would cause 

 a slime on the rails which led to slipping of the engine 

 wheels and a subsequent corrosion of the rail. The 

 Ohio River Railroad has used a sprinkler using refuse 

 oil. to kill its weeds. It cost about $80.00 per mile, 

 one sprinkling being sufficient for one season. This 

 method was also effective in laying the dust. The 

 use of oil would be for double-track about 1^^ times 

 as much as this or about $120.00 a mile. 



LIST OF THE FIFTY WORST WEEDS IN ORDER. 



