REGULATORS Certified applicators could top 30,000 About 18,600 persons have been certified as commercial applicators in ornamental and turf pest control, but the number could exceed 30,000 after each state completes its testing pro-
grams. Officials from each of the 50 states told LAWN CARE IN-DUSTRY that another 9,000 per-sons would probably be certi-fied before the end of 1977 to meet U.S. Environmental Pro-tection Agency regulations gov-erning pesticide use. A final esti-mate cannot be made since Cali-fornia has just started giving exams and officials say they 
don't know how many persons 
are expected to take the orna-
mental and turf test. These figures probably give government and industry offi-cials one of the first indications on the amount and location of lawn care specialists operating in the United States. The num-bers, however, are somewhat REGULATION Government to limit DBCP lawn pesticide Three federal agencies have taken cooperative steps to 
protect pesticide applicators and the general public from sterility and possibly cancer from the soil fumigant pesticide DBCP, or di-bromochloropropane. At a joint news conference in Washington in early September, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) an-to page 2 distorted since it is uncertain how many employees of lawn care firm's took the exam. And since many states lumped the ornamental and turf categories into the same exam and still oth-
ers did not distinguish between 
private businesses and govern-
ment employees in their record-
keeping, it is difficult to ascer-tain the number of applicators who actually work in lawn care. Eleven states (if California is included) have nearly 1,000 per-sons or more who are certified in ornamental and turf pest con-trol. New York has the most of any state, about 2,600, and sen-ior pesticide inspector Raymond Malkiewicz said this is only half 
of the amount who want to take the exam. Texas has certified 1,760 com-mercial applicators, Georgia has 1,175, and Florida has 1,107. There are about 1,000 each in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, say state officials. Pesticide spokesmen in New Jer-to page 32 WWN GIRE Serving lawn maintenance and chemical lawn care professionals. SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1977 Ł VOL. 1, NO. 2 Ł A Harvest Publication THE ECONOMY Housing market on major upswing; 7.2 million new homes by 1981 Lawn care companies in the U.S. will have an additional 1.8 million new residential property owners to solicit for business 
each year for the next four years, according to housing start pro-jections from the National Asso-ciation of Home Builders (NAHB) in Washington, D.C. QUICK STARTS Alternate spray tank agitation system proposed page 4 Cantu, McLaughlin to top Toro posts page 8 New minimum wage by first of year? page 8 Monsanto wins research award page 8 Management, leadership: How do you measure up? page 13 Insurance needs you may have missed page 20 COST CUTTINGS 6 MEETING DATES 10 NEWSMAKERS 12 MARKETING IDEA FILE 20 MONEYWISE 22 MEMOS 25 TOOLS, TIPS & TECHNIQUES 26 PRODUCTS 27 Translated into dollars, this represents a potential $720 million of business that will be out there for the taking by 1981. Not since the recession in 1975 has the housing market been on such an upswing. The F. W. Dodge Division of McGraw Hill recently reported in the Wall Street Journal that monthly residential building contracts in-creased over 1976 by 32 percent in July and 40 percent in August. A study, published this summer 
by the Joint Center for Urban 
Studies of Harvard and Massa-
chusetts Institute of Technology, to page 33 HOUSING START STATISTICS FROM NAHB 2 Million Total Starts For a complete market study of the lawn care industry in Chicago, see MARKETPLACE. page 14. This is part of a continuing series of in-
depth looks at regions of the country where the lawn care business thrivps Thp Qhirlv inrlnHoQ a nrnfilo nf tVio Plt\; nnfonfi 1 nurn onrn thrives. The study includes a profile of the city, potential lawn care customers, lawn care companies that operate there and how they go about getting and keeping customers. 1973 1975 1977 T 1 1 1979 1981 Projected Year DIRECT MAIL Promo mail standards go into effect April 15 Some mailers in the lawn care industry may be in for a rude awakening next year when 
the U.S. Postal Service refuses envelopes and cards not meet-ing its new minimum-size stand-
ards. While the Postal Service an-nounced more than a year ago 
that new dimensional standards for letter-size mail would 
become effective April 15, 1978, managers in some lawn care companies are continuing to or-
der postcards and envelopes that are less than 3V2 inches high or 
five inches long. After this date they will no longer be mailable. Oversize envelopes and cards will present a different problem. 
While pieces measuring more than 6Ve inches high or 11 Vz inches long can still be mailed, they will be subject to a sur-charge in addition to regular 
postage. The amount of the surcharge, which has not yet been deter-
mined, will apply only to first-
class mail weighing one ounce or less and to single-piece third-
class weighing two ounces or less. Because the typical first-class flat (9 by 12 inch envelope) usually weighs more than one ounce, lawn care businessmen 
will find that few of their flat mailings will be affected by the surcharge. In addition to the minimum and maximum sizes, another fac-tor to consider is that of "aspect ratio." Because it is more econ-omical for the Postal Service to handle mailing pieces of the con-to page 32 OBITUARIES Dick Duke, 48, dies; founder of Chem-Lawn Richard Lee (Dick) Duke, founder and board chairman of Chem-Lawn, the world's largest lawn care firm, died August 23 at Hilton Head Hospital in Hilton 
Head, S.C., two days after suf-
fering a heart attack at his home on the resort island. Duke, 48, moved to Hilton Head earlier this year, nine years after opening the first 
Chem-Lawn operation. His con-
cept of applying liquid nutrients to lawns at specific intervals drastically altered a business that had previously relied on local nurserymen, many who were uninformed about lawn maintenance and equipment. He was born on Nov. 12,1928, into a family which operated a business from its peach and ap-ple orchards in southern Ohio. He studied accounting at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and served in the U.S. Navy before returning to work with his fa-ther, Paul. The two men tin-to page 33 GOVERNMENT INSPECTION Ohio watching firm for possible fraud A lawn care firm which oper-ates in central Ohio is being watched by the Ohio Depart-ment of Agriculture for possible fraud, according to Oren Spil-ker, a specialist in charge of the 
department's pesticide regula-tions. Spilker, who would not name the company, said he has re-ceived about a "half a dozen" complaints from residents. They 
claim the firm's officials under-
estimated the size of their lawn, thereby cutting down on the 
amount of liquid spray needed to 
plant it and charging less than other businesses. He said his department has checked out two of the com-plaints. The firm did give a low estimate on one lawn, but the 
other was "borderline," Spilker 
said. The department does not yet believe it has enough evidence to prosecute the alleged fraud by the company, but it is "keeping an eye on it," Spilker said. "There's enough to say some-thing is going on. We may do more checking, especially if we get more complaints." PUBLISHERS VIEWPOINT As publisher, I am gratified by the tremendous acceptance of the first issue of LAWN CARE INDUSTRY. We have received an enthusiastic response from all facets of the indus-try, including manufacturers, distributors, dealers, universities and, of course, you Š the lawn care businessman. As you know by now, LAWN CARE INDUSTRY is the first business magazine published specifically for your industry. It has been our ex-perience here at Harvest that a growing industry such as yours needs the editorial leadership that a monthly magazine can provide. With this in mind, we will begin publishing monthly beginning with our January issue to better service this industry. Our job is to provide you with news, products and trends in the lawn care market. But we can't do it alone. Use LAWN CARE INDUSTRY as a forum to exchange your ideas and to learn from others in the in-dustry. mm ŁŁŁŁ CERTIFICATION Two states will have strict requirements Applicators who live in states that have not passed laws complying with federal orna-mental and turf pest control regulations will have their train-ing and certification programs WWN GIRE INDUSTRY Publisher: HUGH CHRONISTER General Manager: RICHARD J. W. FOSTER Executive and editorial offices: 9800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44102 Editor: ROBERT EARLEY Executive Editor: DAVID SLAYBAUGH Associate Editor: BRUCE SHANK Assistant Editors: RON MORRIS, SCOTT SCREDON Graphic Director: RAYMOND GIBSON Research Director: DAVID HARMAN Market Research Manager: CLARENCE ARNOLD Production: DARRELL GILBERT, PAT KELLEY, ROSE SLUSHER MARKETING/SALES Advertising Director: STEVE STONE (212) 421-1350 757 Third Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017 Circulation & List Rental: TERRI HUTSENPILLER (216) 651-5500 Marketing & Merchandising Services: FRAN FRANZAK (216) 651-5500 Mid-Atlantic Office: RAY MOONEY (216) 651-5500 9800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44102 Midwest Office: JOE GUARISE (312) 236-9425 333 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60601 Southern Office: DICK GORE (404) 252-4311 3186 Frontenac Court, N.E., Atlanta, Ga. 30319 Southwest Office: JOHN SANDFORD, DICK SEATON (213) 933-8408 4311 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, Ca. 90010 Northwest Office: BOB MIEROW (415) 982-0110 615 Montgomery, San Francisco, Ca. 94111 Classified: DOROTHY LOWE (216) 651-5500 9800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44102 LAWN CARE INDUSTRY is published every other month by The Harvest Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. at 9800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44102 (216) 651-5500. Copyright © 1977 by The Har-vest Publishing Company, all rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in whole or in part without consent of copyright owner. Application to mail at controlled circulation postal rates is pending at 
Cleveland, Ohio 44102. SUBSCRIPTIONS: to Lawn Care Industry are solicited only from owners, managers, operators, buyers, merchandisers, agronomists, technicians, dealers, distributors and manufacturers of products associated with the lawn care and t pr maintenance business. Position ana company connection must be indicated on su" qu w Foreign $1.25. Subscription rates: $6.00 one year, $10.00 two years, $12.00 three mpa subscription orders. Publisher reserves the right to approve all subscription re-quests. Single copy cost $1.00 for current issue. All back issues $1.25 each. 10 two ye years. Group and foreign air mail rates available on request. SUBSCRIBERS: Send chance-of-address notices, correspondence regarding subscription service to Fulfillment Manager, Lawn Care Industry, 9800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44102. Change of Address notices should be sent promptly, provide old as well as new address, attach address label from recent issue. Please allow one month for change of address to become effective. POSTMASTER: Please send form 3579 to Fulfillment Manager, Lawn Care In-dustry, 9800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44102. The Harvest Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., publishers of WEEDS TREES & TURF, PEST CONTROL, NPCA Extra, GOLF BUSINESS and the Scientific Guide to Pest Control Operations. run by a regional office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Those applicators will have to keep records on how they dis-pose of pesticides and take exams every two years to renew their certification, according to Andrew Ceraker, senior regional officer in the U.S. Environ-mental Protection Agency's of-
fice of pesticide programs. This 
disposal requirement will help 
ensure that residue from con-tainers does not damage 
property or injure persons, he said. Ceraker said these regula-tions, which are stricter than those set by most states and ap-proved by the EPA, will probably 
apply to applicators in Nebraska 
and Colorado. He said the regu-lations were opposed by legis-lators and private farmers in those states who "don't like do-
ing anything the federal govern-ment tells them to do." Nebraska has even challenged an EPA decision disallowing that state's proposed certification plans, and 
a federal judge was scheduled to hear complaints from state of-ficials at the Cornhusker Hotel in 
Lincoln in late September. Although Massachusetts has been haggling over which state agency will implement the 
federal regulations, Ceraker said he expected compliance soon. The main disadvantage for applicators in those two states is that exams will not be offered in as many locations if the states 
were running the programs, sim-
ply because the federal govern-ment does not have as many field offices and inspectors. LEGAL AFFAIRS Lawn-A-Mat Status on Chapter 11 studied No definite date has been set for Lawn-A-Mat to come out of Chapter 11, although the situ-
ation is being studied by attor-neys for the company and attor-GOVERNMENT LIMITS DBCP from page 1 nounced: a proposed suspension of the pesticide's application on 
home lawns, shrubs and golf courses and crop applications; emergency temporary standards to limit worker exposure to DBCP; and the start of a food monitoring program to deter-mine if the general public is con-suming unsafe amounts of the pesticide on agricultural crops. "The agencies are combing their resources and authority to prevent further damage from DBCP to workers, pesticide ap-plicators, growers and the con-suming public/' Donald W. Reister, acting director of the FDA Bureau of Foods, told LAWN CARE INDUSTRY. "The potential health threat is grave. 
Strong realistic safeguards are 
called for." Douglas M. Costle, EPA Administrator, has proposed a conditional suspension which 
would end treatments on home lawns, shrubs and golf courses unless makers of DBCP 
persticides agree to classify their products as "restricted use pesti-cides." After October 21 of this year, this would limit their use only to trained applicators wearing pro-tective clothing including a respirator. Since the mid 1950s, DBCP has been used to kill nematodes that destroy the roots of turf, food crops and other plants. Over 80 firms around the country produce DBCP or for-mulate it into finished pesticide products. neys for the creditor's commit-tee. Lawn-A-Mat has approxi-mately 230 dealers holding about 400 franchises. A company official has attrib-uted the bankruptcy to just plain 
bad management. "We had more assets than liabilities but there was a prob-lem with cash flow," he said. 2 LAWN CARE INDUSTRY SEPT/OCT1977 Controls weeds and controls costs for economical turf maintenance PROVEL® herbicide is a new formulation of dicamba, +2,4D, proven effective against broadleaf weed pests like dandelions and plantain, plus more than two dozen other tough ones, including chickweed, knotweed, clover and English daisy (see label for complete listing). Cost savings are dramatic: you can provide broadleaf weed control for an average home lawn with less than 16<t worth PROVEL® herbicide per 1,000 sq. ft. per application. PROVEL® herbicide is packaged 6x1 gal. per case, 2x214 gal. per case and 30 gal. drums. Before using any pesticide, read the label Contact your Velsicol turf distributor or send coupon for product data and specimen label to Velsicol Chemical Corporation, 341 East Ohio Street, Chicago, IL 60611. oVelsicol NAME-COMPANY. ADDRESS-CITY <£> 1977. VeJsicol Chemical Corporation -STATE _ _ZIP_ 3191 Alternate agitation system proposed More than 25 top lawn care businessmen from across the country gathered in Omaha, Ne-
braska in late September to see a 
demonstration of an alternate 
spray tank agitation sytem sys-tem. The demonstration was spon-sored by Hercules, Inc., Wil-mington, Del. and Delavan Manufacturing Co., West Des Moines, Iowa. It centered on an alternate means of suspending Powder Blue ureaform fertilizer utilizing Delavan's Turbo 90 tur-
bine pump. The basic feature of the sys-tem is replacement of mechani-cal agitator paddles with a 
sparge-line agitation system. Keith Weidler, president of ShurLawn Corp., Omaha, dis-
cussed the prototype, set up in 
one of his trucks. Delavan had taken the truck for three weeks during the winter and worked 
out the alternate system. The system, as set up on Weidler's truck, has a 10 GPM Bean pump tied directly to the drive shaft through the power take-off. Power is also taken di-TRAILER MOUNTED SKID MOUNTED ACCESSORIES GREENS BOOM HOSE REEL SCREW TYPE JACK ALSO CHOOSE FROM FIBERGLASS TANKS/MECHANICAL 
AGITATION/PUMPS AND ENGINES/BOOMS/HAND GUNS, ETC. WRITE OR CALL: Special Products Division HANSON EQUIPMENT CO. 301 CHARLES ST., SO. BELOIT, IL 61080 815 389 2261 Circle 104 on free Information card Reference Books for the Horticulture Industry Agricultural Chemicals Š Insecticides Agricultural Chemicals Š Herbicides Agricultural Chemicals Š Misc. Chemicals 
Agricultural Chemicals Š Fungicides 
Insecticide, Herbicide Fungicide Quick Guide Tree, Turf, and Ornamental Pesticide Guide and many others. Write for details or send orders to: Thomson Publications P.O. Box 7967-D Fresno, CA 93727 $12.00 $12.00 
$12.00 $12.00 
$10.00 
$10.00 Circle 103 on free information card rectly from the PTO for the Turbo 90 pump. "It's just a simple matter of setting the Turbo 90 up with a 2:1 gear ratio to run at just a little over 1000 rpm, "Weidler told LAWN CARE INDUSTRY. "We're running 540 on our main pump and should be running 1080 there." The basic plumbing is a sim-ple setup. "Just a bunch of scrap iron," he said, "cut and welded and put together with a little ad-justment on it." He needed the trucks right away and in three nights the plumbing was added with the help of a local tank manufactur-
er. As it stands now, there are a few things that still need to be changed. One is a shutoff valve that needs to be added in the intake 
line. "If something goes wrong with the pump, we have to pump 
it out before we disassemble the 
plumbing to get to the pump," he said. Another, according to Sherm Conrad, engineer with Delavan, to page 6 (Tod) The sparge line, running along the bottom of the tank, has seven nozzles picking up the mixture and bringing it back to the top. The small amount of sediment left after the tank has been emptied seems to point out the advan-tages of the proposed system. Some changes, such as a coarser filter, will pro-vide even better dispersal, and less sediment, as the mixture is kept constant-ly agitated. (BottomJ This is how it looks as the sparge line brines the mixture from the bottom and recirculates it. View from opening of tank looking direct-ly to left. Sherm Conrad (center), a Delavan engineer, answers the many questions asked by lawn care businessmen who attended a recent agitation system demonstration in Omaha. Most were there because they weren't satisfied with their old system. THE SUW Diamond Shamrock... The name that means business in weed and You'll get beautiful results with the Diamond Shamrock Turf Care system ... four products that provide almost total control of fungus diseases and weeds. For many years, our herbicides and fungicides have been first choice with hundreds of leading turf care specialists. Broad-spectrum . . . effective . . . dependable. Our Dacthal® herbicide is a prime example. Dacthal was the first preemergence herbicide to gain wide-
spread acceptance for turf use. It won label clearance 18 years ago. Today it's the standard ingredient in weed control programs of some of the country's major lawn care firms. Dacthal effectively controls crabgrass, foxtail, creeping speedwell, Poa annua and 14 other 
annual weed pests. Daconil 2787® is the Diamond Shamrock fungicide that controls nine diseases in over 25 species and varieties of turfgrasses. Introduced in 1966, it quickly found acceptance among golf course superintendents. In recent years, Daconil 2787 has steadily gained in popularity among lawn care specialists because of its broad-spectrum control and outstanding results. Dacamine® is our postemergence broadleaf herbi-cide. It effectively controls 76 broadleaf weeds, with no vapors or fumes. We also offer Daconate® 6 post-emergence herbicide to control grassy weeds. Both Dacamine and Daconate have won strong acceptance for special uses in commercial and residential weed control. If customer satisfaction is important to your lawn care business, think first of Diamond Shamrock. For further information, contact the Diamond Shamrock Agricultural Chemicals Division Sales office nearest 
you:Three Commerce Park Square,23200 Chagrin Blvd., Beachwood, OH 44122; 1401 W. Paces Ferry Rd. NW, Atlanta, GA 30327; 5333 Westheimer, Suite 850, Houston, TX 77056; Commerce Plaza Bldg., 2015 Spring Rd., Oakbrook, IL 60521; 617 Veterans Blvd., Redwood City, CA 94063. I ., I £ f ifm £ Diamond Shamrock The resourceful company. Agitation system from page a is the addition of a filter ar-rangement in the intake line. "We started off with the idea that we're not going to worry about picking up nuts, bolts and rocks on the inside and hurting the pump, so we put our filter on the outside of the pump to protect our nozzles." "This is all going to be changed," Weidler emphasized. 'The filter they are using now is too fine. The flow is cut back so much that even though most par-ticles are filtered out, it is not enough." Another point made by Con-rad is that with the Turbo 90 run ning at 1080 rpm, there should be about 60-65 pounds of deadhead pressure. "If we had a valve in that out-put line, all we've got to do is deadhead it and have a gauge tapped on it," he said. "If it picks up 60-65 pounds of pressure, the pump is in fine shape." "As it is right now," adds Weidler, "if a piece of paper from a bag or something plugs the intake line, all we're seeing is 
that we're not getting the flow 
through the sparger line. With Sherman's system we can find 
out if the pump is okay or wheth-er we have a blockage in the in-take line." The inside of the tank con-tains lV2-inch pipe with seven couplers welded on and seven GPM nozzles on the sparger line that runs along the bottom of the tank. Then there are four 
"lances" which are W pipe, running off the sparger line in a Y-type setup. The unit sweeps the bottom, picking up the fertil-izer and taking it up to the top. Turbo 90 turbine pump One of the unique parts about the pump is that there is a pas-sageway in the seal areas. The passageway then goes back to the suction side so that the seal sur-faces are constantly being 
washed. "The pump was de-signed specifically to run with powders," according to Conrad. Bob Staib of Hercules said, "We're really not endorsing or promoting the system. It's brand 
new. At this stage we just want-ed to show an alternate system of 
what we feel is an economical way to keep our fertilizer in sus-pension." Three different tests pointed out the even suspension of fer-tilizer within the system. Jars filled from the spray gun with the tank full at 1100 gallons, against 750, 500, 250, and within the last 50 gallons showed very little Š probably less than five percent Š disparity between samplings. Two tests with 220 gallons of fertilizer per 1100 
gallon tankfuls and another with 600 gallons of fertilizer per 1100 gallon tankful showed positive indication that this type of sys-tem could get the job done. Delavan Manufacturing has expressed a willingness to talk with anyone interested in con-verting to this means of agi-tation. ŠRon Morris COST CUTTINGS Power blower can be new maintenance tool Groundskeepers, landscapers and lawn care operators have begun to find new uses for an old maintenance tool Š the backpack power blower. The power blower has been around for some time, but only in the last four or five years have manufacturers real-ized the machine's potential for cleanup of leaves, clippings, roots, dirt and other debris from home, public and industrial grounds. The blowers have proven particularly effective in hard-to-get-at places such as low-lying shrubs, trees and near fences and other obstacles. The power blower is basically a two-cycle, air-cooled en-gine connected to a fan that is compact enough (knapsack sized) and light enough (about 20 pounds) to be easily car-ried by one man. Models vary, but typically can generate an airstream of up to 200 miles per hour with a 3.2 horsepower engine. Throttle adjustments usually can permit everything from a gentle breath of air to an all-out blast to be selected. Some blowers, like the PB-9 manufactured by Echo Chain Saw, have an adjustable 10-setting solid linkage throttle so that the blower operates at a given velocity until the user changes it. Other blower manufacturers include: Billy Goat Indus-tries; FMC Corp., Hahn, Inc.; HMC; Jacobsen Manufacturing Co.; F. D. Kees Manufacturing Co.; Reinco/Grass Growers, Inc.; Solo Motors; Stihl American and Vandermolen Corp. Backpack power blower 1 Skid-steer loader Many uses for loaders in lawn maintenance A labor-saving piece of equipment that has been used for years on the farm and in business and industry is becoming more widely used by the lawn care industry Š the skid-steer loader. Here are a sampling of lawn care chores for a loader: Ł Using a hydraulic earth drill, fencing can be erected easily or smaller shrubs planted. Ł For smaller trees, a tree transplanting attachment can be utilized. Ł All types of grading can be done to enlarge a property or transform it into another use. Ł Able to turn within its own radius, the loader can han-dle and transport decorative stones other materials. Three principle characteristics should be main guide-lines in selecting a skid-steer loader, according to engineers to Sperry New Holland: (1) Forward dump reach Š Check the reach of the load-er. A loader with a boom that reaches forward as it rises will accomplish many more chores. (2) Stability Š Don't sacrifice stability in favor of a slight-ly shorter wheel base. A wheel base that is a bit longer will provide smoother and safer operation. (3) Quick attachment Š A loader with a "quick attach" system for mounting various attachments will save valuable time and be much easier for a variety of operators to handle. KEES HEAVY-DUTY POWERMOW Specially designed for large residential and commercial grounds use. F. D. Kees 36" Powermow is built rugged for profes-sional, residential and commercial lawn maintenance use...whether it's on the finest of manicured lawns or in the roughest of fringe-
mowing areas. CHECK THESE VERSATILE PERFORMANCE FEATURES: Ł Powerful 11 h.p. Briggs & Stratton synchro-balanced engine w/super low-tone muffler. Ł Fingertip clutch, brake and power turning control levers on each handle. Ł Sleek deck design and individual drum-type wheel brakes allow positive maneuverability for mowing in close quarter areas. Ł Unique V-flanged front de-flectors help prevent damage to yard decorations, monuments, etc. Ł Baffled frame design provides clean, safe grass discharge. OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES: Riding sulky and metal grass catcher. For more information, write P.O. Box 885 or phone (402) 223-2391 Established 1874 tf/M F. D. Kees Manufacturing Co Beatrice, Nebraska 68310 Circle 107 on free information card Mtroform works 'round the clock to keep lawns greener longer. While others sleep, you can be providing lawn care ser-vice to satisfied customers. The secret is Nitroform® slow-release nitrogen. It works around the clock to give green, healthy lawns. Keeping grass greener between visits is the best way to hold customers, while attracting new ones. Home owners will readily see that your lawn care service does the job with dependable results . . . at less cost than they can do it themselves. Nitroform is the best way to 
apply long-lasting nitrogen... whether you have equipment 
for liquid or dry application. You can use Nitroform as granular BLUE CHIP® or as POWDER BLUE® sprayable 
slow-release nitrogen. 
