FARMERS' REGISTER— THE SPANISH TIHSTLE. 



273 



That tlie Jersey " marl" is not a calcareous manure, 

 and is identical witli the gypseous earth of James River, 

 are important facts, for which we are first indebted for 

 proof, to the observations of our correspondent. These 

 inferences were drawn from indirect evidence, and were 

 maintained by argument, in the account of gypseous earth 

 in ovu'last number, (page 21 1:) now, they are established 

 as facts, by the pei'sonal observation of one who knows 

 well the appearance and distuiguishing properties of 

 both marl and gypseous earth. The " marl" used on 

 acid soil on Long Island, being found to be, in truth, 

 gypseous earth, serves at once to explain why the latter 

 manure was worlhless, and why the true marl, (as in 

 Virginia also it is improperly called) or calcareous earth, 

 has been considered as no better. When we begin to 

 call things by their right names, or at least, to use the 

 same name for the same thing, we shall have overcome 

 one of the first and greatest obstacles to the spreading 

 of agricultural information. 



[Ed. Farm. Reg. 



Fur the Farmers' Rcgi.iter. 

 THE SPANISH THISTLE. 



In 1810, or llic following year, whe;i the merino 

 speculation i-af::cd in this country, and so many 

 sheep were imported from Spain, they introduced 

 a new plant, which promises to have more impor- 

 tant effects on our agriculture, than either the pro- 

 fits or losses tlicn caused by the ])urchase of the me- 

 rinoes. The Spanish thistle, the burs or seeds of 

 which were brought on the wool of the sheep, was 

 ston after seen, for the lirst time, growing on waste 

 spols of our seaports, and other towns, where these 

 sheep had been landed, or brouglit to for sale. Few 

 as they were at first, their being so well armed with 

 <langerous thorns kept off both man and beast, and 

 they have continued to maintain their ground, and 

 to increase slowly to this time — and will finally 

 overspread the whole country, unless some com- 

 bined means are used for the destruction of this 

 enemy. The vacant lots of Richmond, Peters- 

 burg and City Point, are well set witli these this- 

 tles, and some few country homesteads are also sup- 

 plied. Fortunately, their spreading has yet been 

 slow. Though full of small burs containing seed, 

 which, when ripe, attach tliemsclves to any animal 

 that touches them, (and in that manner are easily 

 and extensively spread abroad,) yet, the nnany and 

 dangerous thorns with which the plants also are 

 covered, have kept off intruders, and thus generally 

 prevented the seed being carried off. But when 

 the thistles are so extended as almost to cover the 

 food of half starved cattle, the fear of the thorns 

 will not prevent the burs being reached, and car- 

 ried by ajiimals over the whole country. This 

 growing pest, however inconsiderable now, is one 

 of the many things in Virginia which need legisla- 

 tive interposition, to guard the interests of agricul- 

 ture. At this time, one or t\vo hundred dollars 

 worth of labor, judiciously applied, would proba- 

 bly eradicate this plant completely, in every pl^ce 

 where it is fixed in Virginia. But, as no comlnned 

 efforts will (or indeed can effectually) be made by 

 individuals for this purpose, this now small evil 

 will be allowed to increase without obstruction, 

 until it will be beyond the power of man (even if 



Vol. 1.— 3-5 



aided by law) to remove it, and until its annual 

 damage to agriculture, will be an hundred fold 

 greater than its total suppression would now cost. 

 If a penalty of ;§ 20 for every plant bearing seed, 

 or standing as late as July, was imposed by law on 

 every corporate toAvn, and on individual proprie- 

 tors in the country, the whole race would be de- 

 stroyed in two years. No one would pay the fine, 

 nor would suffer any other inconvenience, except 

 furnishing tlie very little labor retjuired for grub- 

 lung up the thistles. As yet, all these plants are 

 near dwellings, and under the view of the owners; 

 and none could escape observation and destruction. 



Bulj however desirable and valuable maybe the 

 end proposed, and however cheap the means, I am 

 well aware that no such legislative aid is to be ex- 

 pected for agriculture. Such measures are opposed 

 to the genius of our people, and to the self interest 

 of our rulers. In Virginia, where the wliole political 

 power is in the hands of farmers and landholders, 

 agricultural interests alone are never guarded, antl 

 are often sacrificed. If (for example) it was pro- 

 posed in our legislature to adopt measures for the de- 

 struction of Spanish thistles, the proposition would 

 at first be met by ridicule and contempt : the whole 

 suliject would be pronounced unworthy the atten- 

 tion of a dignified legislative body — and by a mis- 

 application of a sound maxim in political economy, 

 (which it is to be regretted is not always applied 

 at proper times,) it would l)e said that " every one 

 should be left to manage his own business," and to 

 destroy or preserve the growth of Spanish thistles, 

 as to him it seemed most fit. It by possibility such 

 a law could be passed, it would j)Ut the country into 

 a ferment, equal to that caused formerly by taxing 

 dogs to save our sheep from destruction, and would 

 be attendetl by similar consequences. Fifty new 

 candidates would claim office, upon the demerits of 

 the thistle law. Twice fifty long speeches thereon 

 would be delivered in court yards, in which the 

 "expediency" and "constitutionality" of the law 

 would be contested — its injustice, its interfering 

 with the "natural and political rights of man" to 

 grow thistles if he chooses it, would be denounced — 

 its "partial operation," as being intended to benefit 

 only a few spots of Virginia, at the expense of the 

 whole commonwealth — and finally, (the crowning, 

 and always victorious argument,) it would be de- 

 clared as oppressive and unjust, that the poor man, 

 the tenant perhaps of only a little patcli of neglected 

 ground, should be made to pay a tax, or perform a 

 service, to prevent the lands of his rich neighbors 

 being set with thistles, and their fleeces being in- 

 jured by burs. Enough of these orators would 

 ride into office upon the Spanish thistles, (would 

 that all such were literally so seated,) to repeal 

 the law for their destruction, before it could have 

 effected its end, and thus restore the former reign 

 of "justice and equal rights." 



I do not expect this subject to be brought before 

 the legislature of Virginia; but as every other new 

 proposition for the benefit of agricultural interests, 

 may be opposed by precisely the same general ar- 

 guments as the foregoing, it is possible that these 

 heads for a speech may yet be brought into use on 

 some other sulject. If, then, my recommendation 

 fails, I must be content with having acquired "suf- 

 ficient glon^" in providing arguments for the sup- 

 porters of the opposite side : and whenever they are 

 used, I shall certainly claim them as " my thun- 

 der." K. N, 



