View allAll Photos Tagged Weed_Control
The driver is looking-back to see if he still has a train as 101 "Eagle" heads out of Portadown, taking the weed control train back to Dundalk.
Chasing it on could have been difficult, given the state of the road in 1989. Besides, it was probably late and I may have fancied lunch in "The Bodega", or coffee and a snack in the little cafe in the shopping centre (which did a mean fruit scone, but is probably long gone). Was this the last time all three 101s worked on the same day? Only time will tell during this wander through the collection.
All photographs are my copyright and must not be used without permission. Unauthorised use will result in my invoicing you £1,500 per photograph and, if necessary, taking legal action for recovery.
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Photographed in the Eden Valley, South Australia (75 km north-east of Adelaide, one valley over from the better known Barossa Valley)
The most famous vineyard in Australia - indeed, in the southern hemisphere - is undoubtedly Hill of Grace, owned by the Henschke family for more than a century. The wines from this vineyard, the first portion of which was planted in the 1860s, are some of the most expensive in the world - about $600 a bottle on release. Helen and I are lucky to have a few precious bottles in our cellar, dating back to the 1986 vintage.
Wine-lovers from around the world regularly make a pilgrimage to see this great piece of property. We first visited proprietor Stephen Henschke in 1989, and we returned for a visit in November 2014. In September 2015 we had dinner with the Henschkes in the Barossa Valley.
From the Henschke web site:
"Hill of Grace is surely one of the most evocative phrases in the world of wine. It is a translation from the German ‘Gnadenberg’, a region in Silesia, and the name given to the lovely Lutheran Church across the road. For Henschke, it is the name of both the vineyard and the wine that has so beguiled lovers of red wine. The 8ha single vineyard on the original 32ha block sits at an altitude of 400m and has an average rainfall of 520mm. It is situated near the family property at Parrot Hill, an isolated spot that was once an active village.
The land was originally granted to Charles Flaxman by land grant in 1842 for £1 per acre. It was then sold by George Fife Angas to Nicolaus Stanitzki in 1873, for £480. Following his death the property was transferred in 1879 to his son Carl August Stanitzki, who later sold the vineyard and moved from the district. Paul Gotthard Henschke purchased the vineyard in 1891. After his death, his sons and executors Paul Alfred and Julius Philip Henschke arranged the transfer to Julius Philip, who had married Ida Maria Magdalena Stanitzki, a granddaughter of Nicolaus Stanitzki. On Julius Philip’s death in 1928, the property transferred to his wife. In 1951 the property was purchased by Louis Edmund Henschke, a son of Paul Alfred Henschke and brother of Cyril, who worked the vineyard and property for nearly 40 years. The Henschke family continue to maintain the tradition and develop new ways of preserving the precious genetic heritage for future generations.
As with the winery, each generation has added to the vineyard, which is now home to eight blocks of shiraz of various ages, as well as semillon, riesling and mataro (mourvèdre). The whites are used in Eden Valley varietals while the mataro, with its rich colour and complex flavour, often complements blends such as Henry’s Seven.
The Grandfathers, as the oldest block is called, was planted by Nicolaus Stanitzki around the 1860s. These vines are planted on their own roots from pre-phylloxera material brought from Europe by the early settlers. The sturdy, gnarled vines are dry grown and yield an average of 2.5t/ha (1t/acre). The shiraz vines are planted on a wide spacing of 3.1m between vines and 3.4m between rows. The 1m trellis consists of two wires which carry two or three arched canes with a bud number of around 40 to 50. The foliage is allowed to hang down to form a drooping canopy, which helps to reduce shoot vigour. The more vigorous blocks have been converted to VSP (Vertical Shoot Positioning) and Scott Henry to open up the canopy.
The mataro is grown as bush vines, which suits the upright growth of this variety. The whites are planted closer together than the reds, down to 2.2m, and have the regular 3.4m between rows to suit the old tractor widths.
Originally the ground was cultivated and the vines were ‘dodged off’ in spring and ‘hilled on’ again in early summer for weed control. Nowadays, under the guidance of viticulturist Prue Henschke, the vineyard has a permanent sod culture of early-maturing perennial rye grass in the row, which is mowed down low. The vines are no longer dodged and a mulch of wheat straw is used under the vines to retain soil moisture, build up organic matter, and inhibit weed growth. Prediction of disease pressure through an integrated pest management program is a strong part of Henschke’s viticultural management, resulting in minimal chemical input in the vineyard. The vineyard is currently run incorporating organic and biodynamic practices. Yield estimates are carried out in early summer, and cropping levels are kept in check by bunch thinning at veraison. The grapes are picked early to mid-April at a sugar level of around 24°Bé. There is always a good acid/pH balance from this vineyard. The anthocyanins (colour pigments) in the berries are also very high, which perhaps offers a clue to the very high quality of the Hill of Grace shiraz.
While much work is being done in the vineyard with biodynamics and organincs, Prue is also focused on protecting the vines for future generations, and in 1986 began a clonal selection program to identify the best vines to propagate, and where else to look but to the Grandfathers block which she has often referred to as old soldiers.
Prue and her assistant Uschi (Ursula Linssen), who had studied together at Geisenheim, literally walked the rows together, earmarking potential vines. They took a scientific approach, using criteria such as even budburst and the absence of Eutypa, a wood-rotting fungus that wasn’t the problem they had imagined. Then they moved through to flowering to look at bunch numbers per shoot, the evenness of flowering and veraison, virus, and finally the fruit itself. What was the bunch composition and bunch structure? How was the balance of sugar, pH and acid? And all this was after they had already eliminated vines they didn’t deem suitable. It was painstaking work, slotted in with the Mount Edelstone selection and the first of four selections planned extending over at least a 20-year program."
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St Botolph's Church of the Parish of Boston is known as the 'Boston Stump' and can be seen for miles around, the Medieval tower being approximately 272 feet (83m) high. The church is one of the largest parish churches and the tower one of the tallest in England. Hunslet-Barclay Class 20/9 20903 'Alison' waits at the station at the head of the visiting weed control train.
All images on this site are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without expressed written permission of the photographer. All rights reserved – Copyright Don Gatehouse
Gardening in Raised beds, a common practice before colonial times, is enjoying a resurgence of popularity among home vegetable growers. In parts of the world with greater population densities or less tillable land, gardening in raised beds is still the norm.
