Vol. 16—1962 - NorthEastern Weed Science Society

We ,prpbablyhave no speeie of g~owth tha:t:i'''i'ecullar to our raitzfoad,
but we lUre have variety. We h..... ''1~me spots of:blUei. bermuda, and crab
graUthat would be welcome in 1iD.. t'bome yards.'ltWe alsohave quack,lWitch,
brame, wheat gran.s, and foxt.i~,il 'we haul lal'se'~ntities of all commili'­
cialgrainsand leakage from car. adds to out" pro1dlm; particularly in "'rds
and the storage tracks at tbe elevators. Three .pea'le. of weeds are a pirticular
problem; namely, bouncfla'llbet, tnilkweed~f!.nl:i horsetail, Many'e"reeping
varieties wait outside the collift'Ot pattern and tUn eome in as soon atl:'Other
resistance bas been knocked down. Sumac, sassafras, wild cherry, locust,
are some of the more rapid growt1l,i ..'peeies that'~me a hazard to our signal
and communication wires and to ri"onat road cr0t'81ngs. I I
'nt. )i, ,.
I have brieny outlinedthepllysiographic ana{eUmatic conditions ~J1 .
our properties and some of the' preblem growth that~we encounter. I do not
wish to leave the impreuion that wetaccept all of tiK. in resignation. On'the
contrary. we hav e,, what we think:' to- be, reasonalHylg'OOd control of weed.,
grasses, and brush, on our railroad. I can saYI with reasonable assu~~e,
that we have close to 90% control of the .•~ problems. We do not have complete
control - and it is entirely pos.ibl.:'that we neve'r ~lU reach this stage.
:1'
Previous to 1951, we prcWidea our tnen with'lh.nd scythes, brush hooks,
and a couple of rather crude W86'd burning machin"'; At that time we were
paying our trackmen a basic rat.(~f:$l. 39 perhout{! We could then spa~ men
to cut down' special problem are .. and, after the oeIler work was layed b¥.they
could be used to clear right-of-""""" I think, in altt'airneas, that we d1d.
rather complete job - but it was'latways a case of.dllng an existing .i~t1on,
and we accepted the fact that regl'owth would occul'ftbe'following year, or'years.
As wage rates crept, or leaped, upward, we soonlO