Joanne wrote -

> After some years of letting this valley lie fallow, the farmer who owns the
> land I live on has just sprayed the thistles with Round-up. I live in a
> narrow valley with Coulee Creek running through it. There are two largish
> meadows on each side of the house I live in. The meadows run down to the
> creek. The thistles are widespread and he has decided on a two-year attack
> on the thistles as a precursor to planting alfalfa. <snip>

Only two ways I know of to get rid of Canada Thistle:
1) Herbicides
2) Cutting

The cutting method involves lopping them off at the ground before they set
seed. They will come back again but after about the third cutting the plant
becomes too weak from lack of photosynthesis and keels over. Note that any
attempt to dig them out invariably leads to spreading of the runners. And
despite the name, the plant is native to Eurasia, not Canada.

- Jack

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Jack Bowling
Prince George, BC
jbowling at direct.ca