"Raised" means that the soil level in the bed is higher than the surrounding soil, and "bed" implies a size small enough to work without actually stepping onto the area used. A bed should be no wider than 4 feet, but length can be whatever suits the site or gardener's needs. Wider beds can be subdivided into sections accessible from wooden grids. The raised gardening bed does not have to be enclosed or framed. The use of power tillers is feasible, for example, in unframed beds, although a properly maintained bed should not need power-cultivation.
Higher Yields:
There are many reasons for the raised vegetable bed revival, but probably the most important is more production per square foot of garden. In a traditional home garden, good management may yield about 0.6 pounds of vegetables per square foot. Raised beds do not require the usual space between rows, as no walking is done in the bed to cultivate or harvest. Hence, vegetables are planted in beds at higher densities - ideally spaced just far enough apart to avoid crowding but close enough to shade weeds.
Improved Soil Conditions:
Another reason for greater production in a given space is the improvement of soil conditions. Soil compaction can reduce crop yields up to 50 percent. Water, air and roots all have difficulty moving through soil compressed by tractors, tillers or human feet. Plows, tillers or spades have been the usual answer to this problem, but gardeners can avoid the problem completely by creating beds narrow enough to work from the sides. Soil organic matter content can be increased greatly without getting bogged down.
Raised vegetable beds also help in problem soil situations where compaction is not the only culprit. Homeowners may have low spots unsuited for conventional gardens because of ponding or excessive erosion from runoff. Raised beds rise above these, with frames as a foundation. Soil acidity can thus be more easily maintained in the 5.8 to 6.8 pH range, which is preferable for most vegetable culture.
Ease of Working:
The first, and most important, benefit of gardening with raised beds is the increased ease of timely planting and harvesting. Many people avoid working traditional gardens in rainy weather to avoid compaction and muddy feet. Because raised planting beds are designed for walking around, not in, there is no reason for mud to delay operation. Spaces between beds may be mulched or even paved with stone or brick.
Ease of Pest Control:
Pest control also becomes less difficult in raised beds. If burrowing rodents are abundant, the bottom of the bed can be lined with poultry wire or hardware cloth. Rabbits and groundhogs can be discouraged simply by placing their favorite foods in a framed bed with a low fence. The narrow dimensions of vegetable raised beds even make bird netting suspended on flexible conduit frames practical. Weed control with plastic mulch can be achieved economically, as the width of the bed can be spanned by one roll.
Water Conservation:
The narrow dimensions of planter beds are advantageous for water conservation. Canvas soaker hoses, perforated plastic sprinkle hoses and drip-type irrigation disperse water in a long, narrow pattern well-suited to beds. Directing water to the soil helps to reduce disease problems which can result from wetting the foliage with overhead sprinklers.
Construction Tips:
There are only a few guidelines to remember in raised gardening bed construction:
1. Keep the beds narrow and match their length to the site and the watering system. A north-south orientation is best for low-growing crops, allowing direct sunlight to both sides of the bed. Beds that will contain taller crops such as pole beans, trellised peas or caged tomatoes might do better on an east-west axis--lower-growing crops could be planted on the south side of the bed and still get full sun.
2. Avoid the use of creosote or pentachlorophenol-treated lumber for gardening raised bed frames, as these chemicals can leach out and injure plants. Use pressure-treated lumber, redwood, cement block or brick, and be aware that the cement in block will raise soil pH over time. Framing materials can also be large stones, untreated lumber, sapling trees or straight logs. Obviously, colonial farmers did not have all these materials available. You could just hill up the bed and maintain it regularly. In recent years, recycled plastic lumber has become readily available to build a more permanent bed. Depending on the product, it may have 50% sawdust and plastic. Some are nearly 100% plastic. They never need staining or painting and come in lengths similar to lumber.
3. At least one-third of the volume of the bed's root zone should consist of existing soil. Add one-third compost or peat and one-third coarse sand to create a well drained soil. Add a little garden fertilizer and test the soil after the first crop year.
Raised planting bed and vegetable planting beds possibilities are endless. Beds elevated 2 feet or more offer the promise of gardening without bending and can have benches built on the sides for even more convenience. Because a bed warms up quicker than the ground, it can easily double as a cold frame by covering it with a lightweight clear plastic cover. Imagine being able to start plants early in beds with covers and never having to transplant them! Supports for poles, cages and trellises can be mounted to the frame for longer life and ease of installation and removal.
Many of the same principles used in gardening raised beds are being adopted on a larger scale in field crops. Ridge tillage, solid seeding and controlled traffic are all new techniques designed to deal with drainage, weed or compaction problems and to increase productivity. Traditional gardens with orderly rows on wide intervals have mimicked their larger farm counterparts for years. Maybe it is time for them to change their role model to the new farm or the ancient garden.
More different design garden raised beds show on www.huayi-wood.com/index.html
Fox Sparrow FOSP (Passerella iliaca)
on Gorse (Ulex europaeus)**
Ten Mile Point, Saanich,
Greater Victoria BC
DSCN9680
Most FOSP wintering over are of the "Sooty" sub species
with integrades occurring
Liam Singh is my inspiration to try to sort out these guys.
**Gorse is a rather nasty invasive plant armed with sharp "prickles" and volatile oils.
text below
from
bcinvasives.ca/invasive-species/identify/invasive-plants/...
Gorse (Ulex europaeus) is a spiny, perennial evergreen shrub, considered noxious under the BC Weed Control Act, and thrives on sunny clearings with dry, infertile soil such as sandy or rocky areas, roadsides, fields and pastures, bluffs, cutblocks, and cutbanks. It is currently distributed in Vancouver Island, West Vancouver, some of the Gulf Islands, and Skidegate on the Queen Charlotte Islands.
Gorse is a dense evergreen shrub with a single upright stem, spine-like leaves, and fragrant yellow, pea-like flowers. Seedpods are hairy and black. Gorse can grow 1-3 metres in height at maturity.