Nitroform gives uniform coverage, and is compatible 
with most lawn care mate-rials, including pesticides. mtroform is the quality slow-release nitrogen. It's nonleaching. It keeps feeding long after your crew has moved on to other jobs. Because it's nonburning, 
even inexperienced labor can apply it With Nitroform, benefits are always predictable per-formance, easy application, dependable results. What else could you want, except possibly more information? For that, write Nitroform Sales, Organics Department, Hercules Incorporated, Wilmington, Delaware 19899. »Jit^ HERCULES INCORPORATED STH77-7 EXECUTIVE SUITE Cantu and McLaughlin named to top Toro posts The board of directors of Toro Co. have elected David T. McLaughlin chairman and John J. Cantu a director and president of the Minneapolis-based manu-facturer of power equipment for lawn and turf care. McLaughlin, 45, who has held the post of president since May 1970, when he joined Toro, will continue as chief executive of-McLaughlin ficer. Cantu, 50, has the ad-ditional title of chief operating officer. His election to the board 
brings its membership to eleven. The new president last November became Toro's ex-ecutive vice president Š outdoor products, following a 31-year 
career with O. M. Scott Com-
pany, Marysville, Ohio, an ITT 
subsidiary and a leader in the lawn care industry. Cantu had 
been a vice president and direc-tor at Scott where he created and managed the company's ProTurf Division which grew to represent 
a guarter of Scott's total business. McLaughlin's election to chairman of the board fills a post 
left vacant in June 1976, when David M. Lilly resigned to accept a presidential appointment to the board of governors of the Federal Reserve System. When McLaughlin first came to Toro, annual sales were $57.7 million. In his seven years as the head of the company, sales have 
virtually tripled and Toro has 
broadened its base in four product areas: consumer lawn NOW! Big Limestone & Gypsum Profits In A New Easy-To-Spread, Virtually Dust-Free Pellet Form We call it "pelletized profit" because REVEILLE opens up a whole new market segment for your lawn care business . . . without dusty, uncontrolled spreader application. Take REVEILLE Limestone, for example. Clean, 
economical, yet highly profitable. Lets you increase customer services and, at 
the same time, stretch your fertilizer investment. Great for slack periods because REVEILLE can be applied practically year 'round. Fits perfectly into both liquid or dry lawn care operations. Patented pelletizing process makes quick, easy work of lawn and garden applications with any type spreader. Neutralizes soil acidity, provides essential calcium and releases locked-up nutrients important for 
maximum turf response. Used by golf courses and turf specialists nationwide. FZit^^P Also available, REVEILLE Gypsum Pellets, an ŁL^ffxTO. excellent product for sulfur and calcium-deficient soils. Ideal for loosening up hard, clay soil and for improving moisture retention. Both available in bag or bulk. LIMESTONE & GYPSUM PELLETS Mfg'd by American Pelletizing Corp. Ł P.O. Box 3628 Ł Des Moines, Iowa 50322 Circle 120 on free information card Many in the green industry are strongly opposed to the indexing provision of the bill which ties the minimum to a percentage of hourly earnings in manufacturing. MÊmm COMPANIES I Cantu equipment, professional turf equipment, snowthrower equip-
ment and turf irrigation systems 
and components. In addition, Toro's international sales have 
grown to nearly 20 percent of total revenues. In turning over the opera-tional reins to Cantu, McLaughlin said of him: "He has been with Toro less than a year, and in that short time has con-tributed greatly to the company/' I CONGRESS Minimum wage to $2.65 by first of January? A federal minimum wage bill that would raise the lower limit to $2.65 by the first of the year is currently being debated on the 
floor of the United States House 
of Representatives. The bill being debated would also raise the minimum wage to 52 percent of average hourly ear-
nings (not including overtime) in 
manufacturing by January 1, 1979 and to 53 percent on January 1, 1980. A similar bill is ready to be reported to the Senate. Cyclone Seeder Co. purchased by Jackson The 101-year-old Jackson Manufacturing Co. of Harris-burg, Pa., has purchased the 109-
year-old Cyclone Seeder Co., of 
Urbana, Ind. Jackson is the oldest wheel-barrow manufacturer in the 
country and Cyclone Seeder Co. 
developed the first hand crank seed sower which, after many years of success on the farm, was extended to the lawn care field. Announcing the merger of the two companies, Robert A. White-head, president of Jackson, said the acquisition provides the opportunity for broadening the 
product lines of both firms through research and develop-ment. Whitehead said combining the product lines of the two com-
panies and putting them through 
Jackson's national marketing system will generate efficiencies beneficial to consumers as well as to lawn care operators. He 
also said the wide experience of 
both firms will "be critically im-portant" in overall product development in the years ahead. Jackson manufactures 45 dif-ferent models of wheelbarrows, hand trucks, and other lawn and garden products and produces more than one-half million units annually. Cyclone produces a full line of seeders and spreaders for farm and lawn care use, as well as ice control applicators. HERBICIDES Research honor to Monsanto's Roundup The development of Roundup herbicide by Monsanto Co., St. Louis, has been cited as one of the most significant new 
technical product achievements of this year. Monsanto, along with other IR-100 award winners, was honored in late September by Industrial Research magazine 
during ceremonies at the 
Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. The competition, now in its 15th year, recognizes innovators and organizations for 
outstanding scientific and engi-
neering technical developments. The award for Roundup marks the seventh time Monsanto has been named a winner and the 
first time in the history of IR-100 awards competition that a herbi-cide development has received 
this recognition. On hand to accept the award were Nicholas L. Reding, a Mon-santo vice president and manag-ing director of Monsanto Agri-cultural Products Company, and Dr. A. John Speziale, director of research and Dr. John E. Franz, senior research fellow, also representing the operating unit 
of Monsanto. Roundup, a water-soluble for-mulation of the isopropylamine salt of glyphosate, is used to con-trol a broad spectrum of annual and perennial weeds. It is a 
foliar-applied, non-selective her-bicide sprayed when weeds have 
reached a vigirous stage of growth. When applied directly to foliage, Roundup translocates throughout the plant and destroys above and below ground plant tissues, including the reproductive root system. The herbicide is used for weed control in areas where difficult-to-control weeds are a 
problem, particularly along highway and railroad rights-of-
way, fence rows, parking areas and golf courses. A tree feeding program with Jobe's Spikes is a logical extension of your lawn care service» Lawn care is expanding fast in every part of the country. As you expand your business, a logical step is to provide tree feeding service with Jobe's Tree and Shrub Spikes. They're simple, quick to use and require little storage space. Anyone can pound Spikes into the ground, using one Spike per inch of trunk diameter. There is little risk of loss and Jobe's Spikes are easy to sell. They're fast to show response, which customers like. Jobe's make tree service for your customers an easy way to new and profitable business. Jobe's Spikes are faster than drilling, better than broadcast fertilizer. Use Jobe s® Tree and Shrub Spikes, and you feed trees in about one fourth the time and half the cost of drilling. 
A 5" tree takes about 5 minutes labor, plus $1.50 for 5 Spikes. Compare that to 30 minutes labor to drill holes, plus the time and cost to apply 10 pounds of fertilizer. Jobe's Spikes are better than broadcast fertilizer because the plant food gets to the tree roots without danger of run-off, burned turf or excessive leaching. A plastic cap makes driving the Spikes easier. Just pound 
them into moist soil at the drip-
line at the rate of 1 per inch of 
trunk diameter. With Jobe's there's no bulky auger and generator to carry 
from job to job... no electric wires to tangle... no equipment to eat into profits with mainte-
nance costs. A hammer is all the equipment 
you need. Just pound them in... rainwater does the rest. Jobe's Spikes are a pre-measured amount of fertilizer formed into easy-to-drive spikes by means of a patented binder. Jobe's Tree and Shrub Spikes are 16-8-8. Evergreen Spikes are 12-6-8. Fruit Tree Spikes are 5-15-15. 1 J Iki.wJ i IiL ¡yUJ k \'i vi uj JàÊ&ft ai ii\&Jj &JL£ , L y . iVA .V. You can offer your customers Jobe's Tree Food Spikes, Evergreen Spikes or Fruit Tree Spikes. Because Jobe's have a specific analysis for evergreens as well as fruit trees, you can talk to your lawn care customers about a complete tree feeding programŠusing the Spike tailored just for a specific tree. Customers like"custom-made" products. You can offer them with Jobe's. Easy, economical, and effective. University leaching studies have shown that Jobe's Spikes are as effective as fertilizer supplied to trees by conventional drilling methods.The report on the studies states, "The spike will supply nitrogen and potassium to a depth of at least 24 inches. The spike permits the movement of nutrients down through the tree root zone from the surface to the major root areas'.' You can save time and make money with Jobe's Spikes. Order today. Jobe's Evergreen Spikes 12-6-8 and Fruit Tree Spikes 5-15-15 are now available in bulk. They can be com-
bined for shipping with Tree and Shrub Spikes. Call your local Jobe's distributor or order direct. $30 per case (105 Spikes) prepaid, 5 case minimum. 15 or more cases, $25 per case. 36 or more cases, $22.50 per case. nEr 4 % -41 . « 4 r J r * - * : V \ * * v * i > Jobe> ® TREE & SHRUB SPIKES The easy method for professional tree care. International Spike, Inc.,1081 Dove Run Rd. Lexington, Kentucky 40502 V i J. MEETING DATES Professional Grounds Management Society Annual Conference, Stouffers Hotel, Greenway Plaza, Houston, Texas, October 30-November 3. Associated Landscape Contractors of America Maintenance Symposium, Northlake Hilton Inn, Atlanta, Ga., November 3-4. State of the Art Symposium on Dutch Elm Disease Control, U.S. National Arboretum, Washington, D.C., November 9-10. Associated Landscape Contractors of America Maintenance Contractors Symposium, Northlake Hilton Inn, Atlanta, Ga., November 3-4. Irrigation Symposium and Equipment Show, Fresno Convention Center, Fresno, Calif., Novem-ber 15-20. Associated Landscape Contractors of America Management Information Systems Executive Management Seminar, Airport Hilton Inn, Denver, Colo., December 1-2. Ohio Turfgrass Conference and Show, Dayton, Ohio, December 6-8. Associated Landscape Contractors of America Design/Build Symposium, Sheraton-Dallas Hotel, Dallas, Texas, December 7-8. TURFGRASS 78, Maryland Turfgrass Council, Sheraton Lanham Inn, Lanham, Md., January 8-12. Associated Landscape Contractors of America Annual Meeting and Trade Exhibit, Hyatt House, Orlando, Fla., January 30-February 2. National Arborist Association Annual Meeting, Sarasota Hyatt House, Sarasota, Fla., February 19-23. DERBY TILLER-POWER HOE THATCHES & AERATES LAWNS Cuts neat borders around shrubs Š Tills soil for re-planting patches of old grass Š Power churns fertil-izers into soil Š Weeds flower beds and decorative plantings of shrubs Š Weighs 17 lbs., EASY TO USE. M | ŁŁ Iji1 Patch Reseeding Aerates & Thatches Weeds Small Spaces Not in Stores . .. We sell factory direct to save you money. Built for rugged use. Good engineering -I- simple design = low price. American made, gasoline powered, work tested for 10 years by truck farmers, nursery-men and gardeners. Derby Tiller-Power Hoe aerates or thatches 20 x 40 ft. section in five minutes or less. Has precise depth control, weeds 1 to 3 inches deep. High speed tines break ground for planting, tills 6 to 8 inches deep, power churns soil into finely granulated loam ... Tills 9 in-ches wide. Powered by rugged 1 hp engine, easy to start ... fun to run ... women & children can operate it safely ... you guide it single handed . . . doesn't tire you out. . . weighs 17 
lbs. Makes easy work of hard chores. Built by Co. with 50 years experience in the 
manufacture of tough dependable gardening tools. Service agents in your area, fully guaranteed .. . your money back if not satisfied ... for full information plus free gardening guide write or call . .. r"DERBY"TllLER C(T To. To*" RUM SON ~ NJ. 07760 Please send brochure. Here's my check for $177.50, send tiller I& gardening guide . . . Derby Co. pays freight. | Send $30.00 we ship balance COD, you pay freight. ' NAME I STREET 
| CITY | STATE ZIP . Orders accepted by phone Mon.-Sat. 9 to 5, Call (201) | 741-0601. RESEARCH Home landscaping can help environment Everyone admires a beauti-fully landscaped area with at-tractive shrubs, large shade trees and colorful flowers all tied to-gether with a thick, green carpet of lawn. However, along with the vis-ual beauty and the aesthetic value of a well-managed land-scape, there are other important effects, says Everett Janne, land-scape horticulturalist with the Texas Agricultural Extension Service. As a lawn care operator, the next time you are asked to speak at a local Kiwanis, Jaycee or homeowner's association meet-ing, try out some of these facts on your audience. Through photosynthesis, plants use carbon dioxide in the air and free pure oxygen. Turf 
authorities have estimated that the trees, shrubs and grass on a 150-acre area can provide enough oxygen for 10,350 people for one year. To bring it closer to home, a 50-foot by 50-foot plot of grass un-
der average conditions will pro-vide enough oxygen for a family of four, Janne said. "Grass and trees are also ef-fective dust traps," says the Texas A&M University special-ist. "Dust particles are attracted to the leaf surface through static electricity or are trapped by 
dense foliage. Rainfall washes the particles into the soil. This 
claim cannot be made for man's growing architectural achieve-ments expressed in towering sky-scrapers and asphalt parking 
lots. Unfortunately, these tend to 
speed up movement of vast quantities of water and result in increased erosion of valuable top soil." Grass also acts as a cooling system. A 2,000 square foot plot releases as much as 120 gallons 
of water through a method called evapo-transpiration. The releas-ing of water reduces the heat fac-tor. Grass also cools the environ-ment by absorbing less energy. Only 50 to 60 percent of the in-coming solar radiation is ab-sorbed by grass while buildings and pavement absorb up to 90 
percent. The 18th century writer, Jona-than Swift, seemed to under-stand mankind's role in regard to nature when he wrote: "Who-
ever could make two blades of grass grow where only one grew before, would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential service to his country than the whole race of politicians put to-gether." "Man can contribute much to improving the environment," 
contends Janne. "Maintaining a well-managed landscape is a step in the right direction." COMPANIES Great Western Seed continues expansion Great Western Seed Co., Alban, Ore. has completed another phase of its expansion 
program, recently putting into service a new 20,000 square foot seed warehouse. The building is adjacent to former seed storage facilities and has a capacity of three mil-lion pounds of grass seed. According to a company spokesman, the new warehouse will be a significant improve-ment for Great Western Seed 
and its seed growers. For the 
company's dealers it means a 
bigger inventory capability with faster service on seed orders. Circle 122 on free information card PROFESSIONAL Lawn Care People Who Know Insist on Rockland Granular DIAZINON Chinch Bug and Grub Killer ROCKLAND has a complete line of granular insecticides, herbicides and fungicides for Professional Turf Maintenance. ROCKLAND Fertilizers contain combinations of IBDU, NITROFORM and new SULFUR COATED UREA. Some available formulations Š 25-5-15, 30-2-5 and 20-4-10. All products are formulated with the highest quality ingredients and carriers. ROCKLAND PROFESSIONAL lawn and garden PRODUCTS CATALOG Ask your supplier or write CQCIROCKLAND CHEMICAL CO.. INC. H | PASSAIC AVE., WEST CALDWELL, N.J. 07006 Circle 117 on free information card "/ was very pleased with the entire magazine. Really, I enjoyed it very much. There was quite a bit of information. Keep up the good work." Nicholas Sacco Paul Sacco & Sons Long Branch, New Jersey "Good luck. Great magazine! Thank you for helping us all better understand the industry!" Thomas E. Ritchie Landscaping & Lawn Maintenance Englishtown, New jersey "Your magazine is a must as it tells latest develop-ments in lawn care industry." Jerome Bonicos Econo Lawn Service Waldwick, New Jersey "We really like the entire paper. We needed it. I'm at the point where some nitty gritty expressions and/or financing theory articles could help." John Leonard Papp Lawn-Spray Company Califon, New Jersey "I think you have a winner! Manufacturers should jump on this magazine. We need special equipment." Allen A. Dall Lawnco Inc. Brooklyn Heights, Ohio "Your first issue is excellent. Keep up the good work!" George F. Boairieht Lawn Doctor of Central Virginia Lynchburg, Virginia "The most informative lawn care magazine ever!' Sam DeVito Cardinal Landscaping Cleveland, Ohio "Your articles would be helpful to anyone in the business." Ray May 
Lawn Medic of Erie Harbor Creek, Pennsylvania "Your magazine is very informative and will be very helpful to those of us that have not been in the business very long." Steven C. Fry Nu-Lawn South Vienna, Ohio "Very good start! Continue Marketplace/ LeRoy Gaskin Lawn Aid Tipp City, Ohio "You have the makings of a very informative publication." David A. Brown, Jr. Pinebrook Guardian System Winston-Salem, North Carolina "Very good first issue. Let's have more." Michael A. Nawa A. J. Nawa & Sons Wyomissing Hills, Pennsylvania "This publication is very helpful and informa-tive to persons involved in the lawn care industry." Kurt E. Graeser Graeser's Landscaping & Nursery Louisville, Kentucky "I think this is great!' Dan Hollingsworth Lawn Consultants Lilburn, Georgia "The best magazine in the field.' Ward L. Hartzell Beau ti-Care Gardening Mountlake Terrace, Washington "Fantastic!" Larry Kapp Green Lawn, Inc. Ft. Wayne, Indiana "Your publication has a good start. Keep it short and to the point." Don Teske Don's Lawn & Garden Care Beloit, Wisconsin "The content is excellent. Don't change. Best and most precise and informative paper I've read in 25 years! Excellent! Congratulations." Clarence Davids, Sr. 
