EQUIPMENT Repair or replace? To answer this question, look at the figures and make a cost comparison Sooner or later, every lawn care businessman must decide whether to keep an existing unit of equipment or replace it. As time goes by, equipment such as trucks, tanks, sprayers, mowers, reels, aerators, tractors and pumps deteriorate or be-come obsolete. Frequent break-downs occur, defective output in-creases, unit labor costs rise, and promised work schedules cannot be met. At some point, these occurrences become serious enough to cause you to wonder whether you should replace the equipment. The problem is that new equipment costs money, and the question that comes to you is: Will the advantage of the new equipment be great enough to justify the investment it re-quires? You answer this question by making a cost comparison. To recognize the better alternative you need to know the total cost of each alternative Š keeping the old equipment or buying a replacement. Once these costs are determined, you can com-pare them and identify the more economical equipment. Ray-mond R. Mayer, professor of management at Loyola Univer-sity of Chicago, discusses the individual costs which you must consider when computing the total costs of old and new equip-ment. Depreciation One of the costs connected with any type of equipment is depreciation. For cost compari-INDUSTRY MEETINGS Ohio conference draws 1,200 to Dayton; hear expanded lawn care program Over 1,200 lawn care businessmen and other turf pro-fessionals traveled to Dayton for the annual Ohio Turfgrass Con-ference Dec. 6-8. Organizers of the conference expanded the lawn care educational sessions over the previous year from one to two, in addition to the general grounds sessions available earlier in the three day conference. Each of the sessions was well-attended, with over 400 lawn care profes-sionals packing the conference rooms. Some of the over 50 com-panies exhibiting at the show es-timated that the ratio of lawn care businessmen was3-to-l over numbers of other turf profes- sionals. Most of the manufac-turers had products in their booths designed specifically for the lawn care industry. Another high point of the L4WN m ^ffllServing lawn maintenance Ł JUI^Ih and chemical lawn [ care professionals. INDUSTRY JANUARY 1978 Ł VOL. 2, NO. 1 Ł A Harvest Publication son purposes, depreciation is simply the amount by which an asset decreases in value over some period of time. For exam-ple, if you bought a piece of equipment for $20,000 and sold it for $6,000 after seven years of service, you would say that the depreciation during the seven-year-period was $20,000 minus $6,000, or $14,000. This $14,000 was one of your costs of owning the equipment for that period. From this, it follows that to page 4 QUICK STARTS Toro's Watson receives agronomy award page 2 FMC Corp. files patent suit page 2 Rhodia announces new herbicide page 2 Davey to double number of outlets page 2 Lawn care during a water shortage page 8 Expanding from lawns to industrial care page 17 COST CUTTINGS page 8 MEETING DATES page 11 TOOLS, TIPS & TECHNIQUES page 16 MARKETING IDEA FILE page 17 NEWSMAKERS page 18 MONEYWISE page 18 MEMOS page 18 PRODUCTS page 24 For a complete market study of the lawn care industry in Kansas City, see MARKETPLACE, page 12. This is part of a continuing series of in-depth looks at regions of the country where the lawn care business thrives. The study includes a profile of the city, potential lawn care customers, lawn care companies that operate there and how they go about getting and keeping customers. DECB23A3852-NS-?_ TH DP JAHES BEARD PROF DEPT OF CPOP E SOIT 5C1 TX AM UNIV TV COLLEGE STATION TX GOVERNMENT EPA investigates benomyl pesticide The federal Environmental Protection Agency is investi-gating the risks of yet another pesticide Š benomyl Š com-monly used on home lawns to control plant rot. The investigation of the pesti-cide, made only by DuPont Co., Wilmington, Del., is a first step towards eventually banning the product if it is found to be haz-ardous. Meanwhile, the product, marketed under the trade name Benlate, may continue to be sold. Benomyl is being studied because it has been shown to reduce sperm production in lab- oratory rats and dogs and has caused birth defects among other research rats. It also breaks down into a product called MBC, which damaged chromosomes and caused genetic mutations among rats in laboratory tests. The EPA is also investigating the safety of a similar disease control product called thio-phamaie-methyl or Topsin M. This pesticide is imported from Japan by Pennwalt Corp., Fresno, Calif, and is used on home lawns. These two pesticides raise to 26 the total pesticides the EPA is investigating to determine their safety and economic importance. These investigations could take up to a year. A DuPont spokes-man said the company will "rebut" the laboratory findings. conference was the inception of a booth officially designated as the "consultant's corner." This booth was situated right on the exhibit floor, and gave confer-ence attendees a chance to talk at length with speakers during floor hours. One of the most interesting sessions to lawn care business-men was one presented by Dr. to page 8 INDICATORS Housing starts down slightly in November Housing starts in November fell 5.4 percent from October's extremely strong level, the Com-merce Department has reported, but building permits for single-family homes reached record levels, suggesting continued brisk homebuilding activity. Work was started on new homes at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 2,105,000 units, down from October's revised rate of 2,224,000. Despite the slight decline in housing starts, housing analysts were pleased with the figures. Single family starts are "sur-prisingly strong," Michael Sumi-chrast, chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders, told LAWN CARE IN-DUSTRY. Moreover, he sug-gested the record level of single-family building permits issued last month "suggests a very strong quarter" for units actually started. LAWN CARE COMPANIES NUMBER OF EMPLOYES 100 or more Š 3.2% 50 to 99 Š 2.1% 25 to 49 Š 6.9% 15 to 24 Š12.2% 10 to 14 Š13.3% F= 5 to 9 Š22.4% r= 4 or less Š 39.9% -DH ** 778 A3 JAN 31 REC'O HONORS Agronomy service award goes to Toro's Watson RESEARCH Musser group taps Harvest's Chronister Hugh Chronister, president of Harvest Publishing Co., Cleveland, has been named to the board of directors of the Musser International Turfgrass Foundation. Among the magazines the 44-year-old Chronister