Battling the Invasive Thistle
A coordinated effort between the state college and the Northern Pacific Railroad aims to eradicate destructive weeds from the Washington landscape.
A. B. Leckenby has enlisted the co-operation of the State Agricultural College and the railroads in making a systematic effort to keep down destructive weeds. The section men of the Northern Pacific have been set to work clearing the right-of-way, and in districts where such pests as the Russian thistle are appearing are aiding the settlers to keep them down. Mr. Leckenby informs us that he is preparing a great many samples of the Canadian and Russian thistle and the California foxtail, putting them in frames, and that they will be hung conspicuously at every railroad station, postoffice and newspaper office in the state. The State Agricultural College is getting up a special bulletin, giving illustrations and timely matter on how to recognize the dangerous weeds that are being introduced.
“The section men of the Northern Pacific have been set to work clearing the right-of-way.”
Invasive species management remains a critical issue for Washington agriculture today. This 1890s campaign shows the early reliance on public-private partnerships between railroads and state institutions to protect the land.
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