Growing rapidly for the first 15 years, gorse can live up to 45 years. Maturing seedpods explode and disperse up to 18,000 seeds per mature plant. Gorse seeds are easily distributed by ants, animals, birds, and machinery. Since gorse grows mainly by the ocean, water is a common carrier for seeds. Dense patches can hinder re-vegetation of harvested areas and recreational use of land. Gorse can also increase fire hazard as plants contain volatile oils and produce large amounts of litter. Gorse displaces native vegetation, thereby decreasing forage for wildlife and local plant biodiversity.
Coming back from a car show, I drove down old 124 about 8 PM where I saw the thriving crop of no-till soybeans. The beans were planted without plowing, using a planter that cuts a only a narrow slit for seeds. Chemical weed control eliminates the need for cultivating. This method saves topsoil and saves fuel by eliminating at least two trips across the fields. The field is in the Scioto River bottoms.
Picture Nimou#171
Règne Plantae
Sous-règne Tracheobionta
Division Magnoliophyta
Classe Magnoliopsida
Sous-classe Magnoliidae
Ordre Papaverales
Famille Papaveraceae
Genre Papaver
Nom binominal Papaver rhoeas
Spanish:
Papaver rhoeas, la amapola silvestre, especie del género papaver, es una planta de ciclo anual que alcanza más de 5 dm de altura. De tallos erectos y poco ramificados con finos pelillos.
Las hojas, que nacen alternas a lo largo del tallo, sin peciolo, son pinadas y muy dentadas en los márgenes con una única nervadura central.
Las flores de color escarlata intenso, acampanadas y casi esféricas, poseen 4 finos pétalos y 2 sépalos vellosos. Los estambres, de color negro, forman un racimo anillado alrededor del gineceo, lo que le da el aspecto de botón negro. El fruto es una cápsula verde pálido de forma cónica con una especie de tapa en la parte superior (opérculo), conteniendo numerosas semillas que escapan a través de las grietas del opérculo. Florecen de principio a final de la primavera.
La amapola se ha asociado a la agricultura desde muy antiguo. Su ciclo de vida se adapta a la mayoría de los cultivos de cereales, floreciendo y granando antes de la recolección de las cosechas. Aunque se la considera una mala yerba es fácil de combatir con los habituales métodos de control de plagas.
English:
The Corn Poppy, Field Poppy, Flanders Poppy, or Red Poppy is the wild poppy of agricultural cultivation—Papaver rhoeas. It is a variable annual plant. The four petals are vivid red, most commonly with a black spot at their base. In the northern hemisphere it generally flowers in late spring, but if the weather is warm enough other flowers frequently appear at the beginning of autumn. It has a variety of common names.
It is known to have been associated with agriculture in the Old World since early times. It has most of the characteristics of a successful weed of agriculture. These include an annual lifecycle that fits into that of most cereals, a tolerance of simple weed control methods, the ability to flower and seed itself before the crop is harvested. Like many such weeds, it also shows the tendency to become a crop in its own right; its seed is a moderately useful commodity, and its flower is edible
KFA flat wagon TIPH 93382 with the GBRF Smart Weed Control Train generator module. Tring, 27th April 2022.
A farmer at work weeding in a maize field close to the Pusa site of the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), in the Indian state of Bihar.
BISA is a non-profit research institute dedicated to the improvement of food security and reduction of hunger in South Asia. It is a collaborative effort between the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), The Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), and the Government of India. BISA’s objective is to harness the latest technology in agriculture to improve farming productivity and sustainably meet the demands of the future. More than just a bricks-and-mortar institute, BISA is a commitment to the people of India. It is co-located in three Indian states—Punjab, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh—each of which contains varied agro-ecological zones, representing many of the environments of South Asia.
In Bihar, the current major constraints to maize production are low seed replacement rates, late sowing, and low levels of farm mechanization. Foliar blight disease is also a growing concern among Bihar’s farmers. Both hybrids and traditional maize varieties are grown throughout Bihar and maize productivity is currently 2.5 tons per hectare, higher than the national average of 1.9.
Areas of future development for BISA Pusa include the development of climate-resilient cultivars, innovative maize genotypes, diverse wheat cultivars, disease resistance, farmer information technologies, and new irrigation technologies. Initial trials have indicated that the implementation of zero tillage on 1.5 million hectares has the potential to increase soil moisture and enhance wheat production by 0.45 million tons. The promotion of quality protein maize to address malnutrition rates as well as long-term conservation agricultural trials is also a priority for the site.
For more about BISA, see: bisa.cimmyt.org/.
Photo credit: M. DeFreese/CIMMYT.
69005 "Eastleigh" is seen here entering Drem loop being hauled by 69005 on 19/05/23 working 0Z69 from Craigentinny to Tyne Coal Terminal. The class 69`s had brought up the weed control train 4 days earlier and made 2 overnight runs from Slateford to Fife and down to Berwick. The weed control train will now head north to Inverness and operate from their with 2 GBRF class 66`s.
SF Bay RR, 21 June 2018
The San Francisco Bay RR operates on the southeast side of San Francisco on and near the port. It uses two Alco S2 switchers that were built for the State Belt RR, later the San Francisco Belt RR, the line that served the piers of the Port of San Francisco for many years.
As shipping companies moved to containerization, the Port of Oakland became the big northern California container terminal and most of the piers of the Port of San Francisco were abandoned or converted to uses other than marine freight, so the SF Belt RR found itself out of a job. After 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake damaged the Embarcadero Freeway, which had run over the SF Belt for most of its length, the freeway was removed, opening up San Francisco's waterfront and much of the Belt's trackage as converted for use by the Muni F line, which runs historic streetcars to Fishermen's Wharf, and the Muni lines that now server the Caltrain station.
Meanwhile, Pier 96, near Hunter's Point was converted to a container facility and the railroad's operations survived there. The line was renamed the San Francisco Bay RR and continued to use Alco S2s 23 and 25 to switch its customers.
Today, the railroad's main business is transloading dirty dirt from constructions and clean up sites in the Bay Area from trucks to railcars. It is owned by Waste Solutions Group, which also owns a fleet of hopper cars. The SF Bay and UP interchange on an as needed basis, with UP's South City job running into the SF Bay's yard on Cargo Way with empties and taking away loads.