publishes are LAWN CARE INDUSTRY, WEEDS TREES & TURF, GOLF BUSINESS and PEST CON-TROL. The appointment was made by Dr. Fred V. Grau, president of the organization dedicated to supporting education and research in turfgrass develop-ment and management. CHEMICALS Rhodia announces new preemergent herbicide The registration of a new pre-emergent herbicide Š Chipco Ronstar G Š for application in turf and ornamentals has been announced by Rhodia, Inc., Agri-cultural Division, Monmouth Junction, N.J. Chipco Ronstar G is a selec-tive, preemergent herbicide for the control of many annual grasses and broadleaf weeds in established perennial bluegrass and bermudagrass turf and con-tainer and field grown woody ornamental shrubs, vines and trees. According to the company, tests indicate that the herbicide provides broader control of an-nual broadleaf weeds and grasses as well as longer residual than a number of other herbi-cides. In ornamentals, the herbicide can be applied on newly planted field and container stock; it con-trols a number of annuals that are not susceptible to other her-bicides, and due to its in-solubility, very little horizontal or lateral leaching occurs. In turf applications, such as fairways, parks and lawns, Chipco Ronstar G is recom-mended for preemergent control of germinating crabgrass, spring germinating Poa annua, goose-grass (silver crabgrass), Florida pulsey, oxalis, stinging nettle, carpetgrass and pigweed. In turf, the application rate is 200 lbs. per acre (or 4V2 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.). For woody orna-mental shrubs, vines and trees, it is recommended that Chipco Ronstar G be applied broadcast to container or field grown orna-Dr. James R. Watson, vice president for customer relations of the Toro Co., Minneapolis, has been named by the American Society of Agronomy as the 1977 recipient of its Agronomic Ser-vice Award. The Society, a 9,400-member scientific educational organiza-tion, established the award to recognize the development of agronomic programs and prac-tices, and effective public rela-tions programs aimed at promot-ing the understanding and use of agronomic science and tech- nology by the public. mentals at 100 to 200 lbs. per acre (or 2V4 to 4V2 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.) depending on the weeds to be controlled. Chipco Ronstar G is avail-able as a 2% granular formu-lation in 50 pound bags. Ad-ditional information may be ob-tained by contacting Rhodia Inc. Agricultural Division, P.O. Box 125, Monmouth Junction, N.J. 08852. COMPANIES Echo Chain Saw expands facility The Kioritz Corp. of America and its Echo Chain Saw Division will be moving into new and ex-panded headquarters in spring of this year, according to N. Rock Watanabe, company president. The new facility, which will be located in Northbrook, Il-linois, will encompass 42,000 square feet of warehouse and distribution space, and an ad- ditional 4,000 square feet of of-fice space. EXPANSION Davey Lawnscape to double outlets Davey Lawnscape Service, Kent, Ohio has announced that it will be doubling the number of cities it serves beginning this year. According to J. Martin Er-baugh, manager of marketing re-search for Davey, his company will be moving into Milwaukee, Rochester, Buffalo and Phila-delphia this lawn care season. Markets that Davey is already servicing are Cleveland, Akron, Pittsburgh and Detroit. Davey also hopes to double the number of cities it serves beginning with the 1979 lawn care season. Dr. Watson, who is Toro's principal agronomist, speaks at many turfgrass conferences, and is the author of a number of arti-cles dealing with various phases of turfgrass care and manage-ment. (see COST CUTTINGS, page 8 for a contribution he made to this month's LAWN CARE INDUSTRY). In other Toro news, Brady-Holmes Co., Sacramento, Calif., distributor for the Toro Co. in central California and western Nevada, has been sold to E.S. Newton, Toro's director of marketing'for turf products. MEETINGS Landscape Contractors to add lawn session The Associated Landscape Contractors of America is add-ing a lawn care seminar to its list of speciality sessions at its an-nual meeting Jan. 30 Š Feb. 2 in Orlando. For further informa-tion, contact ALCA executive director John Shaw at (703) 893- 5440. mmmmmmmm EDUCATION Chemical slide series offered to industry Hopkins Agricultural Chemi-cal Co., Madison, Wis. is offer-ing a copyrighted slide series about adjuvants as an edu-cational and training aid to schools, universities, pesticide distributors, dealers and appli-cators. The title of the series is "What Is An Adjuvant?" It defines and illustrates the differ- ences between spreaders, stick- ers, oil concentrates and com-patibility agents. It is available from Hopkins at P.O. Box 7532, Madison, Wis- consin. Phone is 608-222-0624. COURTS Mower patent suit filed by FMC Corp. A suit has been filed in U.S. District Court, Milwaukee, by FMC Corp., Chicago, for fam-ages and enjoining another com-pany from allegedly infringing on a patent that FMC owns. The patent relates to a rotary lawn mower which is marketed by FMC under the Bolens Mulch-ing Mower trademark. Jacobsen Manufacturing Co., Racine, Wis., was the company named in the suit. WWN GIRE INDUSTRY Publisher: HUGH CHRONISTER General Manager: RICHARD J. W. FOSTER Executive and editorial offices: 9800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44102 Editor: ROBERT EARLEY Executive Editor: DAVID SLAYBAUGH Associate Editor: BRUCE SHANK Assistant Editors: RON MORRIS, SCOTT SCREDON Graphic Director: RAYMOND GIBSON Circulation Manager: JACK SCHABEL Research Services: CLARENCE ARNOLD Production Supervisor: DARRELL GILBERT Production Manager: PATRICIA J. KELLEY MARKETING/SALES Advertising Director: STEVE STONE (212) 421-1350 757 Third Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017 Circulation & List Rental: TERRI HUTSENPILLER (216) 651-5500 Marketing & Merchandising Services: FRAN FRANZAK (216) 651-5500 Mid-Atlantic Office: RAY MOONEY (216) 651-5500 9800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44102 Midwest Office: JOE GUARISE (312) 236-9425 333 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60601 Southern Office: DICK GORE (404) 252-4311 3186 Fronienac Court, N.E., Atlanta, Ga. 30319 Southwest Office: JOHN SANDFORD, DICK SEATON (213) 933-8408 4311 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, Ca. 90010 Northwest Office: BOB MIEROW (415) 982-0110 615 Montgomery, San Francisco, Ca. 94111 Classified: DOROTHY LOWE (216) 651-5500 9800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44102 LAWN CARE INDUSTRY is published every other month by The Harvest Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. at 9800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44102 (216) 651-5500. Copyright © 1977 by The Har-vest Publishing Company, all rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in whole or in part without consent of copyright owner. 