COMPANIES Barefoot not a division of O.M. Scott & Sons Five - year - old, Columbus, Ohio-based Barefoot Grass Lawn Service, Inc., which is pumping big advertising dollars into Mid-west markets, is not a division of O.M. Scott & Sons, as many 
competing lawn care companies believe. What probably has led many in the industry to believe that 
Barefoot is affiliated with Scott's 
is the fact that company trucks and literature advertise the fact that it uses only Scott's dry, granular fertilizer. Company brochures also ad-vertise the fact that "the Bare-
foot Grass lawn specialist who will treat your lawn is a gradu-ate of Scott's Professional Turf Institute." Company president is 43-year-old Marvin Williams. He was a Scott's employe for 17 years before starting Barefoot in 1974. Williams told LAWN CARE INDUSTRY: "We use Scott's products because of my knowledge of the products. He notes that although his REGULATION Maryland decides that seeding not licensable The state of Maryland's Home Improvement Commis-sion has ruled that lawn care businessmen who apply seed to home lawns as part of their lawn care programs do not have to be licensed by that regulatory agency. Previous to the recent deci-sion, the Commission, headed by Thomas Emenizer, had taken the stance that since seeding adds 
value to a property, it came un-der the jurisdiction of the Commission. Also, lawn care businessmen who applied seed previously had to be licensed by 
the Commission. The decision was reached af-ter meetings between Emenizer company uses dry, granular fertilizers, it treats weeds with a spray formulation. The company has been advertising on prime television stations in Midwest markets, typically before the nightly news programs. The company has also 
been advertising in regional edi-tions of major national magazines. Barefoot Grass' mailer is an attractive green and yellow fold over with coupon. The piece tells how Scotts granular fertilizers, 
"the same used on champion-ship golf courses", and Scott's trained technicians make the difference between other lawn services. Individually tailored programs for home lawns as op-
posed to the sameness of liquid programs are stressed in the Barefoot Grass mailer. MARKETING Sears bows out of Chicago, but enters Cleveland market Citing lack of a "viable source arrangement," Sears, Roebuck & Co. has dropped out of the lawn care market in Chicago, leaving 
an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 
lawn care customers up for grabs 
in that market. At the same time, Sears has entered in a concession agree-ment with Horton's Nursery in Cleveland to provide lawn care to homeowners in that market. A Sears spokesman at the company's headquarters in 
downtown Chicago told LAWN CARE INDUSTRY: WWN ^r j^ll ^wÊ Serving lawn maintenance Ł MJÊK^Jmmm and chemical lawn ^^ ^^Fll | care professionals. INDUSTRY JUNE 1979 Ł VOL. 3, NO. 6 Ł A Harvest Publication and personnel from Maryland's Department of Agriculture, including Gus Day, chief of turf and seed programs. Maryland lawn care businessmen generally feel that the decision is a victory for them. Susan Miller, president of Super Lawns, Inc., Rockville, told LAWN CARE INDUSTRY: "We won. We felt that any governing of the lawn care in-dustry should be carried out by people familiar with the in-dustry. We were also worried 
about homeowners being able to come back to us three years after 
we seeded a'job, saying that we 
did a faulty job on their lawn/' QUICK STARTS Overzealous EPA investigators ... page 5 "Pulse reports" on lawn care buying ...page 5 Businessmen take on sod producers ...page 8 Chevron's Ortho expands into lawn care Expanding, cutting costs in Northwest business Dealing with your suppliers MEMOS 5 MEETING DATES 6 NEWSMAKERS 7 MONEYWISE 8 MARKETING IDEA FILE 10 TOOLS, TIPS & TECHNIQUES 27 COST CUTTINGS 28 PRODUCTS V288* Ifc LCI SURVEY 4 chemical applications is lawn industry average Almost 40 percent of lawn care companies that offer chemical applications as part of their customer program make four visits to a typical lawn each year. A survey conducted by LAWN CARE INDUSTRY also showed that 19.3 percent of lawn care companies offer five chemical applications per lawn 
care season; 14.1 percent offer three chemical applications per season; and 12.6 percent offer six chemical applications per season. Other numbers of applica-tions and percentages include: 
two applications, 9.4 percent; one application, 1.9 percent; number chemical applications annually per customer "Chicago is a very viable lawn care market, but we did not have a viable source arrange-ment with the people who held our concession license here. Thus, we are no longer in the lawn care market in Chicago. We are interested in expansion, and are always looking, but we have no plans for expansion past the Cleveland market at present." Sears this spring sent its customers a letter that began: "We regret to advise that due to circumstances beyond our control, we have discontinued 
our lawn care service for the 1979 season." Sears Lawn & Leaf, as the concession licensed to an out-side firm was called during its brief existence, began operations in early 1977. Sears spokesmen at that time explained that Chicago was to be the test market from 
which services in such cities as St. Louis, Milwaukee and Detroit 
would bloom. Sears officials would not go into detail on the demise of Sears Lawn & Leaf, but other lawn care businessmen in the Chicago area say that Sears was unhappy with management of the concession. seven applications, 1.9 percent; eight applications, 1.0 percent; and nine applications, 1.8 per-cent. All of the above figures in-
clude both chemical lawn care 
company and mowing/mainte-nance company figures. For chemical application-only firms, numbers of applications and percentages were: four ap-
plications, 39.5 percent; five ap-
plications, 21.7 percent; six ap-plications, 14.7 percent; and three applications, 13.9 percent. Other numbers of applications received lesser percentages. More than 16 percent of mowing/maintenance com-panies in the survey said they did no chemical application. 
Other numbers of applications 
and percentages were: four ap-
plications, 30 percent; two ap-plications, 15 percent; five ap-
plications, 13 percent; and three applications, 12 percent. 9NISNV1 1SV3 . - . 1A, 3018 JDNzIOS lios are industry in Washington, AlIStlaAINn 1W 3art of a continuing series of SSaSdai iere the lawn care business -8ZS Š1IG3 he city, potential lawn care 3b -SNŠ00 166 82AI NO rate there and how they about getting and keeping customers. DSSV 38.0 Percentage of companies responding Š number of applications Š go t/^MsC) I ? i Ł - i - ¿V Ł I4 I ' I L - Mi m m ^x i/ in f Ł i When they bag mozef When there's no compromise in performance, they're worth even more. Introducing Toro Front Runner rotaries. They're self-contained vacuum grass collecting systems designed specifically to bag and carry heavy loads without 
penalizing performance. Result? They stop, start, steer and maneuver as well loaded as many mowers with add-on bag systems do empty. Since they're designed for big grass loads, strain on engines, transmissions and other components is cut way down. Which cuts way down on repairs and down time. What's more, Front Runners offer the largest grass collection capacities available. The GMT (left) handles up to 20 bushels and mows 48" or 60" wide. The Turf Truck, with hydraulic dump system, handles up to 50 bushels and mows 60" wide. Benefit: More mowing between grass dumpings. Or, for wide mowing without bagging, choose the giant 80" batwing deck on either unit. Outer wings follow contour of ground to eliminate scalping. To make your GMT worth even more, choose a snow plow, snow blower or sprayer. Increase the worth of your Turf Truck with all season cab. | Toro Red Wagon Service is one more reason your Toro is worth more. Every Red Wagon mobile van comes with a trained pro and the equipment and parts he needs to perform most maintenance on the spot, i Call 800-328-2858 toll-free for the name of your nearest Toro distributor and a demonstration. gs-07s-03677 Circle 118 on free Information card Even fully loaded, Front Runners maneuver as well as most riding mowers, 
thanks to "bend in the 
middle" articulated steering. Wide track design, long wheel "base and flotation tires provide excellent stability, even when capacity loads are carried. Worth more You can CHEA-NITE some of the people all of the time mmmammm^a^m But you can't CHEA-NITE all of the people all of the time To avoid irate calls from burned up customers use Nitroform® organic nitrogen - it's a good nite. Choose either Blue Chip® for granular spreading or Powder Blue® for liquid application. Two-thirds of the nitrogen is water insoluble and gives long continuous feeding. No burning or leaching. Nitroform's 38% nitrogen guarantees you a full measure of N for your dollar. Nitroform has slow release characteristics that are predictable and dependable. Released by soil microorganisms, the nitrogen is available during plant growth cycles when organisms are also most active. $ A freshly-minted term for Cheap Nitrogen And when they catch up with you, they will be irate... may be burned up BOOTS HERCULES títocga BOOTS HERCULES AGROCHEMICALS CO. Wilmington, Delaware 19899 You can CHEA-NITE all of the people some of the time LAWN CARE INDUSTRY READER SERVICE CARDŠ JUNE 1979.(expiresin90days) Use this prepaid reader service card to get additional information on products or services mentioned in this issue (Card must be completed before processing) BUSINESS ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP If you would like a subscription to LAWN CARE INDUSTRY circle number 101. Subscription cost is $10.00 per ye To help us better service you editorially, please answer the following: 4. Title: Ł President 
Ł Owner Ł Manager 
Ł Technician 
Ł Other (specify) 1. Are you primarily involved in. Ł Chemical lawn care and maintenance services Ł Chemical application only 
Ł Mowing and other maintenance services Ł Other (specify) Application Ł Liquid Ł Granular Ł Both 2. Is your business location: Ł Headquarters 
Ł Branch office 3. Is your business: Ł Independent 
Ł Chain 
Ł Franchise 
Ł Other (specify) 5. Number of accounts: Ł Less than 500 Ł 500-1.000 Ł 1.001-5.000 Ł 5.001-10.000 Ł 10.001-25.000 Ł 25,000 or more 6. Estimated annual sales volume: Ł Less than $50.000 Ł $50.001-100.000 Ł $100.001-250.000 Ł $250,001-500.000 
Ł $500,001-1,000,000 Ł $1,000,000 or more Ł Please send product information only on items circled Ł Please have a salesman call me about Items circled. Best time to call me is . -DATE-CIRCLE THE ITEM NUMBERS FOR FREE DETAILS ON PRODUCTS AND SERVICES 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 NO POSTAGE NECESSARY IF MAILED IN THE UNITED STATES BUSINESS REPLY MAIL FIRST CLASS PERMIT NO. 2675 CLEVELAND. OHIO POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE ATTENTION: THE EDITORS LAWN CARE INDUSTRY 9800 Detroit Ave. Cleveland, Ohio 44102 NO POSTAGE NECESSARY IF MAILED IN THE UNITED STATES BUSINESS REPLY MAIL FIRST CLASS PERMIT NO. 665 DULUTH, MINN POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE LAWN CARE INDUSTRY P.O. BOX 6136 DULUTH, MINNESOTA 55806 Editor s Information Card . . . HELP US TO HELP YOU The editors of LAWN CARE INDUSTRY would appreciate your comments on the magazine s contents. Please write your message below, tear out the card, and mail. Postage is prepaid. Which article in this issue did you find the most interesting and/or helpful? What subjects would you like us to cover In future issues of LAWN CARE INDUSTRY? _L!ZkL_ COMPANY ADDWE88 B CITY LCI survey charts February purchases Respondents to a recent sur-vey conducted by LAWN CARE INDUSTRY said they purchased an average of $1,055 worth of turf fertilizer in the month of February. These figures are the first to come out of a new series of sur-
veys charting product move-ment and purchases by lawn 
care businessmen. LAWN CARE INDUSTRY will publish figures 
for March, and then on a quar-terly basis from that point on. These surveys will be called "pulse reports." Results for the initial survey are based upon figures submit-ted anonymously by 90 respond-ents. This represents a 33 per-cent response for the 270 ques-tionnaires mailed to readers of LAWN CARE INDUSTRY, ac-cording to market research manager Clarence Arnold. For the February survey, 59 respondents said they pur-
chased $94,950 worth of turf fer-tilizer. Once "zero" responses 
are added, the average figure of $1,055 is arrived at. Twenty-one respondents said they purchased $9,900 worth of tree fertilizer. Adding in "zero" 
responses, the average purchase was $110 for the month of Febru-ary. For pre-emergence herbi-cides, 34 respondents said they purchased $50,310 worth of prod-uct, for a $559 average with "zero" responses added in. For post-emergence herbicides, 27 respondents said they pur-chased $22,320 worth of product, with an average purchase of $248 for the month of February. For fungicides, 17 respond-ents said they purchased $13,590 
worth of product, for an average purchase of $151. For turf insecti-
cides, 20 respondents said they purchased $10,350 worth of prod-uct, for an average purchase of $117. For tree insecticides, 28 respondents said they pur-chased $11,610 in the month of February, for an average pur-chase of $129. Thirty respondents said they purchased $27,990 worth of seed 
in February, for an average pur-chase of $311. Eight respondents said they purchased $32,670 worth of sod, for an average pur-chase of $363 in the month of 
February. Eighteen respondents 
said they purchased $65,880 worth of trees in February, for an average purchase of $732. Twenty-eight respondents pur-chased $151,650 worth of orna-mentals, for an average Febru-ary purchase of $1,685. Twenty respondents purchased $20,610 worth of soil amendments, for an average February purchase of $229. Further information is avail-able from LAWN CARE INDUS-TRY'S Arnold. L4WN QIRE INDUSTRY Editor: ROBERT EARLEY Associate Editor: BRUCE SHANK Technical Editor: RON MORRIS Assistant Editor: DAN MORELAND Graphic Director: RAYMOND GIBSON Publishing Director: RICHARD J. W. FOSTER Executive Editor: DAVID J. SLAYBAUGH Research Services: CLARENCE ARNOLD Advertising Production: CHRIS SIMKO MARKETING/SALES Circulation & List Rental: TERRI HUTSENPILLER (216) 651-5500 Marketing & Merchandising Services: FRAN FRANZAK (216) 651-5500 New York Office: BRIAN HARRIS (212) 421-1350 757 Third Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017 Midwest Office: JOE GUARISE, JEFF DREAZEN (312) 236-9425 333 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60601 Southern Office: DICK GORE (404) 233-1817 3091 Maple Dr., Atlanta, Ga. 30305 Northwest Office: BOB MIEROW (206) 363-2864 1333 N.W. Norcross, Seattle, WA 98177 Classified: DOROTHY LOWE (216) 651-5500 9800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44102 CORPORATE OFFICERS Chairman: JAMES MILHOLLAND JR. President: HUGH CHRONISTER 
Senior Vice President: BERNIE KRZYS 
Senior Vice President: DAYTON MATLICK Vice President: CHARLES QUINDLEN LAWN CARE INDUSTRY is published every month by The Har-vest Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. at 9800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44102 (2161 651-5500. Copyright © 1979 by The Harvest Publishing Company. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not oe repro-duced either in whole or in part without consent of copyright owner. Controlled circulation postage paid at Cleveland, Ohio. 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 maintenance business. Position ana company connection must be indicated on 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. Foreign $1.25. Subscription rates: $10.00 one year, $18.00 two years, $23.00 three years. Group and foreign air mail rates available on request. SUBSCRIBERS: Send change-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. HARVEST MEMOS Overzealous EPA investigators: A fertilizer supplier told LAWN CARE INDUSTRY that one of his lawn care accounts recently spent an hour on the phone answering questions put to him by an investigator for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) about a "typical lawn care program." The reason for the questioning turned out to be that a series of ill-nesses had occurred in one of that Midwestern state's middle-population communities, and the investigator had started his search with the idea that a lawn care company 
might have caused the problem. The fertilizer supplier's ad-vice to the lawn care businessman was to not answer any questions over the phone from what could be an overzealous EPA investigator. Advice well taken. We goofed: In the April issue of LAWN CARE INDUS-TRY, we published an article entitled "Liquid/Dry: Pros/ Cons" based on a presentation given by Dr. Robert N. Carrow at last year's Nebraska Turfgrass Conference. Dr. Carrow, assistant professor of Turfgrass Science at Kansas State University, writes: "The original article was not written specifically for the lawn care industry but for a broad audience of turf managers. In it I discussed traditional fertilizer application procedures (granular, foliar, soil drench). However, I did not discuss the most common practices used by the lawn care industry Š namely, that of applying 0.5-1.5 lb. N/1,000 square feet in 4-6 gallons of water/1,000 square feet. This practice is neither a foliar nor true soil drench. "Thus, I believe the article may lead to confusion as peo-ple read that 25 gallons/1,000 square feet is 'commonly' used. By definition, about 20 to 30 gallons/1,000 square feet would be commonly required for a true soil drench application. In the original talk I gave at the conference, some lawn care personnel were present, and I carefully pointed out that they used neither foliar or soil drench application procedures." LAWN CARE INDUSTRY regrets any confusion the article may have caused. Computer update: In the April issue of LAWN CARE IN-DUSTRY, Tom Brune, owner of Atwood Lawn Spray, Sterling Heights, Mich, recounted his experiences with going to a computer system of handling his customer accounts. Brune writes to bring us up to date a bit: "The computer that we started out with (a Burroughs L-5) has now been traded in for a larger and faster model, the Bur-roughs L-9900. We now have not only accounts receivable in the machine but also the payroll, general ledger and journal. While we are still in the process of getting acquainted with the new baby, we really love it, and are happy we made the move up." Along with the larger, faster and more expensive com-puter, Brune has also installed a new loading system in his 
yard this lawn care season. He now has a facility for pre-mixing both liquid and dry materials in a "batch tank" and keeping them in concentrated, blended form until his trucks come in at the end of the day. He then puts measured amounts of concentrate in each compartment, tops off with 
water and he's ready for the next day. Pesticide poisoning: A 75-page booklet is available from the federal Environmental Protection Agency, which lawn care businessmen should have in their library. It is titled Recognition and Management of Pesticide Poisonings, and 
contains information about organophosphate cholinesterase-inhibiting pesticides, carbamate cholinesterase-inhibiting pesticides, and much other data. It's available by writing: 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Pesticide 
Programs, Washington, DC 20460. Davey ups ad budgets: Davey Lawnscape Service, based in Kent, Ohio has increased its ad budget to $25,000 in each of its 10 Midwest markets, including Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Mil-waukee, and other cities. Meldrum & Fewsmith, Cleveland ad agency, handles Davey's creative and production needs. Small companies popular takeover targets: Companies with sales of $25 million or less accounted for more than half of all companies acquired last year, according to figures released by W.T. Grimm & Co., Chicago merger specialist firm. The largest block of acquired firms Š 26 percent of them Š had annual sales of under $5 million; 16 percent had sales between $5 million and $10 million. Together, firms with sales of less than $25 million accounted for 59 percent of 1978 takeovers. Some major American companies have I shown an interest in the lawn care industry, and are quietly gathering data on some of the larger firms in the industry. OS r^ Oî r-t 2 D oc H C/3 D D g M OS < U 2 < New York State Turfgrass Conference and Trade Show, War Memorial Stadium, Syracuse, N.Y., Nov. 13-15. Contact: Ann Reilly, 210 Cartwright Blvd., Massapequa Park, N.Y. 11762, 516-541-9034. Texas Turfgrass Conference, Texas A & M Conference Center, College Station, Texas, Dec. 3-5. Contact: Dr. Richard Du-ble, De partment of Soil and Crop Science, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas, 77843, 713-845-1551. Delaware Turfgrass Association Annual Meeting, Hercules Country Club, De. 4. Contact: Dr. William Mitchell, Agricul-ture Hall, University of Delaware, Newark, Del. 19711. Ohio Turfgrass Conference, Cincinnati Convention Exposition Center, Dec. 4-6. Contact: Dr. David Martin, 1827 Neil Ave., Columbus, Ohio 43210, 614-422-2592. Oklahoma Turfgrass Research Founda-tion Annual Meeting, Lincoln Plaza, Oklahoma City, Okla., Dec. 6-8. Contact: Dr. R. V. Sturgeon, 115 Life Science East, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Okla. 74074. Illinois Turfgrass Conference, Ramada Inn Convention Center, Champaign, 111., Dec. 11-13. Contact: Dr. John Street, 106D Horticulture Field Lab, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, 111. 61801, 217-333-2123. Florida Turfgrass Association Annual Meeting, Holiday Inn Central/Curtis Hix-son Hall, Tampa, Fla., Oct. 14-17. Contact: David DeBra, 1520 Edgewater Dr., Suite 
E, Orlando, Fla., 32804 305-425-1581. 19th Annual Southern California Turf-grass/Landscape Materials and Equip-ment Educational Exposition, Orange County Fairgrounds, Costa Mesa, Calif., Oct. 17-18. Contact: Ed McNeill, SCTC, 
1000 Concha St., Altadena, Calif. 91001, 213-798-1715. Southwest Turfgrass Conference, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, Oct. 18-19. Contact: Dr. Araen Baltensperger, Department of Agronomy, Box 30, NMSU, Las Cruces, N.M. 88003." Professional Grounds Maintenance Soci-ety Annual Meeting, Baltimore Hilton, Oct. 21-24. Contact: Allan Shulder, 19 Hawthorne Ave., Pikesville, Md. 212068, 301-653-2742. Michigan Green Industry Seminar and Trade Show, Davisburg, Mich., Oct. 23-24. Northwest Turfgrass Conference, Pope 
and Talbot Convention Center, Port 
Ludlow, Wash., Sept. 24-27. Contact: Dr. Roy Gross, Western Washington Research and Extension Center, Puyallup, Wash. 98371, 206-845-6613. Florida Nursery and Allied Trade Show, 
Expo Hall, State Fairgrounds, Tampa, Fla., Sept. 28-30. Contact: FNATS, Inc., P.O. Box 16796, Temple Terrace, Fla. 33687, 813-985-8511. Turf Equipment, Irrigation and Supplies Field Day, Rutgers University, Stadium and golf course, Route 18 (River Road), Piscataway, N.J., Oct. 2. Sponsored by Golf Course Superintendents Association of New Jersey. Contact: Dr. Henry Indyk, Box 231, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J. 08903, 201-932-9453. Central Plains Turfgrass Foundation An-nual Meeting, K-State Union. Kansas State University, Manhattan, Oct. 3-5. Contact: Dr. Robert Carrow, Waters Hall, Manhattan, Kan. 66506, 913-532-6170. Kentucky Turfgrass Conference, Executive Inn, Owensboro, Ky., Oct. 9-10. Contact: Dr. A. J. Powell, Jr., University 
of Kentucky, N-222G Agricultural Science North, Lexington, KY 40506, 606-258-5606. Contact: Gregory Patcham, Michigan State University, Cooperative Extension Service, North Office Building, Pontiac, Mich. 48053, 313-858-0887. National Institute of Parks and Grounds Management, Opryland Hotel, Nashville, Tenn. Oct. 28-Nov. 2. Contact: Erik Madisen, P.O. Box 1936, Appleton, Wis. 54910, 414-733-2301. Atlantic Seedsmens Association Annual Meeting, Belmont Hotel Golf Beach Club, Warwick, Bermuda, Oct. 29-Nov. 2. Con-tact: Margaret Herbst, 101 Park Ave., New York, N.Y., 10017, 212-685-5917. Maintenance Symposium, sponsored by Associated Landscape Contractors of America, Red Carpet Inn, Milwaukee, 
Nov. 6-9. Contact: John Shaw, ALCA, 1750 
Old Meadow Rd., McLean, VA 22102, 703-821-8611. Missouri Lawn & Turf Conference, Ramada Inn, Columbia, Mo., Nov. 7-9. Contact: Dr. John H. Dunn, Horticulture Department, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, 314-882-7838. South Carolina Turf Conference, Clemson University, Nov. 13-14. Contact: Dr. Landon Miller, Department of Horti-culture, Clemson University, Clemson, S.C. 29631. Michigan Turfgrass Field Day, Crops Barn, Michigan State University, East 
Lansing, July 10. Contact: Dr. John K. 