A couple of railfans, Ryan and Ben, work for the railroad and Ryan invited me to come by for a visit. I had stopped by one afternoon a couple of years ago, and lucked out to see an S2 running around the yard a bit, but the railrroad usually goes on duty betweeen 4 and 5 am, switches cars for a few hours and then is done for the day. So, a visit to the SF Bay from Sacramento entailed a night in a hotel. It took a few tries for me to get time off from work scheduled on the same day the railroad was running.
Eventually, it all lined up and my alarm went off at 0315 at a hotel in Daly City, just south of the SF city limit.
I was at the yard by 4 and met Ben, who went out and started Alco 23. 25 is out of service with a bad bearing on the radiator fan drive shaft. Ryan explained that the SF Belt had done a jerry rigged repair of the shaft at some point and it was never documented, so nobody knew about the bearing until it failed. As a new low emission unit will be delivered in the next few months, there is no reason to repair 25. 25 will be put on display somewhere, perhaps near the Ferry Building, while 23 will be held as backup for the new unit.
But for now, an S2 built in 1944 is doing the job it was built to do. If you think about it, that is as though the Virginia and Truckee had still been using the Reno and Genoa during WW2.
Shorty after I got there, Ben went out and fired up the 23. It has a block heater, so it started easily with a puff of white smoke. He did an inspection of the engine, including checking the journal boxes. We then went back into the office and waited for Ryan, brakeman Johnny, and engineer Nick to arrive. The crew plotted their switching moves for the day. Ryan, who is yard operations manager, suggested that I get some blue hour photos from the ground as empties were switched and then we rode 23 while they switched loads.
Each car has dirt from one particular construction site and the dirt from sites cannot be mixed as different sites will have different contamination. UP ships it to a dump site in Nevada, where it is processed. Ryan explained that sometimes they can use dividers in a car to separate dirt from different projects if there is not that much.
Right now transshipping dirty dirt is the SF Bay's only business, but there a couple of other industries are interested in bringing new business. The line that crosses the Illinois St. bridge has been out of service for a couple of years as there currently no customers north of Islais Creek.
We rode the S2 for a while after the day brightened, then got down and Ryan drove me around in a company car to get some more angles as they switched. He then had other work to do and I shot the end of 23's work day as well as 25, some spare Alco parts and another project of Waste Solutions, goats that are leased out for natural weed control. Ryan said that since Waste Solutions got more cars, they can't use their goats as much for weed control in the yard as most of the yard tracks are occupied.
The crew called it a day for switching about 0800 and then would be doing other work in the yard for the rest of their work day.
All of these photos were taken with permission after signing a release and while wearing required PPE.
I want to than Ryan, Ben, Johnny and Nick for their hospitality. I had a great time.
NIR have raided the piggy bank and hired the weed control train! Leaving Lisburn - and thought to be on its way to spray the Derry road - 104 heads for the Antrim branch.
All photographs are my copyright and must not be used without permission. Unauthorised use will result in my invoicing you £1,500 per photograph and, if necessary, taking legal action for recovery.
The three goat deployment locations were chosen to ensure we are testing the goats – and costs –in different situations and on different terrains. All costs, including labor, feed, transportation and fencing, will be recorded during the weed wars – some lasting a few days, others a good chunk of the summer.
The findings will be published in a WSDOT Research Report, which will be shared with other states and the national Transportation Research Board. Goat “mowing” is growing in popularity, but few states have comprehensive cost/benefits figures.
Kelly River Road
Rhone, BC
Orange Hawkweed is a Noxious Weed originating in Europe. It is currently the only invasive hawkweed species regulated by the Weed Control Act. Both meadow and orange hawkweed are identified in the Forest and Range Practices Act.
Large infestations of orange hawkweed exist in the Fraser Ft. George, Columbia-Shuswap and North Cariboo regions. Smaller infestations exist throughout BC from the Peace River district to the coast and east to the Kootenay regions. Orange hawkweed is found primarily on native meadows, forest openings, permanent pastures, hayfields, roadsides, right-of-ways and idle areas. Once established, it quickly develops into a patch that continues spreading by seed and undersurface lateral roots. Severe infestations will dominate the site with a solid mat of rosettes or seedlings.
Its full impact on agricultural crops is as yet unknown in British Columbia, but it does replace forage plants on pastures. Its rapid spread is a cause for concern.
There were just a few of these scattered around the Kettle River area but while on my trip to Northern BC earlier this year, I could see that there were fields of this weed along the highways. Although quite pretty, they are very invasive.
2008YIP-06-18 (Day 170)
Bighorn ram, showing his appreciation for the dandelions beside the road above Medicine Lake, Jasper National Park, June 18, 2008.
GBRf Class 66/7 No.66718 Peter,Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill with No.66766 Gail Richardson on the rear at Cattawade on 1st August 2024 working 3Q00 12:00 Stowmarket DGL-Broxbourne Tamper Sdg Weed control train move.
GBRf Class 66/7 No.66719 METRO-LAND with No.66738 Huddesfield Town on the rear on Belstead Bank Ipswich with 3Q00 11:36 Stowmarket DGL-Broxbourne Dn Tamper Sdg Weed Control train 22nd April 2025.
For some reason now long forgotten, a brake van and some ex-UTA spoil wagons were added to the weed control train - the details of the van and the wagon may be of interest to modellers. In the background is the former GNR(I) Station Master's house, at that time occupied by PW Inspector Billy Doonan. When Billy retired and returned to Omagh, the house was sold to private owners.
All photographs are my copyright and must not be used without permission. Unauthorised use will result in my invoicing you £1,500 per photograph and, if necessary, taking legal action for recovery.
Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad Fairmont 13797 in weed control service at Naperville, Illinois on July 15, 1963, photograph by Chuck Zeiler. On the left are automobiles belonging to commuters leaving Naperville in the morning, going to work in Chicago, and returning in the evening. The weed control train was unusual, so I cannot provide any more info. In the background on the center right is a shed I never knew who owned. There was a CB&Q maintenance train parked near it, consisting of a former steam loco tender, a few former Pullman sleepers or coaches assigned to MOW service. They are parked on the setout track for Boecker Fuel, which usually received loads of coal, and slightly above and to the right was Kroehler Mfg. Co., the large building in the distance. I lived in Naperville during 1962-66 and photographed a few unusual events on the railroad.