Clarence Davids & Sons, Inc. Blue Island, Illinois Thank You Readers! "An excellent publication which will be very helpful in keeping everyone informed and which should do much to bind us as an industry." Floyd Franklin Rollins Lawn Care 
Atlanta, Georgia "First edition was great.' E. Meffert E. Meffert Landscape Mount Dora, Florida "Seems like everything was covered pretty well. Keep up the good work." Thomas G. Brune Atwood Lawnspray, Inc. Sterling Heights, Michigan "I'm really impressed with LAWN CARE IN-DUSTRY. You all did a fine job. If I can help in any way, please let me know. Agrilawn is a fairly small company, but we've run the same problems getting started as everyone else." Robert L. Habermehl Agrilawn Incorporated 
Owensboro, Kentucky "Keep all publications like the first and you've got it-Ted Kabat Diamond Shamrock Nazareth, Pennsylvania "Excellent publication. Enjoyed reading it very much. Anxious for next issue." John E. Meadors Meadors' Lawn & Grounds Maintenance Danville, Virginia NEWSMAKERS From left: PAR EX's Lanier, Rehberg and Stacy. Swift Agricultural Chemicals Corp., Chicago, has announced re-organization of its PAR EX Professional Products Division, based in Winterhaven, Fla. Heading up the division are George C. Lanier, Bob E. Rehberg, Irven B. Stacy and 
Joseph P. Kealy. In their new 
positions, Lanier is national manager, Rehberg is national 
sales manager, Kealy is research and development manager and 
Stacy is national advertising, promotions and marketing manager. Robert Lehner has been named executive vice president 
of Safe-T-Lawn, Inc., manufac-turers of irrigation equipment in Miami. Donald H. Gately has been named president and chief ex-ecutive officer of Weed Eater, 
Inc., Houston, Texas, which was recently purchased by Emerson Electric Co., St. Louis. Dan Hogan, Jr. has been IF YOU HAVE A HAMMER, THE JOB'S ALREADY HALF DONE! LESCO Quality Tree Stakes do it all Š for you AND your trees! Just pound them into the ground and the 16-10-9 for-mulation plus TRACE ELEMENTS quickly begin promoting strong and healthy growth. The efficient, pre-meosured, once-a-year formulation can be used in either fall or spring, at your convenience, to provide maximum feeding for trees, evergreens and shrubs, to minimize costs and to free you and your crew for other jobs. Each 40 pound carton contains enough stakes to feed 35-40 three-inch trees. Just drive 3 stakes per every 2 inches of trunk diameter into the ground at the tree's drip line and let LESCO and Nature do the rest! Take it from a hammer-head like me. You get more Š pound for pound Š with LESCO Quality-Controlled Tree 
Stakes! Write or call us collect at (216) 323-7544 Š Jack Welch. LESCÇ» F PRODUCTS Div. Lakeshore Equipment & Supply Co. 300 S. Abb« Road Elyria, Ohio 44035 A Family o4 Fin« Products liKOtan 12.9G Š Lncorcn« Š IMCO 4 l*Kobor Š UKopar Š I «cop«« Š l.uo NorS.I«t,« H.rb.od. Š Usco MSMA IMCO Thirom 75W Š l»»coiym« Š lokctHor* Chinch Bug A Sod Wobworm Control named national marketing manager Š garden and home, for the Ortho Division of Chevron Chemical Co., San Francisco. Dr. Peter J. Schultz has been named chief environmental scientist of J I Case Co., Racine, Wis. Dan Skahill has been named manager of advertising and pro-motion for Moody Sprinkler Co., Inc., Costa Mesa, Calif. He will manage the company's in-house 
advertising agency, EPCO, Inc. Clifford J. Griffith has been named vice president of engi-
neering of the Gravely Division of Clarke-Gravely Corp., Clem-
mons, N.C. Monsanto Agricultural Products Co., St. Louis, has named Lloyd J. Boesch, director, products Š Lasso and Ramrod 
herbicides; Bruce S. Buckland, director, products, Š Avadex and Machete herbicides, Polaris plant growth regulator and parathion insecticide; and G. David Malsbary, director, 
products Š Roundup herbicide. for domestic distribution and vice presidentof turf sales. Circle 126 on free information card Schmid Lachman Henry D. Schmid has been named to the newly created posi-tion of director of marketing for the Davey Tree Expert Co., Kent, Ohio. Gary Lachman has been named vice president of 
marketing for Rain Bird 
Sprinkler Mfg. Corp. Roger J. Thomas has been named vice president of interna-tional sales operations for the Turf Products Division of Jacob-sen Manufacturing Co., Racine, 
Wis. The promotion comes as part of the division's plans to substantially increase the inter-national segment of the turf business. Thomas, who has been 
primarily responsible for 
building domestic sales to their current level, will now take charge of developing worldwide sales distribution and co-ordinating international product planning, service, training, ad-vertising and engineering. He began with Jacobsen in 1947 and 
is recognized worldwide for his expertise in the turf equipment field. He received his bachelor's degree in economics from Saint 
Norbert College in De Pere, Wis. 
and his master's degree from Marquette University, 
Milwaukee, in business admin-istration. His 30 years of service to Jacobsen began as a field ser-vice supervisor and continued with positions as special ac-
counts salesman, sales pro-motion and advertising manager, supervisor of sales and com-mercial products, sales manager Sorrenson Doubler Richard K. Sorrenson is regional sales manager for the 
north central area of the country for the Outdoor Products Divi-
sion of Hahn, Inc., Evansville, Ind. A long-time member of the lawn care industry, Sorrenson 
originally came to Hahn from the Eclipse Lawn Mower Co., Prophetstown, 111. Hahn also has named Del Doubler sales manager of the division. After over 20 years with Monroe Tree and Landscape, Inc., Rochester, N.Y., Frederick R. Micha has formed his own private tree appraisal and con-
sultation business, under his 
name. His offices are in Ontario, 
N.Y. Richard D. Murray has been named national sales manager, responsible for dealer sales and national accounts, of Gravely Division of the Clarke-Gravely Corp., Clemmons, N.C. He previously had been national field sales manager of the Harley-Davidson Division of AMF. Murray George M. Gaumer has been named assistant advertising manager of Davey Tree Expert Co., Kent, Ohio. In his new posi-tion he will be responsible for the company's national Yellow Page listings and direct mail advertising program. He will also work in developing national and local media advertising and mar-keting research studies. Prior to 
joining Davey, he handled media, publicity, Yellow Pages 
and direct mail advertising cam-paigns for Karl Kuemmerling Associates, Inc., Columbus, Ohio. He has had extensive ex-perience in the tree and lawn 
care industry. He holds a 
bachelor's degree in business administration from Ohio State University. He is a member of the International Society of Arboriculture. Daniel R. Dawson recently was appointed to the position of western regional sales manager of Melnor Industries, Moon-achies, New Jersey. EMPLOYE RELATIONS Management, leadership: how do you measure up? In the lawn care business as in any business, competent leaders and managers are a com-bination of loyalty, hard work 
and perseverance. They are also people who are efficient and effective in their dealings with others. And they always are growing and looking for ways to better their company's stature and posi-tion. There are several areas into which you can look to see how 
you measure up as a growing, competent manager and leader. Some of these areas include: Ł Technical competence. Knowing what you are doing is important, but you must keep adding to your store of knowl-
edge if you are to remain compe-tent. Pesticide application is a complicated and fast-growing area. Anyone wishing to remain competent in this area must keep abreast of all the government 
rulings and investigations on pesticides used by the lawn care 
operator. Your technical com-petence is insured by keeping up with change, rather than behind 
it. Ł Resourcefulness. A com-petent person is one who is 
resourceful Š he's the type you can go to for answers. If he 
doesn't know about something, 
you can be sure he knows how to 
find out. A healthy curiosity keeps the resourceful individual growing Š and changing to benefit himself and his organiza-tion. Ł Efficiency. Anyone can get things done eventually. But the competent manager gets things done now. He is organized and 
makes good use of his time. He deals with one task at a time until it's finished and then goes on to the next. Ł Reliability. An efficient person is reliable. Reliability is a most important ingredient for anyone who manages. When a 
reliable person is given a task, you know that it will get done and you can count on it being 
done correctly and quickly. Ł Working with others. A skillful manager knows how to work with and through others. He delegates authority to sub-
ordinates to strengthen their authority so he can be relieved of some of the workload. Subor-dinates become extensions of 
himself Š but he remains responsible for their actions. Ł Awareness. A manager should be all ears and eyes. He should be alert to everything that is happening around him Š nationally, in the community, 
and in the lawn care industry. He should also assimilate the infor-mation and be able to see the ef-fects such events have on the 
organization and to be able to use or discard items as neces-sary. There is a good deal of "politics" in any organization. Be aware of it, but don't get in-volved. Have a thorough knowl-edge of the political structure of your organization and be able to predict what will happen if it changes. Ł Open mindedness. Always consider what the other person feels. Be able to see the other person's side. Try to avoid value judgments. Determine why something is wrong, not who is wrong. If you disagree with an idea, make it clear that you are disagreeing with ideas rather than attacking the person. Most important, be able to laugh at yourself, to keep your sense of 
humor. Ł Self-confidence. Self-confi-dence is developed through preparation. Get adequate sleep, 
nourishment and exercise to keep physically fit and mentally alert. A clear mind is needed to think through problems, analyze, seek alternatives, consider consequences and develop plans. With introspection and dili-gent dealings with others, a manager can measure up to quality leadership. As a manager grows, so does the organization. GCSAA Forefront. EQUIPMENT OUTLET Dedoes opens outlet in Port Charlotte, FL Dedoes Industries, Inc., makers of Dedoes turf-aerating 
equipment, has opened a retail store in Port Charlotte, FL, first outlet store in the country. Dedoes Lawn Equipment and Service, at 1651 S. Tamiami Trail, Industrial Park Drive, will sell 
the company's aerators plus Hahn and Gravely tractors and mowers to lawn care firms and golf courses. The outlet will also repair lawn equipment, said 
Mrs. Kathleen Johnston, office manager at the company's 
manufacturing plant in Walled Lake, MI. The company will continue selling much of its equipment through distributors. A grand opening at the new service store will be held Oc-tober 15. Cut the high cost of feeding trees with Agriform tablets and our new fertilizer probe. . V . V: * , * 4 * ' M ' Ł».Ł>. L if . > ... v-f J Vi. ^iWitMifk WAmßS k- Jt ^ ' By using our new Agriform probe and long-lasting Agriform tablets, you can fertilize a 4" diameter tree 2 YEARS for less than $1.00. That's a great savings when you compare it to the $2.28 
you'd spend to fertilize with "spikes" that would have to be applied twice! And talk about easy to oper-ate; with our new steel fertilizer probe, you simply punch holes around the drip line of a tree and drop the Agriform tablets right into the root zone. No more messy bags or broken spikes, which just plain makes it more convenient. Agriform tablets feed for two full years and won't burn your trees or leach away. You have used them at planting time; now 
feed established trees the same safe, easy and economical way. So haven't you paid more to get less long enough? Get a probe and switch to the Agriform Nutrient Delivery System. It gives you more of everything but the price. A AGRÎFORM Nutrient Delivery System The No Worry, Professional Way. © Buy our fertilizer probe for $5.99, and we'll give you a $3.00 coupon for Agriform tablets. Sierra Chemical Company 1001 Yosemite Drive Milpitas, California 95035 Please send me probe(s). I have enclosed a check for $5.99 each. Don't forget the coupon worth $3.00 toward my purchase of a case of Agriform tablets for each probe I ordered. Offer expires June 1,1978. Name-Firm or organization name Street City State-_Zip_ Agriform (T) is used as a trademark by Sierra Chemical Company for its brand of controlled release fertilizers. ©1977 Sierra Chemical Company. Circle 114 on free information card LAWN CARE INDUSTRY Marketplace Talk about competition. In the space of two hours one day early this fall, a Chicago lawn care businessman passed four rival spray tank trucks while making his morning appoint-ments. "Boy, they're really out in my territory today/' he told a visitor riding with him for the day. "I'm going to have to work harder than usual this week." When lunch time rolled around, he suggested his favor-ite lunch spot in the western su-burbs Š partly to relax and for-get about the competition for an hour or so, and partly to fuel up for the work he had cut out for him by his own admission. As he wheeled his pickup into the parking lot, his thoughts of 
ordering his usual Peter Hand's Old Chicago draft dark beer were rudely interrupted by the 
fact that two more of his competi-tor's trucks were parked right by the entrance of his favorite res-taurant Š their owners ob-viously inside enjoying lunch too. All he could muster up to say to his visitor was "Whew." While this one-time incident may overstate the case that the Chicago lawn care market is a 
competitive one, the fact that there are 49 lawn care compan-ies working the Chicago area speaks for itself. The companies range from ones started in the early 70s to those that put their first tank truck on the road this spring. And 
their services range from simple fertilizer application to pesti-cide application, landscaping, lawn maintenance, tree care and custom services beyond. It is a sophisticated market with lawn care an accepted prac-tice is many pockets of the metro-politan area with educated homeowners. Some across the country call it the most competitive lawn care market in the country, and there are at least 49 businessmen who will not dispute the point. Chem-Lawn and Tempo 21 opened offices in Chicago five years ago, the first tap on a lawn care market with staggering po-tential. Since then, Chem-Lawn has opened four more lawn care offices and two Chem-Scape of-
fices, devoted to the tree and ornamental side of the business. They now have 50,000 customers and are running about 100 trucks. Tempo 21's customers also number in the thousands. Located in northeastern Illi-nois, Chicago is the second most 
populous city in the United 
States. It is the center of the third 
largest metropolitan area, and its influence in manufacturing, trade, and finance is felt throughout the nation. The Chicago standard metro-politan area consists of six coun-ties: Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will. Chicago has long been a vital transportation center. The world's largest rail terminal is in Chicago, and O'Hare Airport is 
the busiest in the world. Geography has greatly influ-enced Chicago's development. Its location as a natural portage between Lake Michigan and in-land rivers brought settlers and trade, yet the same proximity to important waterways caused the land to be marshy and hard to 
develop. Chicago literally had to 
pull itself out of the mud to be-come the nation's second largest city in a little over 100 years. In early 1972, when Tempo 21 moved into Chicago, the big 
problem was to acquaint people with what a lawn care service 
was. "There's a lot of customer education yet in terms of just what these services can and can-not do," according to Bob Parm-ley, president of the company. "But they do recognize that there are people out there who just fer-tilize your lawn. You don't have to have a full landscape ser-vice." Sherry Roethe, Tempo 21 agronomist, sees customer edu-cation as a continuing problem 
for chemical lawn care compan-ies in the Chicago market. "The customer has an idea that a lawn 
care service is someone who is going to take total charge of the lawn, and they're never going to have anymore problems." Many customers tend to re-sist education. It becomes diffi-cult to explain why they have a 
problem when they are paying 
for a lawn care service. "If a customer has a disease problem, we can do a fungicide application, if desired," Sherry 
adds, "but basically, the custom-
er needs to be educated as to why they have that disease in the first place. Then we have to edu-cate them as to how the lawn should be taken care of. We can provide the necessary chemicals and nutrition, but we can't con-trol irrigation practices, mowing practices, thatch management, overseeding, etc., all the things that are important for good dis-ease control." Suzy Hopper, Barefoot Lawn Service, sees the opposite side of the coin Š the educated con-sumer. "Most of the customers we run into have already had some type of service or have 
done a lot of lawn-keeping them-
selves and are very up on all the types of chemicals, all the types of problems. They'll call you and tell you what they have, and should they be putting a certain chemical down for it? You go and 
look at the lawn and they're ex-actly right. You really have to be on top of things to answer their 
questions." This situation is brought on in part by the fact that lawn care is on accepted practice in many pockets of the Chicago area. Some housing developments have lawn care services for al-most every lawn in the develop-ment. Bob Houschel, Chem-Lawn, gets some of both kinds of cus-tomers. "Some people don't know what to do with a lawn. Others know a great deal. I guess it works out about the same, but nobody is really ignorant after you talk to them. We try to edu-
cate them a little bit. The more we can educate them, the easier our job is on what to expect and 
what not to expect from a lawn care service." Most serious Chicago lawn care companies have printed brochures that explain the prob-lems a lawn will encounter and 
how to deal with them. Many also have brochures that explain the common practices a customer 
must employ to keep his lawn in top shape. Proper irrigation and 
mowing are the major practices the lawn care companies edu-cate the homeowner on to keep the advantage once the service has added the necessary ingre-dients to keep the turf vigorous. Chicago is a very mobile mar-ket, a fact lawn care companies to page 16 CHICAGO AREA CLIMATE Maximum average temperature 59°F Minimum average temperature 43°F 
Mean annual temperature, January 26.1°F Mean annual temperature, July .... 75.7°F 1976 warmest day, July 10 100°F 1976 coldest day, Dec. 29 -8°F Average annual precipitation 33" 1976 precipitation 33.18" Average annual snowfall 38" 1976 snowfall 36.10" First freeze Oct. 27 Last freeze April 22 Average freeze free period 188 days Average relative humidity A.M. 75% P.M. 58% Average wind velocity 10mph west by Hon Morris Assistant Editor Chicago lawn care companies 1. Aero Lawn Care 879 Jefferson 742-6920 2. Alyea Lawn Maintenance Box 194 Prairie View 60069 537-2781 3. Barefoot Grass Lawn Service P.O. Box 442 Arlington Heights 60006 640-6664 mgr: Larry & Suzie Hopper 4. Best Lawns 725 Estes Schaumburg 60193 529-2777 5. Chem-Lawn Corp. 645 W. University Arlington Heights 255-6300 mgr: Bob Houschel 6. 1830 Pickwick (P.O. Box 401) Glenview 60025 729-6311 mgr: Mike Sepke 7. 1103 W. Morse Ave. Schaumburg 529-4200 mgr: Larry Hunter 8. 7350 Duvan Dr. Tinley Park 532-7400 mgr: Dick Cooper 9. 7530 Madison St. Willowbrook 60521 920-8585 mgr: Fred Hobbs 10. Evergreen Lawn Care 12843 Cedar Lane Palos Hts. 60463 448-6247 11. Excelawn 612 E. Western Lombard 60148 495-4750 12. Fiba Lawn Care 30 Cour D'Alene Palos Hills 60465 974-4386 13. Forest Glen Lawn Service 4856 W. Catalpa 685-7934 14. Hoff Corp. 7042 Milwaukee Niles 