Kaufmann, 322 Agriculture Hall, MSU, 
East Lansing, Mien. 48824. American Sod Producers Association Summer Convention and Field Days, Hilton Inn Eat, Columbus, Ohio, July 18-20. Contact: Bob Garey, ASPA, Associa-tion Building, 9th and Minnesota, Hastings, Neb. 68901, 402-463-5691. Penn Allied Nursery Trade Show, Hershey Convention Center, July 24-26. Contact: S. Howard Davis, 169 W. High St., Carlisle, Pa. 17013, 717-243-1786. Massachusetts Turf Field Day, South Deerfield Turf Plots, July 25. Contact: Dr. 
Joseph Troll, Stockbridge Hall, Univer-sity of Massachusetts, Amherst, Mass. 01003, 413-545-2353. Illinois Landscape Contractors Associa-tion Annual Summer Field Day, Kankakee Nursery, Aroma Park, Illinois, 
August 8. Contact: Carole Rachesky, 665 Forest Ave., Glen Ellyn, 111. 60137, 312-858-8574. 34th Annual National Hardware Show, McCormick Place, Chicago, August 13-16. Contact: Samuel Black, 535 N. 5th St., Reading, Pa. 19601, 215-373-4267. Iowa Turfgrass Field Day, Iowa State University, Ames, August 14. Central Plains Turfgrass Foundation, Turfgrass Field Day, Kansas State Uni-versity Turf & Research Plots, Manhat-tan, August 15. Contact: Dr. Robert Carrow, Department of Horticulture, Waters Hall, Manhattan, Kan. 66506, 913-
532-6170. USDA Turfgrass Field Day, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center-West, Beltsville, Md., Aug. 22. Contact: Jack Murray, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, MD 20705. Rhode Island Turfgrass Field Day, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, August 22. Contact: Dr. C. R. Skocley, Department of Plant & Soil Science, Uni-versity of Rhode Island, Kingston, R.I. 022881. The Fertilizer Institute Trade Fair, Stouffer's Riverfront Towers, Sheraton St. Louis and Mayfair Hotel, St. Louis, Mo., Aug. 22-23. Contact: Doug Culkin, TFI, 1015 18th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036, 202-466-2700. Illinois Turfgrass Field Day, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, 111., Septem-ber 11. Contact: Dr. John Street, 106D 
Horticulture Field Lab, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, 111. 61801, 217-333-2123. Garden Industries of America Conference and Trade Show, Convention and Exposition Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, Sept. 14-16. Contact: Paul Anderson, Box 
1092, Minneapolis, Minn. 55440, 612-374-5200. Cylinder and crankcase assembly of The Green Machine 22.5 cc engine. !.2 H.P. in a 6-lb package. Over 5 years of field exposure have helped create new standards of 2-cycle performance. NEWSMAKERS Floyd Franklin, former divi-sion operations manager for Rollins Lawn Care, Atlanta, has left that company to manage a resort lodge in Chatsworth, Ga. Company president Fred Rowley expects to fill the vacancy soon. Floyd R. Mann is manager of the ChemLawn Corp. branch based in Lansing, Mich. Chem-Lawn's home offices are in 
Columbus, Ohio. Redd Pest Control Co., Jack-son, Miss, has begun a new chemical lawn care operation Š Redd Man Lawn Care. Tim 
Lacey is manager of the liquid chemical application division. Don D. Bartolomeo, owner of King Green, Inc., has moved his base of operations from Euclid to Mentor, Ohio. Both cities are Cleveland suburbs. Joe Smith is owner of Lawn Doctor of Boulder/Broomfield, a lawn care franchise operation based in Broomfield, Colo. Lawn Doctor home offices are in Matawan, N.J. Neal Mahler is owner of Neal's Lawn Fertilizing, a lawn care company based in Denver, Colo. Dale T. Lindgren, a hor-ticulturalist with the University of Nebraska, based at the North Platte Station, is working with that university's turf specialist 
Dr. Robert Shearman in evaluating turfgrass cultivars for use in western Nebraska. Edward A. Sherman owns a Lawn-A-Mat franchise in Niantic, Conn. Lawn-A-Mat's home offices are in Westbury, 
N.Y. Glenn Adams is part-owner of an A-Perm-o-Green Lawn, Inc. franchise based in Corpus Christi, Texas, according to com-
pany general manager Rick 
Eldred. A-Perm-o-Green Lawn, 
Inc. is based in Austin, Texas. Eli Strauss, a former Lawn-A-Mat franchisee, has begun Lawn 
Man and the Squirt, a lawn and tree care firm based in Lake-wood, N.J. ft Kelsick Hamman FMC Sidwinder, Minden, La. has appointed two district sales managers. John Kelsick for cen-tral and eastern Iowa, and Gene The Green Machine trimmer-pruner-cutter. side look at a classic. In 1972, The Green Machine in-troduced a gas-powered string trim-mer employing a new concept Šextreme light weight combined with amazing torque. It proved the ideal tool for high production weed and grass trimming, as well as brush cutting and tree prun-ing. From the start, Green Machines set new industry standards for qualityŠand new records for time-saving and money-making. The reasons are basic: ingenious design and a fanatic devotion to excellence. For instance, The Green Machine model 3000 engines have been dyno-meter tested Š at full throttle and full load - for 200 hours. That's eq-ual to 600 hours of field operation. Actual field operation of 1000 to 1500 hours is common-place. Chrome and hone To understand what's behind Green Machine performance, just take a look inside a model 3000 engine. You'll see a precision die-cast cylinder with polished chrome- plated boreŠplus such refinements as piston-port fuel timing and almost five square inches of scavenge porting. Running inside that chrome-protected cylinder, you'll see a precision die-cast aluminum piston, micro-honed and fitted with double, positively-located rings. You'll also see a crankshaft and rod assembly of high-carbon steel, pre-cision-machined, and aligned to -.001 -inch tolerances, running with high-speed ball-type main bearings and needle-type rod journal bearings. Easy starting with P.F.S. Long engine life is a recog-nized Green Machine virtue. So is easy starting. Thanks to a proven, reliable fuel pump and carburetor design. Plus an im-portant Green Machine exclusive: Positive Fuel Shut-off. Engine "kill" is accomplished by stopping the fuel supply to the engine, rather than by cutting the ignition. This means that 
all of the fuel in the carburetor and com-bustion chamber is burned off after each running. Fresh fuel is used for each start. Conventional "ignition kill" al-lows the fuel and oil mixture to remain in the chamber and car-buretor where it can become stale and even, with time, create a residue that prevents starting. Nine heads and blades Green Machine introduced the first professional-quality Tap-For-Cord automatic string-feed head. A total of five different string trimmer heads are now offered as well as four quick-change blades. A string trimmer... and more The Green Machine is a great string trimmerŠand a great brush cutter, and tree pruner. With accessory metal blades, one man can clear up to an acre of brush a day, cutting easily through vines up to %-inch thick. Tree branches up to three inches thick can be sliced through j'% easilyŠ in a single stroke. See what's in it for you ^ The Green Machine is saving time and making money for thousands of users in every field: park and municipal, high-way, cemetary, estate, golf course, 
institution, landscape, farm, school, rental yard. Crews equipped with little more than mowers and Green 
Machines are completing massive groundsrkeeping chores in hours, instead of days. See what The Green Machine can do for your bus-iness. Contact your dealer or write for our new, colorful brochures. Take time now to look into a classic. HMC, 22133 a S. Vermont, A Torrance, ~ CA 90502 The Green MachineŁ A yard-care classic. Circle 117 on free information card Hamman for Indiana and Michi-gan. FMC Corp. is head-quartered in Chicago. CLC Labs, a division of Chem-Lawn Corp., Columbus, has named Jeff McKenney as new lab manager. The lab, located in the Busch Corporate Center, does extensive testing work for the lawn care industry. McKen-ney is a 1974 graduate of Ohio State University with a B.S. degree in agriculture, specializ-
ing in turf management. He has previously worked for O. M. Scott & Sons as a seminar in-structor and a sales representa-tive. He most recently worked as a regional agronomist for Chem-Lawn in Detroit. He will be 
responsible for the day-to-day management of the lab, sales and maintaining good communica-tions and service to all CLC Labs customers. Carl Clifton, owner of a pool cleaning business in Pomona, Calif., is setting up a liquid fertil-
ization business to be run in con-junction with his pool cleaning business. The company is not yet 
named. Dr. James B. Beard, Texas A & M University agronomist, his wife, Harriet, and Ohio State University turf professor Dr. Da vid P. Martin have been selected as recipients of the 1979 Oberly Award for Bibliography in the Agricultural Sciences. This biennial award with a monetary 
prize is sponsored by the Associ-
ation of College and Research Libraries of the American 
Library Association. The award will be given at the American 
Library Association's annual Beard Alimón convention in June. The Oberly Award recognizes superior achievement in compiling and publishing Turfgrass Bibliog-raphy Š 1672-1972. The 730-page bibliography was published by Michigan State University Press 
in 1977. It contains over 16,000 
references listed alphabetically by author. These references are 
cross-indexed on a subject basis containing more than 40,000 en-tries. The bibliography contains a compilation of scientific, semi-technical and popular writings covering all phases of turfgrass science, culture and manage-ment. That joint venture between Hercules, Inc. and England's The 
Boots Co., Ltd. is now offiical. Boots Hercules Agrochemicals Co. began operations March 1. 
Headquarters of the new firm, which will develop, manufacture and sell agricultural chemicals in North America, is Wilmington, Del. Ian F. Kent, from Boots, has been named president. Other of-ficers are H. F. Pierce, executive vice president; Ross H. Alimón, 
vice president, sales; G. W. Pfautz, vice president, finance; and I. H. MacKinnon, vice presi-dent, marketing. 2 S oc H CO D D z w oc < u z MONEYWISE Test your business management skills How much do you know about running a business? Pro-bably a lot less than you think you do, says Richard A. Vinet, president of Donahue-Vinet Institute, Inc., a small business consulting firm in Newtown, Pa. To prove the point, Vinet 
composed the following management quiz. The answers are at the end. 1. What is gross profit? a. profit after taxes, b. profit after payroll and cost of goods expenses, c. profit before expenses, d. all of the above. 2. What is net profit? a. profit left after costs of goods and expenses are paid, b. profit after owner's draw, c. differences between sales and 
cost of goods, d. none of the above. 3. Your accountant tells you that you are losing money. What steps should you take immediately? a. fire the accountant, b. borrow money, c. increase sales, d. determine break-even point, e. reduce expenses, f. look for a job. 4. At 10 percent net profit (10 cents per $1 in sales), how many dollars worth of sales will it take to replace a $10 theft of parts of materials? a. $10, b. $20, c. $100, d. $110. 5. What expenses are paid from net profit in a proprietor-ship? a. on owner's draw, b. owner's personal taxes, c. bank pay-ment for equipment loans, d. all of these. 6. The federal minimum wage (covering almost all workers) as of January 1979 is: a. $2.65, b. $2.85, c. $2.75, d. $2.60, e. $2.90, f. $3. 7. Under ERISA, an individual retirement account (IRA) can allow you to defer taxes on the principal and interest of funds set aside for your retirement; you cannot, however, es-
tablish an IRA unless: a. you are self-employed, b. your company has no existing pension plan, c. you have at least four employes, d. you earn 
less than $20,000. 8. If you qualify under the Keogh Plan, you can establish a retirement fund similar to an IRA except that: a. you must contribute more money, b. you cannot claim Social Security benefits, c. you must buy federal IRB's (in-dividual retirement bonds) paying only six percent, d. you 
can accumulate up to $7,500 a year. 9. When a business owner or manager makes the decision to lease rather than buy equipment, the following advantages should always accrue, except: a. loss and risk of obsolescence, b. greater hedge against inflation, c. faster tax write-off, d. longer term financing 
available. CONTROVERSY Lawn businessmen say some lawn problems caused by poor sod Many lawn care business-men have responded to a news story in last month's LAWN CARE INDUSTRY (see "Lawn Salesmen Too Aggressive? Chicago Sod Producers Say Yes," page 1), and not all of them were from Chicago. lim Sackett, of Leisure Lawn. Troy, Ohio said: "This type of thing really dis-turbs me. You talk about sod pro-ducers saying the lawn care in-
dustry is being too aggressive in 
its sales techniques, it is about time somebody got on the sod 
producers. "I've run into the same situa-tion so many times where they are putting down sod that has clover, timothy and fescue in it. Just putting it down to fill a con-tract and not worrying about the quality of the sod. "Homeowners pay 10 cents a square foot for poor-quality sod, and then it becomes our problem to take care of it for a few cents a square foot. And it is our fault if the lawn looks bad. "We can't get by doing this kind of work, but it seems like the sod producers can get by with putting down anything they please on a lawn." "I'm really surprised that you are writing about lawn care 
businessmen being too aggres-sive and saying that lawns are diseased because of the sod. We have to say this in many cases to protect ourselves when we take 
on a customer's lawn that has 
poor-quality sod in it." Art Brown, president of Great Lakes Spray, Farmington Hills, Mich., and secretary of the Lawn Sprayers Association of Michi-gan, said: "To this day, there are no means or methods for pre-testing a turfgrass to measure its susceptibility to Fusarium blight. 
As an unhappy consequence, millions of homeowners' lawns 
became the ultimate and collec-tive guinea pig for such unplea-sant discoveries." Your Trimec Distributor Your real competition in the lawn care industry is the quality of your work and the efficiency of your management. Read how we can help you, regardless of your present size. Your lawn customer judges your work every time he sees his yard. He looks for weeds; he expects to see no dandelions, no chickweed, no weeds whatever. If he finds his lawn immaculate, he'll tell his friends (your free salesman)! And your own sales will improve because you'll know with conviction 
that you are doing truly superior work. Acceptable profit requires that you excel the first time around. Your profit margin has little room for mistakes. Your phone is for sales Š not for complaints, call-backs and retreatments. What's the answer? First, know the Problems The most persistant bugaboos are weed Your Authorized Trimec Distributor: ALABAMA Birmingham Ł Norala Company, Inc Ł Tteco, Inc. Gadsden Ł Marker's of Clubview Montgomery Ł CASSC0 Ł Tteco, Inc. Semmes Ł Al Tex Nursery ALASKA Palmer Ł Alamasu, Inc. ARIZONA Phoenix 
Ł Arizona Agrochemical Co. 
Ł Capitol Nursery Supply Tucson Ł Copper State Chemical Company ARKANSAS Alexander Ł Capital Equipment Company CALIFORNIA Anaheim Ł Eagle Chemical Company Bakersfield Ł Abate-A Weed Company Cerritos Ł Target Chemical Company Chula Vista Ł Wilbur Ellis Company Coachella Ł Foster-Gardner, Inc Gilroy Ł El Camino Crop Supply. Inc. Manteca Ł L & A Enterprises Orange Robinson Fertilizer Company Oxnard Ł Coastal Ag Chemicals Sacramento Ł Orchard Supply Company San Diego Ł Butler's Mill, Inc. San Gabriel Ł J. Harold Mitchell Company San Jose Ł Moyer Chemical Company 
Ł Northern California Fertilizer Company Ł Plant Gro Ł Target Chemical Company San Leandro Ł Custom Chemilene 
Santa Ana Ł Moyer Chemical Company Santa Barbara Ł Agri Turf Supplies, Inc. Santa Clara Ł Eagle Chemical Company Santa Rosa Ł Purity Chemical Products Co. South Gate Ł Los Angeles Chemical Co COLORADO Colorado Springs Ł Gorby. Inc Pueblo Ł Pueblo Chemical & Supply Westminister Ł S.A.J Turf Products CONNECTICUT Devon Ł Somers Turf Supplies Greenwich Ł Emanuel Shemin Greenhouses & Nurs Hazzardville Ł Old Fox Chemical, Inc South Windsor Ł Turf Products Corp FLORIDA Homestead 
Ł Atlantic Fertilizer & Chemical Jacksonville Ł Bingham Seed Company Pompano Beach Ł Swift Agricultural Chemical Corp 
Pensacola Ł Tieco Gulf Coast Sanford Ł Chase & Company Ł Southern Chemical Co Winterhaven Ł Swift Agricultural Chemical Corp GEORGIA Atlanta Ł Regal Chemical Comply 
College Park Ł Stephenson Chemical Co Conyers Ł Lawn & Turl. Inc Doraville Ł Georgia Golf & Garden Ft. Valley Ł Woofolk Chemical Works. Inc. HAWAII Hilo Ł Occidental Chemical Company Honolulu Ł Occidental Chemical Company 
Kahului Ł Occidental Chemical Company lihue Ł Occidental Chemical Company IDAHO Boise Ł Steve Regan Company ILLINOIS Barrington 
Ł Olsen Distributing Company Chicago Ł George A Davis, Inc. W. Chicago Ł Turf Products, Ltd. Decatur Ł Drake Scruggs Equipment, Inc. control and customer relations. The Gordon Turf Team can help you with both. Being trained and experienced, you unders-tand that weeds do not magically disappear with the touch of a spray wand. Good, systemic herbicides are slow. But if your customer doesn't understand that Š expect a problem. Trimec Can Solve It Trimec is not a her-bicide newcomer; it has been a leader for years. Repeated tests have proved it's the most effective, most cost-efficient, widest-spec-trum broadleaf herbicide on the market. Yet it 
contains absolutely no Silvex. It never did. Trimec is a unique, patented formulation of 2,4-D, Mecoprop and E. Peoria Ł Leon Short & Sons. Inc Geneseo »CD Ford & Sons Morton Grove Ł V G Supply Company Normal Ł Professional Turf Specialty Rockton Ł Turf Management Supply Wheeling Ł Arthur Clesen, Inc INDIANA Indianapolis Ł Deseo Chemical, Inc Ł Cory Orchard Supply Company Nappanee Ł Deseo Chemical. Inc IOWA Davenport Ł Tri-State Toro Company Des Moines Ł Toro Service Center W. Des Moines Ł Big Bear Turf Coe Ł Resthaven Turf Service Elkader Ł Meyer Equipment Company 
Iowa City Ł Little Wheels. Ltd. Sioux City Ł W R. Anderson Dist. Co. Waterloo Ł Foster's Inc. 