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 tne 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: $6.00 one year, $10.00 two years, $12.00 three years. Group and foreign air mail rates available on request. SUBSCRIBERS: Send chance-of-address notices, correspondence regarding subscription service to Fulfillment Manager, Lawn Care Industry, 9800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44102. Change of Address notices should be sent promptly, provide old as well as new address, attach address label from recent issue. Please allow one month for change of address to become effective. POSTMASTER: Please send form 3579 to Fulfillment Manager, Lawn Care In-dustry, 9800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44102. The Harvest Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc.. publishers of WEEDS TREES & TURF, PEST CONTROL, NPCA Extra, GOLF BUSINESS and the Scientific Guide to Pest Control Operations. Controls weeds and controls costs for economical turf maintenance PROVEL® herbicide is a new formulation of dicamba, + 2.4D, proven effective against broadleaf weed pests like dandelions and plantain, plus more than two dozen other tough ones, including chickweed, knotweed, clover and English daisy (see label for complete listing). Cost savings are dramatic: you can provide broadleaf weed control for an average home lawn with less than 16$ worth PROVEL® herbicide per 1,000 sq. ft. per application. PROVEL® herbicide is packaged 6x1 gal. per case, 2x2)4 gal. per case and 30 gal. drums. Contact your Velsicol turf distributor or send coupon for product data and specimen label to oVelsicol Mr. L. E. Carls Velsicol Chemical Corporation 341 East Ohio Street, Chicago, IL 60611 NAME COMPANY ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP Before using any pesticide read the label Circle 115 on free information card , © 1977. Velsicol Chemical Corporation REPAIR OR REPLACE? from page 1 when considering equipment replacement, you must calculate the future depreciation expense that you will experience with both the old and new equip-ment. Insofar as the new equip-ment is concerned, this calls for knowing certain things about the equipment. You need to know (1) its first cost, (2) its estimated ser-vice life, and (3) its expected sal- vage value. The difference be-tween the first cost and the sal-vage value will represent the amount by which the equipment will depreciate during its life Š that is, during the time you ex- pect to use it. You determine the depreci-ation expense for the old equip- ment in the same general way but for one important differ-ence. This difference is due to the fact that no expenditure is re-quired to procure the equip-ment because you already own it. However, a decision to keep it does require an investment at the present time. This invest-ment is equal to the asset's market value Š that is, to the amount of money the asset would bring in if it were replaced and sold. If this amount is not equal to the equipment's book value, the depreciation expense that was shown for accounting pur-poses is in error because it did not reflect the actual depreci-ation. So to determine the actual future depreciation expense that will be experienced with the old equipment, you must know (1) its present market value, (2) its esti- mated remaining service life, and (3) its expected salvage value at the end of that life. The difference between salvage value at the end of that life. The difference between the present market value and the future sal-vage value represents the amount by which the equipment will depreciate during its remaining life in your business. To sum up, you must begin your cost comparison by deter-mining the first cost of the new equipment and estimating its ser-vice life and salvage value. Also, you must determine the market value of the old equipment and estimate its remaining service life and future salvage value. Interest In addition to depreciation, every piece of equipment gener-ates an interest expense. This ex-pense occurs because owning an asset ties up some of your capi-tal. If you had to borrow this capital, you would have to pay for the use of the money. This "out-of-pocket" cost is one of the costs of owning the equipment. The story is the same even when you use your own money. In this case, the amount in-volved is no longer available for other investments which could bring you a return. This "oppor-tunity cost" is one of the costs of owning the equipment. To cite an example, suppose that the market value of an asset during a given year is $10,000. Suppose also that at the same time, you are getting capital at a cost of 15 percent per year. On the other hand, suppose that if you converted the asset into cash, you could invest the money and realize a rate of return of 15 percent per year. In either case, a decision to own that asset dur-ing that year would be costing you 15 percent times $10,000, or $1,500 in interest. Thus, in any comparison of equipment alternatives, you must take the cost of money into account. So, when determining whether existing equipment should be replaced, you must estimate what money is costing you in terms of a percent per year. Operating costs There is a third type of cost Š the cost of operation Š that is experienced with a piece of equipment. Typical operating costs are expenditures for labor, materials, supervision, mainte- nance, and power. These costs must be consid-ered because your choice of equipment affects them. You may find it convenient to esti- mate these costs on an annual basis. You can get figures for each unit of equipment by esti- mating its next-year operating costs as well as the annual rate at which these costs are likely to in-crease as wage rates rise and the equipment deteriorates. For example, you might say that operating costs for the new equipment are likely to be $16,-000 during the first year of its life. You might also estimate that after the first year, the operating costs will increase at a rate of $500 a year. Or you can estimate average annual operating costs rather than year-by-year operating costs. In the above example, you might