66 736 WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS at Appleby on Thursday 8 April 2025 working 3Q99 Carlisle Upperby - Hellifield Goods Loops- Carlisle Upperby weed control train
Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad Fairmont 13797 in weed control service at Naperville, Illinois on July 15, 1963, photograph by Chuck Zeiler. Given the exposure to those chemicals on a daily basis ( I was only exposed once ) I'm probably the last man standing in this situation, a little more than a half century later.
The coloured lines and dots show where invasive weed control has been undertaken in the first half of 2015-16.
The different colours on the lines and dots represent the different weed species controlled. They represent almost 7,000ha of control work.
Clearly, a huge effort to protect our native bushland from becoming over-run by invasive weeds.
Alpaca farming in southern New South Wales (NSW) has grown in popularity due to the region's suitable climate and terrain for raising these hardy animals. Farmers primarily focus on producing high-quality alpaca fleece, which is prized for its softness, durability, and thermal properties. In addition to fleece, alpacas are also bred for their role in land management, such as weed control, and as guard animals for protecting livestock from predators like foxes.
The Man from Snowy River told the story of High Country graziers - the cattlemen that are legendary for their horsemanship and knowledge of the Snowy Mountains. In restricted and controlled grazing of the high country for hundreds of years (the cattlemen take their cattle out in late May down to the low country) the cattle keep the undergrowth down and help prevent major bushfires. Conservationists gained the ear of the previous Victorian government and won a ban on this long term arrangement. The result was a large build up of undergrowth, especially of weed plants like blackberries and when a fire came the result was devastating - see some of my earlier posts from here where stands of Mountain Ash and the vital and fragile Snow Gums were completely burnt out. Conservationists with little knowledge of dangers and control are a danger to their own cause at times. A change of government at the last Victorian election saw the high country grazing permits re-issued. This cow (and the one you can just see the back of) are the last of the cattle being moved out this May.
A farmer at work weeding in a maize field close to the Pusa site of the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), in the Indian state of Bihar.
BISA is a non-profit research institute dedicated to the improvement of food security and reduction of hunger in South Asia. It is a collaborative effort between the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), The Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), and the Government of India. BISA’s objective is to harness the latest technology in agriculture to improve farming productivity and sustainably meet the demands of the future. More than just a bricks-and-mortar institute, BISA is a commitment to the people of India. It is co-located in three Indian states—Punjab, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh—each of which contains varied agro-ecological zones, representing many of the environments of South Asia.
In Bihar, the current major constraints to maize production are low seed replacement rates, late sowing, and low levels of farm mechanization. Foliar blight disease is also a growing concern among Bihar’s farmers. Both hybrids and traditional maize varieties are grown throughout Bihar and maize productivity is currently 2.5 tons per hectare, higher than the national average of 1.9.
Areas of future development for BISA Pusa include the development of climate-resilient cultivars, innovative maize genotypes, diverse wheat cultivars, disease resistance, farmer information technologies, and new irrigation technologies. Initial trials have indicated that the implementation of zero tillage on 1.5 million hectares has the potential to increase soil moisture and enhance wheat production by 0.45 million tons. The promotion of quality protein maize to address malnutrition rates as well as long-term conservation agricultural trials is also a priority for the site.
For more about BISA, see: bisa.cimmyt.org/.
Photo credit: M. DeFreese/CIMMYT.
Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad weed control train with NALX 115 on the front and CB&Q GP7 242 on the rear, at Naperville, Illinois on July 8, 1963, photograph by Chuck Zeiler. I'm guessing that the gentlemen pictured in the side door of NALX 115 extended and retracted the spray arms as needed. I'm also guessing that these gentlemen are no longer with us after breathing those chemicals all day. Note that the dome covers are open on the tank cars, likely to prevent negative pressure as the chemicals were used up. And the gentleman on the ground at Loomis Street was a crew man on the East End Way Freight, which was switching in Naperville as the weed train passed. The following is a first person narrative by Pete Hedgpeth:
Here's my WEED SPRAY EXPERIENCE.
SUMMER - 1958, I was a Brakeman on Wymore Division of the CB&Q, working the Lincoln Extra Board. I had made my first round trip, Lincoln to St. Joseph on June 3rd, returning and tieing up at 6:15am June 4th. This was the trip where I received my "Excellence in Flagging" Degree ( Summa Cum Laude ).
Tuesday June 5th - the phone rang about 5:30am. I was called for the Weed Spray Train at 7:00am. I don't recall whether the caller told me that it was the Weed Spray or just an "Extra East". Anyhow, I got to the roundhouse to get the engine, which was always the job of the Head Brakeman. As the "junior man" I was always the Head Brakeman. I read the bulletins, compared and registered my watch and "signed the book".
About that time the Conductor, whom I had not met before, came in the register room. I introduced myself to him thinking "Why is he here??” Usually you didn't see the Conductor until you had put the engine on the train and he brought the orders and/or messages up to the head end.
The Conductor and I walked outside and he pointed over to one of the departure tracks where I saw ( what I now know was ) the weed spray train. The train was made up with the spray car on the east ( front ) end, followed by several tank cars and the engine ( a GP7 ) on the rear, with a waycar behind it. As we walked over to the train the "Con" pointed to the Spray Car and said, "Your job is OVER THERE", and he handed me a copy of the orders and walked off toward the rear end of the train. That was the full extent of his instructions to me.
I walked over to the right side of the front of the spray car and climbed in. There I found three men. One was the Roadmaster, one was the operator ( an employee of the chemical company that had been employed by the Q to do the spraying ) and another "helper" from the chemical company. I looked around and said to the Roadmaster, "How do we control this thing?" He looked at me, WHACKED me on the arm and said, "With that!" ( meaning my arm ). NO RADIO, NO COMPUTER, just me and the OLD HAND SIGNALS. “OK” said I. This was going to be fun. And it was!
I don't remember how we found out when it was time to go, I guess the Roadmaster and the operator told me that they were ready. I think that there was a "pot" signal as a leaving signal and it was green, hence, it was time to go. I got into position on the right hand side of the car at the door, stuck my arm out and waved a come ahead signal. The hoghead "whistled off", got an OK from the "rear end" and away we went.