Waukee Ł Baer Ag Supply KANSAS Garden City Ł Pueblo Chemical Co Kansas City Ł Rhodes Chemical Company Salina Ł Landsco Corporation Wichita Ł Bartels & Shores Chemical Co. Ł Champion Turf Equipment Co Ł Robert S. Wise Company KENTUCKY Florence Ł George W Hill & Co., Inc 
Lexington Ł Fayette Seed Company 
Louisville Ł Bunton Seed Co., Inc Ł Ky-lnna Turf Supply Co.. Inc. LOUISIANA Baton Rouge Ł Gulfshore Turf Supply Ł Wyche's Golf Course Specialties. Inc. Covington Ł Tammany Turf & Supply. Inc. New Orleans Ł Southern Specialty Sales Co.. Inc. TRIMEC BROADLEAF HEROIC^ Plain Dealing Ł Wyche's Golf Course Specialties. Inc MAINE South Portland Ł Yerxa's, Inc MARYLAND Baltimore Ł Cornell Chemical & Equip Co.. Inc Ł Miller Chemical & Fertilizer Landover Ł Vaughan Seed Company Ł Lofts/Maryland MASSACHUSETTS Arlington Ł Lofts/New England Natick Ł Richey & Clapper. Inc. Newton Center Ł Grounds Equipment Co., Inc. West Newton Ł The Clapper Company West Wareham Ł R F Morse & Son. Inc MICHIGAN Birmingham Ł W F Miller Company Detroit Ł Terminal Sales Corporation Ł Turf Supplies, Inc Grand Rapids Ł Mollema & Son, Inc Ł Parmenter & Andre Hartford Ł Desco Chemical. Inc Kalamazoo Ł J. J. Dill Company Royal Oak Ł Lawn Equipment Saginaw Ł Burdick s Seed Company MINNESOTA Eaian Ł Tessman Seed and Chemical Co. Minneapolis Ł The Castle Chemical Co.. Inc. Ł Minnesota Toro, Ine St. Paul Ł R. L. Gould & Company Ł Turi Supply Company MISSISSIPPI Jackson Ł Southern Seed Company, Inc. MISSOURI Chesterfield Ł Beckman Turf & Irrigation Grandview Ł The Landsco Corporation Ł Robison's Lawn & Golf Supply ŁŁŁŁ 10. The discounted-cash-flow method applies to: a. methods of journal entry in accounting, b. evaluation of alternative capital projects, c. determination of depreciation and depletion allowances, d. management of cash and work-ing capital. 11. You have just been informed that an IRS audit is to be performed on your company, You may: a. send a lawyer or accountant in your place, b. appeal additional tax assessments, c. ask that the examiner be replaced if you feel he is not objective, d. be furnished with a copy of the agent's report, e. all of the above, f. none of the above. 12. A company is said to be highly leveraged when: a. total debts exceed total assets, b. total sales exceed total assets, c. total assets exceed total debts, d. net worth exceeds total debts. 13. In compliance with the Fair Collection Practices Act and subsequent FTC regulations, which of the following ac-tions may you not take in trying to collect a consumer debt? a. mailing correspondence in an envelope that contains no return address, b. threatening to take legal action, c. designing collections notices to look like official or legal documents, d. suggesting that the debtor's credit rating may be harmed by non-payment, e. making any contact whatever with the debtor's employer. Answers. 1. c; 2. a; 3. d; 4. c; 5. d; 6. f; 7. b; 8. d; 9. c; 10. b; 11. e; 12. a; 13. c. ALCA Maintenance symposium set for Milwaukee The popular Maintenance Symposium sponsored by the Associated Landscape Con-tractors of America (ALCA) has been set for Nov. 6-9 at the Red Carpet Inn, Milwaukee, Wis. Ron Kujawa, president of Ku-jawa Enterprises, Inc., Cudahy, Wis. is program chairman. He told LAWN CARE INDUSTRY: "The programs and speakers will be concentrated. We plan on session for mechanics and ser-
vice managers of firms that are doing landscape maintenance. We are also planning on seminars on advanced engine repair, and with our location being so close to many of the ma-jor engine manufacturers, we 
should have plenty of repre-sentation from these manufac-turers." Kujawa also said that there ... He Can Help You Grow! Dicamba Š a systemic that kills root and all. Active synergism gives it power greater than the sum of its components (it can kill actively growing weeds even in temperatures as cool as 50° F), yet it is very gentle. Trimec's root absorption is minimal, posing little threat to ornamentals and grasses. Drift hazard is negligible. Its chemicals are bio-degradeable. And it kills virtually all weeds with one application, costing less per acre than any other herbicide. Weed Control and More We are totally com-mitted to product devel-opment and field assis-tance. Your Trimec dis-tributor also has a complete family of pro-
ducts for fungus control, 
soil problems, and more. A specialist himself, Trimec Contains No Silvex! Ł Trimec controls the widest range of broad leaf weeds Ł Gets hard-to-kill species without repeated sprays Ł Gives wide margin of safety to lawn grasses Ł Minimum hazard from root absorp-tion to flowers, ornamentals, trees, shrubs Ł Effective weed control at a wide range of temperatures Ł Biodegradeable: friendly to the environment he has a direct line to our Technical Depart-ment, our Lawn Care Division and its field manager. Even if yours is a one- or two-man lawn service, your Trimec Distributor wants to help you. For starters, he'll sell you as little as a gallon of Trimec to test. And include a complimentary supply of Trimec door-hangers with important weed-kill information for your customers. Many lawn care operators have told us that this literature stops many complaints and call-backs, while enhanc-ing their own image as a first-class service. Make Your Move Today Now that Silvex is suspended, this is the perfect time to make the switch to Trimec; to discover the many other superior products and the technical assistance available at your Gordon distributor. Give him a call ... let him help you grow. Kansas. Crty Ł Bartels & Shores Chemical Co Ł Chamoion Turf Equipment. Inc. Ł Ł Pest Control. Supplies 
Ł Standard Seed Company 
Maryland Heights 
Ł Outdoor Equipment Co. St. Louis Ł Crown Chemical Company Ł Kitten & Bear Springfield Ł Champion Turf Equipment, Inc MONTANA Billings Ł Turt Aid Dist. Company Helena Ł Mr Turf NEBRASKA Morrill Ł Jirdon Agri Chemicals, Inc Omaha Ł Big Bear Equipment. Inc 
Ł Midwest Toro Ł The Yard Company Waterloo Ł Sipiplot Soil Builders NEVADA Las Vegas Ł Clark County Whol Merc Co North Las Vegas Ł Las Vegas Fertilizer Co. Inc. NEW HAMPSHIRE Hooksett Ł Turf Specialty. Inc NEW JERSEY Boundbrook Ł Loft Seed Company 
Ł Vaughan Seed Company Freehold Ł Green Hills Turf Supply 
Maplewood Ł Pierson's Mill Company 
Mountainside Ł Andrew Wilson. Inc 
Rahway Ł Fertl Soil Company Saddle Brook Ł The Terre Company West Caldwell Ł Rockland Chemical Company Westfield Ł Storr Tractor Company Yardville Ł Jep Sales, Inc NEW MEXICO Albuquerque Ł Albuquerque Chemical Co.. Inc Roswell Ł Roswell Seed Company. Inc NEW YORK Cambridge Ł Lofts/New York Dix Hills Ł Island Golf & Turf Farmingdale Ł Wagner Seed Company 
Hamburg Ł Eaton Equipment Company Hawthorne Ł Metro Milorganite 
Hauppauge Ł Maxwell Turf, Inc Jamaica Ł J & L Adikes. Inc Bergen Ł Lawn Medic Latham Ł Grassland Irrigation & Equip, Corp Rexford Ł S V Moffett. inc.. South Hampton Ł James H Lynch. Inc Portchester Ł Westchester Turf Supply Company 
Syracuse Ł Agway, Inc Ł Eaton Golf & Tractor W. Henrietta Ł S V Moffett. Inc NORTH CAROLINA Charlotte Ł Seedmen, Inc. Ł E. J Smith & Sons 
Fayetteville Ł Eastern Turf Shelby Ł Porter Brothers. Inc Winston Salem Ł Goltra, he NORTH DAKOTA Fargo Ł Tessman Chemcial Northwest OHIO Canton Ł Letherman Seed Company 
Cincinnati Ł Century Toro Dist.. Inc Ł Thornton-Wilson, Inc Cleveland Ł Sidney L. Dryfoos Company 
ŁUS Garden Sales. Inc Columbus Ł Century Toro Dist.. Inc Ł W R Grace & Company 
Dayton Ł Century Toro Dist. Inc 
Elyria Ł Lakeshore Equipment & Supply Co. Findlay Ł Desco Chemical. Inc 
Mantua Ł John R Skinner Company Piqua Ł Midwest Burlap & Grower's Supply Co. Tiffin Ł Earl J Crane. Inc. Toledo Ł Century Toro Dist, Inc OKLAHOMA McAlester Ł Tony's Chemical House Oklahoma City Ł Estes Chemical. Inc Ł Thompson-Hay ward Chemical £o Tulsa Ł All Best. Inc Ł Thompson Hayward Chemical Co Ł Wait Mtg & Safes Co. OREGON Albany Ł Great Western.Seed Co Portland Ł The Charges H. Lilly Co 
Ł Van Waters & Rogers Ł Wilbur Ellis Company -Salem Ł Western Farmers Association, PENNSYLVANIA Doylestown Ł Philadelphia Toro Hanover Ł Miller Chemical & Fert. Corp 
Harleysville Ł Geiger Corporation 
Horsham Ł Pocono Supply Company 
Lebanon Ł Lebanon Chemical Corporation Malvern Ł Fisher & Son Co. Inc 
Philadelphia Ł Farm & Golf Course Supply Co , Inc Phoemxville Ł Lawn & Golf Supply Pittsburgh Ł E. H Griffith. Iiic Ł Krigger & Company Reading Ł Reading Bone Fertilizer Wycombe Ł Histand Supply RHODE ISLAND E. Providence Ł Old Fox Chemical. Inc. SOUTH CAROLINA Inman Ł Woolfolk Chemical Works. Inc SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls Ł Dakota Turf Supply. Inc TENNESSEE Knoxville Ł Regal Chemical Company Memphis Ł Axon CorDoration Ł Oldham Cherrtical Co.. Inc. Nashville Ł Central South Turf Dist. 
Ł Tieco. Inc TEXAS Dallas Ł Chemical & Turf Specialty Co Ł Van Waters & Rogers El Paso Ł El Paso Turf Supply Paris Ł Estes Chemical, Inc Waco Ł Estes Chemical. Inc 
Wichita Falls Ł Estes Chemical. Inc UTAH Salt Lake City Ł Morgro Chemical Corp VIRGINIA Chesapeake Ł Turt & Garden Div Harrisonburg Ł Wetsel Seed Company Richmond Ł Wilson Feed Company, Inc Roanoke Ł Agri Turf Products Co, Inc Ł Miller Chemical & Fertilizer WASHINGTON Pasco Ł Western Farmers Association Renton Ł Pacific Agro Company Seattle Ł The Charles H Lillv Co Ł Western Farmers Association Tacoma Ł NuLife Fertilizer WASHINGTON, D.C. Ł Lea's Green Meadows. Inc WEST VIRGINIA Charleston Ł Youngs, Inc WISCONSIN Chilton Ł Horst Distributing Co. Elm Grove 
Ł Reinder Bros. Turt Equipment Milwaukee Ł Loft Kellogg Seed. Inc Sun Prairie Ł Turf Management Supply PROFESSIONAL TURF PRODUCTS pbl /Gondon corporation ! 300 south third street PO BOX 2276 KANSAS CITY. KANSAS 66110 913 342 B78Q will be sessions on whether a landscape maintenance businessman should buy, rent, or lease equipment. He said there will also be seminars on justifying purchases, seminars emphasizing marketing and sales 
of maintenance, and seminars on monitoring maintenance work for profit. For further information on the Maintenance Symposium, contact: John Shaw, executive 
director, ALCA, 1750 Old 
Meadow Road, McLean, VA 22102, 703-821-8611. PGMS Maintenance estimating guide is published The Professional Grounds Man Maintenance Society (PGMS) announces publication of its Guide to Grounds Mainte-nance Estimating. The guide is available for $3. To obtain a copy contact: Allan Shulder, executive director, PGMS, 19 Hawthorne Ave., Pikesville, MD 21208, 301-653-
2742. MEETINGS Kentucky conference is Oct. 9-10 in Owensboro A special lawn care session on the second day of the confer-
ence is scheduled for the Ken-tucky Turfgrass Conference Oct. 9-10 at the Executive Inn in Owensboro. For further information on the conference, contact: Dr. A.J. Powell, Jr., N-222G Agricultural Science North, University of 
Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, 606-258-5606. RESEARCH Ohio field day is July 31 in Columbus The Ohio Turfgrass Research Field Day will be held July 31 at the Ohio State Turfgrass Research Facility in Columbus. One of the main points of interest will be the newly com-pleted turfgrass rhizo-tron/lysimeter. This facility allows researchers to observe root responses through trans-
parent observation windows 
beneath the soil surface. The lysimeter portion permits the 
determination of turfgrass water use rates under field conditions. Three studies are currently underway involving fertiliza-tion, water use and root nema-
todes. Other areas of research to be discussed include: shade adapta-tion, the evaluation of Kentucky bluegrass cultivars and commer-
cial mixes and blends, a comparison of drop-type spread-
ers and greenbug aphid studies. For further information con-tact: Dr. Keith Karnok, 1827 Neil Ave., Columbus, Ohio 43210, 614-422-2591. r* > £ Z n > as w Z a c CD H 70 < c z z D > oc EŠ C/3 D Q 2 u OS < u Z < MARKETING IDEA FILE Al Dali, owner of Cleveland's Lawnco, Inc., uses a customer information marketing technique similar to a system used by many lawn care businessmen across the country. He gathers information about specific insect, weed and disease problems from state exten-sion and other sources. He then has these reprinted and has them filed in the route operator's room, and the operators distribute them to customers at times of the year when those certain problems are likely to develop. Chevron's new Specialty Sales Group: From left to right, Mike Jones, Area Manager, Tucker, Georgia; Bill Zawicki, area manager, Perth Amboy, New Jersey; Ron Gras, advertising, San Francisco; Dr. Mike Danley, research 
specialist, Dallas Center, Iowa; Dick Foell, manager specialty sales, San Francisco; Dr. Boykin Witherspoon, research director, Richmond, California; Dale Cooper, research specialist, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Dr. Mike Bledsoe, Mc Illinois; Dr. Cheri Cooledge, researa area manager Dennis Murphy, research specialist Ło spMÉkHft^M^ La Habra, California. Greenville, Mississippi; ecialist, Perth Amboy, New Jersey; Mel Brewer, Five new compact diesels! It's a new kind of Fbrd! 13 to 30-hp. Big-tractor features include optional 4-wheel drive Take a look at something new and different from Ford. Five compact new diesel tractors, each offered with optional 4-wheel drive. They're built like the big ones, but sized from 13 to 30-horse power. Look at the big-tractor features! The efficiency and stamina of a liquid-
cooled diesel engine ... an all-gear power train with 10 to 12 forward speeds to let you choose the right speed for most any job . . . built-in hydraulics and three-point hitch to lift and lower implements at a finger's touch ... 540 rpm PTO .. . and diff-lock. Optional front-wheel drive 
gives you four-wheel traction. There's a full line of implements and attachments to match the power 
of the model you choose. The 1000 Series Fords ... five small and versatile tractors with a combi-nation of size, strength and power that makes them the "just right" choice 
for a wide variety of jobs. Come in and sec the compact Ford diesels ... a new kind of Ford, at a 
compact price. It's a new kind of Ford! FORD TRACTORS Vi * 0 m COMPANIES Chevron's Ortho to serve lawn market The Ortho Division of Chevron Chemical Co., San Francisco, has formed a Specialty Sales Group. The new organization consists of both a sales arm and a product develop-ment task force. The objective of the Specialty Sales Group is to sell Ortho agricultural chemicals to non-agricultural markets in the U.S., 
according to E.L. Stripling, Jr., sales manager for Ortho's Agricultural Chemicals Division. R.H. "Dick" Foell has been named manager of specialty sales for the group. "Specifically," Stripling said, "the new organization will allow Chevron to make a concerted, 
well-organized move into markets such as lawn care, tree and ornamental care, pest con-trol operators, forests and rail-road and highway weed control." Stripling explained that Ortho products are already 
widely used in many of these markets, but traditionally have been serviced by the company's Agricultural or Garden and Home Divisions. "The new organization will allow us to focus exclusively on the needs of specialty product customers," he said. A major responsibility of the Specialty Sales group will be to develop a number of new pro-
ducts. Dr. Boykin Witherspoon at Chevron's Research Center in Richmond, Calif, has been named supervisor of this 
research and development ef-
fort. While the company is looking at specialty uses for a number of its pesticides, it is targeting es-pecially on its new Orthene 
insecticide. Ortho products 
which now have specialty uses include Ortho Paraquat and 
Ortho Diquat herbicides, Dibrom insecticide and Orthocide and Triforine fungicides. "With each product," Foell said, "we are working both to ex-pand existing specialty markets and develop new ones. z n > PO m Z a c en H po C Z Turf Type Perennial Ryegrass Setting a New Standard of Excellence Derby is the dark green beauty which joined Manhattan and Pennfine on the "highly preferred list of ryegrasses." That was last year. Now Derby is setting a new standard of excellence. In the eyes of many Golf Superintendents it reigns supreme among the turf-type ryegrasses today. Why? Because it performs! And a Superintendent knows that claims are great, but performance counts. Ł Consistently performs better than other leading varieties from California to Florida Ł Durable, dark green and has excellent mowing qualities Ł Tolerates a variety of soils & responds rapidly to fertilization Ł Germinates in a week (or even less) under ideal conditions Ł Better-than-average heat and drought tolerance Ł An adaptable and disease resistant cool-season turf grass Ł An excellent record as a Southern winter grass Ł Thrives when close-cut Ł INTERNATIONAL SEEDS, INC. P.O. Box 168 Ł Halsey, Oregon 97348 (503) 369-2251 Ł TWX 510/590-0765 Diversity of service key to lawn care operator's success James R. Ely, owner of A-l Spray Service, Tacoma, Wash, feels that his company is one of the most diversified in the na-tion. It handles everything from bird control to aquatics. One of the reasons for this diversity is 
that he is continually searching for new ways to expand his 
business. Yet this growth is kept profitable only through a corresponding emphasis on fin-
ding new and more effective cost-cutting techniques. In terms of growth, Ely bought his first spray service company in 1972. He had one truck. Since then he's bought out three com-petitors, and has 28 trucks. Currently the business en-compasses three main divisions: structural pest control and shade tree and ornamental spraying; aquatic weed or algae control; 
and industrial weed control, aerifying, and lawn fertilization. Richard Campbell, foreman of the first division, says that the charge for structural pesticides runs from $20 to $45. "What we do is extremely thorough," he says. He has 6,000 to 7,000 ac-counts. For ornamentals and green shrubbery, the charge was $22.50 which was raised to $27.50 minimum. Ely says, "we had more business than we could handle so we raised the mini-mum to $35.00. Still no drop in demand so we raised it to $50.00 minimum, and then business 
dropped off 50%. However, I felt that $50.00 was too high, that we were gouging, so I dropped back down to $35.00." This division is projected to do $600,000 worth of business this 
year, while the two others will average $150,000 each. The 
overall gross for 77 was $780,000. Doug Dorling is the biologist in charge of aquatics. He manages about 2,000 acres of 
lakes within a 60 mile radius. This business is not solicited. Rather, an association of lake-side homeowners will petition for help for a problem like Eura-sion water milfoil, which can grow at the rate of an inch a day. 