simply estimate average operating costs for the new equipment to be, say, $19,000 a year. You can simplify the prob-lem of estimating these costs by either (1) ignoring those costs that are the same for the old and the new equipment or (2) estimating only the differences between the operating costs of the two units. With this simplifi-cation, the total costs which you calculate for each type of equip-ment will be understated by the same amount. Therefore, the difference between these total costs will remain the same, and you will still be able to recog-nize the more economical alternative. Revenues Often, the revenues gener-ated by the old and the new equipment will be the same. When this is true, revenues can be ignored for the same reason that you can ignore equal operat- ing costs. But if revenues are affected by the choice of equipment, they must be considered. For exam- ple, you might estimate that the higher quality of output from the new equipment will increase an-nual sales by $1,200. You can handle this difference in reve-nues in either of two ways. One way is to show the $1,200 as an additional annual cost that will be experienced with the old equipment. The other way is to treat the $1,200 as a negative an-nual cost and associate it with the new equipment. The total costs which you calculate will be affected by your choice of method, but the difference be-tween these costs is the same. An annual average cost In brief, you can make the necessary cost analysis on the new and old equipment only af-ter you have the proper data for each. For the new equipment, the data include its first cost, ser-vice life, salvage value, operat-ing costs, and revenue advan-tage. For the old equipment, the data include its market value, remaining service life, future salvage value, and operating costs. In addition, for both alter-natives, the cost of money must be stated in the form of an inter-est rate. By using these data, you can determine the elements of the total costs. These elements con-sist of depreciation expense, Introducing the John Deere "Little-Big" tractors. New small-size tractors with big-tractor features. 22 or 27 PTO hp. Liquid-cooled diesel engines. 8-speed transmission. Differential lock. 3-point hitch. 540-rpm PTO. Adjustable rear-wheel tread. All at an easily affordable price. If a lawn and garden tractor is too small for the jobs you have to do, and a farm or in-dustrial tractor is too large...John Deere has the tractor you need. In fact, two of them! The brand-new John Deere 850 and 950 Tractors. Rugged. Reliable. And built to handle the jobs you'll give them. Big-tractor features. The closer you get to these beauties, the more they look like brutes. Beneath the lift-up hood is a liquid-cooled, fuel-efficient diesel engine. The 850 packs 22 PTO hp. The 950 delivers 27 PTO hp. Both tractors have smooth-running transmis-sions with 8 forward speeds, 2 reverse. These are well-spaced speeds, from a "creeper" speed of less than 1 mph for tilling to almost 12 mph for transporting. Several other big-tractor features are standard, such as a differential lock that engages on-the-go for added traction in slippery conditions.There's a 540-rpm rear PTO that's fully shielded. Also indi- vidual rear wheel brakes that lock together for highway transport and lock down for parking. There's a heavy-duty, 4-position drawbar. The dash has full instrumentation and a non-glare finish. Both hand and foot throttles are standard. There's a 3-point hitch (Category 1) for easy hookup of integral equipment.The seat is adjustable and fully cushioned for operator comfort; it tilts forward for weather protection. Big-tractor versatility. These are tractors you can match to the job. The wheel tread width adjusts both front and rear. The 850 has nearly 14 inches of \ ground clearance; the 950 more than ^^ 15 inches. And talk | about maneuverabil-ityŠthe 850 and 950 turn within a 10-foot radius. So whatever the application... mowing, loading, plowing, digging, planting or cultivat-ing... these tractors can handle the job. Service you can count on. Your John Deere Dealer is always ready to help. That's why his expert mechanics completed 850/950 service training before these tractors were shipped from the factory. His inventory of genuine John Deere service and replacement parts is complete. Implements for both tractors are also ready to go. Turn the page and you'll see what we mean. Nothing Runs Like A Deere ® JOHN DEERE interest expense, operating costs, and possibly lost revenues. Now, it so happens that these costs can be expressed in a variety of ways. However, the simplest way for cost comparison purposes is to describe these cost elements in terms of an average annual cost. Doing so permits you to calculate and compare the total average annual costs of the old and new equipment and reach a decision. How these costs can be com-puted is shown in the example that follows. The old equipment Look first at some facts about an old piece of equipment. It has a market value of $7,000. If retained, its service life is expec-ted to be four years, and its fu-ture salvage value is expected to be $1,000. Next-year operating costs are estimated to be $8,000 but will probably increase at an annual rate of $200. The cost of money is 12 percent per year. With this set of figures, you can obtain the total average annual cost of the alternative of keeping this equipment. Annual depreciation ex-pense. You begin by calculating the equipment's average annual depreciation expense. You do this by determining the total depreciation and dividing that amount by the asset's four-year life. Your answer is $1,500 which you get as follows: Annual Depreciation = $7,000 - $1,000 = 4 $1,500 Next, you calculate the aver-age annual interest expense. The maximum investment in the equipment is $7,000, its present market value. But as time goes by, the investment in the asset decreases because its market value decreases. The minimum investment is reached at the end of the equipment's life when it has a salvage value of $1,000. The average investment will be the average of these maximum and minimum values. You calculate it as follows: Average investment $4,000 - $7,000 4-$!,000 = 2 To determine the average an-nual interest expense, you mul-tiply the average investment ($4,-000, in this example) by the an-nual interest rate of 12 percent. Doing so yields: Annual =$4,000 x .12= $480 Interest You can determine the aver-age annual operating costs by computing the average of the individual annual operating costs. In this