Prior to the writer’s visit to East Europe in the summer of 1882, attention was directed to the plant we call Russian Thistle by a note in Prof. Henfrey’s well known work, "The Vegetation of Europe, its Condition and Causes,” as follows: “On the steppes east of the Volga one curious thorny plant has attracted the attention of most travelers, the “Wind Witch,” as it is called by the German colonists, or “Leap the field,” as the Russian name may be translated. It forms a large globular mass of light wiry branches interlaced together, and in autumn decays off at the root the upper part drying. It is then at the mercy of the autumn blasts and it is said that thousands of them may sometimes be seen coursing over the steppes, rolling, dancing, and leaping over the slight inequalities, often looking at a distance like a troop of wild horses. Mr. Kohl says. it is not uncommon for twenty or more to become entangled into a mass and then roll away like a huge giant in his seven league boots.”

The widespread interest manifested in our state and elsewhere in the northwest indicates that the Russian Thistle (Salsola kali, variety traqus), is a miserable and execrable weed, doing much injury to agriculture.

At the request of the Director of the Experiment Station I have devoted a little time to the botany of this weed. Some attention has therefore been given to the study of the weed, its germination, the anatomy of the root, stem, leaf and seed. A study of the anatomy will be of interest, because its structure may best adapt it to growing on high, dry soil. Professor L. H. Dewey says:

The Russian Thistle grows best on high, dry soil, where it is not much crowded by other plants. It is seldom seen in sloughs or low land, and makes no progress in the native prairie, except where the sod has been broken by badger burrows or by the overfeeding and consequent tramping of cattle on the ranges. In all places it is more abundant and more robust in dry seasons.