The homeowners vote to tax themselves, and, if legally approved, the tax censor adds the required amount to the tax, which is the way A-l gets paid. But the process needs legal 
approval. Larry Morrison, in charge of lawn fertilization and weed con-trol says that he charges $7.50 per 1000 sq. ft., dropping to $6.50 af-ter 10,000 sq. ft. Minimum charge is $27.50. He fertilizes five times a year, at six-week intervals, and works closely with the Univer-sity of Washington extension ser-
vice on these matters. Other services include pruning, tree surgery, consulting, and termite and wood destroying organism inspections. In expanding into these many diversified areas, Ely has found it necessary to keep a close eye on all aspects of his budget. He 
cut his staff from 54 employees last year to his present 27, and found that he's maintaining the same sales volume. Ely says he was able to ac-complish this by retaining with his personnel who were most motivated, and letting the others go. "We've found that the per-centage of the payroll can't ex-ceed 25 percent of the sales. If 
we find we're paying someone 30 percent of sales, then we're in trouble and we have to do some-
thing." He adds, that, "we're not DIESELS FROM BOLENS. POWER YOU NEED FROM PEOPLE YOU KNOW. m 24 hp. loader backhoe. Match the work that you need done with the right Bolens Diesel, and you'll have a tractor that works when and where you need it. To get the right Bolens Diesel, see your Bolens dealer. He'll suggest one that has the maneuverability and versatility that you need to get the job done. Day after day. Year after year. And if after all that dependable service 
something should go wrong, just give him a call. He's been factory-trained so he knows © 1979 FMC Corporation what makes a Bolens Diesel tick. And the parts are in-stock. Or available within 24-hours. And that minimizes downtime. There are 4 Bolens Diesels ranging from 15 to 24 hp. All with proven technology from Iseki, Japan's largest maker of farm equip-ment. Each is water-cooled, has multi-speed PTO, a 3-point hitch, and a choice of 2 or 4-wheel drive. Plus a variety of custom-matched, quick-change attachments, from mowers to 
snowthrowers and backhoes to front-end 
loaders. Or anything in-between. The Bolens Diesel and the Bolens dealer. Equally capable. Equally dependable. See them today. For the name of the Bolens Die-sel dealer nearest you, call 800-447-4700 toll-free anytime (in Illinois, call 800-322-4400). Or write the FMC Corpo-ration, Port Washington, Wisconsin 53074. "We scrutinize every-thing and if a service we're offering is not making a profit, we drop it. For instance, we no longer do hydroseeding." ruthless. We first look at the situation, maybe the techniques utilized are not right, or we need more expensive machinery Š which we'll get Š or maybe the routineness of the job has simply made the person bored. In ths case we can shift him around. That's what's neat about having so much diversity, and most of our people are licensed in several areas." Jim Ely, owner of A-l Spray Service, checks on order on an incoming call. Sometimes he says it's neces-sary to drop an entire division. "We scrutinize everything, and if a service we're offering is not making a profit, we drop it. For instance, we no longer do hydro-seeding. We got some good jobs, but mainly for the government, where we weren't able to get paid for 90 days. It wasn't worth it." Another efficiency measure has to do with routing. Ely says they can get 500 calls a day and do 200 to 300 jobs a day. Their of-fice staff is crowded in their 4,-800 square-foot facility on their two-acre lot, but there are plans to double the size of the facility in the next 18 months. In order to minimize time loss in travel time 
the service area (a 60 mile radius, with most jobs within 20 miles), a booklet is kept with maps and customers are listed first by zip codes, then by sequential addresses. Trucks are therefore dispatched to service one area at a time, and are not-
simply sent to and fro. Ely says that his use of com-puter services has been a great help in cost control. "No one here can take money in and send money out unless there's a place for it on the computer," he says. 
He uses a bank computer for ac-counts receivable and another service for accounts payable and general ledger. He plans to puchase his own computer, not Ely purchased A-l Spray Service in 1927 and he currently operates 28 trucks. so much to save on costs, as to have more immediate access to information. He also hopes to utilize his own computer for data on chemical mixtures, applica-tions, and the most effective use of labels. Ely states that he takes in $1,-000,000 in checks a year, and has never received a bad one. "This is mainly because of the people we service, who either run a Ely ho >es to purchase his own computer someday, not so much to save on costs, but to have more immediate access to information. business or own a home." For apartment dwellers he requires a credit card, and prefers being 
paid by the manager. His collec-tion due was less than $6,000. He received $1,600 of this through a single letter which threatened to turn the matter over to his lawyers. In terms of advertising, Ely says newspapers are not effec-tive unless used all the time. "We ran a special 10 percent discount for six weeks and received no response," he says. He does a lit-tle billboard promotion, but finds Yellow Pages to be very helpful in all service areas. "We don't do large display ads," he Richard Campbell, foreman of the Structural Pest Control Division, applies a pesticide treatment. His division services 6,000-7,000 accounts. says. "Bold print is effective. We're in 20 different directories and this costs us $3,000 a month." His most successful pro-motion activity is a four-to-six page newspaper, 6000 of which are sent out quarterly. The paper is titled, "The A-l Gar-dener, Worry-Free Gardening." The paper doesn't contain con-ventional ads. Rather it conveys news items about the company and information releases about various pest and gardening prob-lems, with solutions available from A-l. Also included are vegetable garden and flower gar-den tips. A coupon is enclosed offering a free rhododendron to 
any customer who obtains a new 
account for A-l. Ely says that the 
newspaper is such an effective promotion because, "our prob-lem in this business is a lack of communication, and the public's 
problem is a lack of education. The newspaper helps bridge this 
gap." The newspaper goes out through direct mail. Also helpful is attending various home shows. In a display booth he has set up glass cases showing a wide variety of insects and pests, with appropriate literature. "Hundreds of people stop at the booth," Ely says, "and it's resulted in a lot of business." 
He's also found it beneficial to belong to the Tacoma Home Builders association, through which he is able to maintain 
direct contact with home-
builders. Š Story and photos by Mike Major > Z n > 70 m Z a c C/3 H /C C Z How Roundup® helped Jim Siegfried renovate this fairway in days,without closing it for one minute. Take a good look at this good-looking fairway. Last fall, Jim Siegfried found a way to clean it up, without tearing it up Šat the height of his club's busy season. With Roundup" herbicide by Monsanto. Jim is the Greens Superintendent at Losantiville Country Club, Cincinnati, where bermudagrass had become a serious problem on the 18th fairway. To control it, Jim applied Roundup onceŠwhile the weeds were still actively growingŠright at the start of the Labor Day weekend. "That's really 'prime time' here',' Jim told us. "But after we applied Roundup, we kept the fairway in play the whole weekend, and after. The members played right over it, with no 
problem!' Since Roundup has no residual soil activity, and won't wash or leach 
out of treated areas to injure desirable plants, Jim simply took normal pre-cautions against spray driftŠand didn't worry about damaging desirable 
vegetation along the fairway. Even better, he was able to re-seed right into the dying bermudagrass only 7 days after applying RoundupŠ without loss of playing time or incon-
venience to the membership. Reinfestation won't be a big prob-lem for Jim, either. He knows that Roundup destroyed the rhizomes of the treated weeds, helping prevent 
their regrowth. Jim thinks he'll use Roundup again this yearŠand apparently some 
club members hope so, too. "As soon 
as they saw how good this fairway looks, some of the members started asking when I'm going to do the same 
for "10, where we have some more bermuda. I'll probably tackle that with Roundup this fall'.' If controlling many tough emerged weeds and grasses is a problem for you, see your local Monsanto representative or chemical dealer soon for your supply of Roundup. Roundup. It worked for Jim Siegfried It can work for you Circle 136 on free Information card Monsanto There's never been a herbicide like this before. 14 TURF OVERVIEW 2 5 New lawngrass cultivars available >< OC H CO D 
D 
Z w os < u z < by Dr. Robert W. Schery, Director The Lawn Institute, Marysville, Ohio A wealth of new lawngrass cultivars has been released in re-cent years, with implications for lawn care. For one thing, most have been bred and selected un-der a regime of ample fertility Š they are at their best only when regularly fertilized. A second implication is that as usage of newer cultivars ex-pands, lawns should acquire greater disease tolerance (espe-cially towards leafspot, Helminthosporium or Drechs-
1 era). Leafspot, and several other diseases prevalent with common grass, is intensified by fertiliza-tion in warming weather. Listing the Lawn Institute's Variety Review Board accep-tances provides a panorama of what confronts a lawn care businessman. Only cool-season species are listed. Significant development has come rather 
recently with the leading lawn-grass species. Only a few decades ago, there were almost 
no improved varieties, and perennial ryegrass had a second-class image (although today the 
new polycrosses make it one of the leading lawn species, regar-ded almost on a par with Ken-tucky bluegrass). Merion Kentucky bluegrass showed the way. Merion was a chance find on a Philadelphia golf course just before World War II. Jacklin Seed Company sponsored Merion at a time when others still felt that the public would not pay a premium for a superior cultivar. Because of low seed yields, Merion had to 
sell at as much as tenfold the price of common Kentucky blue-grass. The rest is history, and Merion is still making some of the finest turfs where diseases such as stripe smut and Fusarium are not too much of a problem Somewhat later Jacklin Seed also introduced Fylking Ken-tucky bluegrass, the basic strain of which was developed in 
Sweden. The new cultivar competition had begun in ear-nest. Fylking still enjoys a strong 
market, and is a peer of the many other, mostly newer bluegrasses in the listing. A number of fine 
European originations will be SomefolkslikcTlieirCfialion Mixed While 01 hers Prefer USíraighí. Citation is mighty popular around these parts, but there's no need for a shoot-out. Fact is, Citation has a great reputation for fast germination, out-standing heat tolerance, disease resistance, and packs a dark green color. Try it on an area you want to dress up and we think you'll check in your guns and notice an improvement in your disposition. CITATION There may be a little room for argument here. CBS is a mix-ture of Citation, Birdie and Omega fine leafed perennial rye-grasses, blended especially for overseeding n ^^ for use as winter turf in the south. Each variety used in the blend has a different genetic back-ground to improve overall performance. CBS blend is mighty fast too, so the whole shootin' match could be a stand-off. Turf-Seed, Inc. Ht! W® tfKTT P.O. Box 250, Hubbard, OR 97032 503/981-9571 TWX 510-590-0957 
The RESEARCH'PRODUCTION'MARKETING people There's Room in This Town for BOTH! Circle 104 on free information card tüBß^ 08$ OVERSEEDING MIXTURE NET wr.5oies noted. European breeders got the jump on American ones because government "approved lists" (tantamount to patent protec-tion) were widely accepted in Europe. Plants reproduced from seed did not enjoy "breeders rights" protection in the USA un-til the 1972 crop year. Meanwhile some selection and part-time breeding work was carried on at American Universi-ties, notably Pennsylvania State and Rhode Island. But it remained for Dr. Funk at Rutgers University to devote full time to 
the gathering of lawngrass germ-plasm, destined to yield so many 
of the hybrids and polycrosses 
which now dominate the fine 
cultivar listings. Nature has not been overlooked; such excellent 
cultivars as Glade, Plush, Ram I, 
and Touchdown were screened 
at Rutgers from accessions dis-covered quite by chance. On the 
other hand cultivars such as Adelphi, Bonnieblue, Galaxy and Majestic are progeny from the deliberate crossing of select bloodlines. Almost all of the leading perennial ryegrasses and fine fescues are now polycrosses, Š separate clonal selections let cross at random by interplanting 
in the seed fields. On the other hand the newer bentgrasses and rough bluegrasses are mostly pure-line inbreds or isolated ecotypes. Because of its complex poly-ploid nature, Kentucky blue-grass has built-in heterogeneity, one reason why it is such an 
outstanding turfgrass. Yet it 
comes true-to-type because of Merion Kentucky blue-grass was a chance find on a Philadelphia golf course just before World War II. the high incidence of apomixis (development of seed with mother plant's heredity only). The polycross technique pro-vides a similar degree of genetic 
variability bred into most peren-nial ryegrasses and fine fescue. This helps avoid the hazards of monoculture that often befall in-breds. All in all a solid lawn-grass base, offering wide choice, has now become reality. Skilled maintenance should be able to deliver nonpareil results utiliz-ing it well. Of course biological systems are dynamic, constantly responding to environmental 
change. New races of disease may come along, turning not-so-serious afflictions into epidemics. So there is still merit 
in "planting insurance" by utiliz-ing blends of cultivars and mix-tures of species. This diversifies a bit beyond the allowable genetic extent. We note, too, a change in the attitude of pathologists. Attempts 
to eradicate disease are giving ground to the idea of living with low levels of infection. So long as fungi and microorganisms are in balance, a fairly stable situation 
exists. It behooves lawn services 
not to disrupt such a balance, as perhaps by overriding natural checks. In several instances a 
pesticide has triggered side-effects more serious than the trouble treated for. Other pests, fungi, insects, or weeds, Š are "released" as newly induced stress curbs their natural control. No doubt the lawngrass breeders will continue to come up with new cultivars even more tolerant of disease, even lower-growing, denser, more weed-free, with a longer season, of 
richer color, adapted to special situations, and so on. In the meanwhile let's take best advan-tage of the advances so far achieved by providing consider-
ate maintenance for leading cultivars such as are exemplified by the listing. Lawn Institute Variety Review Board Cultivar acceptances Chief Species KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS, Poa pratensis Š makes great sod from spreading rhizomes; tenaceous, easily maintained, but somewhat slow to establish. Adelphi Š Like most Rutgers hybrids has good quality, habit, and winter performance; resists Fusarium and other diseases; reasonably tolerant of drought. Arboretum Š Selection from 
stressful Missouri habitat; per-
sistent under minimum care; ecotype in the common mold best 
mowed fairly tall. Baron Kentucky blue-grass is an all-around good performer that wears well and is only slightly susceptible to disease. Baron Š Selection carefully screened in Holland; appear-ance not distinctive, but an all-around good performer that 
wears well, even under moderate maintenance; seed-heads in late spring may show; only slight susceptibility to most 
diseases. Birka Š Selection from Sweden, noted for tolerance of low maintenance; winter color not up to Rutgers hybrids, but does well generally; among top ratings in Northeast. Bonnieblue Š Another hybrid beauty from Rutgers, decum-bent, with good winter color and a long season; has the usual dis-ease tolerance expected of a Rutgers release. Enmundi Š Selection from Hol-land, diligently screened for quality; low, leafy, with winter color best suited to European-type climate. Fylking Š Swedish selection, elegant, decumbent, adapted to low mowing; some disease under 
high fertility, but usually not too serious; has shown good salinity There is no doubt the lawngrass breeders will continue to come up with new cultivars which are even more disease resistant, more weed free, and better adapted to special situations, but let's take advantage of the advances achieved thus far by providing considerate maintenance. WÊÊÊÊÊÊÊmÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊmÊÊÊmÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊmmÊÊÊ tolerance in California; com-patible in seed blends; seed of high quality readily available. Glade Š Selection picked up in New York, tested at Rutgers; low, dark, slow-growing (but quick 
starting); good in shade because of resistance to mildew; depend-
able, compatible in blends. Majestic Š Handsome Rutgers hybrid, dense, dainty and 
strongly rhizomatous; excellent general qualities characteristic of these crosses. Merion Š The "cadillac" of the bluegrasses, discovered on a Philadelphia golf course; excep-tionally dense and aggressive, wearing well; suffers from 
various diseases these days, but 
has excellent resistance to leafspot; needs generous fertilization; drought tolerance is good but salinity tolerance is low. Nugget Š Pan-boreal selection from Alaska, especially neat, dense, darkgreen; gives great summer performance, wearing well, but greens late; best adap-ted northward; suffers some-what from dollarspot and 
Fusarium; good in shade because of mildew tolerance. Plush Š Selection from New Jer-sey that has rated well at Rutgers; competitive and seems widely adapted; dwarfish habit, with a prominent leaf. 
Ram I Š Discovery on a Maine golf course, endures low mowing and acid soils; especially good in 
blends; spreads quickly to make stout sod. Sydsport Š Vigorous Swedish introduction with excellent general qualities, only mildly susceptibe to most diseases; much recommended for sports-turf. Touchdown Selection from Long Island, N.Y. golf fairway, dense and strong with only moderate to page 19 15 tr > £ Z n > m Z a a en H X << c z Time tested, field tested, this rugged front mounted 72" mower is built for high capacity mowing, day in and day out, and with our "O" turning radius, you have the trimming capabilities of a small push-mower in congested or confined areas. A commercially constructed hydrostatic transmission enables the operator to establish a ground speed conducive to his varied mowing conditions. Other sizes manufactured are 48", 60", 82" and 180" plus a full line of attachments. Are you looking to get the most for your mowing dollar? Call your local Turf Blazer distributor and ask for a demonstration. Manufactured by hdwÂMcè W EQUIPMENT Circle 110 on free Information card 18155 Edison Avenue Chesterfield, Mo. 63017 KBSiw&ä» ^ Aisf'ly »1 ¿Sz \ < v $ Tfour best sales opportunitie and ugly, Imt very profitable r« > ? Z n > PO m Z a c CTS H PO C z S&SS Ł dB ^ Ł süs - -- »v? Ł ÎÛ m PwÜl Ir* Ł ¡¡11 «I 1 ÜL ! » ¿É M l^rï^.'v m SS3 ».Ł4 A m TERSAN. fungicides When you know and show these lawn diseases to your customers, you sell a new service and make new profit with the TERSAN disease control program. Learn to recognize these five sales tools (from left to right): fusarium blight, leaf spot, stripe smut, dollar spot, pythium blight. Every time one of these shows up on a customer's lawn,'you've got a great opportu-nity to sell an additional service, right on top of your 
basic lawn-care programs. To cash in on this high-margin opportunity, you've got to spot the disease early and identify it correctlyŠthen tell your customer what it can do to his lawn, and how you can prevent it. And the TERSAN program is the key, with four dif-ferent TERSAN fungicides, each one a proven, effec-tive control for each disease that's likely to show up. For more profits, put these five sales tools to work for you. Start by mailing in the coupon for more 
facts on identifying and controlling lawn diseases. E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. (Inc.) TERSAN Lawn Products-Room N-2533 Wilmington, Delaware 19898 Please send me your literature on lawn disease control. Name Title Company. Address City_ State. -Zip-Services Offered. No. of present accounts:. No. of employees:. With any chemical, follow labeling instructions and warnings carefully. Lawn Products Getting results from your salesmen There are many ways for a lawn care businessman to waste his time during the working day, but none comes easier than in contacts with salesmen. It is an 
area which the businessman seldom realizes how much of his time is being expended need-lessly and could be put to better 
use. Naturally, it is impossible to do away with those contacts. They are most important to the continued smooth operation and success of the business. Just a lit-tle attention to how they are han-dled can not only produce more results but become more meaningful as well. LAWN CARE INDUSTRY contacted a number of business consultants, and based on these interviews, have compiled a list of ways to produce more results in contacts with chemical, equip-
ment salesmen and other salesmen. Ł Reach an understanding with every salesman whom you 
have regular contact about this 
element of time utilization in 
your relationships. It is almost as 
important to that salesman as it is to yourself. Have a rule, and stick with it, which specifies that you will have nothing to do with the salesman who indulges in .time wasting tactics. Ł Prepare yourself in advance of his calls by having a solid idea 
of just what you need and will order from each salesman who HHHHHHHHHHHi Have a rule which specifies that you will 
have nothing to do with a salesman who in-dulges in time-wasting tactics. mmmmmmmmm makes regular calls. He will, of course, have additional ideas for you. But if all the indecisions can be taken out of your ordering of routine items in advance of the contact as much as half the former time spent will be saved. Ł Teach someone on your staff the art of separating the unimportant and unneeded items which salesmen are seek-ing to sell you from those which 
offer what could be of value to the business. Give him or her the authority to turn down those which obviously have small value. It can save you an enor-mous amount of time previously wasted with salesmen selling such items or services. Ł Have those salesmen with whom you have not had previous contacts, and who are offering something he or she believes could be of value to the firm, leave information about those offerings for study. Then select 
those you think could have possi-ble value and have them make 
appointments for these particu-lar salespeople to call again. Ł Save time for both yourself and your regular supplier sales-men by directly contacting their firms on matters over which the salesmen have no jurisdiction or authority. It is something they will have to do anyway. The time thus spent with the salesman on the matter can be saved. Ł Make all of your contacts with salesmen in an area of the 
business where you are least 
likely to be interrupted. That 
cuts down on the time you will spend with each salesman and you. An occasional one has value 
but doing so with four out of five salesmen does nothing to put time spent to best use. Ł Spend a spare moment or two, when available, looking Teach someone on your staff the art of separating the unimportant ana unneeaed items which sales-men are seeking to sell you from those which offer what could be of value to the business. Give him or her the authority to turn down those which ob-viously have small value. Ł Keep a "want list" handy where everyone on the staff can get at it quickly and see to it that everyone, including yourself, uses it. That avoids overlooking something important as well as the need for checking up each 
time a salesman calls. Ł Budget the time that you allot to each salesman according to the capability of his firm at supplying the needs of your business. Giving the man who will walk away with a $200 order the same time as the one from whom you buy $2,000 worth of goods is definitely a waste of your time. adds up to a worthwhile total 
over the year. Ł Keep your "cup of coffee" contacts with salesmen to the minumum number each day. That type of informal contact wastes a lot of time for both of over sales literature and 
business magazine advertise-ments. Doing so can reduce the 
time needed during each sales call in seeking the same information. to page 19 B51D0 2- or 4-wheel drive. 12 hp. 2 cyl. Designed for grass cutting, vegetable gardens, and general 
estate maintenance. For home owners, this tractor is a step up from riding mowers. Can use mid-mount 
or rear-mount mower, rotary tiller, plow, disc 
harrow, rear blade. B6100 2- or 4-wheel drive. 14 hp. 3 cyl. Similar to B5100, but bigger engine offers more pulling power. Can handle all the same im-plements as the B7100DT Good tractor for land-users requiring a tractor to handle variety of materials. B7100DT 4-wheel drive. 16 hp. 3 cyl. Our biggest selling tractor. Small enough for grass cutting and general work around private homes. Strong enough for a wide variety of 
commercial applications, 
especially park main-tenance, nurseries, landscape contractors. Implements include post hole digger, front blade, 
trencher, front-end loader, backhoe, snow-
blower, as well as all those 
listed under B5100. L18S 2- or 4-wheel drive. 17 hp. 2 cyl. Works as mowing tractor with turf tires. With 2-wheel drive it is versa-tile chore tractor on large farms. For farm or indus-trial use where ground is soggy, we recommend 4-wheel drive for maxi-mum traction. Category 1 3-point hitch can handle plow, cultivator, disc harrow, rotary tiller. Also a wide range of earth moving and excavating implements. Rental operators will find this model in great demand. L245 2- or 4-wheel drive. 25 hp. 3 cyl. This model has many crop applications, espe-cially vegetable growing 
and orchard work. A wide range of implements is available, including back-hoe, front-end loader, 
post hole digger, front 
blade, box scraper. L245HC (not shown) 2-wheel drive. 25 hp. 3 cyl. New high-clearance 
tractor, ideal for specialty crops such as vegetables 
and tobacco. FVovides 
ample 22" ground clear-ance plus an uncluttered, 
off-set operator's plat-form for excellent visibility. scapers, nurserymen, and other commercial Have you noticed the color of our Kubota tractors? Orange. Every one of them. It's our way of making it easy for you to choose a good tractor. Now all you have to do is pick an orange. That way you won't get a lemon. In the 12 to 55.5 hp range, no one offers as many models as Kubota. And all our mid-size Kubotas give you the qualities that separate real tractors from the lightweight garden variety. All Kubotas have water-cooled diesel engines, which are designed with more cylinders than many competitive models. Standard equip-ment on all models includes rear PTO and a 3-point hydraulic hitch that accommodates a variety of implements. For more information, write or call us. Better yet, see your Kubota dealer. He knows more about how to CULTIVARSfrom page 15 fertilization, so may thatch a bit; tolerates heat and resists disease well. PERENNIAL RYEGRASS, Lolium perenne Š ryegrasses in extreme climates. Blazer Š An excellent polycross from Rutgers, utilizing 33 clones; low dense, rich green and winter-hardy. Citation Š A fine three-clone Rutgers polycross, resistant to brown patch (summer) and brown blight (winter); companionable for mixtures. Derby Š Widely useful 12-clone polycross by International Seeds, generally showing superior per-formance; tolerates brown patch and brown blight. Diplomat Š Beauteous multi-clone polycross from Rutgers, rating highly there and else-where; exceptionally fine 
foliage. 