example, they are estimated to be $8,000, $8,200, $8,-400, and $8,600. The average for these figures is $8,300 which you can obtain as follows: ,opage2i For ad on following page circle 107 on free information card $ LAWN CARE INDUSTRY JAN 1978 5 Diazinon is labeled for How many will you Diazinon" not only controls, label in the business, but is labeled for more turf insects You'll count 24 turf insects in than any other turf insecticide. all. Including white grubs, sod Just take a look, it's the biggest web worms, cutworms, chinch bugs, ©1978 Ciba-Geigy Corporation every insect on this page face this season? army worms and ants. This season, be sure to ask your local supplier for Diazinon. And put the biggest label in the business to work for you. Ciba-Geigy, Ag. Div., Box 11422, Greensboro, NC 27409 Diazinon by CIBA-GEIGY The biggest label in the business. CIBA-GEIGY OHIO from page 1 James F. Wilkinson, research director of ChemLawn Corp., Columbus, Ohio. He spoke on research needs of the lawn care industry. He said the lawn care in-dustry is expanding at a tremen-dous rate and has the potential to become the largest part of the turfgrass industry. He stressed the need for more turf research at the university level on lawns, such as the breeding challenges of finding disease-resistant cultivars, and special fertility problems fo the industry. Wilkinson said that because of the nature of many lawn care companies with a less frequent visit schedule, they need chemicals with adequate residuals. This is because com- pany representatives are not usually on the lawn frequently enough to anticipate problems. He said liquid systems for solu-bles and insolubles need to be researched as much as dry systems have been in the past. He also mentioned problems of chemical incompatibility and placement incompatibility that lawn care companies faced that have to be researched for the future. He also said the industry needs specialized application equipment, particularly equip-ment that would allow an operator to do different types of applications with one unit. He said more research is needed to be done on liquid fertility to off-set dangers of fertilizer burn. He suggested that liquid slow-releases nitrogen sources would be well-accepted by the industry. Also, alternative forms of pesti-cide releases, such as encap-sulized slow-release pesticides are a possibility. He also said research has to be done to develop new products for the lawn care industry, products like improved spray adjuvants, anti-drift agents and growth retar-dants. Another interesting session to the lawn care businessman was that of J. Martin Erbaugh, manager of marketing research for Davey Lawnscape Service, Kent, Ohio. He spoke on the implications of an expanding business. He likened the lawn care in-dustry at its present stage to Davey's start in the tree service business in the 1920s. He called it a "first-user market," one where most of the customers are those who are receiving lawn care ser-vices for the first time. He also said market penetration is oc-curring at a faster rate than hous-ing construction, but that at some point in the future Š perhaps five years, perhaps 20 years Š market growth will be based solely on professionalism within lawn care companies and not new potential customers represented by single-family home construction. He said that in the future, perceptive companies will define their market strategy for years in advance, planning their expansion into new market areas, taking into consideration competition in those areas. He also said that companies will have to decide their position in a particular marketplace and in-corporate promotion and adver-tising techniques that follow that position strategy. He said lawn care companies in the future will borrow tech-niques from other industries, techniques such as computeriza- tion and data processing. Er-baugh also said that lawn care companies will have to work with universities to explain to them the needs of the industry. He also said that companies have to help develop the curriculum of universities, because many turf students coming out of the schools do not have the proper tools to be lawn 'care pro-fessionals. Licensing standardization is something lawn care companies will have to face in the future, he said. Companies will be in-creasingly faced with regu-lations from the Occupational Safety and Health Admini-stration, wage and hour restric-tions, and regulations from other agencies as the industry becomes more visible. He also said that the industry will in the future have to respond as a whole to legislation drafted that affects the industry. Dr. Harry Niemczyk of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster, Ohio, spoke on grub control and gave a research update on the bluegrass billbug. He stressed that particularly in a home lawn situation, thatch can interfere with the move-ment of insecticides down. The insecticide has to get to ground level to have any effect at all on the grubs, and thatch can tie it up before it can do any good. He said insecticides like Diazinon, Dursban, Dylox and Proxol are commonly used on home lawns, to page 11 Highland Colonial Bent offers a nifty balance of quality & economy Highland is the "old reliable" of bentgrass ... the proven performer. The quality of this fine-bladed beauty never varies . . . and the price is always right. While is does well under a wide variety of condi-tions, Highland is at its best where the weather is relatively moist with occasional rain or drizzle. It also flourishes downwind from bodies of water or in moun-tainous regions where low clouds, nightly fogs and mists are a feature. Not only is Highland's price always very competi-tive, it hps the additional bentgrass advantage of some 6 million seeds per pound. This means the buyer has a seed of high quality which offers far more potential grass plants per pound than most fine varieties. Thus, it's economical two ways. Write for our free grass seed cost calculator which shows you instantly the true comparative costs of various grass seeds. Highland Bentgrass Commission Dept. I Ł 2111 Front. St. N.E., Suite One Ł Salem, Oregon 97303 Circle 123 on free information card ŁŁŁŁŁŁ COST CUTTINGS Lawn care during a water shortage With drought conditions in the West and elsewhere across the country, home lawn watering has been restricted in many areas in the recent past. Here are some suggested tips from Dr. James R. Watson, vice president and agronomist for Toro Co., Minneapolis, that you can pass along to your customers, to