965-4343 15. Joliet Lawn Service P.O. Box 247 Joliet 60434 815/726-5742 16. J & J Lawn Spray Service 87 St. Johns Highland Park 60035 433-5650 17. Keller Heartt Company, Inc. 338 Park 
Clarendon Hills 60514 
920-1122 (323-1900) 18. Lawn Keepers 680 Roger Williams Highland Park 60035 432-8660 19. Lawn Doctor N'Brook & N'field 1026 Harvard Evanston 564-2424 20. Lawn Doctor of The North Shore 350 Oak Circle Wilmetle 564-2424 21. Lawn-A-Mat of South Cook County 14242 S Marvind Dolton 849-1188 22. Lawn Medic 15428 Center Ave. Harvey 339-3722 23. Lawn Medic of Lake County Butterfield Rd. Mundelein 362-3331 24. Liqui-Green of Chain-O-Lakes P.O. Box 37A Buffalo Grove 60090 541-7020 (Rick Gruber) 25. Liqui-Green of Crystal Lake 312 Meadow Lane Lake in the Hills 60120 658-8866 (Ron Turbett) 26. Liqui-Green of DuPage P.O. Box 2 Wheaton 60187 
682-1868 27. Liqui-Green of Fox Valley 18 N. Greenwich Geneva 60134 
232-8874 28. Liqui-Green of Glenview P.O. Box 338 Park Ridge 60068 894-5973 29. Liqui-Green of Joliet 2210 W. Jefferson Joliet 60435 815/729-9233 30. Liqui-Green of Quad Counties R.R. 4 Plainfield 60544 815/436-2320 31. Liqui-Green of Schaumburg R.R. 2, Box 354W 
Roselle 60172 894-9365 32. Liqui-Green of Suburbia P.O. Box 154 Willow Springs 60480 599-8338 33. Liqui-Green of South Suburban P.O. Box 301 Orland Park 60462 371-4820 34. Liqui-Green of Will County P.O. Box 217 Hazelcrest 60429 799-3599 35. Liquid Lawn Fertilization 5115 S. Merrimac Chicago 60638 582-7897 36. McGinty Brothers Inc. (Long Grove Rd.) RR 2, Box 518 Long Grove 438-5161 37. North Suburban Lawn Inc. 600 E. Rand Mt. Prospect 259-8880 38. North Suburban Lawn Inc. 2440 E. Oakton Arlington Heights 437-4949 39. Ruiz Lawn Maintenance Service 1357 W. Ohio Chicago 421-0757 40. Sears Lawn & Leaf 1098 S. Milwaukee Ave. Wheeling 459-1400 41. Suburban Lawn Inc. 29036 W. Butterfield Warrenville 393-1966 42. Tempo 21 Inc. 1311 Howard Elk Grove Village 439-0500 43. 404 Merchantile Ct. Wheeling 541-1600 44. Tender Loving Lawn Care 739 S. Lalonde Lombard 629-3377 45. Tops Lawn Care 5675 S. Cloverdale Ct. Naperville 60540 357-3030 46. Tru Green Box 706 Addison 60105 543-7300 47. Village Green Lawn Spraying 348 Brandon Glen Ellyn 60137 858-1128 48. Turftreet Lawn Service (Country Gas Co.) 4010 Hwy. 14 Crystal Lake, III. 312/639-4364 
815/459-0909 49. Clarence Davids, Sr. Clarence Davids & Sons, Inc. Blue Island, Illinois wonocK tuo Ar Ł GROVE ORAWT PARK Larry Shipow, presi-dent of Sears Lawn 8r Leaf Special spray equip-ment has been added to each of the 15-plus Sears lawn care trucks that allows use of the customer's water for mixing and spraying. The offices of Sears Lawn & Leaf in suburban Wheeling, Illinois. Orders are taken and processed by computer. Chicago from page 14 must contend with. In Arlington Heights, for example, the aver-age homeowner lives in a house only two or three years. A lot of Chicago-based companies send junior executives and other per-
sonnel in for training in the home office and then out again. Most companies count on re-ferrals and pass out brochures door-to-door, trying to gain cus-tomers. Sears Lawn & Leaf, a new lawn care operation, is allowed space in the brochure the main Sears sales office sends to all its customers. This advises 
all Sears customers of new ser-vices available to them. Hoff Corporation sends notices with its landscape contract renewals 
stating that it now offers chemi-cal spraying alone or together with landscaping services. Bob Houschel, Chem-Lawn, says "Our biggest advertisement 
is our happy customer. He sells the program for us." Most of Chem-Lawn's business is from referrals, although they also put 
out many brochures. Bob Parmley, Tempo 21, has done some television advertis-ing. "I don't think it works out," he says. "It's so hard to measure, except that you keep your name out there. Most of our marketing has been with brochure, word-of-mouth and our trucks them-selves." The large truck with the com-pany name on it is almost like a traveling billboard. Sears' name, for example, is 12 feet long across the side of their stepvan, 
making it highly visible. Results are naturally also very important with such high 
visibility. Most Chicago lawn care businessmen reason that if they are out there spraying a well-manicured lawn that is lush and thick, anyone who sees the truck there will automatically associate that company with the 
results and perhaps become a new customer. Tom Mudloff, Liqui-Green of Glenview, thinks that service is the big advantage his particular franchise offers. He and his part-ner, Bruce Safbom, have about 
300 customers this year and hope to have about 1,000 in three or four years. "It's limited only by how much time and effort you 
want to pump into the busi-ness," says Tom, "and if you've got the capital to put into adver-tising, there's no limit to the amount of customers you can get if you provide service. You could put solid gold products on the lawn, but without service you'll never keep them." There are 11 Liqui-Green franchises in Chicago right now with about 20 trucks and 8,000 customers. Each one has defi-nite boundaries within which to operate. Tom's franchise, for ex-
ample, covers North Ave. north 
to Wisconsin, and from the Tri-State Freeway east to Lake Michigan. Liqui-Green has a dealers association in the Chicago area that meets about once every two months to discuss common prac-tices and problems. Almost all of the products, as the company name suggests, are liquid. Since the liquid has a 90-day residual, only three sprayings are needed per year. Tom also uses weed 
control in spring and fall. To avoid risk of damage and to be 
flexible to spray for weeds al-
most anywhere, the applications are done separately. They use a Cracking the country's toughest lawn care market In between a ham-and-egg breakfast and a chili dog lunch, 
you can see a good percentage of Rick White's Village Green Lawn Spraying customers as he drives 
around giving estimates and 
keeping appointments. No matter what you are talk-ing about, you can expect him to point out every lawn he takes 
care of with "that's one of ours," or "just sprayed that one, looks real good, doesn't it?" He started his business five years ago in DuPage County about 20 miles west of Chicago. He has seen it grow from the 150 
lawns he cared for personally at the end of the first season to what it is now Š five employ-ees, six trucks, 2,200 lawns and a $230,000 annual gross. "When I started out in this business my only goals were not to have to go out and look for business and to make a comfort-able living," he said. He does not have to knock on as many doors now as when he first started. But then again he doesn't have as many experi-ences like the one he had while making a sales call in suburban Oakbrook, an exclusive Chicago suburb. While walking up the drive-way, the owner of the home Š dressed in a black business suit 
and carrying a bulging briefcase Š was hurrying out the door. White started to explain the benefits of his lawn care pro-gram, but was cut short when the homeowner said he had to catch a flight to Saudi Arabia to close a 
business deal. Before White could continue his sales pitch, the man crossed the street to a vacant lot. As he did that, a helicopter landed in the lot and swooped him off to a waiting private plane at O'Hare International Airport. White came back later and got the business when the owner of the home was in less of a hurry. Saudi Arabian oil deals are not the only problem White 
comes up against. As he drives through development after development, he keeps saying, "is that one sold too?" as he sees realtor signs on many of the lawns he cares for. "There are as many moving vans as there are my spray trucks in some of these developments," he says as he makes a notation to call on the new homeowner. But in five short years, the blond, 31-year-old White has made a name for himself in the Chicago lawn care market, one 
he calls the most competitive in the country. He backs up his point by saying there are 12 lawn 
care companies servicing sub-urban Naperville alone, one of his biggest markets. But he is concerned pri-marily with the poor compe-tition. "The general image of lawn care companies is bad," he says. "We have companies in this area doing things like recommending a fungicide application for brown grass caused simply by a neighboring dog. "If this kind of thing keeps up, it will get to the point where some sort of state regulations will have to be passed for lawn care companies, similar to those 
for tree care companies." He said many small lawn care companies are jumping into the Rick White began his Village Green lawn care operation five years ago and has built it into 2,200 customers and a $230,000 annual gross. mk^ . TYPICAL CHICAGO LAWN CARE PRICING Chem-Lawn $20/5000 sq. ft. application 4 application/year Llqul-Green $100-125/6000 sq. ft. Total 3 applications a year Tempo 21 $110/8000 sq. ft. for 4 total applications adds $2.50/1000 sq. ft. application Sears Lawn & Leaf $31.25/10,000 sq. ft. application ($125/ year) (4 applications) Barefoot Grass Lawn Service $21.88/4000 sq. ft. application Village Green Lawn Spraying $32/10,000 sq. ft. application 4 applications a year surfactant with the herbicide to control drift. Parmley of Tempo 21 has his trucks set up to run either liquid or dry. This way, he can take 
care of any conditions that might come up. The products are blended in the morning for the particular conditions that exist that day. Barefoot Grass Lawn Service uses Scott's products exclusive-ly. They offer a program of four 
basic sprayings per year, which includes fertilizer, weed con-trol, and insecticide. They also have a deluxe program where five applications are available, 
and applications of fungicide are made in early spring and late fall to help control and reduce dis-eases as part of the normal pro-gram. Larry and Suzie Hopper run this branch themselves. They are 
planning to open one, perhaps two, more branches next year. Suzie feels that the deluxe pro-gram with standard applications of fungicide is a plus for their or-ganization. "It's something that's a little bit different that has helped us 
this year, because most of the 
other companies don't have it," 
she said. She and her husband have about 425 customers and two vans. "With it being the first year, we try to kick down on any overhead costs, mostly because 
we use all Scott's products and Scott's products cost more than to page 18 Occupancy characteristics of dwelling units in the Chicago standard metropolitan statistical: All Dwelling Units Owner Units Rental Units County House-House-House-County Vacancy hold hold hold Number Rate Size Number Size Number Size Cook County 1,854,251 4.8 3.1 853,221 3.5 981,127 2.6 City of Chicago 1,208,327 5.8 2.9 398,830 3.4 794,802 2.7 Suburban Cook 645,924 2.7 3.3 454,391 3.6 186,325 2.2 DuPage County 142,386 4.3 3.6 109,587 3.8 31,432 2.7 Kane County 77,028 3.1 3.3 50,191 3.5 26,083 2.8 Lake County 108,156 4.8 3.4 73,755 3.6 31,896 3.0 McHenry County 34,647 4.5 3.4 25,395 3.4 8,310 3.0 Will County 73,367 3.8 3.4 51,913 3.6 20,512 2.9 Income characteristics of the Chicago standard metropolitan area: Percent of families earning: Less than $7,000-$10,000-$15,000 County $7,000 9,999 14,999 or more Cook County 21.9 17.1 30.4 30.6 City of Chicago 28.8 19.6 28.3 23.3 Suburban Cook 11.4 13.4 33.4 41.8 DuPage County 8.6 11.4 33.7 46.2 Kane County 15.9 18.2 37.0 28.9 Lake County 16.1 15.0 30.6 38.4 McHenry County 18.7 16.5 34.8 30.0 Will County 15.8 18.8 37.0 28.4 business with no training. "And 
some of the bigger ones are delivering poor workmanship and undercutting established prices by skimping on mate-
rials," he said. The philosophy of his lawn care business is this: "I deter-mine how I can do the job best and then charge accordingly. 
Many companies figure out how they can first get the job at what-
ever price they can, and then 
adapt their materials accord-ingly." White schedules four spray applications a year for most of 
his customers. His basic rate is 
$32 per 10,000 square feet. The first application is applied from about the last week in March to 
May 15. It usually consists of a tank mix of Dacthal crabgrass preemerge and IBDU slow-release fertilizer along with a soluble fertilizer. From the end of May until about July 15 he sprays his 
customers the second time with a tank mix of Trimec herbicide and a lighter fertilizer applica-tion of nitrogen to supplement his heavier spring and fall applications. From the middle of July until about the end of August he 
comes in with another light White checks one of his customer's lawns for insect or disease problems. fertilizer application. He sprays his fourth applica-tion in September and October with a tank mix of herbicide and IBDU fertilizer. He uses this fertilizer in heavy rain periods of spring and 
fall because the nitrogen will not leach out. Also, the fall applica-tion keeps the lawn green until the snow flies and is still avail-able to the lawn for quick spring green-up. This is the first year he has used slow-release fertilizers and the results have been good, according to White. Among the benefits he has found is the low salt index and less of a problem with nitrogen loss through leaching. Also, tank mixes take less volume because the water is used simply as a carrier for the fertilizer. Thus, his sprayers can get more lawns out of each tank, a savings in effi-ciency. He feels he has to stress quality service in addition to the use of quality materials. His White estimates many of Villas jj u lip with calculator in hand. . . aee Green's lawn care jobs himself, here stepping off the square footage of a focal Ford dealership 3 jol °ff. prices are higher, but he feels he can justify them because of his highly personalized service. This might not seem like a big point, but consider what many of the larger companies do. There are three segments to a large lawn care company Š 
management and office staff, the 
salesmen/estimators and the sprayers. Although all three seg-ments communicate, they are working towards different goals at times. The salesmen are interested primarily in getting as many commissions as possible off as 
many customers as possible. To do this, a salesman might mea-
sure a 9,000 or 10,000 square foot lawn out at 7,000 square feet. The 
price is obviously lower and may induce the lawn owner to change companies. When the sprayer gets to the job, he is primarily concerned with getting the lawn sprayed as quickly as possible. Unless there is a big discrepancy in the mea-
sured lawn and how much chemical he puts on, it is unlikely he will say anything about it. The end result is that manage-ment has to start cutting use of quality materials and quantities 
per application to realize a worthwhile profit. The home-owner suffers in the long run. "Making money in this busi-ness has to do with economies of 
scale, like buying in volume," White says, "but it can work against you too. A big company can sometimes be only a post of-fice box number to some home-owners. Many like to feel they are getting more personal ser-vice than that." He and his salesman leave their business cards after they quote a job or make a call, so when the customer calls back he has a name to ask for. He also has the history of each lawn he has cared for on file and can refer to it if there are any problems. Other examples of 
his service are that he speaks at 
homeowners' association meet-ings about lawn care for free and 
another little thing he calls his "competitive edge." This is simply the line Š or edge Š he and his sprayers leave at the end of a customer's prop-erty when spraying. They take special care to make as straight a spray line as possible to show the difference between a treated lawn and a non-treated lawn. After a couple weeks when the lawn begins to green up, this marked difference makes the to page 18 Chicago most others. So we run the office from our house and avoid the big overhead of big offices and warehouses." Chem-Lawn's basic program is fertilization. It then adds weed and insect control, if necessary. Hoff Corporation has been in the landscape business for 20 years. It just branched into chemical lawn care this year 
upon popular customer demand. It services about 100 customers, 90 percent of them home lawns, with one truck. Its lawn program consists of four applications per year. The first is fertilizer plus preemergent crabgrass killer; the second and third are fertil-
izer, plus broadleaf weed con-trol; and the fourth is fertilizer. It will eventually expand, but right now are looking just to keep one truck busy. Sears sprays its customers' lawns with custom equipment set 
up in a step-van. Except for one wire to the truck battery, the equipment unit is independent and easily removed for service. The spray equipment in the back of one of the step vans used by Sears Lawn & Leaf. Tempo 21, of Wheeling, Illinois, another of the more successful Chicago-area lawn care companies. John Cragie, vice president of marketing for Sears Lawn & Leaf. Sears' president, Larry Ship-ow, prefers the low pressure, high volume method of spraying to avoid drift. The concentrate is kept separate and mixed with water just before it enters the spray gun. "We avoid any waste this way," emphasizes Shipow. Their program is also four feedings per year, and they will spray insecticide and fungicide, if needed or desired. One problem that seems to be a major concern of most com-panies in the Chicago area is the prevalence of Merion Kentucky bluegrass. Several years ago, Merion was the recommended variety of Kentucky bluegrass. Since then, it has shown an in-creasing susceptibility to major lawn diseases. Again it is a prob-lem of customer education. Most homeowners have had the ad-vantages of planting their lawns to Merion drilled into them and Customer contact and follow-up is one of the strong points of the Village Green operation. When he beean, White sprayea all of his lawns, now just a small percentage. Village Green from page 17 customer feel good and often leads to new business. He handles this extra busi-ness with five full-time employ-ees including himself. His three sprayers receive a $9,000 base 
salary and also are part of an in-centive program that can in-crease their wages almost $1,000 annually. He figures his sprayers can average about $400 worth of 
lawns sprayed per day, and the incentives are based on this figure. There is a catch though. If 
they don't make their quota, they have to pay him. He reasons that this plan keeps his sprayers on their toes. He also pays his sprayers and salesman over the winter, the reason for which is simple. Most 
of his employees have been with him for at least three years, and 
he feels it is necessary to pay them in this fasion to keep them. He also feels this longevity is a plus in his favor compared to his competition. To capitalize on this, he is having work shirt patches prepared for next year that has the name of his em-
ployee and also the number of years with Village Green. This year has been the first White has hired a full-time sales-man, a 54-year-old employee from a competing lawn care com-pany. "I was giving less and less ser-vice to my customers, because I 
just did not have the time any-more," he said. "But this guy has the time to be persistent, is on 
the phone all evening and does good follow-up work on esti-mates, something I had less time to do." His expansion speaks well for a person who started in the lawn 
care business as a helper for Liqui-Green of Peoria, Illinois. 