Fiesta Š A 30-clone synthetic 
from Rutgers, moderately-low, medium-dark, withstanding both summer and winter stress. 
Manhattan Š The definitive Rut-gers polycross, utilizing 16 blood-lines mostly from Central Park, 
N.Y.; good winter hardiness; 
national acclaim. 
NK-200 Š Attractive Minnesota selection by Northrup-King, noted for winter hardiness (may 
be weaker in hot weather); roots 
deeply and thrives under modest maintenance. Omega Š Another excellent Rutgers 32-clone polycross, attractive summer and winter; wears well. Pennfine Š A splendid three-clone polycross from Penn State, competitive, especially strong in summer; rates well consistently in national tests, mows neatly 
and provides high quality turf; a 
leading cultivar nationally. Regal Š A recent three-clone polycross, the parent clones 
representing crosses that include some relationship with Penn-fine, Manhattan and coded Rutgers clones; progeny selection in Indiana and Oregon; has attributes of other fine rye-grasses such as Derby. Yorktown II Š One of the best rating multi-clone polycrosses from Rutgers, showing excellent summer performance; mows neatly and is durable; resists brown patch. FINE FESCUE, Festuca rubra Š well adapted to dry, infertile soil 
and shaded locations; often suf-fers stress from summer humidity, so that permanency is better in northern than southern 
climates. Banner Š Rutgers 45-clone Chewings polycross, doing es-
pecially well under coastal con-ditions. Ensylva Š A spreading poly-cross from Holland, well adapted to mixtures. Highlight Š Handsome Chewings introduction from Holland, one of the most bril-liant of the fescues; excellent 
color. 1285 2-wheel drive. 30 hp. 4 cyl. 4-cylinder diesel engine provides lots of smooth power. Built to accom-modate a long list of 
implements, including rotary rear-mount mower, tillers, disc harrows, box scraper, front blade, front loader, backhoe, plow. Good main tractor on small farm. Also wide applica-
tion for institutional or governmental grounds maintenance. With front loader, it is excel-lent machine for dairy farmer. L295DT 4-wheel drive. 30 hp. 3 cyl. Will outpull many 
larger farm tractors that only have 2-wheel drive. Can handle most 
medium-sized Cate-gory 1 farm implements. Also, earth moving capability makes it suit-able for general build-ing contractors. Out-standing fuel economy 
for its size. Draft and position control is standard. 1345 2-wheel drive. 34 hp. 4 cyl. Brand-new model designed to fit into popular horsepower range. 4 cylinders let it run more smoothly than many competing models. Fine all-round performer as chore tractor 
on large farm. Handy for general 
contractor because it doesn't require a heavy-duty trailer to haul it to construction site. Live rear PTO, draft and position control, power steering are standard on this model and all larger tractors. I11450DDT 4-wheel drive. 55.5 hp. 6 cyl. Our big brute. Tremendous pulling power for its size and weight. Works beautifully as primary tractor on smaller farms. Fine for land where traction is critical. Ideal for building contractors who start work in the North as soon as frost is out of the ground. m4000 (not shown) 2-wheel drive. 47.5 hp. 6 cyl. Good number one tractor for small farms, especially vegetable crops. Also excellent for many types of small to medium exca-
vating work. 6 cylinders provide smooth 
torque. Quiet running. Economical to 
operate. 16 forward gears supply wide range of ground speeds to match many different implement uses. pick an orange than anybody. For specific information about any Kubota tractor, call 1-800-241-8444. (In Georgia 1-800-282-1333.) Ask for Operator 63. We're looking for work. [IKUBOTD HELP! To help me pick an orange, please send free spec sheets on the following Kubota models: 1. (Model No.) 2. (Model No.) 3. (Model No.) Mail to: Advertising Department Kubota Tractor Corporation, 550 W. Artesia Blvd. P. O. Box 7020, Compton, CA 90224 STAT F TELEPHONE NUMBER LCI-6 Koket Š A Chewings five-clone polycross from Holland, strong, attractive, generally untouched by disease. Ruby Š A spreading fescue from Holland, from intercrossed clones; most used in mixtures and for special purposes (such as roadside seeding). Specialty grasses COLONIAL BENTGRASS, Agrostis tenuis Š Highland is a natural ecotype readily avail-able as seed of high quality; per-sists well under minimum maintenance. CREEPING BENTGRASS, Agrostis palustris Š Emerald is an excellent pureline out of Congressional, well-liked and 
not too demanding; one of the top 6 (out of 160) in Washington tests. ROUGH BLUEGRASS, Poo trivialis Š Sabre selected at 
Rutgers, is perhaps the best southern golf green winter-seeding species once estab-lished; elegant and durable un-der play; a species adapted to moist shade in the North. IHHHH MANAGEMENT frompa gel8 Ł Be the type of businessman about whom supplier salesmen quickly learn must be sold on a basis of facts alone. That auto-matically discourages time 
wasting strategy that any salesman might seek to use in an attempt to sell you something. Ł Save that joke telling and experience narration for con-tacts with your friends after business hours. The chances are enormous that each salesman has heard them all before and is only being courteous in listening to you tell them. Make a real effort to under-stand each salesman's problems in his contacts with yourself. The 
better that you understand them the easier it is to develop 
smoother and more profitable contacts with him each time. Ł Discourage any salesman who wastes the time of people on 
your staff with needless verbal 
exchanges. He is costing you money by keeping them away from their regular duties. Ł Turn over those salesmen who sell only routine supply 
items to someone on your staff 
for handling. Give that in-
dividual an inventory of what is to be kept in stock and leave it to him or her to handle such items 
on that basis. Ł Learn something about the personality traits of those sales-men who call you regularly. Han-dle the man who understands 
only a tough and decisive ap-
proach accordingly. Be con-siderate and pleasant with the 
salesman who merits that at-titude and will never abuse it. Ł Do away with the practice of saving up complaints, argu-ments, matters which need correction, etc., for that salesman's next appearance. Make a contact with the firm by telephone or letter as each such incident happens. In nine out of 10 cases you will wind up doing that anyway. r* > £ Z n > 
po m Z a c en H PO C z LAWN CARE INDUSTRY Marketplace Washington Stanley Gordon is no shrink-ing violet. You pull up to his of-fices just off the Beltway in Silver Spring, Md.f and he's out to your car to shake your hand before you've got the door open. He's wearing topsiders with no socks, a gauzy shirt with the top few buttons undone. He looks like a bartender in a summer resort-type restaurant Š which he tells you later in the interview is what he really wants to be. That may be what he looks like when you first meet him, but there aren't too many bartender-
types that can boast his track re-cord in the lawn care industry. He started his Lawn-A-Mat of Metro Washington in 1965. He tells you that he put out his advertising in March of that 
year, and followed up 35 leads the first Sunday. He and his peo-ple serviced 18 lawns on Easter Sunday that year with the Lawn-A-Mat combine. He finished his first year in business with 100 ac-
counts. He was also a Lawn-A-Mat distributor for the D.C. market, and by 1974 had signed up 15 
dealers that were collectively grossing $2 million on lawn care business to 7,000 customers. The parent company has had Chapter 11 bankruptcy problems 
since those heady days, and there are now only six or seven Lawn-A-Mat dealers working the D.C. area. Gordon is one of them, in addition to owning seven per-cent of two million Lawn-A-Mat stock shares, he says. Gordon now has 500 customers on the books and says 
he will gross $150,000 this year. For Mike Cust, it all comes back to his people. "I have the best employes in the country," says the 38-year-old owner of Cust Maintenance Co., Inc., Oxon Hill, Md. During peak times of the year, he has 35 employes on the payroll, working in five-man 
crews. He carries about 10 em-
ployes full-time over the winter. 
His crew foremen, most of them in their late 20's, earn in the $15,-000 to $18,000 range. In addition to this, his employes carry life in-surance ($10,000 for foremen) and a solid hospitalization pro-gram through the American Association of Nurserymen. Em-ployes also receive two weeks earned vacation and one week 
earned sick leave each year. And this year Cust has instituted a profit-sharing plan. "For too long, people have looked down their noses at peo-
ple in service industries, particu-
larly the lawn maintenance in-dustry," he said. "I think it is im-portant for the industry to be 
upgraded." Cust started the business in 1972 with John Howell. He had previously been personnel 
manager dealing with 600 people for Washington's largest down-town parking facility network. The company projected $25,-000 in billings that first year, but ended up grossing $75,000. The 
business has grown steadily since then, to the point where it will gross close to $600,000 this year. Cust's gross was about $250,-000 for a number of years, but then he realized he had to take on more business so that he could provide better oppor-tunities for the top-level people he was developing. Foreman Lee Howell has been with him five years; Harold Thompson has 
been with him five years; and Ed Robinson and Charles Arnold have been with him four years each. "Every service industry is seeking an identity," Cust says, "and the lawn care industry is no different. We've got the service 
aspect of our business down, and 1 really believe that I could take these 35 people with me into just about any service business and make money at it. That is how much confidence I have in my 
people." Cust's maintenance work is divided equally Š about one-third is commercial/industrial work (such as the 110-acre IBM office complex north of Washin-gton); about one-third govern-ment work (including one 2,600-acre Navy project); and about 
one-third residential. "I don't believe in putting all of my eggs in one basket," he 
said. "Government work can change hands fast with low the 
low-bidding process." He sends out about 75 bills a month, and most of his accounts 
are.on 10-month contracts. Most of his work is what he calls full-service, but he also has some liquid-application jobs, and some jobs that he just provides maintenance for. The company 
does no tree work that can't be 
reached from the ground. A computer service has en-tered into his business this year. His secretary codes all bills and receivables, and they are fed into the computer. In addition to obvious billing advantages, the 
computer read-outs he receives 
allow him to pinpoint costs for 
each crew and the jobs they work on. When he bids jobs, he es-timates that he needs between $18 and $22 per man with equip-ment per hour to do well on the job, and admits that $18 is cut-ting it pretty thin at times. Although he bids landscape installation work, he sub-contracts it out to other firms. He marks up the subcontractors price between 10 and 20 percent, and then bills the amount to the 
customer. He only handles this type of work for known accounts, 
and estimates he grossed $75,000 in this aspect of his business last year. He also says that he looks for a minimum of 10 percent net pro-fit on his work, and usually tries to keep it over this figure. Cust said that 95 percent of the lawns he handles are a mix-
ture of bluegrass and fine fescue. He also says that K-31 tall fescue, although it is a coarse grass, can look very good with the correct 
maintenance. And he says that 
O.M. Scott & Sons' Vantage Ken-tucky bluegrass is well-adapted for the Washington area because it has good tolerance to drought, 
and it has good resistance to Fusarium blight. To control Fusarium blight on his disease-prone lawns, he uses Tersan 1991, marketed by Du Pont Co., Wilmington, Del. He provides four applications at two ounces per 1,000 square feet June 15, July 1, July 15 and in August, and says he has "had some luck" with the program. Last year, he 
had to go back and apply another application, because the month of September was so hot. For his spray jobs he uses 150-gallon tanks and assemblies manufactured by F. E. Myers Co., Ashland, Ohio, and Deere & 
Co., Moline, 111. He mounts them 
in small pick-up trucks, and sprays herbicides from one, and 
fungicides from the other. For mowing, he uses 25 two-cycle hand mowers manufac-tured by Jacobsen Div. of Tex-tron, Inc., Racine, Wis. He also has six 60-inch riding mowers manufactured by Yazoo Mfg. Co., Jackson, Miss. He owns a 72-inch Hustler riding mower 
manufactured by Excel In-dustries, Inc., Hesston, Ks., and likes it particularly for slope 
work. He also uses units manufactured by Howard Price Turf Equipment, Inc., Chester-field, Mo. He owns four tractors manufactured by Deere, two 30-horsepower diesels, and two 40-horsepower diesels. He uses a 25-horsepower tractor manufac-by Bob Earley, editor and Dan Moreland, assistant editor tured by Kubota Tractor Corp., Compton, Calif., with a Woods mower, manufactured by 
Hesston Corp., Oregon, 111. for light-duty fine mowing. He also has units manufactured by Ford 
Tractor Operations, Troy, Mich., and an F-10 unit manufactured by Jacobsen for large-acreage mowing. "Just about everything we own is diesel," Cust said. "We have found that you get three or four more times worth of wear from a diesel unit over gas-
powered." He also says that 
when he purchases mowing equipment, he is often more in-terested in how well the dealer will be able to service him rather than how good the equipment is itself. Other equipment Cust uses heavily includes a TS-30 tree spade manufactured by Vermeer Mfg. Co., Pella, Iowa; Rogers seeders marketed by Jacobsen; brush chippers manufactured by Olather Mfg., Inc., Industrial Airport, Kan.; Jacobsen leaf blowers; and a Giant-Vac truck loader for leaf and debris Cust Fillah removal, manufactured by Giant-Vac Mfg., Inc., South Win-dham, Conn. "Debris disposal is getting to be a problem," he says, "and with one of these units and a one-ton dump truck, we can handle 200 acres worth of debris 
before we have to make a trip to the dump." Cust starts his workers out at $3.25 an hour, works them up to $3.50 after about a month on the 
job, and then up from there to the point where his more skilled people who stay with him can 
earn anywhere between $5 and $6. He gives his foremen flexi-bility in handling crews. During some summer months a few crews work four 10-hour days rather than the typical week, and Cust says he gets more pro-
duction this way. "We do our own preventive maintenance on our equipment on rainy days," he said, "but we rely mostly on dealers for our 
major repairs. I expect this from 
dealers. I let them charge me a fair price for the equipment. If you push a man to cut his price 
he is going to have to cut his ser-vice to make up for it. I would 
rather pay the full price and get good service, and I do.." Ed Birch and Chuck Fillah are men in motion. In the course of about an hour on a sunny, 80-degree Washington spring day 
made to get the kinks out of any 
lawn maintenance operation, the phones ring off the hook: One call every four minutes to be ex-
act. And most of the calls, have to do with the two things Birch and Fillah say are the biggest prob-lems their Columbia Mainte-nance Services Corp. in Alexan-dria, Va. have. As 48-year-old 
Birch puts it: "Training and keeping good people, and keeping the equip-ment running for the people to work with." If you have got a couple of free hours on your hands, the two will sit down with you and recount their equipment prob-lems for you. Things like being three days late on a job because a brand new one-ton pickup with only 1,100 miles on it has broken down twice in two days. Things like having a pump broken down for the lack of a $1.50 part that only a company in North Carolina manufactures. Things like having five 52-inch mowers on inventory, but never 
being able to keep more than four on the job because the fifth 
is constantly needed for parts. The two run a $450,000 business, and employ five full-time mechanics. One mechanic works during the day, two work evenings and two work nights. That is a lot of manpower, but of course there are some benefits. 