As we traveled along the Roadmaster would tell me when he wanted to slow down or speed up. Mostly he yelled at me that we were going too fast. He would turn the spray on and off as he observed the vegetation growth along the way. He was limited in the amount of chemical he could use and sometimes he would think we were going too slow and sometimes too fast, mostly too fast. The day consisted of a repetition of slow downs and speed ups, I don't think we ever had to stop and back up.
During our conversations the matter of why all the cars between the spray car and the engine came up. Well, many years ago, the "Chemical" used to spray was Poison. I knew that from my youthful experience on the RPL&N ( Rock Port Langdon & Northern ) where we sprayed our ROW with a pressurized tank mounted on a flat car. I also remembered that in those days, before the railroad would spray, signs reading "Poison Weed Killer Keep Cattle Away” would be posted along the right of way. Because of the poisonous nature of the chemical, there was an agreement between the railroads and the Engineer's Union that there would be 8 cars between the spray car and the engine. Of course, like most other things on the railroad, changing conditions didn't always, or ever, change the agreements, so even then, long after "Poison" was not the issue, the spacing continued.
Somewhere along the line we stopped to eat, but I don't know where it was. I don't think that we sprayed any sidings, elevator, or house tracks. It was a long day when we finally arrived at Falls City at 8:00pm, put our train on a house track and tied up at 8:05 pm, 14:05 hours on duty, 214 Miles, $37:21 was my pay.
The next morning at Falls City, we went on duty at 7:00am. Of course we had to switch our train all around to put it in the same order to go back west to Table Rock, thence over the line from Table Rock to Wymore. I didn't note the time we left since we were on "continuous time".
On the way back west to Table Rock and Wymore there was on and off discussion as to whether we were going to spray the yard at Wymore. It seemed to be "iffy" at best as to whether the spray job belonged to the Wymore switch engine or whether we were to do it. It was the general consensus that we really didn't want to do the yard, since if we did we would miss our opportunity to deadhead back to Lincoln on No. 90 due out of Wymore about 2:30pm. If that was the case we would have to wait and ride No. 94, ( Wymore local with all night work at Crete ) or wait until the next day.
As it turned out we arrived at Wymore at 2:15pm and were told that we weren't going to spray the yard. We tied up at Wymore at 2:15pm for 7:05 hours on duty which equals 100 miles. My pay $17.39.
We boarded No. 90, it was the Pioneer Zephyr at that time, at 2:30pm, and deadheaded to Lincoln, arriving at 4:30pm, 2 hours on duty, 32 miles, deadhead pay for me was $5.25. As I recall it was a very hot day and "riding the cushions" on the PZ was a very refreshing and a comfortable respite from standing on the front of that spray car.
Well, that's my Weed Spray Train story. I had several memorable and enjoyable experience in that last summer as a trainman, but I think that my "Weed Spray Experience" would top the list. I had a wonderful sense of being in control of the operation while we were moving.
Pete
How to create a low maintenance garden
Design and planning
Start by looking at how much input you can make to the garden and the features or functions that are most important to you. Not everything need be lost. For example, if growing your own vegetables is high on the priority list, keep a veg patch that will meet your needs while minimising activity elsewhere such as replacing lawn with paving or a rose garden with a shrub border.
Also try to position features that are more labour intensive closer to the house or the shed so you’re not wasting a lot of effort walking, carrying or barrowing items up and down the garden. Consider installing a water point close to where you are most likely to need it (e.g. a greenhouse). Equally, it may be that an automatic irrigation system, especially for lots of pots and planters, could take a lot of stress out of watering.
Some design decisions will not be so obvious. A living hedge may require clipping every year but if kept to a manageable height this might in the long run be less onerous than having to paint and replace wooden fencing.
Plant choice
There is no such thing as a ‘no maintenance’ plant but many hardy evergreens, once established, will require little care. Ensure you check the expected mature height and spread, otherwise pruning may be necessary if the space is too small for the plant.
Lawns (or alternatives to them)
Seven steps to a low-maintenance lawn;
Let the grass grow long. Consider keeping a small area of short grass in the most formal area of garden but reduce the amount of cutting in other areas. Experiment with different frequencies of cut; some parts may be acceptable with being mown just once a fortnight, while some ‘wilder’ areas could be left unmown between March and September. Introduce a sense of purpose to long grass by mowing a path through the centre or a strip at the edge. You can even add interest by introducing wildflower plug plants into the sward.
Stop collecting the clippings. By allowing the clippings to drop back onto the grass, less time and effort is needed to empty the box. The lawn will also need feeding less as some of the nutrients will return in the fallen grass. To reduce problems with unsightly strips of brown, dead grass sitting on the surface of the lawn, mow as regularly as possible. It may be worth investing in a ‘recycling’ or 'mulching' mower which is designed to chop the clippings before returning them to the lawn.
Replace fine turf with a harder-wearing seed or turf mix. Fine or high quality turf will required more input in the form of aerating, scarifying, feeding and mowing than more durable lawn mixes. Look for seed or turf that is described as ‘amenity’, ‘multi-purpose’, ‘hard wearing’ or simply ‘low maintenance’. Some mixes include micro clovers to help reduce the need to water and feed.
Be more relaxed. Relax weeding, feeding and moss control – such a lawn will be more of a visual patchwork but will often stay greener for longer when stressed by drought or waterlogging and is perfectly acceptable for many gardeners. It is also more likely to support a greater variety of wildlife.
Install permanent edging solutions. This will reduce the need for hand edging. There are many styles and materials to choose from including Everedge, Rite Edge and Smart Edge. Or at the very least look for edging shears that incorporate a collection box.
Consider using a professional lawn maintenance company. If budget allows, getting in the professionals to keep on top of your lawn can take a weight off your mind and even free you up to get on with those other ‘nicer’ gardening jobs.
Artificial turf. Something of a taboo subject for many gardeners but artificial turf has a role to play. Modern artificial turf can be reasonably realistic and there is usually a choice of styles on offer.
Remove small fiddly, narrow areas, to cut down on edging and reduce time and effort spent manoeuvring mowers.
Use a mower with a wider cut and more capable power unit, or even consider 'Robot Mowers', that mow unattended.
There is, however, no getting around the fact that lawns are one of the most intensive features in a garden so there may be no choice but to replace with an alternative. This might mean turning the area over to gravel, paving, decking or bark.
