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Its now May 2007 and the musk thistles are showing up good. Because of all the rain its too wet to spray just yet. Watch your labels. Some chemicals are not to be used in or near standing water.  You don't want to ruin the underground drinking supply or we'll all be buying water to drink from someplace else. Probably be importing that from China too and who knows what that might have in it. I carry a pocket knife with me when I go out to check cows, wether riding horseback or in the pickup. When I find an occasional musk plant I reach down and cut the root on an angle under the rosette and that plant is done for.   I also carry a gps gadget and if I find mullien or Canadian thistles I mark them to come back later and spray. A flag or a post will do the same thing for you, or some kind of mapping system. Write it down in your cow book if nothing else so you remember it. A spade or sand shovel will also work with out having to bend down so far for you older folks. Leafy Spurge is showing up good as I saw some along a county road last week. Absinth Wormwood could be sprayed as soon as its dry enough too. I would imagine Mullien is in the rosette stages and growing good. Places in summer fallow or no till I have seen some Canadian thistle already. Mostly new patches, easy to eradicate with 2,4D  Amine I prefer Amine to Ester as it works slower and some of the chemical is taken into the root system. Ester just burns the plant and if it had a root system started will come back before summer is over. I'll post a paper on Amine and Ester next time I get my scanner fired up and have time. I'll keep writing also as time allows and I think of things to help others understand what works. Somebody asked me why I do this for no pay. To me, helping others comes without a price tag on it. I get satisfaction by being able to pass my knowledge and experience on to help others. The chemical companies sell chemical, The state college does plot tests on that chemical so there is data as to what works best, but no where have a I seen where anyone teaches a management program written so the average person can understand it. Without a management program, all the test results and chemical data is useless. I've watched for years as people have tried this chemical or that, have spent many dollars and many hours and still have a noxious weed problem. Without following a managed program, they have wasted most of  that time and money. Some have given up and are now under inforcements from their countys for not doing anything. Nobody taught them how to clean up their weed infestations. I'm hoping to. The key is management. Spray..... follow up.......follow up.

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Start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible. Francis of Assisi ********************************************************************** Kenny Konechne Email Besides having a high interest in helping other people in their battle against noxious weeds, I also enjoy writing short stories in rhyme. If you could use a little humor in your life please check out one of my other web sites. www.sdcowboy.com