Blades and oil filters are changed every day on their mowers. And although there are always problems, as Fillah says: "One breakdown can't kill us, we've got backup equipment to handle just about anything that is really necessary." The company has been in business 12 years, starting out largely with janitorial services. The company is owned by Skip, Ken and Josh Schatz. In 1973, Birch was put in charge of an out-door maintenance division as an accomodation to a customer, and the business has grown since 
then. Fillah, 25, a University of Maryland turf grad, started in 1974. The company has 36 projects on the books, 34 of them are apartment complexes. They also count the well-known Goddard Space Center among their ac-counts. They have 15 trucks on the road. This includes seven mowing crews, one pruning 
crew, one edging crew, one spray 
crew and a crew that handles weeding and mulching in beds. They employ 55 to 60 persons at peak times of the year. They start laborers at $3 to $3.25 an hour, and a pay operators $3.75 to $4.50 an hour. For mowing, they use 35 Jacobsen commercial 20-inch hand mowers; five 52-inch Groundsmasters, manufactured by Toro Co., Minneapolis, Minn; five 60-inch units manufactured 
by Howard Price Turf Equip-ment, Inc.; a five-year-old, 72-inch Hustler mower manufac-tured by Excel Industries. Also, a 24-horsepower tractor manufacturedby Kubota Tractor Corp; and a 40-horsepower trac-tor manufactured by Ford Trac-
tor Operations. They rear-mount 60-inch Woods mowers, manufactured by Hesston Corp., on these units. They use 15 Green Machine string trimmers and seven Green Machine backpack blowers manufactured by HMC, Torrance, Calif. They also own two 60-inch commercial units manufactured by Jacobsen. When bidding maintenance jobs, Birch and Fillah estimate about $10-12 an hour for mowing work, and about $15 an hour for special work. They take a pre-bidding sheet and walk the job, checking off the amount of min-utes it will take an average crew to handle each job that needs to be done. They estimate about 80 
percent efficiency on man-hours, then price out the labor portion of the bid. Then they estimate 
costs for foremen, operators and other workers, add in estimated gas, oil costs and travel time. Then they compute about a 15 percent overhead cost, and about 10 percent profit cost, and submit the bid based on these figures. For accounting purposes, any equipment under $500 original 
purchase price they expense the day they buy it. The rest of the equipment is amortized usually 
over a five-to six-year period. Their riding mowers are amor-tized over a longer period of time 
than even their trucks. Their average apartment complex brings in about $10,000 a year on nine or 10 monthly con-tract billings. They usually work through four or five property management firms, and two 
firms handle 15 of their accounts. Most of the lawns Columbia cares for are of seeded bluegrass and fescue. For crabgrass control they use Dacthal, manufactured by Diamond Shamrock Corp., Cleveland; and Balan, manufac-tured by Elanco Products Co., In-dianapolis. They use spray equipment manufactured by Cruse Graham Birch Blust Smithco, Inc., Wayne, Pa., and a boom unit mounted on a Cushman Truckster, manufac-tured by Cushman-Ryan, Div. of Outboard Marine Corp., Lincoln, Neb. Because we are in the janitorial business," Birch said, "we have contacts with just about all of the major manage-ment firms and large projects in the Washington area. Of the 1,000 or so top property managers, we already know perhaps 800 of them. And in many cases, we have already walked the job at one time or another, and pro-
bably have a folder on file on the 
project." Birch and Fillah hope to get into more design work in the 
future, and are adding the neces-
sary staffing to handle it. One of the reasons for this is that it is a higher-margin business than commercial/industrial land-
scape maintenance often is. As Birch says: "Sometimes it can get tight. We figure that it costs us $30 a day to own a Hustler mower for example. That is $15 to pay for it, and $15 to handle repairs, gas, oil 
and a little put aside to purchase the next one. And that is 
assuming that we get 210 cutting 
days a year. A lot of things can go 
wrong on keeping that machine on the job, and when they do, it can throw our budgeting and pro-fit structure out the window." George Graham says that when he got into the lawn care business seven years ago, he didn't realize he would be getting involved in sales. Anyone involved in chemical lawn care might find that hard to imagine. "It's true," the 45-year-old owner of Lawn King of Mount 
Vernon recently told LAWN CARE INDUSTRY. "If anybody had told me that I would be knocking on doors, I would never 
have gotten involved in it in the first place." Seven years ago, Graham had recently retired from handling Army computer work, and was looking for something to devote his time to after 20 years in the service. Despite his aversion to sales at the time, as he recalls: "I had already laid my money on the line, and was sitting in the 
Lawn King training session, just madder than hell because I was 
beginning to realize that I would 
indeed really have to sell." He didn't have much time to ponder his situation. "I put out the advertising, just like the Lawn King people said, and the leads started coming in. Before I 
knew it, I was out making sales calls, and bang-bang-bang, I had my first three accounts on the books," he said. Of course, he doesn't like to admit that he overcharged his 
first sale by 4,000 square feet because he didn't quite know 
how to measure a lawn, and charged the account for the square footage of his entire lot. Despite getting off on the wrong foot, he wrote $8,000 
worth of business his first two 
weeks pounding the pavement. He grossed $78,000 his first year 
in the business. Since then, he has added two more dealership areas, and this year will service 1,500 accounts and approach a 
gross of $400,000. "I enjoy sales now," Graham says. He believes that the way a lawn care businessman "develops" his customers can save him a lot of servicing 
headaches later on in the con-tract. "You have to sell very negative, just promise the customer that you will service 9 Trucks of four Washinton-area lawn >* oc £ their lawn and do your best/' he says. "Don't promise them grass." In spite of this warning, he does tell his customers that if he can't produce a good stand of z grass after two years (although ^ this is rare) then that is simply 
j the best he can do. After three years in business, Graham began to realize that 90 percent of his phone and callback time was being spent on the same relatively few troublesome lawns. These were lawns that were severely sloped, 
lawns that had poor aeration, and sometimes, lawns owned by simply troublesome customers. He discussed these troublesome 
lawns with the owners during the fourth year in business. By the end of the season, the customers that had not already dropped his services received a letter explaining that Graham could no longer service their lawn. He lost 20 percent of his business, but it was also the least profitable per-centage of his business. Graham believed in advertising. Oh, how he believed 
in advertising. Up until this year, 
he was spending 20 percent of his gross on advertising and pro-motion. To bring that a little closer to home, consider the fact that he spent $49,000 on advertising and promotion in 
1977, $32,000 in 1976, $38,000 in 
1975 and $22,000 in 1974. He only spent $9,000 last year, but says that his past substantial adveritsing outlay is "coming back to me now. I now have to marry up quality work with the image and name I have built for my self over the years." And when it comes to selling lawn care accounts, Graham has changed his philosophy a bit in the last few years. And when it comes to selling lawn care accounts, Graham has changed his philosophy a bit in the last few years. "We used to sell accounts on the basis of insisting that both the husband and wife be present," he said. "It was almost a sure sale, but you just can't do it in this day and age, with both hus-band and wife working and in-volved in so many other ac-tivities." This attitude has cut down on Graham's night sales work, but it has also reduced his percentage of leads closed. "It used to be between 80 and 90 percent, but now it is closer to 
40 percent," he said. "You just can't convey your message to the husband if you have to work through the wife. It becomes a simple numbers game. He wants to know the price, the bottom line, and of course you don't have a chance to convey to him 
what the lawn needs and what 
you are going to do for it." His sales people work on an eight percent commission basis. The salesman also pays all of his own expenses for sales work. care companies. First-year salesmen also receive a salary. When one of Graham's ser-vice men generate a lead, they are paid a bonus of one percent 
of the actual sale generated. They receive this bonus only the first year the account is on the 
books. The service men are paid a basic salary plus an incentive 
bonus. Trainees are paid a weekly salary of $130, even if rain delays work. After about 30 days on the job, the salary goes up to $145. This is also when the bonus clause kicks in. The ser-vice men are paid 10 percent of any revenues produced on Quay Faulrin g square footage they service in excess of 40,000 square feet weekly. Bonuses are paid in the twice-monthly payrolls. But there is also a quality con-trol check. Any lawn that has to be retreated is subtracted two times what the service man's bonus would be. The service men are also in charge of their 
own equipment repairs. Mike Blust is a fast learner. He's had to be. A little over two years ago, he was working for the 
Oakland County Parks Depart-ment in Michigan, fresh out of Michigan State University with a 
degree in parks management. Then the 24-year-old signed on with the national lawn care chain Tru-Green Corp., and the 
company promptly sent him to Washington, D.C. to help open up the market. After some time back in Tru-Green's Michigan offices, he is back in D.C. as regional manager for the company's branches in D.C., Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Virginia Beach, Va. The company runs two 1,200 spray tank units and a pickup 
spray unit out of its Rockville, Md. offices. The basic program it 
offers calls for five applications a year, four of them with fertil-
izer included. One summer ap-
plication usually only includes 
an insecticide. Minimum charge 
is $18 per application for a 5,000-square-foot lawn. Blust says that the average lawn his company handles is 8,000 square feet, with a charge of $25.20. After a soil test determines if lime is neces-sary on a lawn, it is applied in pelletized form in the fall ap-
plications at no extra charge. Blust says that direct mail has not worked successfully for the 
company in the D.C. area in the past, and that this year they are relying on hand distribution and what he calls "neighbor letters." Robert DeKraft, co-owner of Lawn Doctor of Fairfax, at-tributes his company's success in acquiring 900 new customers in 1979 directly to television advertising. "Television really had an impact on our sales this 
spring," he said. Lawn Doctor of Fairfax in-itially started utilizing television 
in 1977 and the advertising cam-
paign has resulted in increased 
customer recognition of their product. "We spent a lot of money getting the image of our 
'green thumb' logo out to the 
public," he said. "When the 
public sees the logo we want them to think of Lawn Doctor." Because of the sheer numbers of people television reaches, the 
campaign has already had a sig-nificant impact on Lawn Doctor's sales for 1979, but DeKraft is quick to add that referrals, through word-of-mouth 
advertising, are also a traditional tool in securing new customers. "We have quite a good reputation in northern Virginia 
and our referrals have helped 
us," he said. "Once we go into an area and give the people results than we get the neighbors. I can't stress enough how much that has added to our business." "We also do a lot of lawn evaluation-type advertising where we go through a neighbor-
hood, evaluate the lawns, and leave something on the homeowner's door," he said. 
Other advertising methods used by Lawn Doctor of Fairfax in-
clude radio spots, ads in the Washington Post and other local newspapers, and some telephone solicitation. "We don't use any 
high pressure tactics in any of our advertising," DeKraft added. Lawn Doctor of Fairfax was established in 1969 and currently services about 2,700 customers in Fairfax County, about 18 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. The company grosses about $450,000 annually and DeKraft said he expects the company to top $1 million in business within a "few years." Lawn Doctor of Fairfax currently employs 13 full-time 
workers and an additional 12 part-time workers, along with 
one full-time salesman and five 
or six part-time salesmen. According to DeKraft, the key to retaining quality employes in-volves taking "good care" of them. "You can't treat them like part-time people," he said. "That's why I have so many full-time people who I carry during 
the winter months." He guaran-
tees a 40-hour work week at a 
pay rate of $3.75 to $4.75 per hour throughout the year. During the winter months DeKraft's full-time employes 
clean the trucks, maintain the machinery, and prepare for the coming season. "It's expensive to carry the people, but this way I 
don't have to retrain new people every year," he said. Lawn Doctor of Fairfax's pro-gram is granular and consists of fertilization, pre-e mergence crabgrass control in the spring, and weed and insect control. "We also offer dethatching, seeding with aeration, and milky spore disease for grub control if the customers want it," DeKraft said. "The only thing we don't do is cut and water the lawn." Come June, however, it's possible that DeKraft would like to make watering a part of Lawn Doctor's service. As a result of Washington's scorching summers water is generally in short supply and the water that is available is 
expensive. "It's hard to get the customers to get out there two or three 
times a week and soak the 
lawns," he said. "Because of that 
you get into a browning situation in the middle of June and the 
lawns pretty much stay that way throughout the summer." "You have to make your customers understand that it's not a matter of putting more fer-tilizer down to make their lawns green," DeKraft said, "but that we either need rain or for them to water the lawns." The troublesome water situa-tion is further aggravated by the heavy concentration of clay soils in the Washington area. "You 
hardly penetrate the surface of this clay soil even after an hour of heavy watering," he said. "The water keeps running off so it doesn't get down to the root 
system where it's really needed." Maurer Gordon Water is not the only problem for lawn care operators in the Washington area. A prepon-derance of disease and insects, hot/dry summers, and the fact that Washington is in the transi-tion zone adds to the lawn care professional's woes. "Washing-ton is too far south for the north-ern grasses and too far north for the southern grasses," DeKraft said. So what can the lawn care professional do? DeKraft recom-mends doing something a little less drastic. Simply plant Ken-tucky 31 fescue. "Kentucky 31 fescue is a hardy grass," he said. "We have found that although it's a little on the coarse side it 
withstands the problems we 
have here better than any other grass." Regarding competition, DeKraft said, it is probably greater in Washington than anywhere else in the country. "If it ever got to the point that the area was so saturated that you would have to cut each others throats than that would be bad," he added, "but overall I think competition is healthy." Unlike many lawn care busi-nessmen, Bill Pearson, owner of National Turf Service of Prince Georges County, has few employe-related problems. Workers are never late, they don't complain about their pay or benefit packages, and they always apply the correct 
amounts of fertilizers and insec-ticides. How has Pearson developed this "personnel paradise?" The answer is simple. Miller He has no employes. Pearson works alone. "I'd be glad to get someone I could teach the business to, but it's hard to find someone depen-dable," he said. "Good help is very hard to get. I sometimes pick up part-time help in the summer to help me with 
followup insect control, but I 
don't have any full-time people." "The reason I haven't hired anyone else is I'm as big as I want to be," he added. Pearson 
said his "personalized service" 
has attracted more than enough 
customers each year to keep him plenty busy. "Doing the work 
myself has brought me a lot of 
new customers," he said. "It 
means an awful lot to the customer to know that I'm going to be taking care of their lawn myself." Pearson, 50, established National Turf in 1974 and he currently grasses about $45,000 
annually from about 150 residen-tial accounts. Pearson said he tried utilizing the "economy pro-gram" instituted by ChemLawn Corp. and other companies, but was unhappy with the results. "I tried the economy thing which is doing without seeding, aerating, 
and fungus control, but we've gotten away from that," he said. "My program is primarily granular although I do have some liquid insect and weed control," he added. His main program costs four cents per square foot and includes fertilization, insect and weed control, aeration, reseeding in the fall, and pre-
emergence crabgrass control in the spring. "That is our most pop-ular program," Pearson said. He also offers a less expen-sive program for two-and-a-half cents per square foot which in-
cludes insect control, fertiliza-tion, and weed control. A dethatching service for an add-
itional one or two cents per square foot is also available. Pearson applies all of his ser-vices with a 1,200-pound, hydrau-lic tractor which has the 
capability of laying down four different granular products at the same time. It also contains an aerator and spray unit. Regarding the future, Pearson said, "I don't see the market slowing down at all. There's a de-mand for lawn services in the Washington area because in a lot of situations both parties work and they don't have the time to to 
it themselves," he added. "I don't see how anybody could go 
wrong in this market, especially 
if they were willing to hustle." The lawn care industry has developed slower in the Wash-ington area than in other regions 
of the country, according to Gary 
Mack, president of American Lawn of Maryland, Inc. "Growth is a little slower in Washington because there is less disposable 
income here," he said. "The average income in Washington is high, but housing costs and the overall cost of living are among the highest in the country. "Growth is also slow because there is a greater turnover of homeowners here," Mack said. "Washington is basically a government town so we don't have an industrial base to main-tain a steady population of homeowners." Mack added that the transient nature of the Washington homeowner also adversely af-fects the lawn care professional's ability to retain customers. "There are a lot of service per-sonnel here who only stay in the area for four to six years," he said. "Even though they are well incomed they don't maintain their properties as well as if they were going to stay in the area for a lifetime." Mack, 36, is a former Davey Tree Expert Co. employe who es-tablished American Lawn in 1975. The company grosses ap-proximately $400,000 annually and services about 3,500 accounts in northern Virginia, parts of 
Maryland, and the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. According to Mack, the Wash-ington market poses a number of difficult lawn care problems, the 
most severe being disease. "We have four primary diseases in this area: leaf spot, brown patch, Pythium blight, and Fusarium 
blight." "We also have a very severe Japanese beetle and grub prob-lem," he added. "We recom-mend milky spore disease as the number one cure for the problem and we will also sell insecticides / Kibler Frost as a preventive measure if the homeowner can water the lawn properly. However, if he can't water the lawn properly we won't even sell it to him." These troublesome turf prob-lems are further compounded by the high cost of water in the Washington area. "It's very dif-ficult to get the people to water because the water is so expen-
sive here," Mack said. "The result is in July and August the 
lawns just go to hell." Even with all its problems, the Washington marketplace has 
continued to develop. However, 
Mack foresees a general curtail-
ment in the popularity of spray 
operations in the Washington area. "The mystique of the liquid application is pretty much gone 
and I think the transition is going the other way now," he said. 
"People just want a green lawn 
and they really don't care how they get it. "I also think that as the com-petition grows there is going to have to be more diversification within the industry," Mack added. "The guys that are going to continue to grow are going to be the guys that can expand their services into mowing, shrub and tree care, and other areas." Ron Miller doesn't mince words, and he has opinions about the lawn care industry honed from being with three of the ma-jor franchise lawn care com-panies in the country since he started in 1967. He now runs Super Lawns, Inc., Rockville, Md., with a num-
ber of franchisees in Maryland, Virginia and New Jersey. 
Previously he was with Lawn-A-Mat Chemical & Equipment 
Corp., Westbury, N.Y., and Lawn King, Fairfield, N.J. Susan Miller is president of the company and 
Cheryl Kibler is office manager. Miller started Super Lawns in 1976 and grossed $253,000 the first year. Last year the company grossed $352,000 out of the home unit, and $70,000 worth of business was sold off to one of the franchisees. Miller expects to do about the same amount of 
business this year, with between 1,700 and 2,000 customers pro-
jected by the end of this lawn care season. His outlet has five combines on the road, with operators han-dling about 10-12 lawns a day, or about $70,000 a year for each 
combine. The basic Super Lawns 
program calls for five visits a 
year with two seedings. Charge is $220 for a minimum 6,000-square-foot-lawn. The company also has a full-time mechanic and a ware-house with a $25,000 part inven-tory, and a lawn mower repair shop called Mighty Mowers. Miller told LAWN CARE IN-DUSTRY he hopes to be grossing $5 million annually off his total operation in five years. The Millers on promotion: "We spend between 10 and 12 percent of our gross on advertising and promotion .... we mail between 350,000 and 400,000 brochures a year (there are perhaps 500,000 single-family homes in the Washington area) we spend very little on newspapers anymore, there is just so much waste. Much of it 
goes to apartment and condomin-ium owners, people that would never be customers. Also, a 
newspaper is only around for one day, a brochure will be in a 
person's house longer .... But we did go with a big newspaper campaign when we first started, 
full pages. We got over the hump Custom-made binder easily holds entire years copies of LCI magazine. Green binder with logo protects your magazines and gives your library a neat appearance. Magazines can be inserted as they are received....send check or money order to: LAWN CARE INDUSTRY 9800 Detroit Ave. Ł Cleveland, Ohio 44102 BUNTON COMMERCIAL LAWN-TURF EQUIPMENT MORE POWER ...for less cost per h.p.! The new 16 h.p. Bunton gives you 60% more power than the 10 h.p. model -for less than 20% more cost. Now you can cut heavier grass faster ... and have a smoother running, longer lasting engine! It's a rugged, self-propelled mulching mower with a battery start. Available in 36" and 52" cutting widths with optional riding attachment. A complete line (50 models) of commer-cial mowers from 18" through 20'-4" cuts, from 31/2 h.p. through 19.6 h.p. BUNTON CO. P. O. Box 33247 Loulivllle, KY 40232 U.S.A. 502/459-3810 Telex 204-340 1979 GSA No GS-07S 03640 For more information send for complete full-line catalog. z D Š of people asking 'how long have 9 you been in business?' real fe quick We figure that it costs us about $60 to put a new customer on the first year " The Millers on sales: "We close 60 to 70 percent of our leads We have a renewal rate of about 70 percent. We feel that this is partly because we try to keep one man working the same customer lawn all season long .... We have a cancellation rate Š not a non-renewable rate Š of only five percent. We of course lose many people because they move and for other reasons All of our men have pest control licenses and we teach them how to sell. If a man cannot sell, he does not stay with us long. We pay between 7Vi and 10 percent commission on the total value of a sale. We pay 2Vz percent for renewals, but we don't pay for the renewal if it comes in the form of a letter. The guy has to >Ł oc R C/3 D D Z w Di < u z < work at reselling it before we give another commission " The Millers sound very cut-and-dried in their approach to the lawn care industry, but there are some in the industry that feel they are going about franchising lawn care in a very sound way. For the most part, they hire on people, train them for a year or two in their own outlet, and then set the worker up as a franchisee. "I've spent a lot of money on advertising these last few years," Ron Miller said, "probably more 
than I really should have. But I 
am getting all of my advertising 
dollars back when I set my peo-ple up in a franchise in a territory where the Super Lawns name is already known. I'm not going to take a guy's money if he is not interested in this business. We are in it for the long haul." ChemLawn Corp., Columbus, Ohio, moved into the Washington market in 1975 with two branches and is presently up to four 
branches in the area. As Vienna, 
Va. branch manager Pat Cruse 
says: "We are well past the point of trying to break open the market." Rod Moffitt is manager of the Gaithersburg, Md. branch, which is probably the largest in the D.C. 
area for ChemLawn. Gary 
Lascalia is manager of the Upper 
Marlboro, Md., branch, and Mike Kaiser is manager of the Alexandraia, Va. branch. The company also offers the ChemScape tree and ornamental 
spray service in the D.C. area. The basic ChemLawn pro-gram in the Washington area is five applications. In the com-plete annual cycle the lawn receives: preemergent crabgrass 
and foxtail control in spring; slow-release nitrogen when the lawn will benefit most from it; three applications of a com-pletely balanced fertilizer at pro-
per intervals; late fall applica-tion of a high nitrogen fertilizer; THE BEST LAWN CARE UNIT HAS TO BE STRONG STRONG ON SAVINCS...STRONC ON QUALITY... STRONG ON PERFORMANCE... THE STRONG PC1200/PC800 LAWN CARE UNITS Ł High quality fiberglass tank, available in 1200 or 800 gal. capacity. Ł Matching fiberglass engine and pump cover. Ł First unit of its kind that can be bolted to either truck frame or flatbed body Ł Superfeatures...at an incredibly low initial cost factor. Ł Tank constructed of chemically resistant fiberglass resins, baffled to reduce liquid surge. Ł FMC John Bean pumps. Ł Units designed to pump liquids or non-soluble fertilizers. Ł Many options and components to choose from. Ł Custom fabrication available upon request. STRONG UNITS ARE STRONG UNITS! SPECIFY FROM ONE OF THE COUNTRY'S BIGGEST PRODUCERS OF HI-VOLUME CAPACITY LAWN CARE UNITS. SPECIFY STRONG! For complete specifications on the PC1200/PC800, or any other strong unit, circle the reader card, or please write or call: STRONG ENTERPRISES. INC. 7270 S.W. 42nd Street, Miami, Florida Ł (305) 264-5525 lime applied at no additional charge if soil pH is low; insecti-cide for surface-feeing insects; and broadleaf weed control when the weather permits the weeds to be killed without damage to turfgrass. Disease control is not part of the ChemLawn program, 
although the company recom-mends fungicides and proper management practices to help control these problems. Chem-
Lawn applies fungicides at an ex-tra cost but offers no guarantee. The company also recommends seeding where necessary, but does not perform the actual 
seeding. ChemLawn cost is $21 per ap-plication for any lawn 5,000 square feet or less. For an average lawn of 7,500 square feet, the cost per application is $27.50. Even the best lawn care pro-gram means little if a lawn care company does not keep service 
uppermost in its mind, Cruse says. And sometimes, that even includes sodding part of a lawn that has been lost, even if it is not really the fault of the company. 
