The New Thistle

In what a wonderful way does nature provicle for unexpected emergencies. Take for instance, the existing situation in several of the western states. It has long been known, of course, that for the ordinary ass, the thistle - either Canada or Scotch - furnished useful and nutritious tood. In agricultural neighborhoods there is more or less prejuice against the thistle, as there is in cultivated intellectual circles against the ass. Efforts have been made to extermínate the thistle, but nature has successfully resisted them up to date, and it seems probable that the plant will flourish as long as the'ass survives. The simultaneous appearance, however, during the last year of such governors as Waite, of Colorado, Lewelling, of Kansas, ar;d Pennoyer, of Oregon, Sias raised a doubt in the minds of i thouglitful men as to the sufficiencyj :{ the ordinary thistle cro[i to supply the extraordinary demand. At this poiiit provident nature steps in. The emergency lias been met by the appearance in the northwest of a new variety of thistle-, known as the Russian, vhuh grows to four feet in hight and seventeen feet in circumference, as appears froni a specimen forwarded to the agricultural departtnent at Washington. Manifestly this is an effort of nature to make provisión tor the new order of governors now browsing over our prairies. It is an endeavor to keep up the relative proportion of the ordinary thistle to the ordinary ass. Four feet by seventeen may not prove entirely adequate, but it is at least a good beginning. It illustrates the marvelous fertility and