keep their lawns alive and well with a minimum of water. Irrigate when there is the best combination of little wind, low temperature and high humidity. In a 24-hour period, that combination most often exists just before dawn. With an auto- matic underground irrigation system it is easy to program it to water at this time. Another distinct advantage of the auto-matic system is that it may be scheduled to water during "off-peak" use periods between 2 and 5 a.m. Fertilize to encourage maximum root system growth but minimum leaf growth. Have the soil tested and fertilize accordingly. Pay special attention to pH (it should be in the 6.5 Š 7.2 range) and to the level of mineral nutrients like phosphorus, which is beneficial to root growth. Mow less frequently, and save all clippings for mulch. Raise the height-of-cut on the mower. Although this enlarges the surface area through which moisture is transpired the benefits gained Š mainly root extension Š are most impor-tant. Finally, cultivate (aerate, spike or spike disc) more fre-quently. Use the equipment to open the soil to insure that the moisture enters, and does not run off. KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS For football fields and/or shady glens Glade Kentucky bluegrass is the seed to specify for excellent performance. In full sun or cool shade (up to 60%) you can depend on Glade to germinate quickly, establish fast. Forms a thick rhizome and root system, dense, low-growing, fine-textured turf of medium to deep green in color. Glade Kentucky bluegrass has proven resis-tance to many troublesome diseases including stripe smut and leaf rust. Better than average resistance to today's Fusarium blight has made Glade a vital fortifying ingredient in many pro-fessional turf grass mixtures. A higher level of resistance to powdery mildew in moderate shade. A Rutgers University selection (tested as P-29), Glade Kentucky bluegrass is your guarantee of physically pure and genetically true seed. Specify the sun-n-shade elite Glade Kentucky bluegrass seed for your next lawn seed mix, available at your local wholesale seed distributor. KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS U.S. Plant Patent 3151 Another fine, quality-controlled product of Jacklin Seed Company. Circle 108 on free Information card LAWN CARE INDUSTRY JAN 1978 9 Lets get down to grass facts! Average business increase 25% 1976 vs. 1975. More than 8,000 businesses have emerged Š almost over night Š to serve the wants and needs of the 45 million home owners in the residential turf and ornamental market. Last year these businesses served over 4 million accounts, produced $1.25 billion in receipts and a 25% growth. These facts make it clear that chemical lawn care and maintenance services are booming businesses today... and have just scratched the surface of the huge residential market. If you've Housing starts on the upswing in 1977. been trying to sell this emerging service industry, we don't have to tell you how difficult it's been to reach. Now at last there is a magazine that delivers this exclusive audience. Now for the first time you can communicate with this growth market. Now you can match your message to the market. \AWN GffiE INDUSTCY A Harvest business publication. lawn care...the growingest market OHIO from page 8 but stressed that Dasanit is too toxic to even be considered for home lawn use. He said that bluegrass bill-bug is becoming more pro-nounced problem all over the country, and has been found as far out West as California and did particularly bad damage in Michigan this year. He stressed that knowing the life patterns of the billbug or any other insect is important to be able to control it. In the case of billbug control, Dr. Niemczyk said the best time to control it in a home lawn situa- tion is during its adult stage from about mid-April to mid-May. To control it in its larvae stage, con-trol is needed from about mid-May to late June. But he again stressed to watch out for prob-lems of the insecticide getting tied up in the thatch layer. Other speakers and their topics during the lawn care ses-sions included: Robert Robinson, ChemLawn Corp., "The Development and Monitoring of an Effective Cholinesterase Pro-gram;" Dr. Roger Funk, Davey Lawnscape Service, "Lime and Other Products for Acid Soils;" Dr. Noel Jackson, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Rhode Island, "Turf and Orna-mental Disease Requiring Special Attention in the Home Landscape;" Dr. Thomas L. Watschke, Department of Agronomy, Penn State Univer-sity, "Growth Regulators Š Pre-sent Status and Future Perspec-tive;" Herb Day, Sales Manager, Stauffer Chemical Co., West-port, Conn., "Tank Mixes of Pesticides and PesticideFerti-lizer Combinations." Also, Dr. John Long, Director of Biochemical Research, O. M. Scott & Sons Co., Marysville, Ohio, "Alkaline Soil Problems Š Causes and Correction;" Dr. John Jagschitz, Department of Plant Science, University of Rhode Island, "Chemical Control of Annual Grasses and Weeds in Turfgrasses;" Skip Skaptason, Vice President, PBI-Gordon Chemical Co., Kansas City, Kansas, "Effective Control of Summer Annual Broadleaf Weeds;" Gary Kitchel, Manager, E-Z Lawn Service, "Using Ad-vantages and Overcoming Dis-advantages Facing Small Lawn Care Companies." Also, Dr. David P. Martin, Department of Agronomy, Ohio State University, "Roundup and Basagran Herbicides for Turf;" Dr. Phillip O. Larsen, Depart-ment of Plant Pathology, Ohio State University, "Helmintho-sporium Leaf Spot and Melting Out and Their Control;" Dr. Robert W. Schery, Director, The Lawn Institute, "Preventive Weed Control; Autumn Treat-ments Bring Spring Benefits;" and Dr. Jack D. Butler, Depart- ment of Horticulture, Colorado State University, "Soil Con-ditions and Turf Problems." MEETING DATES Penn State University Turfgrass Conference, J. Orvis Keller Conference Center, University Park, Pa., Jan. 16-19. Contact: Joseph M. Duich, 21 Tyson Building, University Park, Pa. 16802. Virginia Turfgrass Conference, Sheraton Motor Inn, Fredericksburg, Va., Jan. 18-19. Contact: Dr. R. E. Schmidt, Agronomy Department, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacks-burg, Va. 24061. Northern California Turfgrass and Environmental Landscape Exposition, Hall of Flowers, San Mateo Fairgrounds, Jan. 25-26. Southern Turfgrass Conference and Show, Broadwater Beach Hotel, Biloxi-Gulfport, Miss., Jan. 29-31. Contact: Dr. Euel Coats, Southern Turfgrass Association, Drawer CP, Mississippi State, Miss. 39762. Associated Landscape Contractors of America Annual