One afternoon recently, Cruse was scheduled to do just that, as 
he called it "a little public rela-tions work." It is all part of ChemLawn's service concept. "You can't lose site of the fact that our industry has to be service-oriented," Cruse said. The company has a 48-hour policy on new customer leads, 
and also on service calls. Cruse stresses that is is im-portant not to mislead the customer as to what a lawn care service can provide for their lawn. And he says it is also im-
portant to educate the customer as to what part he must play in the proper care of a lawn. "We are a convenience-oriented society, and many customers would be happy to think that just spraying chemicals on a lawn will take care of all the problems," Cruse said. "The customer has a re-
sponsibility to mow and water 
his lawn properly, and also to have the proper grasses in his lawn to take best advantage of the Washington weather and climate. "Chemicals are not the total answer, proper cultural prac-tices are," Cruse said, "and that 
is what we try to stress with the customer." At times of the year, sprin-kling bans are in effect for such a long period of time, that customers have to get special 
permission slips from the city to 
water in insecticide applications. 
For this reason, and because of high water costs, the 25-year-old Cruse points out that his branch 
has a water recyling system for water use. Water costs are about two-thirds cheaper if there is no sewerage charge. Bill Frost, 29, is one of the technicians that works out of the ChemLawn Vienna branch. He 
says that in the spring of the year, about 30 percent of his time is spent on production, and about 70 percent on sales and service. As the summer season comes, Frost said that his time is split about 50-50. Late in the year, just 
about all of his time is spent on 
production. to page 26 New Controlled-Release, Non-Burning Liquid Nitrogen for Lawn Applications. Ashland LIQUID FERTILIZER If you'd like to find a liquid nitrogen source that offers convenience in handling and blend-ing, as well as improved performance over dry products, the new SLO-RELEASE products from Ashland Chemical could be your answer. 25 is a clear liquid 26% organic nitrogen solution with excellent non-burning characteristics. 25 lets you: Apply any time during the growing season and be assured of non-burning, controlled-release feeding.* Expect complete nitrogen utilization during one growing season.* 25 blends easily with insecticides, herbicides, and P and K. There are more good reasons why you should test SLO-RELEASE 25 and our other SLO-RELEASE products this spring. 'When applied at normally acceptable nitrogen rates. Yes, I'm interested in your SLO-RELEASE products. Ł Send Technical Literature. Ł Have your salesman call. Name Title _ Company Address Š City .State. -Zip Phone Number (_ Just fill in the coupon and mail it to Chemical Systems Division, P.O. Box 2219, Columbus, OH 43216. Ashland Ashland Ashland Chemical Company DIVISION OF ASHLAND OIL. INC z 5 ChemLawn trucks are out spraying lawns often before 7 g a.m. on weekdays and by 8 a.m. on weekends. "Our policy is to knock on all doors after an application/' Frost said. "This gives us a chance to explain to the customer what we have applied to the lawn, and to answer any questions they might have. We try to stay ahead of all potential problems." oc H c/3 D Q Z w oc < u Z < Jerry Faulring and Bill Quay started Hydro Lawn in the early 70's. By 1975, the company was grossing $178,000, with about $10,000 profit. By 1976, they were running 700 customers out of each 1,300-gallon spray tank, and had 3,000 customers and grossed $443,000. In that same year, they built the first of their batch tanks Š a 5,0000-gallon unit Š for $10,-000. "It surprised us when it worked," Faulring told LAWN CARE INDUSTRY over a Heineken's beer recently. The 
company now has two 8,000-gallon batch tanks, one 6,000-
gallon unit, and one 5,000-gallon unit. Faulring estimates that the 
batching system saves his com-pany about 20 percent on materials each year, because he 
is able to buy them separately, 
and cheaper. They can fill about five spray trucks with the typical 
batch, and one employe is responsible for mixing at both branches the company operates 
in Gaithersburg, Md., and Springfield, Va. Faulring says that the batching units have paid for themselves already. By 1977, the company was up to 5,100 accounts, and grossed $870,000 with a small profit. The following year, they realized that they were losing money because of driving times, and they 
opened the Springfield branch to 
complement the Gaithersburg 
branch. They also decided to sell two programs to the customer, one with seed, and one without 
seed offered. The company now has 37 em-ployes, eighteen 1,300-gallon spray units, one 3,000-gallon Finn hydroseeder, and 11 other trucks. 
The company will gross close to 
$1.5 million this year with well over 10,000 customers on the books. Hydro Lawn offers a number of basic programs: a blue-grass/fescue program; and zoysia/bermudagrass program; and hydroseeding lawn restora-tion program; and a special es-tate care program. This year it is also offering a horticultural care program available only to pre-sent lawn customers, and also a dethatching program available 
only to lawn customers. The typical lawn program in-cludes maintenance level of lime, in all-five applications. 
Dethatching costs are between 2.6 and 3.6 cents per square foot, depending upon the amount of thatch buildup. The estate care program is offered for very large lawns or commercial sites at a minimum of 40,000 square feet. It offers three treatments with a AN OPEN MESSAGE TO LAWN AND GARDEN MANUFACTURERS From C. Edward Scofield, Executive Vice President, RA-PID-GRO Corporation I've helped the lawn and garden industry to grow to an $11 billion giant! It has been my privilege to frequently be a part of some of the great new changes and developments. I've also experienced my share of disappoint-ments and mistakes. Without strong trade organizations, dedicated pioneers and competent leaders our industry would only be a fraction of what it is today. Your business would still be struggling, your outlook uncertain, were it not for the great work done by many trade organizations. Now we need one strong, 
overall lawn and garden association to knit manufacturers, producers and growers into a cohesive group. As President of LAGMA, I promise any time and money you invest in this association will pay off handsomely. Help develop and support a strong, effective trade association. For informa-tion on membership and benefits for your firm, ask Ed Scofield or contact: THE LAWN AND GARDEN MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION 111 East Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60601 Telephone: 312/644-6610 basic program of fertilization and weed control. Faulring said: "I believe that we as an industry are currently in error for the some of the overall strategies we have developed. I feel that many of us have actually specialized too far to the extent that we are not serv-ing the full scope of the con-sumer's needs and expectations. We are missing an opportunity to increase our sales volume 
without increasing our client list and at the same time serve the market better." Last year, Hydro Lawn did an extensive survey of its customers to determine weaknesses, and to learn how it could better serve its customers. Almost 50 percent of the customers said they would pay for mechanical thatch removal; 32 percent said they wanted Hydro Lawn to provide chemical pest control for trees and shrubs; 36 percent said they 
wanted root zone fertilization for trees and shrubs; and 14 percent said they wanted a mowing ser-vice. "Additionally," Faulring said, "our customers have always ex-pected such services as non-selective weed control, fungicide applications and overseeding. With a little quick math, it is very conceivable that a strictly 
chemical lawn care company could double its sales volume without adding any new customers. Again with regard to our survey, 32 percent of the respondents cited as one reason for employing Hydro Lawn was due to the variety of services we offer." Faulring said that also said that only 36 percent of the customers in the survey said they were dramatically influenced by low price. "We have become a very price-competitive industry, and yet 64 percent of my customers indicated that price was not their number one concern," he said. "It is my impression that although price definitely influences buying decisions, it is not as im-portant as overall results." Faulring said that most of his lawn sprayers handle between 650 and 750 customers off of their spray rigs, and that they sell be-tween 30 and 100 new customers in the course of a season. He has some operators that produce more than $100,000 worth of revenues out of their 1,300 gallon 
rig. Theodore Hadeed, 37, president of Lawn-A-Mat of Prince Georges County, said the Washington lawn care market is highly competitive and he likes it that way. "Competition doesn't bother us because none of the 
other companies do what we do. Most of our competition are li-quid applicators and other com-panies who don't seed or treat for diseases" he said. "They can only maintain a good lawn. "Our company can establish a nice lawn and after it's es-tablished we can maintain it," he added. "Of course it costs more to establish a good lawn, but once it's established we do have a low cost program to maintain it." Hadeed purchased the franchise in 1967 and he 
currently services 700 accounts and grosses about $150,000 per 
year. "Most of our business is from residential accounts," he said, "but we also do some com-mercial business. We stay away from most commercial accounts because they want . . . the lowest price possible and we're not in business to compete with really low prices. We would rather not do the job if we're not going to make a profit." Lawn-A-Mat of Prince Georges County's complete five application program includes fertilization, weed and insect 
control, seeding, aeration, rolling, and dethatching. "Our services run from two cents a 
square foot (maintenance pro-
gram) and up depending on the program," he said. "Our com-plete program runs four cents a square foot." Hadeed currently employs five full-time workers who are all turf management graduates. He said the average employe to page 27 MEET YOUR SPRAYER NEEDS EXACTLY! TRAILER MOUNTED SKID MOUNTED ACCESSORIES GREENS BOOM HOSE REEL ^M G GUN^H SCREW TYPE JACK ALSO CHOOSE FROM FIBERGLASS TANKS/MECHANICAL AGITATION/PUMPS AND ENGINES/BOOMS/HAND GUNS, ETC. WRITE OR CALL: Special Products Division 301 CHARLES ST.. so. BELOIT, IL 61080 HANSON EQUIPMENT CO. 8153092261 TOOLS,TIPS & TECHNIQUES How to choose a laboratory service In choosing a laboratory service, the lawn care busin-essman should consider several questions, according to Bob Coury, lab manager for CLC Labs, Columbus, Ohio. These questions include: Ł How do I best develop a fertility program? Ł How can I solve this problem with testing? Ł How can I run a better day-to-day operation by using a laboratory? Almost every lawn care businessman is concerned with establishing the best fertility program, Coury says. It is accep-ted that soil testing is the place to start. For maximum effect, an overall soil survey is best. It is important to define the area 
in which you wish to determine a fertility program and take a statistically significant number of samples from it. A common mistake can be taking too few samples, which leads to a biased recommendation. Your lab, if experienced in turf, can help you decide what is an appropriate area to sample. "For lawn care companies, soil surveys can more than pay for the cost of the sample through better utilization of phos-phorus and potassium," Coury told LAWN CARE IN-DUSTRY. Areas of a market can be treated at lower than standard rates if the soil type is unusually high in P or K." This information cannot be obtained from present public information because it either does not exist, is not specific 
enough, or the samples used for analysis are not specific to home lawns. Many public laboratories lump all turf samples together, giving information that is not for either golf courses or home lawns. Variation in sampling techniques in home lawn data render the data highly questionable. Secondly, a laboratory provides several ways to help a lawn care businessman solve problems. These include soil 
testing for deficiencies, toxicities or imbalances; fertilizer and chemical testing in locating compatibility problems with new mixes; and chemical residue analysis for ornamental damage claims. "The most common of these is soil testing for deficien-cies," Coury said. "In turf, many chemical problems are asso-
ciated with pH. Both low and high pH's can cause nutrient tie-
up situations that your lab can explain to you. Coury said companies who prepare their own tank mixes may need to check out the compatibility of their components. An example is the use of high pH tank mixes with certain in-
secticides. This practice can cause breakdown of the insecti-cide. A problem also often occurs when there is damage to ornamentals. When herbicides are used, the question of liability is likely to surface, he said. The proper procedure is 
to first document the details of the problem. Next, a qualified 
plant pathologist should look for non-herbicide related prob-
lems. If the herbicide is suspect, then a laboratory can determine the content of the compound in the soil or plant material. The last area to consider is the role that a lab can play in your day-to-day operation. The monitoring of operations can 
be very important to lawn care businessmen in several ways. "Quality control can yield both better turf results and possible dollar savings," Coury said. "Routine analysis of 
incoming purchased chemicals is helpful to assure you are getting what you pay for. This information allows purchasing people to find the highest quality supplier. "For those who are mixing their own tanks, a random check of ability to accurately follow fill charts is important," 
he said. "Both operator and equipment can be checked." Finally, for lawn service companies which utilize organo-phosphate insecticides, a cholinesterase testing program adds an aspect of employe safety to day-to-day operations. Cholin-
esterase is an enzyme essential to the proper function of the 
nervous system and over-exposure to organophosphate insec-
ticides will inhibit cholinesterase product. "A practical, simple way to insure that an operator is not being over-exposed is to test the cholinesterase levels in the 
blood plasma and red blood cells," Coury said. "The results of the cholinesterase test provide a tool for determining 
whether proper procedures and precautions are being 
observed in handling insecticides and for preventing over-exposures." Coury stresses that a lab handling cholinesterase testing for a lawn care firm should be able to help interpret results, provide rapid turn-around time and be aware of the prob-lems of the lawn care industry. makes about $15,000 per year from a salary plus a sales com-mission. "When you work a per-son 60 hours a week on a straight salary he doesn't feel he's getting paid enough," he said. "That's why we give a commission for sales and we also pay for over-time ofer 40 hours." The intrusion of "budget-oriented" lawn care companies into the Washington, D.C. marketplace was the best thing that could happen to full-service companies in the area, according to Tom Speirs, president of Lawn-A-Mat of Reston and Manassas. "With our difficult soil and climate the budget programs have not been successful here," 
he said. "Consequently, that puts us in a good position. "Experience has taught us that the lawn here are under a lot of stress all the time and the best maintenance program is to an-nually overseed established 
lawns," he added. Because of the obvious cost factors budget lawn care companies are unable to 
provide overseeding service, ac-cording to Speirs. ChemLawn Corp., which en-tered the Washington market in 1975, is Speirs' primary budget-oriented competition, but they 
have failed to dominate the market as they have in other regions of the country. "We lost a lot of business to ChemLawn when they first entered the market because they were so much cheaper than we were," he said, "but their program has not proven to be satisfactory in this market and we've gotten a lot of those customers back." Speirs' first experience with lawn care was in the early 1970's 
when he entered the residential to page 28 DERBY AERATOR Wtlghs 51 lbs. ... aerates V* to ltt inches deep ... con be operated very effectively by young inexperienced help. Aerates 18 inches wide Weighs 51 lbs. Very easy to use. Remarkable new machine will add thousands to your profits each year. r Not found in stores, sold factory direct to save you money. Good engineering + sim-ple design = low price. Powered by 2 hp Briggs Stratton engine ... aerates % to 1 Vi inches deep ... Very easy to control ... Works in hard to get at places . . . Safe and easy to operate. Engine warranted for 90 
days ... Gear train & tines carry 1 full year 
warranty ... try one for 15 days .. . your money back if not fully satisfied. Can be used as a tiller to weed beds and shrubs from 6 to 18 inches in width. One of the most versatile lawn-garden machines money can buy .. . Built by Company with 30 yrs. experience in the manufacture of tough dependable tools. For full information write to: DERBY TILLER COMPANY P.O. Box 21 I Rumson, New Jersey 07760 I want more information I Name Street City - Zip-State Visa-Bank Americard & Master Charge orders accepted by phone Mon-Sat 9-5. 
