creased slowly and almost unnoticed for several years, but after becoming 

 acclimated spread rapidly, and now this weed is widely distributed over the 

 western United States and Canada. 



Russian-thistle grows from sea level up to 8,500 feet, doing best on high, dry 

 land if not overly crowded by other plants. It does not ordinarily occur in 

 sloughs or lowlands, and makes no progress on the native prairie, except where 

 the sod has been broken by cultivation, overgrazing, prairie-dog holes, etc. 

 Russian-thistle flourishes in rich, moist soils, but does not commonly occur 

 there because it cannot stand crowding by other plants. This weed is a salt- 

 resistant plant, and hence grows well, though not exclusively, on alkali soils. 

 It often forms pure stands on cultivated or overgrazed areas'. 



On early spring ranges this species rates as fair forage for all classes of 

 livestock. However, after the plant matures and the sharp spines form, it is 

 worthless. It cannot be considered as a desirable forage plant on mountain 

 ranges because livestock will not eat it if other and better forage is obtainable. 

 On winter ranges it is often used by livestock after softening by winter storms. 

 Russian-thistle is quite drought-resistant and is extremely useful in the West- 

 ern Prairie States during drought years. In many of the drought-stricken 

 areas, this plant has been used successfully as emergency feed to prevent live- 

 stock from starving. If cut when in bloom, before the sharp spines form, 

 Russian-thistle makes good emergency hay. Even where cut after the spines 

 have hardened, it may be chopped up and fed as fodder or silage. Russian- 

 thistle is eaten readily when ensiled, especially if mixed with alfalfa or grains. 

 If fed alone, especially during the fall, this plant has a very laxative effect, 

 which may make it a source of danger, particularly to cows in weak condition. 

 This can be overcome by supplemental feeding with grain hay, first-cutting 

 alfalfa, corn fodder, or straw. 345 According to chemical analyses Russian- 

 thistle contains more protein and carbohydrates than clover and as much or 

 more ash or mineral salts than alfalfa or prairie hay, but it is less palatable 

 and digestible than alfalfa. Feeding tests have shown that Russian-thistle, 

 ground into fodder, was 93.9 percent as valuable as cane fodder for fattening 

 lambs. It is reported that this weed is a favorite host plant upon which the 

 sugar beet webworm lays its eggs. The worms migrate from it to the beets. 



Barilla, an impure soda, is obtained from burning plants of Salsola and the 

 closely related genera S&Ucornia and Chenopodium. It is rather extensively 

 imported into this country from Spain and other Mediterranean countries. 



Russian-thistle is an annual, produced from a small seed and growing as 

 high as 4 feet, with profuse branches, often forming a dense bushlike plant 

 from 2 to 6 feet in diameter. When young, the plant is very tender and juicy, 

 with small, narrow, green leaves. After it flowers the small leaves wither and 

 fall off and short, stout, spiny leaves form. The plant then increases rapidly 

 in size and sends out hard stiff branches. In lieu of leaves these branches bear 

 three hard, sharp spines, from one-fourth to one-half of an inch long, at inter- 

 vals of half an inch or less. A small papery flower, at first green, later pink, 

 grows at the base of each cluster of spines. If this flower is carefully examined, 

 a small, coiled, green seed resembling a minute green snail shell is uncovered. 

 After the first frost the exposed parts of Russian-thistle change from dark 

 green to red. Later the plant breaks off and becomes a tumbleweed. 



Kali, or prickly glasswort (S. ka'li, syn. 8. tra'atis), a maritime species of 

 Europe and western Asia, naturalized along the seacoasts of the eastern United 

 States, differs from S. pestifer chiefly in its shorter, broader (linear or lance- 

 shaped, rather than filiform ) leaves, the upper ones, when old, swollen at the 

 base, and larger fruiting calyxes (one-fourth to three-eighths of an inch, instead 

 of one-eighth to one-fourth of an inch, broad). In western botanical literature 

 8. kali and 8. pestifer are much confused ; moreover, some botanists prefer to 

 regard Russian-thistle as a variety of kali, under the varietal name 8. kali 



3 Dickson, W. F. FEEDS FOR WINTERING CATTLE. Mont. Agr. Expt. Sta. Anim. Husb. 

 Circ. 15 : 30-38. [1932.] [Mimeographed.] 



4 Dominion Agriculture Credit Co., Limited. RUSSIAN THISTLE : ITS USE AND CONTROL. 

 19 pp. Regina, Sask. [1933.] 



5 [Christensen, F. W., Thompson, E. J., and Briggs, H.] LIVESTOCK FEEDING UNDER 

 DROUGHT CONDITIONS. N. Dak. Agr. Col. Ext. Circ. 126, rev., 16 pp., illus. 1935. 



6 Bobbins, W. W., and Boyack, B. THE IDENTIFICATION AND CONTROL OF COLORADO 

 WEEDS. Colo. Agr. Expt. Sta. Bull. 251, [126] pp. 1919. 