Meeting and Trade Exhibit, Hyatt House, Orlando, Fla., Jan. 30 Š Feb. 2. University of Tennessee Ninth Annual One-Week Winter Course in Turfgrass Management 323 McLemore Ave., Nashvi" mental Horticulture anc Knoxville, Tenn. 37901. lrfgr McLemore Ave., Nashville, Tenn., Jan. 30 Š Feb. 3. Contact: Dr. Lloyd M. Callahan, Dept of Orna-mental Horticulture and Landscape Design, Plant Sciences Building, University of Tennessee, Landscape/Garden Center Management Clinic, Gait House, Louisville, Ky., Feb. 5-8. Contact: Clinic, 230 Southern Building, Washington, D.C. 20005. American Sod Producers Association Midwinter Conference, Nassau Beach Hotel, Nassau, Ba-hamas, Feb. 12-15. Contact: Bob Garey, ASPA, Association Building, Ninth and Minnesota, Hast-ings, Neb. 68901. Capital Area Turf School, Hershey Motor Lodge, Convention Center, Hershey, Pa., Feb. 21-22. Contact: Harold E. Stewart, 75 S. Houcks Rd., Suite 101, Harrisburg, Pa. 17109. Western Pennsylvania Turf School/Teade Show, Howard Johnson Motor Lodge, Monroeville, Pa., Feb. 21-23. Contact: Henry F. Meinert, Jr., 16 Schenck Terrace, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15215. Landscape Design Short Course for Residential Properties, Ohio Agricultural Research and De-velopment Center, Wooster, Ohio, Feb. 23-25. Contact: Fred K. Buscher, Area Extension Center, OARDC, Wooster, Ohio 44691. Iowa Turfgrass Conference, Hilton Inn, 6111 Fleur Drive, Des Moines, Iowa. Feb. 27 Š March 1. Contact: Dr. William E. Knoop, 307 Horticulture, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011. Northeastern Pennsylvania Turf School, Master Host Inn, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Feb. 28, Contact: Cy Chadwick, Court House Annex, 5 water St., Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18702. Midwest Turf Conference, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., March 13-15. Contact: Dr. William H. Daniel, Department of Agronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind. 47907. YOU CAN EXPAND INTO THE LAWN SPRAY BUSINESS DO IT THE RIGHT WAY: LEARN all you can Š AGRO CHEM'S TRAINING COURSE COVERS: Ł TECHNICAL Š Plant & grass growth, soils, fertilizers, plant stimulants, soil testing, weed-insect-disease control, materials for control and prevention, diagnosing & solving problems, application techniques and equipment selection, service, etc. Ł SALES Š How to sell Š What to say Š Advertising Ł BUSINESS Š Promotion Š Public Relations. MANAGEMENTŠ Cost control, quick & efficient methods for bookkeeping, invoicing and programming. Ł TEACHING TECHNIQUES Š Training your people to sell & service. KEEP ALL OF YOUR PROFITS Š ... NO FRANCHISE FEES ... NO ROYALTIES EARN Š Agro Chem's methods produce the highest possible profits. Ł HIGH Professionalism based on superior results achieved through a totally correct scientific lawn care system based on soil tests of YOUR local areas, with materials formulated to your conditions. Ł HIGHER Authority based on your ability to recognize, cure, & control problems acquired from Agro Chem's training program. Ł HIGHEST Performance based upon your applications of prescription formulated materials that produces superior results. Ł SOARING PROFITS with repeat orders. Non competitive products, equipment & services that outperform com- petitors products. Reduced costs of maintenance with more beauty for your customer. FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN BECOME AN AGRO CHEM DISTRIBUTOR Full trairing offered in January & February, 1978 only Make your reservation immediately as space is limited FOR MORE INFORMATION Š CALL MR. GREGORY COLLECT . , (312) 455-6900 OR WRITE Financing available to qualified applicants. AGRO-CHEM. INC. 11150 ADDISON FRANKLIN PARK, ILL. 60131 LAWN CARE INDUSTRY Marketplace Even if Jim McGee wasn't six-foot-four, you would listen to him anyway. Because he is smart enough to take $70 to Las Vegas recently and parlay it into $2,500 playing blackjack. His advice: "Figure the dealer for eight in the hole; if you figure him for 10 you'll lose it every time." He also has some smart ad-vice about making it in the Kan-sas City lawn care market as he settles down to lunch at his fa-vorite restaurant. He orders what they call a "flying saucer", which is nothing more than a giant taco, and says: "There is a lot of potential here, no doubt about it. Com-panies realize enough gross dol- lars to make it, but they are not organized, don't spend enough time thinking about manage- ment. The ones who stay in busi-ness year after year are and do." McGee, owner of Smith Lawn & Tree Service on the Missouri side, has been in business 30 years and has seen a lot of com-panies come and go. About five or six years ago, some of the ma-jor chemical lawn care compan-ies such as ChemLawn Corp., Ever-Green Lawns, and Green Lawn Fertilizer Corp. opened their doors and began spraying their first lawns.The business has been booming for both the chemical application companies and the maintenance/landscape operations. It is estimated there are probably 50,000 home lawns receiving some form of lawn care in the Kansas City area. The year 1974 was a particularly good year for growth, because homeown- ers were finally sufficiently familiar with the chemical com-panies, knew what they could do, and were buying the service. Another reason for steady growth is that the Kansas City area has had excellent growing conditions for the last three or four years, and most home lawns have blossomed, keeping the cus-tomers were happy. But last lawn care season was a killer. Heavy spring rains caused problems with crabgrass control, and hotter and more humid weather than usual caused heavy summer disease problems for the first time in years. Add to this, one lawn care businessman joked, the fact that there are rumors curvaceous Channel 9 weathergirl Cheryl Jones might be leaving the sta-tion, and the bottom line is that many homeowners are going to be in questioning moods this lawn care season. As one opera-tor put it: "It is going to be like so many pennies thrown up in the air. We are going to lose some custom-ers, and we are going to pick up some others that are dissatisfied with the people doing the work (Above) Harry S. Truman Sports Complex, the world's only siae-by-side sports stadiums, which house the Kansas City Royals and the Kansas City Chiefs; (right) The Kansas City downtown area; (far right) Kansas City International air-port, which serves nine major airlines and 40,000 passengers daily Š its multiple-terminal design was a prototype in employing