Borders and weed control
Much routine work in the garden involves weed control in borders and the maintenance of herbaceous perennials (e.g. staking, cutting back, lifting and dividing). It makes sense, therefore, to replace some or all perennial beds with shrubs.
Shrubs are easy to plant through a weed-suppressing membrane. Overlay this with an attractive mulch such as bark or gravel and it may be several seasons before weeding or topping up of the mulch is required. Weed seedlings are unlikely to get a hold in the mulching material but if they do can be easily hoed off. Once established, these beds are also unlikely to require regular watering.
And if you are concerned that shrubs may limit your choice, think again as there are many interesting shrubs to choose from.
Ponds and water features
Reduce the need for pumps and filters by not introducing fish into the pond. Fish-free ponds or wildlife ponds often settle into a good natural balance, and suffer from blanket weed and algae problems less frequently too.
Don’t be afraid of natural succession. Rather than the arduous task of removing silt from the bottom of a pond every few years, consider allowing your pond to fill in. Or deliberately convert a pond into a bog garden to reduce tasks such as removing leaves, cleaning out, planting or pulling out blanket weed.
Avoid very shallow water features that quickly dry out and need topping up.
No dig method
On soils that naturally have a good soil structure, the ‘no dig’ approach can be very effective. This method minimises cultivation of the soil through the use of organic weed-suppressing mulches (e.g. bark, garden compost, municipal compost, rotted manure or even, when better alternatives are lacking, cardboard overlaid with grass-clippings) and avoidance of compacting the soil through walking on it unnecessarily.
Things to avoid
When looking for shortcuts in the garden there are some simple things to avoid. These include;
Lots of containers. Containers need lots of maintenance, from planting up, repotting and feeding, to watering and handling. If you do opt for planters, try to use larger ones with greater volume of compost as these should dry out less quickly
Large numbers of tender plants. These require seasonal tasks such as lifting, winter wrapping, moving to a protected environment or annual propagation. Instead, look for plants that are deemed fully hardy which can be left outdoors year round
Bedding plants and temporary plantings. Traditional bedding schemes can offer great colour but are very seasonal and can take a lot of work, especially if you are growing your plants from seed or having to grow on plug plants in a greenhouse before planting out. Moving away from bedding to borders with permanent plantings would help eliminate this dependency. Similarly, if you’ve had success with wildflower annuals, for example, why not consider sowing a perennial meadow instead to avoid annual sowing?
Wrong plant, wrong place. Don’t insist on growing rhododendrons on a chalky soil, or bog plants in a windswept dry garden. Equally, remember that lawn grasses are really plants suited to open conditions so lawns in shade, especially under trees, will always be difficult to keep to an acceptable quality
Large specimen plants. Buying and planting semi-mature plants may seem like a quick route to an instant garden but aftercare can be more onerous. Younger plants will often establish in half the time and require less attention to watering and staking
Fast-growing hedges. Choose slower growing hedging plants such as yew (Taxus baccata) or holly (Ilex aquifolium) when planting or replacing hedges
Plants requiring regular or intensive pruning. This might include trained fruit trees or a wall-trained wisteria. Consider bush forms of fruit or a self-clinging climber such as climbing hydrangea instead
Fine lawns. See solutions in section above
A complete contrast to the weed control method in the previous photo! We have been putting Ranger and Roxy out on the lane in the evenings for the the past few weeks and they really are making a tidy job of it. It would all be flopping over onto the lane if they had not been working away at it.
Late afternoon and the spoil wagons have been left in Antrim as DH 3 takes the "weed control train" south towards Crumlin station.
All photographs are my copyright and must not be used without permission. Unauthorised use will result in my invoicing you £1,500 per photograph and, if necessary, taking legal action for recovery.
31446 was stabled in the sidings at Southport with the Fisons Weed Control Train on October 1st 1988, as 47557 got underway with the VSOE Pullman en-route to Folkestone Harbour on the first leg of a £285 a head, four day holiday to Paris.
IAIS 6988 and IAIS 7081 sit at the west end of the Lower Yard in Rock Island, IL during Train Festival 2011. The 6988 is getting ready to back out and then head west for Iowa City while the 7081 will make a Walcott turn an hour later.
Apparently nobody thought to do weed control prior to the event. Oh well.
July 23, 2011.
Bayer Showcase Days Plot Tours at Dawson, GA and Athens, IL - August 2016
Bayer Showcase Plot Tours in Dawson, GA and Athens, IL
Bayer Showcase Days plot tours in Dawson, GA and Athens, IL
101 "Eagle" approaches Crumlin with the weed control train - the remains of the former scrap sidings can be seen at left.
All photographs are my copyright and must not be used without permission. Unauthorised use will result in my invoicing you £1,500 per photograph and, if necessary, taking legal action for recovery.
I can't wait for these beautiful flies to emerge!!!
www.naturespot.org.uk/species/thistle-gall-fly
The flies are even used as a natural weed control agent: invasives.wsu.edu/biological/urophoracardui.htm
Amazing!
The weed control train makes steady progress south through Ballinderry in the hands of 101 "Eagle".
All photographs are my copyright and must not be used without permission. Unauthorised use will result in my invoicing you £1,500 per photograph and, if necessary, taking legal action for recovery.
Up with the Lark! At 5.30am on the 30th July 1990, Hunslet-Barclay liveried class 20s, 20902 & 20905 top & tail a weed control train spraying the trackside at Cocker Bar on the Preston to Ormskirk Line. In the background is Midge Hall, the train has just passed over Pages Occupation Crossing. The train was running ahead of the first service train. Not the best of images - but Kodachrome 64 was struggling at this time of the morning in overcast conditions!
3Q99- NR/GBRf operated weed control train- top and tailed by 66736 and Golden 66301- arrived right time 1519 departed 1520
JMAC Lawn Care LLC
Federalsburg, MD, 21632
(410) 231-7233
Taking care of your yard and landscaping needs including trimming, weed control, garden maintenance and more
Lawn Care, Lawn Service, Lawn Maintenance, Lawn Mowing, Grass Mowing
Mulch Installation, Lawn Treatment, Shrub Trimming, Grass Cutting, Weed Control, Yard Maintenance, Grass Maintenance, Tree Trimming Tree Cutting, Tree Removal
Reliance, MD; Agner, MD; Williamsburg, MD; Preston, MD; American Corner, MD;
Minnamurra Rainforest Centre
Budderoo National Park
Jamberoo, NSW, Australia.