He liked the job so much he decided on a horticulture degree 
at the University of Illinois and worked lawn care in the sum-mers. Five years ago he decided to break away from the Liqui-
Green organization and set upon 
Chicago as the best place to make a living at it. He and his wife quit teaching jobs and moved to Glen Ellyn, Illinois, where he still taught for two years while he got the busi-
ness off to a running start. And now he is big enough to begin thinking about franchis-ing. What would he look for in a prospective franchisee? First, he would have to be adequately financed. White esti-
mates a man would need over $25,000 to buy a pick-up truck with a spray unit and a tank truck for fertilizer spraying, in addi-
tion to other start-up costs. "The beauty of this business is that a one-man operation can make a living and be very successful and comfortable," he said. The second thing he will look for is an "extra-stable mar-riage," and will insist on selling the program to both a franchisee and his wife at the same time. He 
realizes when a man is in busi-ness for himself there is pres-sure to come home early from work on occasion. "But in the first year of busi-ness, you work almost all the time," he said. "You have to just keep thinking that you can rest when the snow starts to fly/* But no matter how big Rick White's Village Green business 
gets or how many franchises he secures, one gets the feeling it will never get so big that he doesn't have a lot to say about what goes on with every step of the operation. m ( continue to ask for it. Therefore, the sod producers continue to produce it to please the consum-er. Another problem that goes along with this is the clay soil around the Chicago area. Much of the sod being produced is grown on muck, harvested and brought into the area, and laid 
directly over the clay. The roots 
never have a chance to develop. The effect is like laying a carpet over cement. Close to quitting time one Wednesday not too long ago, he realized one of his customers 
needed an insecticide applica-tion and that he might not get it done the next day because of a 
predicted rain. All of his sprayers were out, so he loaded the spray tank in his pick-up, and drove the 20 miles to do the minimum cost job. When he got to the job, even an inexperienced observer could pick out the fact that White knows his business from the spray nozzles to the record books. One could tell this by the way he sectioned out the large, 
wooded lot into areas as he sprayed so that he would not hit an area twice; by the way he 
picked up the 300-foot-long hose at key points in its length so it would not drag over shrubs and other property when he was fin-ished; and by the way he rolled the full length of the hose back onto the reel back and forth in rows with ease. And as he eased back onto the driver's seat of his pick-up he said: "You know, I think people are really beginning to realize how 
important this lawn care busi-
ness really is. Golf courses and other commercial turf areas are 
fine, but there just aren't as 
many golf courses as there are home lawns. "I think you are beginning to see advertising of the large com-panies reflect this and even uni-versity research is now being done to meet the needs of the home lawn applicator. "I think we are at the point now where the potential is start-
ing to break through and I am really glad to be part of it." Turf disease is a problem across the country and Chicago is getting its share. Fusarium is al-ways a problem to treat, and striped smut is increasing. Helminthosporium leaf spot is 
prevalent, too. The biggest drawback Chicago lawn care companies see in treating disease is the ex-pense of chemicals and the fact that even though a company may spray two or three times, there is no guarantee the disease will be stopped. Usually the disease has already caused damage before it is noticed, or the damage is the 
reason it is noticed. The only way the damage can be cured is by physical replacement, either with sod or overseeding. Many companies will spray fungicides, but more often pre-fer to tell the customer what he can get and apply the spray him-self. Sears will put on two appli-cations of fungicide for about $125. If that doesn't work, they'll give it a third application free. If that doesn't work, "Then, we've given it our best shot, and that's all we can do," says Larry Ship-ow, president. Liqui-Green of Glenview will spray fungicide for $10-13/1,000 square feet, depending on the amount of chemical needed. Tom 
Mudloff sees striped smut and Fusarium as the most prevalent diseases he sprays. Insects are also a problem for the Chicago companies. "We're starting to see insects which two 
years ago we'd never seen," ac-cording to one chemical applica-tor. We've had real sod web-worm problems in this area this year," adds another, "as chinch-
bugs are moving in real nicely up here were I was told they never used to be." The Chicago market, with its seemingly prolific abundance of lawn care companies, is nowhere 
near saturated. "It'll be at least 20 years before it is," states one company official. The majority of Chicago lawn care companies 
agree and look toward unlimited growth as they establish them-selves firmly throughout the area. M V Wfele making less sizeland money) do _— a lot more have capacity they never use. And a size ^^^^ ^M that can get its own way. Not Yanmar, ^^^ ^ Each compact Yanmar diesel ^^ ^^ Ž tractor has enough flat-torque power for all groundkeeping activities, but never more than you can use. Because more than enough is more than you can afford. Yanmar gives you standard 2-speed PTO, 3-point rear hitch and the ability to precisely accommodate over 100 optional tools and implements. Four-wheel drive is available. You can even transport one in a light truck. Our diesel engines are specially designed for tractor use. To run with absolute dependability year after year. With minimum maintenance care. And much less over-all expense. Big performance in a small, highly mobile package. From the people who pioneered the world's first com-pact diesel. Y/INMAIV TRACTOR DIESEL TRACTOR YANMAR DIESEL ENGINE CO.,LTD. 1-11-1, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku. Tokyo, Japan Cable: YANMAR TOKYO Telex: 0222-2310,0222-4733 Sol« Importer in U.S.: Mitsui & Co. (USA) Inc. 28th Floor, Time-Life Bldg. 303 East Ohio St.. Chicago III. 60611 Tel. 312-670-3388 Territory & Distributor: Ohio. Pa, N.J., Mar. W. Ve. Del/C.A. McDade Co. Inc. Tel. 412-372-5530 Va/Richmond Power Tel. 804-355-7831 N.C., Tenn(ea«t)/North State Tractor Co. Inc. Tel. 919-621-0855 S.C.. Oa. Fla, Ala/Lovett and Tharpe Co. Tel. 912-272-3500 Mich/Decker & Co. Inc. Tel. 517-321-7231 la. Wis. III. Mo. Ind/John Fayhee & Sons, Inc. Tel. 309-775-3317 Ark, Miss(north). Tenn(west), Ky(wast)/Capital Equipment Co. Tel. 501-847-3057 La. Mi«(south)/S & S Distributing Co. Tel. 504-343-5734 Minn, N. Dak. S. Dak. Mont(east)/Sunset Equipment Co. Tel. 612-483-4551 Colo. Wyo, Kan. Neb. Ut/Byco Sales Ltd. Tel. 303-358-8700 Tex. Okla. N. Mex/Becknell Wholesale Co. Tel. 806-747-3201 Wash, Oreg. Alk/Sunset North West Tel. 206-455-5640 Calif. Nev, Arii, Hi. Guam, Ida, Mont<west)/Gearmore Inc. Tel. 415-653-2493. 213-442-2131 Conn. Me, Mass. N.H., R.I.. Vt/Crandall-Hicks Co. 
Tel. 617-485-6300 CANADA: Ontario/Acklands Limited, Consumer Products Div. Manitoba/H.C. Paul Limited British Columbia/ McLennan, McFeely & Prior, Ltd. Circle 110 on free information card INSURANCE MARKETING IDEA FILE How to improve lawns growing in shade Growing grass in the shade is a perennial problem for many homeowners. Here are some tips you can give to your customers from University of Delaware extension turf specialist Dr. William H. Mitchell. Lawn grasses need at least three to four hours of direct sun, or all day filtered sunlight. An exception to this is a loca-tion such as the north side of a building where they will thrive in the absence of any direct sun, provided they get direct, unshaded skylight. Cool moist conditions plus the sky-light radiation actually result in excellent grass growth. Inadequate sunlight isn't the only hindrance to good grass growth in shade. Since grass in shade is more succulent and has a more delicate structure, it is more prone to injury from disease, wear, drought and insects. The shade environment is cooler and more humid, which favors disease. At the same time, the soil is likely to be drier because shrubs and tree roots compete with the grass for moisture Š and usually win 
out. There are a number of things you can do to improve the growth of grass in shade. First, consider pruning or trimming trees and shrubs to let in more light. This will also improve air circulation Š another plus in helping to reduce disease. It's best to prune deciduous trees when they're dormant. Do the job gradually, over a period of years, to allow them to make the adjustment without adverse effects. The best time 
for pruning evergreens is late spring or early summer after new growth is complete. Another way to deal with the problem is to plant shade tolerant grasses. Creeping red fescue is the best choice because it is not only shade tolerant but it tolerates the dryer 
soil conditions prevalent under trees. For moist shade, rough 
bluegrass will do well. If the shade is not too dense, improved perennial ryegrasses such as Manhattan or Pennfine may be blended with the red fescue. Shade tolerant Kentucky blue-grasses such as A-34 and Glade may also be used, but creep-ing red fescue should make up at least 50 percent of the mix-ture, says Mitchell. Once the grass has become established, favor it by cutting it less frequently and one half to an inch higher than the rest of the lawn. This permits development of greater leaf surface to make better use of available light. In deeply shaded areas that get below 25 percent sunlight, none of the present turfgrasses will survive. In this case the extension specialist recommends solving the problem with a ground cover such as myrtle, English ivy, pachysandra or periwinkle. The insurance needs you may have missed After detailing the kind of complete insurance policy a 
lawn care specialist should pur-
chase, an agent for a company in southern Ohio described the types of coverage which many companies offer. It contained far less protection than the model policy, and in some instances, 
didn't provide protection against the hazards of basic jobs per-formed by applicators. "The first one I described was a Rolls Royce," the agent said. "What he gets is a Chevy. Admit-tedly, it's less than what he needs." The agent's frankness should alert lawn care firms of any size 
about the potential financial loss they could incur if a customer suffers property damage or bodily injury. A person working part-time attempting to build his business should realize that many insur-ance firms require you to pay the 
first $500 for any incident of 
property damage. The insurance companies say they can't afford to pay for the number of nickel-and-dime claims they'd receive without this deductible amount. There are also pitfalls for the medium and large established firms. If a lawn care business-man receives a surge of cus-tomers and agreed to hire an-other firm temporarily, he may need Independent Contractors or Owners and Contractors Pro-tective coverage. This will pro-
tect the lawn care businessman if his subcontractor damages the customer's lawn or applies For customer satisfaction, for priced-right formulas and top service, it's Pro-Lawn for your turf food requirements Go and grow with the source that helps you assure customer satisfaction, Pro-Lawn Products. Whether you prefer standard Pro-Lawn priced-right dry and water soluble formulations or want realistic quotations on your own formulas, under your own label, Pro-Lawn is the one to call. Consider these four reasons why: 
Ł Major production facilities throughout the Northeast. Pro-Lawn is a part of one of the nation's leading producers of mixed fertilizers. Ł Nationally recognized quality control laboratories. Ł Complete line of field-proven formula-tions available. Also both liquid and ammoniated dry turf foods. Ł Customer production and packaging available to your specification. For complete details and quotations on your requirements, call or write 
C. W. Dinsmore, 315-477-6112, Pro-Lawn Products Inc., 
Box 4908, Syracuse, . New York 13221 prolawn chemicals which cause injury. Lawn care firms, except pos-sibly for one-man, part-time operations, certainly need insur-ance on their equipment and any buildings. Laws in each state govern the amount of money that must be contributed for work-men's compensation. But there are a number of other types of insurance to consider, espe-cially the liability on your work and products. A number of insur-
ance policies which deal with special situations are also avail-able. Insurance policies for the lawn care specialist provide Scheduled or Comprehensive General liability. The latter covers any operation or piece of 
equipment that the businessman 
uses, but many insurance compa-
nies will not provide this type of coverage. Instead, they will protect you for specific jobs and uses of your equipment. Scheduled liability 
also requires the lawn care ow-
ner to tell the insurance com-
pany about any change in his 
operation, such as the use of a new fungicide during mainte-nance work. Most companies will not cover losses for dam-ages not spelled out in the policy. The premium for both types of liability is based on the kinds 
of jobs and size of the payroll. 
Since no employer can accu-rately predict how much he will pay in wages, the policy is audited at the end of each year. If the payroll is less than what was predicted, the lawn care ow-
ner receives a refund. Unfor-tunately, the premium will be adjusted to a higher amount if the payroll surpasses the esti-mate. Most policies also contain clauses, known as "exclusions," 
which list instances where the insurance company won't pay for damages. Almost all insurance firms consider it vital to include the "Care, Custody and Control" clause, meaning they will not pay for damages to a customer's property caused on the job. The insurance, however, will provide protection if, for in-stance, a liquid chemical sprayed on a customer's lawn 
damages a neighbor's property. This is because the lawn care specialist did not have care, cus-tody or control over the neigh-bor's property. One agent, however, said this particular part of the policy "might be known as a fine point exclusion." This means some 
agents don't explain this aspect when the policy is signed, the 
lawn care businessman may not 
know about this point until it is too late. Policies that cover a custom-er's property often include a clause requiring the lawn care owner to pay up to $500 each time he causes any damage. The insurance firm pays for any costs more than this deductible amount. Insurance companies feel this clause protects them from 
novices who could easily make a mistake. "Mainly, we want them to be careful and consci-entious/' says an agent. Like automobile policies, those lawn care owners who do not file a property damage claim 
after a number of years receive a lower rate than beginners. Ł * * Coverage for possible dam-ages caused by products applied to lawns can also be obtained by the businessman. This is usually referred to as Completed Prod-ucts or Premises-Operations 
coverage and would provide insurance if chemicals sprayed 
on a lawn caused damage sev-eral months after it was applied. "It includes products cover-age from the time you finish a job and into the future," said William Standen of Standen-Goodman Insurance in Elyria, Ohio. Standen says he has no problem approving this type of coverage since the two small, 
part-time firms he insures face "very small" hazards. Mark Greene, professor of insurance at the University of Georgia, gives another insight into the chances of obtaining products 
coverage: "Insurers don't view it 
as being especially serious for 
the applier. People who suffer 
damages usually go after the 
manufactuer." There are a number of types of coverage that may apply to 
different sized firms at different times. One is a type that was referred to earlier, the Inde-pendent Contractors or Owners 
and Contractors Protective coverage for firms who hire a subcontractor to perform a job. The lawn care operator should make certain his subcon-tractor has the insurance cover-age needed if the latter does 
cause damage to a customer's property. Many states require a 
certification of insurance, so you 
can ask to see it and also ask his insurance company to give you a 10-day notice if they decide to cancel his insurance. You only need this extra insurance if your subcontractor 
is not insured. If the subcon-tractor would damage one of your customer's lawns, this Inde-pendent Contractors insurance would relieve you of any liability. Another special kind of insur-ance which may become more popular in the future is called Contractual Liability. A lawn care owner may be asked by a 
materials supplier to assume 
liability for any defect in the 
product being bought. There hasn't been much trouble obtain-ing this insurance so far, pri-
marily because suppliers haven't asked lawn care firms to risk applying a product that the insur-
ance firms won't cover. The lawn care owner should give consideration to one more type of insurance coverage. If you have an irascible employee who might run a mower over a 
customer's petunia bed or even assault someone, you could get socked with a bill or lawsuit. You can purchase personal injury 
policies which include "self-
insured retention" clauses, 
meaning the lawn care owner still pays 10 percent of any dam-ages. Again, this is the insurance company's method of encourag-
ing the lawn care specialist to 
maintain control over the effi-ciency and reliability of his operation. Š Scott Scredon Cut the cost of expensive horsepower and expensive manpower. Bolens® HT-20 Tractor. Jobs too small for big specialized equipment can add up to a punishing expense in manpower. Hauling. Mowing. Tilling. Grading. Loading. Trenching. Backfilling. The intermediate size Bolens HT-20 Tractor can cut that expense by quickly adapting to over a dozen custom matched attachments including mower, tiller, bucket loader, back hoe, rakes, blades and brooms. The foot operated hydrostatic transmission goes from forward to reverse without clutching or changing gears. Perfect for close-quarters work. Allows optimum power/speed combinations with hands free to operate hydraulics. More than just a lawn and garden tractor, the HT-20 is powered by a 19.9 hp twin cylinder Kohler engine. The channeled steel frame, massive rear axle/differential and heavy duty front axle give a full day's work. Day after day. Get more value from your big horsepower and expensive manpower. With the rugged HT-20. It fits right in-between. To save money on both ends. Rich Anda (left), regional agronomist for Chem-Lawn Co., recently presented a $2,500 check to Dr. Robert C. Shearman, extension turfgrass specialist at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. The check was presented at the second an-nual turfgrass field day at Nebraska University's field laboratory near Mead. The money will be used for researching the effects of repeated applications of pesticides on turf. Bolens Mulching Mowers.M They cut the grass and the workload. In one pass. When a Bolens Mulching Mower cuts the grass, it also cuts and recuts the clippings into tiny particles that are blown down into the turf. There, they disappear and quickly decompose. No clippings. No clean-up. No thatch build-up. The fine mulch actually feeds the turf while the crew moves on to other jobs.* 3, 4 and 5 hp models are specially built for commercial and institutional use. Straight-thru steel axles, rugged all-steel deck, tough one-piece handle and positive cutting height adjustment. Bolens Mulching Mowers. Tough, economical answers to your continuing turf maintenance program. *For a free copy of a University study on nitrogen return, contact FMC Corporation, Port Washington, Wisconsin 53074. See the complete line of Bolens commercial power equipment at your nearest dealer. For his name and address, call 800-447-4700 toll-free anytime (in Illinois, call 800-322-4400). FMC Corporation, Port Washington, Wis. 53074. -FMC Consumer Products Circle 113 on free information card MANAGEMENT Developing an assistant demands work, skill Although your lawn care business may not be large enough yet, there might come a time when you need to hire an assistant to handle the press of your growing business. Developing an assistant is one of the most challenging jobs an administrator can have. When the trainee takes over a top-level 
position he probably will adhere to the good business practices he learned on the job. Developing an assistant is hard work, requiring careful at-tention to details and explana-
tions while yielding an enormous amount of confidence in and responsibility to the trainee. Here are a few items that may 
help in attempting to develop an assistant: Give him the facts. Only by being informed about his respon-
sibilities and authorities can an assistant get a clear picture of what he is to do and how he 
should do it. A job description Highland Colonial Bent offers a nifty balance of quality & economy Highland is the "old reliable" of bentgrass ... the proven performer. The quality of this fine-bladed beauty never varies . . . and the price is always right. While is does well under a wide variety of condi-tions, Highland is at its best where the weather is relatively moist with occasional rain or drizzle. It also flourishes downwind from bodies of water or in moun-tainous regions where low clouds, nightly fogs and mists are a feature. Not only is Highland's price always very competi-tive, it has the additional bentgrass advantage of some 6 million seeds per pound. This means the buyer has a seed of high quality which offers far more potential grass plants per pound than most fine varieties. Thus, it's economical two ways. Write for our free grass seed cost calculator which shows you instantly the true comparative costs of various grass seeds. Highland Bentgrass Commission Dept. I Ł 2111 Front. St. N.E., Suite One Ł Salem, Oregon 97303 Circle 123 on free information card should be developed to give a trainee some guidelines. Person-ally introduce the assistant to those with whom he will be working. Smooth his path. Request em-ployees who work with your 
assistant to cooperate with him. Inform everyone of the duties he will be performing Š then im-press upon him the importance of earning the respect and con-fidence of these employees. Share knowledge. You must keep the assistant informed of 
your plans, your progress and 
your reasons for making each 
move. If you expect him to do a good job, you must share your knowledge with your assistant. Warn him of problem areas and see that he learns the ins and outs of working with the people working for you. Neglecting to provide background information keeps the assistant in the dark and prevents him from perform-ing to the best of his ability as well as makes him look bad in the eyes of those with whom he must work. Add responsibility gradually. Let the assistant get a feel for his job. Then gradually give him ad-ditional small doses of responsi-
bility. By working in this fashion he will gradually absorb ad-ditional knowledge and pick up those qualities that make a manager competent. Hold a loose rein. An assis-tant who is constantly being checked on gets the feeling he is not trusted and this retards his growth as a manager. Let loose and give your assistant a free rein Š let him make decisions 
and learn by his mistakes. You don't want a trainee to lose his initiative; but keeping him under your finger can snuff out any 
spark or flame of initiative. Give him authority. Give your assistant a task and tell him to get the job done and to come to you only if he sees problems or some-thing is out of line. Encourage him to bring one or more sug-gested solutions to any problems he may bring you. Instead of giv-ing him answers to problems, guide him to making the correct decision. Remember that you are in control. Delegate responsibility and authority but remember that you are in control. Check regularly on assignments given to 
your assistant. Avoid checking details; emphasize the overall job. Everyone does a job differ-ently. If your assistant produces results but does it in a different 
manner than you, don't nag him about his methods. GCSAA Forefront. MONEYWISE Use expensive fungicides very wisely The high cost of fungicides usually prohibits utilizing them to prevent turf disease, but a small amount of each kind should be kept in stock to stop the spread of fungus or spol-iation, recommends Dr. Roger Funk, director of research at Davey Lanwscape Service in Kent, Ohio. "Contact" fungicides, such as Actidione, Daconil 2787 or Tersan LSR, will stop disease on the leaf, stem and thatch. The latter is particularly important since it is the breeding area for fungi, Dr. Funk says. After it is applied, the contact fungicide will help elimi-nate disease for about seven days. It does not combat the dis-ease which spreads to new turf. "It must be recognized that it (contact fungicides) stays where it's put," said Dr. Funk. Rain also shortens the amount of time the fungicide will eradicate turf disease. The second class of fungicides, termed "systemic," over-come some faults of the contact group. They last longer (14-20 days), work to eliminate disease on new growth and are less diluted by environmental conditions. The systemic fungicides, which include Tersan 1991, Top-sin E and Topsin M, can be drenched into the soil to pene-trate the turf's root system. The lawn care specialist who wants to improve his chances to solve a fungus problem will pay more by purchas-ing a systemic fungicide. A check with three Greater Cleve-
land lawn and garden centers found that 2-16 bags of sys-temic brands sold for between $11-19 more than popular con-
tact fungicides of the same weight. Dr. Funk also pointed out that certain turf diseases can only be controlled with one kind of fungicide. Pythium and all Helminthosporium diseases must be stopped with contact solutions, but Fusarium and stripe smut need systemic chemi-cals. Dollar spot and brown patch can be squelched with ei-ther fungicide, he said. The lawn care specialist should also realize that diseases can eventually resist the same fungicide after numerous applications. The contact and systemic compounds should be alternated, Dr. Funk says, if any disease requires more than one application. mmmm Lets get down to grass facts! Average business increase 25% 1976 vs. 1975. More than 8,000 businesses have emerged Š almost over night Š to serve the wants and needs of the 45 million home owners in the residential turf and ornamental market. Last year these businesses served over 4 million accounts, produced $1.25 billion in receipts and a 25% growth. These facts make it clear that chemical lawn care and maintenance services are booming businesses today... and have just scratched the surface of the huge residential market. If you've Housing starts on the upswing in 1977. been trying to sell this emerging service industry, we don't have to tell you how difficult it's been to reach. Now at last there is a magazine that delivers this exclusive audience. Now for the first time you can communicate with this growth market. Now you can match your message to the market. L4WN GIRE INDUSTRY A Harvest business publication. lawn care...the growingest market TURF DISEASE Now is the time for control of pink and grey snow mold The moist conditions brought on by fall, melting snow in win-ter and early spring rains can bring on disease problems for the lawn care specialist Š Fusarium patch, or pink snow mold, and Typhula blight, or grey snow mold. Fusarium patch occurs during moist fall conditions, under melt-ing snow or during winter or early spring rains. While snow is not actually essential for Fu-sarium patch, melting snow does provide ideal conditions for dis-ease development. Moisture riŠr-Š -s As A Pro... you know! YOUR CUSTOMERS DEMAND THE FINEST! Why do more & more pros get? QUALITY RESULTS WITH LOWER APPLICATION COSTS ara FOFL PROFESSIONAL LAWNCARE 30-5-10 1 % IRON 4.5% WIN 4.0% SULPHUR GROCARE* special formula fertilizers contain SULPHUR COATED UREA for long lasting nitrogen feeding and IRON to encourage healthy root growth. Also available as 20 5 10 and 12 10 18 40 lb. bags. GR0-CARE* DACTHAL PLUS 20-5-10 is a highly effective pre-emergence weed pre venter for excellent control of crabgrass and 24 other tough weeds. Other GR0 CARE® pre emergence weed preventers contain 20 5 10 with BALAN® . 