Call (201) 741-0601 Circle 134 on free information card uSatoh hugs the hillside like a mountain goat. And that satisfies me? Front tire: 9.5L10 Rear tire: ^ iatoh satis-faction starts with the Stallion Ground Hugger's dependable, smooth-running 38hp water-cœled Diesel engine. With nine forward speeds (three reverse) and dual-speed live PTO (540 and 1,000 rpm), the cost-efficient Stallion 
Ground Hugger is ideal for hilly terrain uses such as municipal park maintenance and golf course gr(x>ming. And its standard power steering gives you effortless maneuverability. Let Satoh satisfy your tractor requirements like a pro. It satisfies mine. Sagh^ Get it at your SAI nn D crtnn SATOH tractor dealer. P.O. Box'5020, New York, N. Y. 10002 mowing maintenance business with a partner. After the partnership dissolved, Speirs purchased a Lawn-A-Mat franchise in 1975. That first year he had 96 customers and grossed about $28,000. Today, he services 
four franchise areas and grosses between $350,000 and $400,000 annually. Speirs currently employs 12 full-time workers who earn 
about $225 per week. "Labor is my greatest growth limitation/' he said. "My concept of lawn care is predicated on quality ser-vice and if you don't have trained employes . . . then you don't have quality service." Lawn-A-Mat of Reston and Manassas, located about 15 miles west of Washington, offers a number of complete lawn ser-vice programs including: Ł Phase One: This program includes fertilization, pest con-trol, weed control, aeration, WHEN THERE'S NO SUBSTITUTE FOR THE BEST! Model #PC 1200 fiberglass tank equipped with fiberglass pump cover, Model #D 200 gal-lon mixing tank shown mounted on a custom truck body by Strong Enterprises. Bottom view of the Model #PC 1200 tank showing to best advantage the integral molded mounting base and steel hold-down lugs designed for ease in mounting on your truck and eliminating costly installation. THE Tuflex Manufacturing process allows a five year warranty on all tanks. is the only manufacturer to specialize in seamless fiberglass spray tanks specifically for the pest control and lawn care industry. Remember when crafts-manship was an art...at Tuflex it still is! The exclusive Tuflex process carries a full five year warranty on all handcrafted seam-less fiberglass tanks. For economy prices and more s information on our complete line of tanks, write or call now: Tuflex Manufacturing Company Post Office Box 13143 Port Everglades, Florida 33316 (305)525-8815 ^ rolling in the spring and fall, and 
complete overseeding in the spring and fall. Ł Phase Two: This is the most popular program and it includes fertilization, pest control, weed 
control, aeration, rolling in the spring and fall, spot seeding in the spring, and complete overseeding in the fall. Ł Phase Three: This program is designed for well established lawns and includes fertilization, pest control, weed control, aera-tion, rolling in the spring and fall, and spot seeding as neces-sary. Lawn-A-Mat of Reston and Manassas also offers a budget program entitled "Econo-Lawn," but Speirs is quick to add that they don't stress it in tveir 
advertising. There are undoubtedly a number of environmental con-
ditions which are detrimental to the lawn care industry in the Washington area, but the Wash-ington customer can also be a troublesome problem, according to Speirs. One of the biggest problems he has encountered has been a lack of patience among many of his customers. "Most of our customers are not very patient," he said. "Particu-larly the youthful clients who are used to an instant society. It's tough to convince them that it takes time to build a good lawn." The public's changing at-titude towards lawn care has also affected the lawn care operator, Speir said. "Ten years ago if there were no weeds in a lawn the customer was satisfied," he said, "but today it has gotten to the point where the customer is unhappy if it's not a putting green." Douglas O. Bottamiller, owner of Contented Lawns Landscaping Inc., Colesville, 
Md., sees a bright future for lawn 
care in the Washington, D.C. area, but he forsees an even 
brighter future for the establish-ment of a commercial lawn 
mower repair shop in the na-tion's capitol. Therefore, Bot-tamiller has decided to cut down on the number of lawn mainte-nance accounts he services and concentrate on building a 4,000-square-foot repair shop in Gaithersburg, Md., just outside of Washington. "This area is hurting very badly for a commercial lawn mower repair shop," he said. "That's why I wanted to build a new parts, service, and sales store . .. which would cater to the commercial operator." Bottamiller said most dis-tributors are unable to meet the customer demand for commer-
cial lawn mower repairs and 
consequently the lawn care operator is penalized in the form of lost revenues and down-time. "If you try to get your commer-cial mowers repaired at an area 
distributor or dealer he can't take you because he is four weeks behind," he said. "The commercial operator then tries to fix it himself and he soon dis-covers that he's not adept in the area of mechanics and he gets further behind." Bottamiller plans to carry seven different lines of commer-cial mowers at the shop which he plans to open in early August or September. "I'm going to slowly 
phase out of commercial lawn 
care over the next five years," he said. "I'll still be involved with some commercial accounts, but not on such a large scale." When Contented Lawns was formed in 1971 Bottamiller primarily involved in the residential market, but he left that field after he discovered that the commercial market 
posed fewer problems. "For the first three or four years we were doing residential accounts, but we eventually 
worked our way into the com-mercial projects in 1975 because there was less of a hassle with 
recouping your money with com-mercial accounts," he said. "There was also less bookwork." Bottamiller also discovered that commercial accounts were more profitable for his type of 
business. "I was having to cut 60 
or more residential lawns to 
equal my gross for 17 or 18 com-mercial accounts," he added. ll COST CUTTINGS Selling maintenance jobs with referrals Clarence Davids, owner of Clarence Davids & Sons, land-scape maintenance firm based in Blue Island, 111. says that his firm has had great success in using current customers to sell potential purchasers of his landscape maintenance services. Speaking on a panel entitled "Making Money in Lawn Maintenance" at the Mid-Am Trade Show earlier this year in Chicago, Davids emphasized the importance of obtaining the approval of current customers before using them as a reference. His company uses a formal presentation booklet to solicit potential accounts. The booklet includes: Background on the firm's management team, organizations to which the com-
pany belongs and participates, company service contract 
samples, a list of awards and accounts, a copy of the firm's 
certificate of insurance and a copy of its state license for pes-ticide handling. Davids feels that this booklet, a technique used by many landscape maintenance firms, has done a great deal to 
enhance the image of his company and increase sales to "high-class" customers, it was reported in American Nur-seryman. MÊmmm Technical ^^Intructional Books Tree Identification Łrr by George W. D. Symonds "I A pictorial key to trees with IDÊNTTF1CATION more than 1,500 B*>Oh Ł Š illustrations. With this book you can identify trees by looking at leaves, buds, branching, fruit and bark. HardbookŠ$17.00 PaperbackŠ$8.00 Home Landscape by Garrett Eckbo Provides designs examples, and current innovations 
and refinements to older traditional designs. Covers all aspects of residentail landscape design. $13.00 Shrub identification by George W. D. Symonds Same as The Tree Identification Book on shrubs. Contains more than 3,500 illustrations from which to make identification. HardbackŠ$17.00 PaperbackŠ$8.00 Ornamental Conifers by Charles R. Harrison More than 550 photos with plant descriptions and complete notes on their 
cultivation in both hemispheres. $18.00 Gardening Encyclopedia rZZby Donald Wyman G^DBNING This revised updated edition includes information on gardening practices, plants, methods of cultivation, fertilizers, and pesticides. 1,200 plus pages with 10,000 articles, 200 drawings, 170 photos. $20.00 i Exotic Plant 
I Management by Alfred Byrd Graf A pictorial reference for j plant identification of the ^P best in cultivated tropicalia. Plants are grouped into growing locations and uses. $37.50 ¿vatic plant Manual Name Address . Please send the following books. I have enclosed a check or authorized a charge for the total amount. Mail to: Book Dept. Harvest Business Publications 
9800 Detroit Ave. Cleveland, OH 44102 City, State, Zip Code Master Charge or Visa (Circle one) Acct. No. Title Quantity Total Price Expiration Date . Signature Add $1.25 per book for handling and shipping . Total Enclosed . LAWN CARE INDUSTRY READER SERVICE CARDŠ JUNE 1979.<expiresin90days) Use this prepaid reader service card to get additional Information on products or services mentioned in this issue (Card must be completed before processing) NAME TITLE CITY _8TATE_ ZIP If you would like a subscription to LAWN CARE INDUSTRY circle number 101. Subscription cost Is $10.00 per ye< To help us better service you editorially, please answer the following: 4. Title: Ł President Ł Owner 1. Are you primarily involved in. Ł Chemical lawn care and maintenance services Ł Chemical application only Ł Mowing and other maintenance services 
Ł Other (specify) Application Ł Liquid Ł Granular 
Ł Both 2. Is your business location: Ł Headquarters 
Ł Branch office 3. Is your business: Ł Independent 
Ł Chain 
Ł Franchise Ł Other (specify) Ł Manager Ł Technician Ł Other (specify) . 5. Number of accounts: Ł Less than 500 Ł 500-1.000 Ł 1.001-5.000 Ł 5.001-10.000 Ł 10.001-25.000 Ł 25,000 or more 6. Estimated annual sales volume: Ł Less than $50,000 
Ł $50,001-100,000 
Ł $100,001-250,000 Ł $250,001-500,000 
Ł $500,001-1.000.000 Ł $1,000,000 or more Ł Please send product information only on items circled Ł Please have a salesman call me about items circled. Best time to call me is . SIGNATURE-CIRCLE THE ITEM NUMBERS FOR FREE DETAILS ON PRODUCTS AND SERVICES -DATE-101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 162 163 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 NO POSTAGE NECESSARY IF MAILED IN THE UNITED STATES BUSINESS REPLY MAIL FIRST CLASS PERMIT NO. 2675 CLEVELAND. OHIO POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE Attention: Circulation Dept. LAWN CARE INDUSTRY 9800 Detroit Ave. Cleveland, Ohio 44102 NO POSTAGE NECESSARY IF MAILED IN THE UNITED STATES BUSINESS REPLY MAIL FIRST CLASS PERMIT NO. 665 DULUTH. MINN POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE LAWN CARE INDUSTRY P.O. BOX 6136 DULUTH, MINNESOTA 55806 SUBSCRIPTION GROUP SUBSCRIPTION RATE: 5 or more copies Š $7.00 per subscription. Include all names and addresses on company letterhead. Ł PAYMENT ENCLOSED Ł BILL ME Make check or money order payable to LAWN CARE INDUSTRY. 1 Year Š $10.00 2 Years Š $18.00 3 Years Š $23.00 BUSINESS ADDRESS STATE ZIP 1. Are you primarily involved in: Chemical lawn care and maintenance services Ł Chemical application only Ł Mowing and other maintenance services Ł Other (specify) Application Ł Liquid Ł Granular Ł Both 2. Is your business location: Ł Headquarters Ł Branch office Signature . 3. Is your business: Ł Independent Ł Chain 
Ł Franchise Ł Other (specify) . 4. Title: Ł President Ł Owner Ł Manager Ł Technician Ł Other (specify) . 5. Number of accounts: Ł Less than 500 Ł 500-1.000 Ł 1,001-5,000 Ł 5,001-10,000 Ł 10,001-25,000 
Ł 25,000 or more 6. Estimated annual sales volume: Ł Less than $50,000 D $50,001-100.000 Ł $100,001-250,000 Ł $250,001-500,000 Ł $500,001-1,000,000 
Ł $1,000,000 or more BEHIND THIS ISSUE We received a note recently from a lawn care businessman who we think has a pretty good idea. He is Jim Mello, and he is manager/turf specialist for Nice 'n Green, a Division of Keller-Heartt Co., Inc. in Downers Grove, 111., a suburb of Chicago. He writes: "I have just finished my last semester at Purdue University and have returned to Chicago to manage a chemical lawn care service. I originally co-oped with this company last year and found it an excel-lent opportunity to learn this new industry while 
still attending college. Too many turf students do not acquire the practical experience needed while still in school. I have found that the experience made my curriculum more meaningful and inter-esting. "This year I have opened our company to co-op students. I have two working for me now, with four other applicators covering about 3,000 accounts. Because the students are here only five months, I have rented a furnished apartment for them and pay their rent, utilities and traveling expense to and from school. In addition they receive a monthly salary and make bonus money on work 
above their daily quota. I put them through a train-
ing program and teach them not only turf but try to bring across the problems and needs of our 
industry. "They sit in on meetings with sales representa-tives who call on me and I feel they are getting a 
broad education of the industry to take back with them to the university. I feel that no longer is sum-
mer golf course work the only experience turf stu-dents should be exposed to. "I have two more students interested in the pro-gram beginning in August when the students I now have will be leaving. I would like to operate my business with a good percentage of co-op students 
some day. I am even willing to establish a $500 scholarship at the end of each co-op period to the most productive and competent student. "I have written to over 50 universities and colleges explaining this opportunity and unfortu-nately I have received acknowledgements only 
from 15. "I was hoping that we may have the opportunity some day to have a short article in LAWN CARE INDUSTRY to help create more interest in this ex-cellent learning opportunity." Consider it done, Jim. u ^v Managers, Instructors, Librarians Finally, An Aid For Teaching Turfgrass Purdue University's turf experts, Dr. William H. Daniel and Dr. Ray P. Freeborg, have coauthored a comprehensive, organized approach to learning turfgrass science and care. Based upon years of teaching experience at Purdue, Drs. Daniel and Freeborg cover management of all major turf uses today. The book, a valuable reference, includes specifications for planting, fertilizing, regulating growth, mowing, and other maintenance practices. Whether for quick reference or as a basis for all turf knowledge, the book will be among books by Couch and Beard on the reference shelf. The book is 420 pages and contains 16 pages of color illustrations. TUfrF manapers' HamfeooK Comprehensive Practical Instruction for All Turf Professionals W. H. Daniel R. P. Freeborg Harvest Publishing Company. 1979 Ordering Information Please send copies of the hardback ($18 95 each*) copies of the solfback ($14 95 each*) *A shipping charge of $1.25 per book must be added A check or money order for . is enclosed I would like to use my Master Charge Acct. No or My Visa Acct. No Expiration Date: Signature Name (Print). Address City Published by Business Publication Division The Harveat Publishing Co. 9800 Detroit Ave Cleveland. Ohio 44102 ATTN: Book Dept. If PUBLISHING COMPANY CLASSIFIED When answering ads where box number only is given, please address as follows: Box number, c/o LAWN CARE IN-DUSTRY, Dorothy Lowe, Box 6951 Cleveland, Ohio 44101. Rates: 35c a word for line ads, 65c a word for display ads. Box numbers add $1 for mailing. All classified ads must be received by the publisher before the 10th of the month preceding publication and npanied by cash covering full payment. Mail aa copy to Dorothy Lowe LAWN 
CARE INDUSTRY, Box 6951, Cleveland, Ohio 44101 HELP WANTED MANAGER and applicator position open at new chemical lawn care division of established landscape maintenance company in fast-growing Houston, Texas. Tremen-r i dous opportunity for those having be accompanied by casfi or money order experience with national or regional lawn care companies, knowledge of St. Augustine lawns and marketing capabilities. The right people will 
have unlimited advancement poten-tial. Send complete resume in-cluding education, experience and salary history to: Environmental, 7544 Harwin, Houston, Texas 77036 or call collect 713-784-1750. WANTED TO BUY WANTED TO BUY used 1 or 2 lawn spray trucks. 1,000 gallon divided tank, mechanical agitation, P.T.O. pump and dual reels. Please call 215 536-8956. USED EQUIPMENT FOR SALE: 10-1977 Chevy one trucks, 750 gal. spray tanks, R&M 3L4 pump, electric hose reels, spray nose, ready to spray. Phone 513 845-0631. ADVERTISERS Ashland Chemical Co 25 Boots Hercules Agrochemicals Co 4 Bunton Co 23 Derby Tiller Co 27 Dow Chemical Co 30-31 Du Pont Co 16-17 FMCCorp 12 Ford Tractor Operations 10 Graham Lawn Care 29 Hanson Equipment Co 26 
HMC, Inc 6-7 
Howard Price Turf Equipment 15 International Seeds 11 Kubota Tractor Corp 18-19 Lawn & Garden Manufacturers Assn. ..26 Lawn-Pro Spraying Systems 29 
Lofts Pedigreed Seed, Inc cover IV Monsanto Agricultural Products Co 13 PBI/Gordon Corp 8-9 Satoh Agricultural Machine Mfg., Ltd. . 27 Strong Enterprises, Inc 24 Toro Co 2-3 
Tuflex Mfg. Co 28 
Turf-Seed, Inc 14 Custom-made tank trucks built to your specifications. Complete line of accessories: Lawn Spray Guns $ 14.95 Synflex Spray Hose $ 49.50 per 100 Ft. Spray Nozzles, Full Cone, Large Droplet.. $ 6.95 Soil Probe Made For Lawn Sampling $ 18.95 Measuring Wheels $ 29.95 Hannay Reels Š Electric ... $235.00 Reel Swivels $ 17.95 Wanner Hydracell Diaphragm Pumps, FMC Piston Pumps. Tuflex Fiberglass Tanks. GRAHAM LAWN CARE EQUIPMENT, INC. 6460 Osceloa Way Douglasville, G A 30135 (404) 942-1617 EVER SEE ANYTHING LIKE THIS? It's a slide-in pickup sprayer. Sprays both IBDU and UF chemicals through the 20-foot boom or the 300-foot hose reel and handgun. 500-gallon tank fills fast and material loads easily through a ground-level chemical inductor. Completely hydraulic drive; 140 GPM constant agitation. Mail the coupon or call us. We'll send brochure and explain buying or leasing. 1111 So. Alpine Ł Suite 201 Rockford, IL61108 Ł (815) 397-9367 Spraying SyStCFTlS NAME ADDRESS CITY STATE and ZIP Circle 126 on free information card 30 PRODUCTS OS t^ 
05 § Service industry business forms catalog New England Business Ser-vice, Inc. offers a free, 56-page catalog featuring more than 250 h business forms and related pro-ducts designed for service indus-z tries such as lawn care. A quick w thumb through of the catalog may give the lawn care business-^ man some new ideas about han-^ dling his invoicing, statements, ^ collections and mailings. There is also information on job folders and posting files used by many lawn care businessmen across the country. Products are offered in small quantities, most imprin-ted with firm name and address. Circle 203 on free information card Stonescaping brochure Stone Bark is a new natural stone with an earth-tone brown color having the texture of bark. The material, from Old Dutch Materials Co., will not rot, fade, blow, wash away, deteriorate or attract insects like other conven-tional mulches. A free, six-page, color brochure is available. Circle 201 on free information card Sprinkler catalog Greenlawn Sprinkler Co. of-fers a free, 24-page catalog on its sprinkler products. Information is included on sprinkler valves, adjustable risers, sprinkler heads, pop-up nozzles, plant and shrubber nozzles, valve tester kits and accessories. Circle 204 on free information card 3008, 500-, 1000-gallon spray unit can use both boom and hose reel Lawn Pro Spraying Systems is now offering a versatile sprayer available in 300-, 500- and 1000-gallon capacities, that has the versatility of using a spray boom or a hose reel, according to com-pany vice president of marketing Arlan K. Rust. Operation of the sprayer is completely hydraulic. The hydraulic reservoir and pump are mounted under the hood with the pump drive "live" under the independent control of the operator from the cab of the truck. This unit is also com-
patible with automatic trans-
missions, because no power take-off is required. A 25-foot spring-loaded, break-away, controlled from the cab, is utilized for spraying larger acreage such as commercial/industrial lots. The boom is capable of spraying both soluble and insoluble materials, including IBDU fertilizer. The exclusive patented Venturi suck-back system means that solution stops flowing immediately when you turn the system off. No 
dripping nozzles; no risk of 
burning or killing grass when you stop. The 300-degree rotating electric rewind hose reel also allows the operator to easily get 
into the tightest spot. A second high-pressure supercharge pump is activated when spraying with the hose. The purpose of the second pump is to increase the pressure at the tank to provide the proper spraying pressure at the end of 300 feet of hose through the hand gun (addi-tional hose can be added as re-
quired). No more climbing onto the back of the pick-up box, over the wheel well and standing on your toes to pour chemicals into the 
tank. The chemical inductor allows the operator safe, easy ground-level filling of wettable powders, liquids and fertilizers, which are then inducted into the tank via the pump. The 500-gallon, baffled, com-pletely stainless steel tank with stainless steel sparge line agitator and 16-inch manway permits versatility of boom-spraying efficiency with tanker truck capacity. With spraying pressure set at 40 pounds per square inch, you apply five gallons of water per 1,000 square feet, allowing you to spray 2Vz acres or eleven 10,000-square-foot residential lawns, before refill. Parking stands permit the operator to quickly remove or in-stall the sprayer unit in about 10 minutes, thus allowing use of the pick-up truck for other uses, if 
necessary. Circle 207 on free information card INSECTICIDE "/f/a ///T/V iOAtrt/t Turf grass supplement aids against compaction Lawn care businessmen who have trouble with soil compac-tion on their residential or commercial/industrial customer lawns will be interested in Pan-
asea, a multi-purpose turfgrass supplement from Emerald Isle, ltd. The product counteracts compaction by promoting crumb structures in the soil which ab-sorb and retain moisture. This prevents erosion and improves 
aeration, the company said. The product helps root systems expand, increasing the area available for nutritional up-take. It is a readily absorbed foliar spray. Further informa-tion is available. Circle 202 on free information card New grader tractor Hefty Tractor Co. announces the introduction of a new com-pact grader, the Hefty Grade-All. Its size and power range makes it ideal for landscaping, the com-pany said. It features an economical 27-horsepower gasoline or optional diesel engine, and an all-gear trans-mission with six speeds forward 
and one reverse. Standard equipment includes a hydrau-lically controlled grader blade, power steering and front weights. Options available in-clude: front-mounted dozer 
blade; rear-mounted blade with angle, tilt and offset capacity; snow plow; and mid-mounted rotary and flail mowers. Circle 205 on free information card Soil analysis equipment catalog A 16-page, illustrated catalog featuring a broad line of profes-
sional turf testing equipment is available from LaMotte Chemi-cal Products Co. Products range 
from battery-powered solid state meters for electronic soil 
analysis to quick field tests for all types of soils. Test methods are described in detail. Outfits 
for hydroponics, plant tissue testing, and soil science educa-tion are also described. Further, the catalog provides background information on plant nutrition factors and their measurement. A series of soil science educational handbooks are also offered. The catalog is 
available free of charge from LaMotte Chemical Products Co. Circle 208 on free information card Backpack power blower A 40cc engine powers the new PB-400 backpack power blower now being introduced by Echo, Inc. The unit weighs 22Vz pounds, and can be used by lawn care businessmen for leaf removal or debris clean-up. The unit is designed with a dia-
phragm carburetor to provide 
continuous performance in 
almost all operating positions. Additional information is avail-able. Circle 206 on free information card HIRE THE INSECTICIDE THAT LIKES TO WORK OVERTIME. Plastic lawn edging directs turf growth Arco Polymers, Inc. offers durethene plastic lawn edging, an easily installed, mainte-
nance-free product which pro-vides a professionally land-scaped look to lawns, according to the manufacturer. Durethene edging controls the direction of grass growth because it sinks below the root level and forms a 
protective barrier so grass can't spill onto sidewalks. One of the primary advan-tages of durethene edging over conventional aluminum products 
is its exclusive V-grip bottom 
which hooks into the ground so turf can't push up and out, even during winter frost. Further, durethene edging won't rot, rust, crack or mildew. 
Sections fit together to any 
desired length and each carton contains 20 feet of edging, along with support stakes and con-nector corners. For further infor-
mation contact Arco Polymers, 
Inc. DURSBAN* brand insecticides provide un-surpassed residual con-trol of cutworms, chinch bugs, sod webworms, and a dozen other turf pests. Both DURSBAN 2E Insecticide and double-strength DURSBAN 4E Insecticide keep working a lot longer than other turf insec-
ticides. This residual action saves you time, trips, and labor. It also saves you money. In fact, ŁTrademark of The Dow Chemical Company DURSBAN insecti-cides cost less than most other turf insecticides. Ask your supplier for the turf insec-ticide that works over-time for you. Get DURSBAN 2E Insecticide or double-strength DURSBAN 4E Insecticide. Just be sure to read and follow all label directions and precautions. Agricul-tural Products Depart-ment, Midland, Michigan 48640. Circle 112 on free information card DOW CHEMICAL U.S.A. Don Burton, President, LAWN MEDIC, Rochester, New York "I put Baron in practically every pound of seed I use. With good reason. Baron gives our customers the quick germination, dark green color and dense professional turf they're looking for. "But Baron is good for us in other ways too. It has a broader spectrum of disease resistance. That means less chemical application. It requires less fertilizer. It's a strong, vigorous grass that can take the abuse of Mother Nature and our customers too. "I can sum it up by saying Baron works well for us in over 30 states. Our 40,000 customers are happy. I intend to keep them that way." L w LOFTS Lofts Pedigreed Seed, Inc. Bound Brook, N.J. 08805 / (201) 356-8700 barçjn KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS " Lofts/New England Lofts/New York Great Western Seed Co. Lofts/Maryland Lofts Kellogg Seed Co. Oseco Ltd. Arlington, Mass. 02174 Cambridge, N.Y. 128.16 Albany, Ore. 97321 Landover, Md. 20785 Milwaukee, Wis. 53201 Ontario, Canada 617-648-7550 518-677-8808 503-926-2636 301-322-8111 414-276-0373 416-457-5080 "baroYi KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS " is one helluva good bluegrass."