The Minnamurra Rainforest Area is found in the Budderoo N.P 15km west of Kiama & about 1hr south of Sydney.
It’s a 400 Hectare pocket of tropical & warm temperate rainforest.
The walk to Minnamurra Falls is approx. 4.2km return & the first 500m is wheelchair-friendly.
Allow about 2hrs for the walk to the falls - the top section is quite steep.
Boardwalks & raised platforms have been erected to minimise damage to the environment from the thousands of visitors the area receives every year.
Walkers are required to keep to the boardwalks so it does reduce the range of possible photography locations & compositions.
Photography of the river is difficult as the main vantage points are on swing-bridges & there is movement for a couple of minutes every time someone crosses them.
The Minnamurra Rainforest is beautiful but certainly not a wilderness experience due to the man-made infrastructure & constructions.
The lower section of the rainforest is quite pristine however there is still ongoing weed control & bush regeneration in the upper sections with lantana being an issue.
Minnamurra Falls consists of two levels, the upper falls which are 25m, and the lower falls which are 50m high.
Only the upper falls can be reached as rockslides have washed away the track that led to the lower falls.
The lower falls were originally the main attraction until the 1989 landslide & there is a an area of canyon there.
There is a lookout that gives you a vantage point to view the lower falls and a glimpse of the slot canyon.
Here’s hoping that one day the track is restored to provide access to an impressive & wild part of Minnamurra.
SF Bay RR, 21 June 2018
The San Francisco Bay RR operates on the southeast side of San Francisco on and near the port. It uses two Alco S2 switchers that were built for the State Belt RR, later the San Francisco Belt RR, the line that served the piers of the Port of San Francisco for many years.
As shipping companies moved to containerization, the Port of Oakland became the big northern California container terminal and most of the piers of the Port of San Francisco were abandoned or converted to uses other than marine freight, so the SF Belt RR found itself out of a job. After 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake damaged the Embarcadero Freeway, which had run over the SF Belt for most of its length, the freeway was removed, opening up San Francisco's waterfront and much of the Belt's trackage as converted for use by the Muni F line, which runs historic streetcars to Fishermen's Wharf, and the Muni lines that now server the Caltrain station.
Meanwhile, Pier 96, near Hunter's Point was converted to a container facility and the railroad's operations survived there. The line was renamed the San Francisco Bay RR and continued to use Alco S2s 23 and 25 to switch its customers.
Today, the railroad's main business is transloading dirty dirt from constructions and clean up sites in the Bay Area from trucks to railcars. It is owned by Waste Solutions Group, which also owns a fleet of hopper cars. The SF Bay and UP interchange on an as needed basis, with UP's South City job running into the SF Bay's yard on Cargo Way with empties and taking away loads.
A couple of railfans, Ryan and Ben, work for the railroad and Ryan invited me to come by for a visit. I had stopped by one afternoon a couple of years ago, and lucked out to see an S2 running around the yard a bit, but the railrroad usually goes on duty betweeen 4 and 5 am, switches cars for a few hours and then is done for the day. So, a visit to the SF Bay from Sacramento entailed a night in a hotel. It took a few tries for me to get time off from work scheduled on the same day the railroad was running.
Eventually, it all lined up and my alarm went off at 0315 at a hotel in Daly City, just south of the SF city limit.
I was at the yard by 4 and met Ben, who went out and started Alco 23. 25 is out of service with a bad bearing on the radiator fan drive shaft. Ryan explained that the SF Belt had done a jerry rigged repair of the shaft at some point and it was never documented, so nobody knew about the bearing until it failed. As a new low emission unit will be delivered in the next few months, there is no reason to repair 25. 25 will be put on display somewhere, perhaps near the Ferry Building, while 23 will be held as backup for the new unit.
But for now, an S2 built in 1944 is doing the job it was built to do. If you think about it, that is as though the Virginia and Truckee had still been using the Reno and Genoa during WW2.
Shorty after I got there, Ben went out and fired up the 23. It has a block heater, so it started easily with a puff of white smoke. He did an inspection of the engine, including checking the journal boxes. We then went back into the office and waited for Ryan, brakeman Johnny, and engineer Nick to arrive. The crew plotted their switching moves for the day. Ryan, who is yard operations manager, suggested that I get some blue hour photos from the ground as empties were switched and then we rode 23 while they switched loads.
Each car has dirt from one particular construction site and the dirt from sites cannot be mixed as different sites will have different contamination. UP ships it to a dump site in Nevada, where it is processed. Ryan explained that sometimes they can use dividers in a car to separate dirt from different projects if there is not that much.
Right now transshipping dirty dirt is the SF Bay's only business, but there a couple of other industries are interested in bringing new business. The line that crosses the Illinois St. bridge has been out of service for a couple of years as there currently no customers north of Islais Creek.
We rode the S2 for a while after the day brightened, then got down and Ryan drove me around in a company car to get some more angles as they switched. He then had other work to do and I shot the end of 23's work day as well as 25, some spare Alco parts and another project of Waste Solutions, goats that are leased out for natural weed control. Ryan said that since Waste Solutions got more cars, they can't use their goats as much for weed control in the yard as most of the yard tracks are occupied.
The crew called it a day for switching about 0800 and then would be doing other work in the yard for the rest of their work day.
All of these photos were taken with permission after signing a release and while wearing required PPE.
I want to than Ryan, Ben, Johnny and Nick for their hospitality. I had a great time.
One of the most challenging natural resource issues facing many western communities is the spread of noxious weeds. Here in the Blackfoot it’s no different with the health of native grasslands, ranchlands, forests and streamsides depending on private and public efforts to manage weeds.
The list of weeds in the Blackfoot includes known invaders like spotted knapweed , leafy spurge , yellow toadflax Canada Thistle , St. Johnswort, Hound's Tongue , Sulfur Cinquefoil, Oxeye Daisies , hoary cress , common tansy and a number of new invaders like Dalmatian toadflax , orange hawkweed and yellowflag iris .
This photo was taken from one of the red bus tours recently in Glacier National Park area