40 lb. bags. (BALAN® Is a registered trademark) of Elanco Products) FOFL PROFESSIONAL LAWN CARE DACTHAL-» Granules with 20-5-10 1 % IRON 3% WIN 2 *% SULPHUR FOR PROFESSIONAL LAWN CARE dursban* INSECTICIDE with 38-0-0 6% WIN 45% SULPHUR GR0 CARET DURSBAN insecticide with 38-0-0 is an effective insect control with a long lasting nitrogen 
to feed the lawn. 40 lb. 
bags. (DURSBAN* is a registered trademark of Dow Chemical Corp ) Ask about liquid DACAMINE' weed killer, DACONATE8 AND DACONIL 2787" (DACAMINE* DACONATE* . and DACONIL 2787* are registered trademarks of Diamond Shamrock Corporation ) COMPARE PRICES & TERMS AVAILABLE IN 25 STATES Get toKnow... A division of HERITAGE HOUSE PRODUCTS CORP P0 Box 219. Medina. Ohio 44256 ^ ft copyright HERITAGE HOUSE Products Corp 1977 J seems essential for its growth. When the fungus is active, it appears as a ring of whitish and pink mycelium surrounding an inner ring of greying, dying grass with the center appearing as orangish-yellow spots of dead grass. Mycelium is the vege-tative part of a fungus. Most bentgrasses and some fescues and bluegrasses, Poa annua in particular, are affected by Fusarium patch. It is a com-mon problem on bermuda-grasses. Fusarium patch, in the field, may be distinguished from Typhula blight by the pink color of the mycelial growth and the absence of the brown sclerotia characteristic of the Typhula 
blight pathogen. Sclerotia are hardened fungal bodies. The disease generally occurs in late fall, winter or early spring in shady wet areas where snow melts slowly. However, under the right conditions of high humidity and 32-45° F. air tem-perature, it may occur at any time. It is prompted by damp autumn, snow falling on un-frozen ground, deep snow, a pro-
longed wet spring, high nitrogen 
fertilization in late fall, and tall matted grass. High nitrogen levels going into winter increase the severity of the disease while high potas-sium levels tend to reduce it. The increased proneness to disease resulting from potassium 
deficiency is associated with an 
excessive accumulation of nitro-gen and carbohydrates which provide favorable media for 
pathogen activity, according to Dr. James B. Beard in Turfgrass: Science and Culture. Potassium deficiency also creates a thin 
delicate cell wall which is easily 
crushed during mowing and pro-vides ideal penetration sites for the fungus. Changes in the composition of the cell sap enhance pathogen activity, as does resulting reduced plant vigor. Wounds produced at the leaf tips during mowing often serve as major avenues for pene-tration of fungal pathogens. Dis-charges from the wounds form 
droplets containing nutrients that enhance spore germination and mycelial growth. Spore dis-semination is also facilitated by mowing, particularly when 
mowed in early morning. Cultural control of Fusarium patch includes avoiding late fall fertilization. The turfgrass should not go into winter growing at a fast rate. Thatch accumula-tion should be controlled and good surface drainage provided. 
The turf should be mowed at the proper height until all growth ceases in the fall. Chemical control consists of a preventative program. Approved chemicals should be applied before the first heavy snowfall or 
cold, wet weather and repeated during any midwinter thaw. Some chemicals include benomyl, mercuries, cadmiums, PMA, Daconil and chloroneb. Be 
sure that the chemical is labeled 
for control of Fusarium patch and that you use it as the label 
indicates. Typhula blight, also known as grey snow mold, snow scald or winter scald, occurs under much the same enivronmental con-ditions as Fusarium patch. It is often found complexed with Fusarium in areas where the dark under a snow cover pro-vides conditions for its growth. In early stages of the disease, straw colored spots a few inches across appear. As it continues, these spots grow together and form large kill areas. A greyish white mycelium may be found around the outer edge of the in-
fections, and as the infection 
becomes older the straw color changes to greyish white. The chief diagnostic aid for Typhula blight is the presence of sclerotia imbedded in the leaves and crown of infected turfgrass. They may range in size from that of an ordinary pinhead to 3/16-inch diamter. Shape is egg-shaped to round with a rough regular outline. They first appear as light brown, turning darker as the season progresses. Sclerotia is the means by which the pathogen survives the warm summer months until con-ditions prompt their germina-tion. Typhula iotana the causal organism, becomes active under a blanket of snow. The longer the cover remains, the more turf is 
apt to be found damaged after a thaw. Expansion of the disease can be especially rapid if the ground under the snow is wet and the soil is frozen preventing drainage. Typhula produces the most damage at 32-41° F. but can survive temperatures as low as -9° F. It generally occurs in the northern third of the United 
States. Typhula is most damaging to bentgrass but also affects red 
fescue, tall fescue, ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass. Astoria colonial bentgrass has shown a moderate resistance, but is very susceptible to brown patch. Con-gressional creeping bentgrass has shown resistance, Smaragd 
has good resistance, but Seaside is very susceptible. Poa annua is also highly susceptible. Baron Kentucky bluegrass is listed as having some resistance. Thatch is associated with an increased incidence of Typhula blight, providing an ideal micro-
environment and medium for the 
causal organism's development. Thatch also reduces the effectiveness of fungicides. While granular formulations of fungicides used for foliar disease 
control are generally inferior to sprays since coverage of the above ground plant parts is poor, they have been effective on parasites such as Typhula iotana, that are active in the thatch layer. Cultural control of Typhula blight is the same as for Fusarium patch. Chemicals 
should be applied before the first heavy snow or cold, drizzly 
weather and repeated during any midwinter thaw. Some 
chemicals that have been sug-gested are cadmium, chloroneb, Dyrene, mercurials and calcium propyl arsenate. It has been noted by Dr. John Madison in his Practical Turf-grass Management that a nitro-gen fertilization program should include enough nitrogen to keep dollar spot low as the weather 
cools off in the fall, but by the time the snow flies nitrogen should be at a low level. Hypro sprayer 
pumps Choose from a wide range of pump designs and materials to suit your requirements: cast-iron, Ni-Resist and bronze pump housings... even nickel plating on piston pumps. PISTON PUMPS ROLLER PUMPS Choice of rubber or nylon rollers Series 7560C 8-Rollers 10 gpm at 200 psi with 4 hp engine Write for a FREE Sprayer Pump Handbook A division of Lear Siegler. Inc. 347 Fifth Ave NW, St. Paul. Minn. 55112 Series 5400 4-Cylinder 25 gpm output at 600 psi Series 5200 Big Twin 10 gpm output at 400 psi with 6 hp engine Series 6500 5 Rollers 7.6 gpm at 100 psi 6 gpm at 200 psi 4 hp gas engine TECHNIQUES Renovation can cure customer's weak lawn Across the country, many turf areas have suffered from the harsh environmental conditions experienced this past summer. The heat and drought have taken their toll on many Ken-tucky bluegrass and tall fescue lawns. Many of these turf areas have been drastically thinned out. Helminthosporium has also caused considerable thinning of Kentucky bluegrass and red fescue lawns. Other diseases and insects have caused dead patches or thin, weak turf. Renovation can be the cure for many of these problems your 
lawn care customer may be fac-ing, according to Charles H. Dar-rah, extension turf specialist at the University of Maryland. The decision to renovate or re-establish is sometimes a diffi-
cult one. Re-establishment usu-ally means radical soil tillage, such as plowing, discing or roto-tilling to prepare a seedbed. 
Renovation, on the other hand, requires only minimal soil culti-vation to prepare a seedbed. Implements used for renovation of turf areas groove or slice the soil and cause minor disruption of the existing vegetation. There-fore if there are many weeds and little desirable turf present, re-
establishment will the best course of action. If, however, the turf is not too weedy and there is 30 to 50 percent or more desir-able turf present, renovation may prove to be the most satis-factory means of improving the turf. There are several factors to consider before renovation that 
will insure optimum results. If the area to be renovated is weedy, do not apply selective, post emergent broadleaf herbi-cides, like 2,4-D, silvex or di-camba. Applications of post emergent crabgrass herbicides, such as DSMA, MSMA or AMA, should also be avoided. If any of these herbicides have been ap-plied, it will be necessary to wait four to six weeks before seeding. The area to be renovated should be soil tested to correct any fertility or pH deficiencies. If time does not permit a soil test, 50 pounds per 1000 square feet of agricultural ground limestone or the equivalent amounts of hydrated or burnt lime should be applied. A fertilizer with a 1:2:1 or 1:2:2 ratio should be applied to provide approximately 2-3 pounds per 1000 square feet of P205. The lime and fertilizer can be applied before mechanical 
cultivation of the soil. Applica-
tion of the lime and fertilizer be-fore mechanical cultivation help work these materials into the 
soil. If a test strip across the turf area pulls up considerable thatch (two or more inches), it will be necessary to dethatch the entire area and remove the thatch material before applying lime and fertilizer. Another important con-sideration before renovation is the selection of seed. The species 
of grass seed chosen should be compatible with the desirable species already present. For example, tall fescue should not 
be seeded into an area that is predominantly Kentucky blue-grass. This usually leads to a clumpy, non-uniform turf. Ken-tucky bluegrass blends or Ken-
tucky bluegrass-red fescue mix-tures of recommended varieties should be used in areas which are predominantly Kentucky 
bluegrass or red fescue. Large areas of thin turf are best renovated using mechani-cal equipment such as dethatch-
ers, power rakes, verticutters, 
slicers, groovers or overseeders. These implements should be set to slice or groove the soil one-eighth to one-quarter inch deep. The seedbed can be prepared in smaller areas or dead patches by 
hand raking using a steel toothed rake or a dethatching rake. The objective with either the mechanical or hand methods is to prepare a seedbed where the seed will be in firm contact with the soil. Good seed-to-soil con-tact is essential for optimum seed germination. Once the seedbed is pre-pared, seed should be spread uniformly over the area to be renovated. For best results, the seed should be lightly raked in or one of the mechanical imple-ments passed over the seed in a direction perpendicular to the 
original grooving. Lightly roll or tamp the area to firm the soil and 
to achieve better seed-to-soil contact. A topdressing of one pound of nitrogen per 1000 square feet will help get the seed off to a good start. Keep the area moist and you can have your cus-tomer on to a denser, more vigor-ous turf. MEMOS Lawn reseeding procedure recommended If your customers' lawns suffer from thin areas and spots where there is no grass, reseeding by the verithinning proc-ess can be the solution to a more attractive lawn, according to Purdue turf research agronomist Ray Freeborg. "Small vertical thinning mowers for lawn use have solid blades or spring toothed tines placed vertically on an axis and usually the blades rotate counterclockwise," Freeborg said. The solid blades are best for overseeding, for these cut through existing vegetation (thatch or dead grass) into the surface soil. If the amount of dead grass or thatch on the surface is less than 3/»-inch, then the selected seed can be spread and fertil-izer applied. You should then work the site with the verti-thinner. Set the unit so that it will cut into the soil and mix the seed with the thatch, soil and fertilizer. If there is an excess layer of thatch on the surface Š 3A-inch or more, it should be removed, says Freeborg. This can be done by first using the vertithinner to loosen dead grass. Then follow with a rotary mower with a bag attachment, pick-ing up the loosened grass. Use this as a mulch or discard as desired. Once the excess thatch is removed, the seed should be spread. Apply a good lawn fertilizer after seeding. Then use the vertithinner again, running it over the area once more to work the seed into the loose surface soil and thtch. In this way, you sow the seed in a well prepared bed. Custom Designed Truck Units & Hose Reels Choice of tanks, size & material Tank mounted 1" from truck frame for low center of gravity. Mechanical or pressure agitation. Power rewind reels. Will build one piece or complete truck to your specification. CONSOLIDATED SERVICES 401 S. College St. Piqua, Ohio 45356 513-773-3109 Circle 129 on free information caro lBT3lB,theAiñBRonhi rounds up leaves and litter ADD PUNCH in lawn cleanup work to make tough jobs quick and easy. A small crew using Atwater Strong HEAVY DUTY COMMERCIAL BLOWER-SWEEPER can gather leaves, trash, litter, clippings faster than any other way! NEW! 16 Horsepower PULL-ALONG BLOWER IDEAL for towing behind work cart, pick-up truck, Jeep or tractor. Re-mote switch directs air blast left or right. Remote throttle controls 16 hp B&S engine. Blows 5700 cu. ft./min. at 180 m.p.h. WORKS like a "hand ful of hurricane" to blow lawns and paved surfaces clean every season of the year. Get facts on 7 models, 
3 to 45 hp available. MODEL 8K 16 SVL 'BIG JOB' LOADER ON-A-TRAILER packs dump truck full ot leaves in 25 minutes. Has 16 hp engine, 8" hose reaching 20 feet. Boom to swing hose available. BOX 68 LAmm fOUIHHlMT SMCt 194» OHIO 44201 211 / 947-2344 PêuA Turf Insecticide Giveé the added advantage,! Al Vil ^ ^ à 11.1 Mii/Aik Contains Dursban, DDVP and a wet-ting agent. Reaches down deep into the thatch. Controls sod webworms, ants, chinch bugs, crickets, cutworms, earwigs, grasshoppers and brown dog ticks. Southern Mill Creek PRODUCTS COMPANY,INC. P. O. BOX 1096 Ł TAMPA, FLORIDA 33601 Circle 124 on free information card TOOLS, TIPS & TECHNIQUES Verticut dethatchers compatible with turf Lawn maintenance owners in parts of the South and West may still have time to dethatch turf. Verticut dethatchers that burrow about Vfe-inch into the soil should be used, says Dr. Roger Funk of Davey Landscape Service in Kent, Ohio. Jacob-sen and Ryan are two manufacturers of this machine. Dr. Funk said other types of dethatchers that "scalp" the turf should not be used. "They open up the crown for drying. It puts the turf in tremendous physiological shock." Dethatching should be done before temperatures are con-sistently between 50 and 70 degrees and the soil is moist. These are the best conditions for turf growth and the grass 
needs ample time to grow before the soil hardens during winter. ^hatch reduces insecticide's effectiveness Thatch significantly decreases the effectiveness of insecti-cides to control soil-inhabiting pests, according to three 
researchers in Wooster, Ohio. And since the U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency has eliminated many of the chlorinated cyclodiene insecticides from the market, they also said that lawn care specialists will have to provide timely watering of organophosphates to insure effective con-trol. The three men, Kenneth O. Lawrence, an entomologist with the U.S. Agriculture Department, and entomology professors Harry D. Niemczyk and Harvey P. Krueger, say 
that if chlordane.is also removed, applicators will have use organophosphates such as Diazinon, chlorpyrifos, and tri-chlorfon. The major disadvantage of these short-term insecticides is their inability to move through thatch. Experiments in Ohio showed that granular Diazinon, applied at 5.5 to 6 pounds on V2-inch or more thatch gave 69 to 74 percent control for each active ingredient (Al/acre). Granular chlorpyrifos at 2 pounds Al/acre gave just 21 percent control and 4 pounds only 26 percent. Liquid Diazinon proved less effective than its granular component, giving 52 to 60 percent control, but liquid chlor-pyrifos was more than twice as effective as its granular form, showing 51 to 63 percent control. Tests showed that the insec-ticides were absorbed by the thatch and never reached its target. The reason, however, is a mystery. "Our knowledge concerning the specifics of insecticide movement through this dense mat of organic matter called thatch is almost non-existent. Much is known about the fac-tors related to movement of insecticides through soil, but not 
through thatch," the researchers said. The organophosphate insecticides, however, can better treat pests if large amounts of water are applied at specific periods. Since most manufacturers recommend 15-30 gallons of spray for each 1,000 square feet, an impractical amount for many lawn care applicators, the researchers suggested a viable alternative. "If less than the recommended volume of spray is applied, the treatment should be irrigated with Vfc-inch or more of water immediately after application. Sprays of these relatively short-lived insecticides should not be allowed to dry before irrigation is applied." They also recommended to spray the insecticides when the turf is wet. Two experimental insecticides which evade thatch may be ready for commercial use by spring, 1978. An organophos-phate being tested by the Ciba-Geigy Corp. and a carbamate 
by Fisons Corp. have been shown to control grubs. They will also need timely irrigation and are effective for short periods, the researchers concluded. MANAGEMENT Handling your mistake All people in business make mistakes. Though some are 
reluctant to admit to having done so, it is a fact of business life every lawn care operator must 
cope with at some time or another. Only one thing is more impor-tant than keeping mistakes to a minimum. That is how effec-tively each is handled once the error is recognized. Here are some proven short cuts toward not only keeping your own working mistakes at a minimum but also effectively handling them when they do oc-cur: Spot it quickly. Develop the knack of identifying such a mis-take immediately. The longer the results of the mistake remain the more difficult it will be to han-
dle. Mistakes tend to expand business damage with each day that goes by. The more time they continue to exist the more side effects develop. The latter also tend to compound themselves. Stay aware of your own potential to err. That reduces the number which will occur. It also sharpens capability to find a quick solution when one does get by. Handling mistakes becomes easier when no false illusions about one's self are present. Per-sonal attitude is of major impor-tance when a correction must be made. Ask others for help and do it right away. Things are less com-plicated then later on. Associates are also more willing to help at such a time. Naturally that request will produce most effectively when directed toward those involved with the procedure. More ap-plicable ideas may surface from them than if assistance is re-quested from non-involved peo-ple. Examine the why of what went wrong in depth. The more details available while handling even a small mistake the surer the solution will be a good one. Business mistakes occur in many cases because of lack of this depth in the original 
procedure. Make sure the same thing does not happen again. Blame yourself or no one. The problem seldom revolves around 
personalities, but rather pro-
cedures. Time spent affixing blame is wasted. If an individual does enter into the mistake to major extent handle it solely as a person-to-person matter. Avoid looking for the solution with quick short cuts. They often do more damage than a small 
delay in handling could exact. Get a proper perspective on it before you begin. Giving the small mistake major importance only makes solution more dif-ficult. Clean up the debris resulting from the original mistake 
immediately. That usually cuts down total damage involved. 
Such a clean-up also assures that nothing will remain to hamper speedy and efficient develop-ment of the new procedures. Avoid throwing out the good achievements with the bad ones. 
Check closely for the former. In-
corporate them wherever pos-sible into the new steps that are being taken. Their use could reduce the amount of damage 
from the mistake. Hold onto your confidence. Any business mistake tends to dim one's personal confidence a 
little. If a wrong assessment develops, handling even the small mistake can become a dif-ficult procedure. Be patient in working out details. The lack of this patience in original planning could have been a major contributor to the mistake. Be sure it doesn't hap-pen again. Take a little time, also, to an-ticipate what could possibly go wrong with the new procedure. Doing so may assure that a second mistake will not happen. Where quick action is a must try to develop a stop-gap pro-cedure that can hold things steady while you take time enough to handle the mistake carefully. Be sure to have checked any possible side effects of related 
procedures which could have 
contributed to the mishap. If one 
remains uncorrected it is likely the same thing will sabotage your new procedure. If applicable, handle the mis-take correction in two stages. The first should be designed to halt any further damage immedi-
ately and the second toward development of the new one. That provides a more leisurely approach to the latter. Don't apologize for the mis-take; even to yourself. Apologies are only necessary for deliberately wrong actions. 
Besides they do nothing toward finding the good solution to the problem. Look for no stupendous gains to counter whatever losses did occur; they will be difficult, 
if not impossible, to locate. Concentrate solely on handling it 
all with correction of whatever went wrong in the first place. The easy way may not be the best in handling any of your working mistakes But the sim-plest way could be preferable. 
Complications are often the ma-jor reasons for something going wrong in a business procedure. Look to new sources for cor-rective steps. Total reliance on the old ones could result in the need to do it all over again almost immediately. What did you overlook in the procedure that went wrong? That's a good question to ask as you begin handling any mistake. PRODUCTS Big trimmer/edger Model 1100 from The Toro Co. cuts a 12-inch swath trimming grass next to walls, fences, and other obstructions. Adjusted to vertical, it edges lawns along sidewalks and driveways. It has automatic line feed, activated by a light tap on the ground, which measures out the proper length of new line. A built-in cord lock won't let the extension cord come unplugged during use. Weight of the trimmer is just 5Va pounds. Circle 201 on free Information card Rotary mower A new twin-blade, 36-inch model rotary mower has been added to 
the Powermow line manufac-tured by F.D. Kees Mfg. Co. Designed for large residential and commercial grounds, the unit features an eleven horse-
power Briggs & Stratton synchro-balanced engine. For easy oper-ator handling, the mower fea-tures fingertip brake and power turning control levers on each handle. The mower's sleek deck design and individual drum-type wheel brakes allow the operator positive maneuverability for mowing in close quarters. Circle 202 on free information card Kill hard-to-kill weeds Velsicol Chemical Corp. now of-fers Provel herbicide, a combi-nation of Banvel and 2,4-D herbi-cides. Its use is registered on lawn and other turf for control of chickweed, clover, dandelions, 
poison ivy, yarrow, and other broadleaf weeds. One pint in 
solution treats 5,000 square feet. Circle 203 on free Information card Shredder/grinders New shredder/grinder models manufactured by Lindig feature an extra large wood chipper unit that is factory installed. Circle 204 on free information card New mulching mower The Bolens mulching mower line for 1978 includes a 20-inch model with a 3V2-horsepower four-cycle engine and all of the standard features of the line: all-steel con-<tt struction, "click-lock" adjust-able wheels set back for easy trimming, and a handle that folds 
down for easy transporting from job to job. FMC Corp. is the manufacturer. Circle 205 on free information card Vibratory plow The new VP 12 vibratory plow, manufactured by Ditch Witch permits installation of cable, 
conduit and plastic water sprin-kler lines with minimal damage to turf. Circle 206 on free information card E.E BURLINGHAM & SONS Build your reputation for beautiful turf even under low maintenance... PLANT Kentucky BliiQgrass A newcomer to the ranks of low maintenance Kentucky bluegrasses...one we're glad to stake our reputation on. And you will, too. Because Birka has consistently proven its ability to maintain attractive appearance under low maintenance programs throughout eight years of testing at research stations in the U.S. and Canada. If mildew or other common turfgrass diseases are a prob-lem in your turf areas, Birka is a wise choice. It's ideal for golf courses, home lawns, athletic fields, any area which demands a combination of hardiness and good looks. You won't have to pamper Birka. Yet if you do, it will re-
ward you with even better performance. Birka greens up early in the spring and keeps its dark green color late into fall. Its narrow leaves, excellent creeping ability and dense growth provide a beautiful turf even under heavy use. Birka is a turfgrass that can build your reputation. It's building ours! E. F. Burlingham & Sons, P. O. Box 217, Forest Grove, OR 97116. Phone: (503) 357-2141; Telex: 36-0274; Cable: Burlingham. Why TERSAN fungicides give you Lawn LEAF SPOT (Helminthosporium spp.) on bluegrass. Ł r'.* Ł Ł Ł ; . . , í Ł .4. ** Ł Ł / | LEAF SPOT on bentgrass (melting-out stage). a» . RUST (Puccinia graminis) on 
bluegrass. TERSAN LSR Turf Fungicide controls Leaf Spot and Rust. It is also effective against Large Brown Patch. TERSAN a LSR DOLLAR SPOT (Sclerotinia homoeocarpa) on bentgrass. LARGE BROWN PATCH (Rhizoctonia solani). KBP£1 FUSARIUM BLIGHT (Fusarium roseum and Fusarium tricinctum). TERSAN 1991 and TERSAN 75 effectively control Dollar Spot and Large Brown Patch. TERSAN 1991 
controls Fusarium Blight. *In order to help reduce the possible development of. tolerant strains of dollar sp>ot it is recommended that TERSAN 1991 be used in conjunction with TERSAN 75 or another suitable contact fungicide. , USANTS TERSAN mÊ^Êmm H 1991 ^ ~ TYPHULA BLIGHT or Gray Snow Mold (Typhula itoana). TYPHULA BLIGHT or Gray Snow Mold, close-up view. PYTHIUM BLIGHT or Cottony Blight (Pythium spp.). TERSAN SP 
provides outstanding 
control of both Typhula Blight and Pythium Blight. TERSAN El SP JMMUm I r^r^^/c^res^sars Disease Protection. You're faced with a lot more than one or two lawn disease problems. That's why you need the DuPont TERSAN program. It gives you protection against just about every disease you will ever encounter. But you get more than proven, effective control with the TERSAN program. You get economical control as well. You use just the treatment that works on a given problem. There's no waste. No extra expense. You pay only for the specific treatment to control a specific disease. And it's more effective. Because you zero in with prescription precision on specific diseases. You use one right treatment applied at the right rate at the right time to achieve the most 
effective control. So, if you want to keep your customers' lawns greener for less money, use the TERSAN lawn disease control program. It's the best way to obtain protection against most lawn disease problems. With any chemical, follow labeling instructions and warnings carefully. Lawn Products us p»t atm off PRODUCTS Feed lawn, control pests Fertilizer Plus Insecticide III is a complete, high-analysis granu-lar fertilizer for dry application on all types of turfgrass. It also contains Dursban insecticide to stop turf damage by sod web-worms, chinchbugs, cutworms, earwigs, grasshoppers, and sev-
eral other insects. It is a product of the ProTurf Div., O. M. Scott & Sons. Circle 207 on free information card Soil test kit A chemistry background is not needed to perform your own soil tests using a self-contained Soil Test Laboratory developed by Hach Chemical Co. The kit con-tains simple step-by-step instruc-tions, and the chemical reagents used in the tests are packaged in safe, unit-dose powder pillows. 
The kit can test for ammonia nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, phos-phorus, potassium, pH and lime 
requirements. All chemicals (enough to perform each test 50 times) and necessary apparatus are packed in a durable, black plastic carrying case which weighs just 15 pounds. The kit is battery-powered, and a battery eliminator is also provided for a.c. operation. Circle 208 on free information card Water-cooled engine option Jacobsen Manufacturing Co.'s 72-inch Out Front Commercial riding mower is now available 
with an optional water-cooled engine offering increased life 
expectancy. The engine runs 
cooler, the water jacket quiets 
the engine noise, and the ab-sence of air ducts makes mainte-nance easier. The mower has rear steering and a front-mounted cutter deck. Circle 209 on free information card Home lawn aerator Aeri-Boy, Jr. is a simple, in-expensive, pull-behind aerifier which attaches easily to a riding lawnmower. Just flip the draw-bar over to transport it. The manufacturer: Hahn, Inc. Circle 210 on free information card Multipurpose sprayer A 30-gallon sprayer for liquids, water-soluble chemicals, or wet-table powders is available from Engineering Products Co. for its 
Economy Power King and Jim Dandy tractors. A 48-inch spray 
pattern delivers 31 to 54 gallons of solution per acre at 20 to 60 pounds pressure. Included are a 100-pound pump, pressure gauge, tree spray nozzle, and a four-nozzle spray boom. Circle 211 on free information card Mower motor oil Flymo Products Co. now offers Flymoil, an oil blended espe-cially for use in Flymo air cushion lawnmowers and other two-cycle engines. It comes in a 5-ounce can, the exact amount 
recommended to mix with a gallon of gas. Packaging includes clear instructions. Circle 212 on free information card Power blower The Winro BL-52 provides an efficient, fast method of clearing turf and pavement of debris Š or 
of removing accumulated leaves from hard-to-reach flower beds. Power comes from a 5-horse-power Briggs & Stratton engine. 
Other features: an eight-blade 
fan, self-contained carrying grip, and handle-top throttle. Product of Billy Goat Industries. Circle 213 on free information card R-IOOgal MFG. INC. Tuflex Manufacturing Co. . . . specialists in pest control fiberglass spray tanks. Economical prices with high quality handcrafted workmanship. Many other tank sizes available from stock. PC-1200 gal CONTROL PESTS... WEED... FERTILIZE D-200 gal . 100 UNIT INTRODUCES 9 THE NEW MODEL PC 200 Cap. 208 gal. 64" Long, 31-3/8" 1 Wide and 27" Deep. De-signed for installation forward of the wheel wells in a standard size pick-up truck and meeting EPA standards. Plant Location: 800 Eller Drive. Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale, Florida lwAUm—Lii< U 600 gal U-200 gal THE LARGEST FIBERGLASS "PEST CONTROL" SPRAY TANK MANUFACTURER IN THE SOUTHEAST THE Tuflex Manufacturing process allows a five year warranty on all tanks. Write today to TUFLEX MFG. CO., Box 13143, Port Everglades, Florida 33316 C-500 gal M 305/525-BBI5 C 200 gal FOR MICKEY MANTLE AND WHITEY FORD, KENTUCKY Ł BLUEGRASS (U.S. Plant Patent No. 3150) IS "A WHOLE NEW BALL GAME" Ł i Photography at McGOVERN SOD FARMS, Melville, N.Y. RATED OUTSTANDING FOR OVERALL PERFORMANCE ... IN YEARS OF UNIVERSITY TESTING ...IN ACTUAL USE BY PEOPLE WHO KNOW GREAT GRASS, GROW GREAT GRASS and DEMAND GREAT GRASS. Nowadays it's more golf than baseball but Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford know great grass. Whatever the game, "Adelphi" is the answer for them and 
it may be for you. Ł DARKER GREEN COLOR THE ENTIRE GROWING SEASON Ł EXCELLENT DENSITY Ł GOOD DISEASE RESISTANCE Ł TOLERANCE TO MODERATELY CLOSE MOWING JOIN THE "ADELPHI" TEAM. IT'S "A WHOLE NEW BALL GAME" IN TURF. "ADELPHI" HAS BEEN CHOSEN by the Plant Variety Protection Office, U.S.D.A., AS A STANDARD FOR DARK GREEN COLOR to which all bluegrasses applying for plant protection will be compared for color classification. (Use of this statement does not indicate any approval or recommendation of Adelphi by the U.S.D.A.) FOR INFORMATION, CONTACT J & L ADIKES, Inc. Jamaica, N.Y. 11423 JONATHAN GREEN & SONS Farmingdale, N.J. 07727 NORTHRUP, KING & CO., Inc. Minneapolis, Minn. 55413 VAUGHAN-JACKLIN CORP. Bound Brook, N.J. 08805 Ł Downers Grove, III. 60515 Spokane, Wa. 99213 Canadian Inquiries: National-NK Seeds Ltd., Box 485, Kitchener, Ont. Ł Rothwell Seeds Ltd., Box 511, Lindsay, Ont. Other International Inquiries: Northrup, King & Co., Inc., Minneapolis, Minn. 55413 \ Jà PRODUCTS Spray tanks From 65 gallons on up, Raven Industries, Inc. offers corrosion-resistant tanks that are easily mounted on any type of rig used in custom lawn and park spray-ing. Tanks are available up to lt-000 gallon capacity. Circle 216 on free information card CLASSIFIED HELP WANTED POSITIONS OPEN Persons with horticultural, entomology end agronomy backgrounds or related practical ex-perience to fill positions in Chemical Lawn Care Management. Several openings for Branch Managers and District Managers throughout Florida. We are a growth company (over $3,000,000 annually) with aggressive but realistic expansion plans. Send resume (held in confidence) to: Ron Collins, Pres. R. W. Collins, Inc. P.O. Box 2477 Satellite Beach, Fla 32937 Lawn care chemicals A full line of lawn care products is offered by PBI-Gordon Corp. Š including chemicals to con-trol broadleaf weeds, grasses, dollar spot, funguses, Fusarium blight, water loss, and other problems. Circle 217 on free information card Bagging lawn tractor Garden Pro, Inc. calls this its Bagger-Upper. It's an 11-horse-power lawn tractor with a 38-LK inch cutting blade, a baffled ejection chute, and a device that blows clippings directly into a plastic disposal bag. Circle 218 on free information card DIRECT MAIL FR0MPAGEI ventional sizes, the classification case called for height to length ratios which fall between 1 to 1.3 and 1 to 2.5. A nearly square envelope, for instance, is cumbersome to han-dle with mail processing machinery because it has four possible bottom and top edges. In addition to height and length, there will also be a mini-mum thickness for mailing pieces. Prohibited next year will be cards and other thin mailing pieces which are less than seven-thousandths (.007) of an inch thick. This is slightly less than the .009 thickness of the official U.S. Postal Card. The problem with flimsy cards and other mailing pieces is that they can jam machinery and lead to the tearing of other mail passing through processing machinery at high speeds. Incidentally, because the pre-sent U.S. Postal Card is one-fourth of an inch short in terms of height, the Postal Service will be coming out with a new Postal Card measuring 3V2 by 5V2 
inches. There is one exception to the minimum sizes. If a small piece of mail, such as a film mailer, is more than one-fourth of an inch thick, it will be accepted although it may measure less than 3V2 by 5 inches. Such mail-ings will be subject to a sur-charge if weighing less than one ounce as first-class mail or two ounces as third class. Film mailers and other items more than one-fourth of an inch thick will be acceptable because their thickness makes it possible to mechanically separate them from letters and cards. The changes coming for the dimensional standards of letter-size mail call for advance plan-ning. It takes time to exhaust ex-
isting stocks. It is time, too, to meet with en-velope and printing suppliers. In most cases they will be familiar with the new dimensional stand-ards. They can help design en-velopes, forms, and cards which will meet both the needs of 
customers and the new mail-ability standards scheduled to become effective April 15, 1978. A template, prepared by the Postal Service, which illustrates the dimensional standards that are not acceptable and those sub-ject to the surcharge, is avail-able from the American Associa-tion of Nurserymen, 230 Southern Building, Washington, D.C. 20005. APPLICATORS from page 1 sey, Ohio, and Missouri said they will certify between 800 and 1,-000 persons. Legislatures in Nebraska, Colorado, and Massachusetts 
have not passed laws enabling them to enact the EPA's regula-
tions. Many states which have this legal authority, however, have not yet actually certified any commercial applicators or are just beginning their training 
programs or exams. Four states with approved EPA plans have not certified 
anyone and at least five others, 
including some large states, have not completed testing. The fed-eral government does not plan to penalize states which are "work-ing in good faith," but want them to complete their testing by early 1978. "It (the testing) should not ex-tend past January 1," said An-
drew Cerake of the EPA's office of pesticide programs in Wash-ington. "That's when restricted use pesticides will begin ap-pearing on the market." If there has been a flaw in the certification program, it would 
be in the number of persons who 
have failed the tests on their first attempt. Only 93 of 215 appli-
cants passed the first set of tests in California, and while 996 have 
passed in Pennsylvania, another 243 have not. Although the federal govern-ment has dished out more than $16 million over the past four years and anticipates giving about $2.2 million more this fis-
cal year to set up training and testing programs in the 10 pesti-
cide categories, no state official expressed disappointment with 
test results. "The failure rate is not too ex-tremely high. The test is a learn-ing device rather than a mea-
sure of competence," said Dwight Dunbar of the Illinois pesticide program. No state refuses to allow an applicant the chance to retake the exam until they pass, with a short waiting period after three failures being the most restric-tive measure. Explains an Iowa official: "It's pretty hard to deny the public to keep on trying." ŠScott Scredon FERTILIZER SLO-RELEASE LIQUID FERTILIZER Turf can now be fed with a sustained release of nutrient from a convenient liquid fertilizer without the hazard of burning. New, effective, and safe, Slo-
Release is now available for bulk shipment in 12-0-0 and 10-3-3 analyses. 'LIQUID 'NEUTRAL pH 'COMPETITIVELY PRICED ŁPATENTED 'COMPATIBLE WITH TURF CHEMICALS Call or Write Slo-Release, Inc. A (804) 458-0090 P.O. Box 1270 Hopewell, Va. 23860 SPRAYERS Whether your needs are for weed control, lawn insect or fungicide spraying, ornamental and shade tree spraying, or any general out-door work, we have the exact sprayer you require. Our reinforced fiberglass low profile tanks are available in the following sizes: 50, 100, split 100 (2 x 50), 200 and split 200 (2 x 100) gallon sizes. The reinforced fiberglass tanks are a low profile square design to minimize space, look attractive, and reduce chemical sloshing that you get in higher round style tanks. These tank sizes can be incorporated into many varieties of sprayers using Hypro, Bean, Cat or Sherwood pumps, either electric or gasoline powered. All our spray units come complete with tank, pump unit, welded steel chassis and hose reel, either skid or trailer mount. P.O. BOX 124 AMITYVIUE, NEW YORK 11701 516-799-7805 Circle 128 on free information card Rely on the experts to supply your every need for positive chemical control of major diseases, insects and pests. Over 20 years of experience WE SUPPLY: TRIMECŠBroadleaf Herbicide DYMEC 50ŠTurf fungicide TOPEC 70ŠSystemic fungicide Ornamental, Turf FORMEL 80ŠFungicide for Turf, Ornamentals. DIAZINON 50WŠInsecticide 
DURSBAN 2EŠInsecticide BANVEL 4-SŠHerbicide BANVEL +2, 4-DŠHerbicide Professional Turf & Ornamental Products Division 3622 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas 66102 Circle 130 on free information card HOUSING MARKET from page 1 forecasted 22 million more U.S. households by 1985. In addition to new business available, side effects of the housing boom will benefit the lawn care industry. The cost of land has risen faster than con-struction costs to the point that a lot often represents 25 percent of the total cost of a home. For this reason it makes sense for the homeowner to protect his invest-ment in a lawn by proper care. Another factor, brought about by higher housing costs, is the growth of the two-income family. 
To afford their dream home a family must often break with the wife at home tradition. The 
result is less time for home-
owners to do necessary chores and more hiring out of standard maintenance services. An unusual, but growing fac-tor in home buying, is the num-ber of divorced or unmarried persons buying single homes. Remarried men often find them-selves paying for two homes. Barriers to Face The boom is not without chal-lenges. Rising utility costs, soar-ing labor and materials costs, higher taxes, and a tightening CHEM-LAWN'S DUKE from page 1 kered with small businesses for a 
few years, running a nursery, their own landscape firm and two garden stores in the small Ohio cities of Troy and Piqua. In the middle and late 1960's, Duke experimented with liquid appli-cations, spraying nitrogen and Dick Duke then planting granular nutri-ents. In 1968, he, his father, and a 
friend, Tom Grapner, now a com-
pany vice president, decided to 
establish a lawn care business 
and rented in office in Troy to set 
up their headquarters. money market may dampen the 
prospects of some smaller builders. Congress is currently debating deregulation of natural gas prices. All-electric homes in the North can cost $125 a month 
to heat. Heating oil prices jum-ped significantly in 1977. Builders pass on to buyers in-creased labor and materials costs. The Council on Wage and Price Stability of the Department of Housing and Urban Develop-ment is presently investigating sharp increases in the price of 
lumber. Insulation prices rose approximately 15 percent this summer. Union labor contracts keep the hourly wage on a steady upswing. In some areas, 
developers are turning to non-
union workers to keep the price of their homes down. Taxes have doubled in some areas this year because of reassessment by smart county 
auditors taking advantage of in-flation. Annual property taxes of $1,000 for a small, single-family 
home are not unusual. Finally, the Federal Reserve System is studying an increase in the interest rate on Federal funds to 6V2 percent from 6V4 percent earlier this year. Com-
mercial banks across the country have raised their prime interest Duke's hometown of Dayton, and its suburbs, were the testing grounds for his idea that home-owners would pay for profes-sionally-treated lawn care ser-
vice at a reasonable price. The business did well enough that Duke expanded to Columbus in 1969 and Cincinnati, Toledo, Indianapolis and Louisville the next year. The growth in this dec-ade has sprouted 72 branch of-
fices throughout the country. In 1971, two significant moves were made by the founder. He moved the firm's national opera-tions center to Atlanta, expand-ing outside of the Midwest. And 
he offered company stock to em-
ployees, an action that company vice president William Cope-land says signified Duke's con-
cern for his workers. "The company is unusual in that he (Duke) was adamant about the total value of the in-
dividual,M said Copeland. "He spent his whole life trying to make it an exceptional place to work. He wanted each job to be a 
challenging job, a rewarding job." With the company well es-tablished, Duke took the posi-
tion of board chairman in 1972 and Jack Van Fossen was ap-pointed president at company headquarters in Columbus. The leisure life which Duke earned from his creative service lasted only a short time. He re-mained an overseer, but en-joyed tennis and was attracted to Hilton Head's climate and resort atmosphere. Copeland said there are no plans to fill the chairman's posi-tion. HOUSING START STATISTICS FROM NAHB Single Family Multi-Family Median Price Year Starts Starts Total Starts Single Family 1970 812,900 620,700 1,433,600 $26,600 1971 1,151,000 901,200 2,052,200 $28,300 1972 1,309,200 1,047,500 2,356,700 $30,500 1973 1,132,000 913,300 2,045,300 $35,500 1974 888,100 449,700 1,337,800 $38,900 1975 892,200 268,300 1,160,500 $42,600 1976 1,162,900 373,800 1,526,700 $48,000 1977 Projected 1,410,900 523,500 1,934,400 1978 Projected 1,222,100 471,800 1,693,900 1979 Projected 1,805,000 1980 Projected 1,910,000 1981 Projected 1,820,000 rates accordingly to 7V2 percent, 
with 8 percent possible this year. Mortgage rates are beginning to creep up to 9% and higher as a result. Banks are counteracting to higher mortgage rates with variable-rate mortgages and mortgages that permit young homeowners to start with a 
smaller monthly payment. Proposals for FHA lending guide-
lines would also allow buyers to make a smaller down payment. The Investment Motive Despite many outside factors working to limit the number of homes built, the investment motive dominates. Once a buyer gets his first house, he can use its rapidly inflating value toward a bigger house. Recent experience has shown that the first time buyer is no longer the new house buyer. Instead, he is forced to 
buy a smaller, older home until he builds up the equity for the 
new home. Builders aren't building the basic ranch either. Splits and colonials are the builders' 
choice. They build con-
dominiums to make up for the lack of simple new homes. The new home buyer, your new potential lawn care 
customer, is therefore in a higher income bracket, with a bigger and fancier house and yard, and with less time to take care of it. It couldn't look better. Š Bruce F. Shank Two For The Grow... From REINCO HG-8A Hydrograsser Versatility plus! Reinco's HG-8A Hydrograsser can handle any job. Rugged, heavy duty construction that gives extra mobility because of its tandem-axle trailer mount. 800 gallon capacity and 20 to 80 foot range for seeding, fertilizing or mulching. Spray batch in less than 15 minutes. Hydrojet agitation assures uniform solids dispersion for even coverage. It's a real time saver and money maker. TM7-30(X) Power Mulcher 1 Trailer mounted mulcher that spreads 5 tons of hay mulch per hour up to dis-tances of 70 feet. Full engine output is used for breaking and blowing mulch. Just two bearings. . .no belts; all the power works for you. Hardened flails are adjustable to regulate strand length. Straight-through drive with pre-thrasher lets you use lower quality or moldy materials. Full horizontal sweep and 
60° vertical boom movement. Emulsion or tacking spray system 
optional. Reinco's compact TM7-30(X) will give you a 5,000% advantage over hand-shaking. Two ways from REINCO to make your profits grow! P.O. Box 584 Plainfield New Jersey 07061 (201) 755-0921 Circle 108 on free information card BEHIND THIS ISSUE My name is Bob Earley and with this issue I become the editor of LAWN CARE INDUSTRY. I have reported for a daily newspaper, worked for an advertis-ing/public relations agency and edited five business magazines, including WEEDS TREES & TURF, THE GOLF SUPERIN-TENDENT and GOLF BUSINESS. But I have never been more excited than I am now as we at Harvest Publishing put this issue to bed and begin working on the next. And the next and the next, with a monthly dateline begin-ning the first of the year. This is a new magazine serving a dynamic, growing industry and I am thoroughly thrilled to be part of it. I'll be traveling and getting to know you well over the next few years, and with your help LAWN CARE INDUSTRY will be as good and as helpful to you as it can be. I have a feeling we are go-ing to go a long way together. As I said before, I'm excited. ADVERTISERS INDEX Adelphi Kentucky Bluegrass 31 American Pelletizing Corp 8 Atwater Strong 25 E.F. Burlingham & Sons 27 Consolidated Services 25 Derby Tiller Co 10 Diamond Shamrock Corp 5 DuPont 28-29 
Essco MfgCo 32 FMC Outdoor Power 21 Hanson Equipment Co 4 
Hercules, Ine 7 Heritage House Products 24 Highland Colonial Bentgrass 22 Hypro Div., Lear Siegler, Ine 24 International Spike, Ine 9 F.D. Kees Mfg. Co 6 Lakeshore Equipment & Supply Co 12 
Lofts Pedigreed Seed 36 
PCS, Ine 32 Pro Lawn Products 20 Reinco 33 Rockland Chemical Co 10 
Sierra Chemical Co 13 Southern Mill Creek 25 Swift Agricultural Chemicals Corp 34-35 Thomson Publications 4 Tuflex Mfg 30 Velsicol Chemical Corp 3 Yanmar Diesel Co. 19 11211° CX distributors (PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS Capitol Nursery Supply, Inc. Phoenix, Arizona 85005 602/272-5508 Swift Agricultural Chemicals Corp. Los Angeles, California 90023 213/264-5800 Foster-Gardner, Inc. Coachella, California 92236 714/398-6151 Foster-Gardner, Inc. Anaheim, California 92801 714/761-2521 Agri-Turf Supplies Santa Barbara, California 93101 805/963-3691 Abate-A-Weed Bakersfield, California 93308 805/589-0615 Robinson Fertilizer Company Orange, California 92666 714/538-3575 Wilbur-Ellis Company Chula Vista, California 92012 714/422-5321 Caceres Chemical Company Los Angeles, California 90046 213/876-1460 Moyer Chemical Company San Jose, California 95108 402/297-8088 Moyer Chemical Company Santa Ana, California 92707 714/549-2871 Agri-Chem, Inc. Ft. Lupton, Colorado 80621 303/288-4281 Avon Cider Mill Avon, Connecticut 06001 203/677-0343 Swift Agricultural Chemicals Corp. Winter Haven, Florida 33880 813/293-3147 McMu"an Feed Store Clearwater, Florida 33516 813/446-5961 Swift Agricultural Chemicals Corp. Pompano Beach, Florida 33060 305/772-5550 Swift Agricultural Chemicals Corp. Atlanta, Georgia 30304 
404/955-0774 Lawn & Turf, Inc. 
Conyers, Georgia 30207 404/483-4743 Swift Agricultural Chemicals Corp. East St. Louis, Illinois 62201 618/271-5650 Turf Products, Ltd. West Chicago, Illinois 60185 312/668-5537 Turf Management Supply Company Rockton, Illinois 61072 815/624-7578 Paariburg Chemical Company South Holland, Illinois 60473 312/474-3086 Olsen Distributing Company Barrington, Illinois 60010 312/381-9333 Professional Turf Specialties Bloomington, Illinois 61701 309/829-5031 Indiana Seed Company, Inc. Noblesville, Indiana 46060 317/773-5813 Deisch-Benham, Inc. D/B/A Desco Chemical Nappanee, Indiana 46550 219/773-7781 Chemi-Trol Chemical Company Indianapolis, Indiana 46225 317/634-7963 Seedkem, Inc. Evansville, Indiana 47708 812/424-2401 Tri-State Toro Company Davenport, Iowa 52802 319/326-4416 Leisur-Aid A Division of Aidex Corp. Council Bluffs, Iowa 51501 712/336-2441 Toro Service Center Des Moines, Iowa 50318 515/243-0498 Big Bear Equipment Company West Des Moines, Iowa 50318 515/243-1271 Champion Turf Equipment, Inc. Wichita, Kansas 67209 316/943-0283 Rhodes Chemical Co. Kansas City, Kansas 66103 913/432-2424 Swift Agricultural Chemicals Corp. Glen Burnie, Maryland 21061 301/760-5927 mm Cornell Chemical & Equipment Co, Inc. Baltimore, Maryland 21227 301/247-1525 Vaughan's Seed Company Div. of Vaughan - Jacklin Corp. Landover, Maryland 20785 
301/322-8800 R.F. Morse & Son Company Wareham, Massachusetts 02571 617/295-1553 L. & E. Chemical, Inc. Div. of Lawn Equipment Corp. Royal Oak, Michigan 48067 313/398/3636 J.J. Dill Company Kalamazoo, Michigan 49005 616/349-7755 Turf Supply Company St. Paul, Minnesota 55121 612/454-3106 Swift Agricultural Chemicals Corp. Jackson, Mississippi 39205 601/366-4401 Champion Turf Equipment Inc. Kansas City, Missouri 64114 816/333-8000 Champion Turf Equipment, Inc. Springfield, Missouri 65803 417/869-2551 Professional Turf Specialties St. Louis, Missouri 63155 314/225-7515 Big Bear Equipment, Inc. Omaha, Nebraska 68137 402/331-0200 Rhodes Chemical Company Lincoln, Nebraska 68507 402/466-8156 Clark County Wholesale Mercantile Las Vegas, Nevada 89101 702/382-7700 The Terre Company Saddle Brook, New Jersey 07662 201/843-6655 Vaughan's Seed Company Div. of Vaughan - Jacklin Corp. Bound Brook, New Jersey 08805 201/35G-4200 Wagner Seed Company, Inc. Farmingdale, New York 11735 516/293-2920 Eastern Turf Equipment Inc. Fayetteville, North Carolina 28301 919/483-0179 Swift Agricultural Chemicals Corp. Wilmington, North Carolina 28401 919/371-2216 Sidney L. Dryfoos Company Cleveland, Ohio 44146 216/439-4363 Van Atta Seed & Imp. Company Cincinnati, Ohio 45225 513/541-2051 C.O. Lowe Sales Columbus, Ohio 43229 614/891-9668 Lee Road Nursery, Inc. Cleveland, Ohio 44101 216/561-3786 Larry's Garden Center, Inc. Maple Heights, Ohio 44137 216/662-3884 Binding Stevens Seed Co. Tulsa, Oklahoma 74135 918/627-4480 Lawn & Golf Supply Co., Inc. Phoenixville, Pennsylvania 19460 215/933-5801 Allen's Seed Store, Inc. Slocum, Rhode Island 02877 401/294-2722 Bell Oil Company No. M^inl^Beach, So. Carolina 29582 Swift Agricultural Chemicals Corp. Columbia, South Carolina 29250 803/254-5189 Central South Turf Distributor, Inc. Nashville, Tennessee 37211 615/832-7725 Swift Agricultural Chemicals Corp. Houston, Texas 77002 712/682-6217 Turf & Garden Division of Todd Farm Equipment, Inc. Chesapeake, Virginia 23320 804/543-2071 Swift Agricultural Chemicals Corp. Vancouver, Washington 98660 206/696-3321 Turf Management Supply Company Sun Prairie, Wisconsin 53590 608/837-5598 Reinders Brothers Inc. Elm Grove, Wisconsin 53122 414/786-3300 li P fuir <® The Professional's Choice Every customer wants the very best fertilizers for their lawn. Why? Because today everyone is green conscious. With IBDU and PAR EX fertilizers, you can provide the most complete, balanced nutrition available for turf and ornamentals. Month after month, IBDU and PAR EX fertil-izers release just enough nutrients to keep turf and ornamentals green and hardy. IBDU, un-like all other slow release nitrogens, is acti-vated by soil moisture, not soil bacteria. It releases at an even, steady rate that can't be hurried or slowed by extremes in temperature. Precision mixed with other nutrients, gives you the best balanced fertilizer available today. Start your customers out with a nutrition program that includes IBDU and PAR EX fer-tilizers. Your customers will like the results. And you'll like the added green. Contact your PAR EX distributor or call us, 813/299-5023. liar ex IPROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS Swift Agricultural Chemicals Corporation Winter Haven, Florida 33880 Chiefs need tough grass! I picked baro n KENTUCKY BLUEGRASSe George Toma, Director of Field and Landscaping Operations, Kansas City Chiefs and Royals, and consultant for all Super Bowl games. "I need a grass that will withstand the wear and tear of forty big football players on it five days a week from August to December. With the toughness of Baron there are darn few worn out spots." George Toma explains to Peter Loft: "I overseed this practice field with 50 lbs. of Baron as early as February and the field is ready in April. We'll have good grass all the way through the season." "With the field in use so much of the time, I need a grass that doesn't need much care. In the 3 years this field 
has been in, I've never used a fungicide, insecticide or herbicide. That's a plus for me. I can only water maybe once a week and you can see how green this field is." "We fertilize well around Thanksgiving. With the lower fertilization require-ments of Baron, we don't have to worry about tender grass. Baron stays tough." it to "We mow whenever the grass needs it. That may be once, twice or even three times a week. We only remove lA of the growth and usually cut up until June 1. After that we keep it at 2"." LOFTS Lofts Pedigreed Seed, Inc. Bound Brook, NJ 08805 / (201) 356-8700 "The players love this field. They even replace their own divots! And I think psychologically they practice better when they see a beautiful field like this." Lofts/New York Albany, NY 12205 (518) 456-0042 Loft Kellogg Seed Milwaukee, Wl 53 (414) 276-037 Great Western Seed Co. Albany, OR 97321 (503) 926-2636 Circle 112 on free information card (Canadian Baron Dist.) Oseco L td. Ontario, Canada (416) 457-5080