the con-cept of an integrated passenger terminal facility. for them now. The most profes-sional companies are going to gain the most." Just like Jim McGee said. There are 71 companies list-ed as providing lawn mainte- nance in the Kansas City Yellow Pages. Along with ChemLawn, Ever-Green, Green Lawn and Smith Lawn and Tree some of the larger companies would in-clude: Frey and Frey Landscap-ing, Chiswell Lawn Service, Green Valley Co., Mount Mor-iah Lawn and Tree Service, Keller's Turf and Shrub Care, Shelton and Son Landscaping, Suburban Lawn and Garden and many others. The population of the metro-politan area is 1.27 million, and lawn care companies have be-tween 15 and 20 percent of the approximate 300,000 single family homes receiving some kind of lawn care services. "It's a competitive market," says Bo Stueck, who along with her husband Bill runs Suburban Lawn and Garden. Dave Mur-phy of Green Valley says: "We see each other's trucks all over town, and eat lunch at the same places." Harold Coleman of Faultless Pest Control calls it "certainly a sleeping market, and companies like ChemLawn opened it up by blanketing the market with promotion." Paul Constant of Constant Care Lawn and Tree Service says: "The big companies are hitting what had been a dormant W Kansas City Š International ^ Airport Parkville Country Club i Plaza by Bob Earley Editor Kansas City market. People were always will-ing to a pay between $100 and $150 to have their lawns sprayed with fertilizers and pesticides, it was just that nobody ever asked them until a few years ago." According to lawn care busi-nessmen operating in Kansas City, the average person who re-ceives a lawn care program is be-tween 25 and 40 years old, has a $50,000 home, the household in-come from two salaries is be-tween $20,000 and $25,000, and the average size lawn is 8,500 square feet. The people are becoming more sophisticated. Dave Mur-phy says: "Three years ago it was a lot easier than it is now. I go out now and the people tell me that they like my program and they probably will go with me, but that they have five other com-panies coming out to give bids and their husband wouldn't understand if they took the first offer." And Dan Adams of Shawnee Lawn and Garden says that many of his customers are what he calls "switchers", people who have had service from a larger company, but are "interested in getting more personal service from a smaller company." Most of the lawns in the Kan-sas City area are bluegrass with a few zoysia and even a few tall fescue and bermudagrass lawns. Kansas City is in the transition zone, which causes problems for lawn care businessmen because of the wide variations in weath- er conditions Š temperatures from below zero to near 110°, and alternating dry and high rainfall periods. Disease problems mentioned most by businessmen include leaf spot, Fusorium blight, Pythium and brown patch. Most troublesome weeds include crab-grass, chickweed, spurge, fox-tail, nutsedge, dandelions and bindweed. Insect problems in-clude armyworms, cutworms and sod webworms. Also, this year for the first time, some lawn care operators said they saw evi- dence of the Ataenius spretulus beetle, a grub problem first identified in the Northeast. Many of the companies pro-vide lime as late fall application if a soil test denotes that it is needed. Other fall work done on a particularly large basis by many companies includes over-seeding, power raking, verticut-ting, dethatching, and other lawn building practices. Many com-panies also install automatic sprinkler systems. Many lawn care business-men in the Kansas City area are concerned about unfair busi-ness tactics. While being inter-viewed, one such businessman pulls out a file from his drawers, and it is marked "lowballs." Sim- ply, this is the process of under- bidding the amount of square footage of a home lawn, he says, with the intent of getting the job with the lower bid. Another businessman said: "This past year I got five or six calls myself from one company. On about the third call, I told them to come out and measure my yard just to see what they would do. Nobody came out. Another call, and I told them the same thing, but nobody came out. On the fifth call, the guy on the phone said they had measured my lawn while I was not home, and that I would be charged for 8,000 square feet if I bought their service. I have a yard that is a full acre and I told him so. All he said was that I was going to get a good deal then. But how can they do it that way and still put on the right amount of material for the size of the lawn?" Another says: "We have had people we have been servicing for four years call us and tell us we have been robbing them be-cause somebody else comes out and says their lawn is so many thousand square feet smaller. All we do is offer to go out and re-measure it while they watch us. It usually works." What does the future hold for the lawn care industry in Kansas City? There is substantial home building going on; 4,100 single family home building permits were issued in the first eight months of last year, as opposed to only 3,000 for all of 1976. The growth is to the north of the city near the airport; to the south-west corner of Kansas City; John-son County in Kansas; Inde-pendence to the northeast; and Overland Park and Leawood in Kansas, just to name a few places. What do the lawn care busi-nessmen themselves think about the future and growth of their in-dustry. It depends on who you talk to. Here are some quotes from a cross-section: "We are looking for 50 per-cent growth in customers this year and we are adjusting our budget, equipment and advertis-ing outlays accordingly." "I think it has reached a plat-eau. The weather problems dis- enchanted many of the home-owners who expected more than they were getting and more than they really are paying for, to be fair." "The fast growth is over, but we feel it is going to be a steady incline for awhile." "The market is pretty satur-ated, the companies making it now are the ones who started five years ago. Most of the busi-ness available in the next few years is going to be from smaller companies losing customers and the majors picking them up." "We lost some customers this last year because of the weath-er, but we going to pick up some too. We are hoping we gain more than we lost." For the names and faces be-hind the lawn care industry in the Kansas City area, please turn the page. Kansas from page 13 Dave Murphy, 29, (left) and his father Jerry (lower right), started Green Valley Co., in Shawnee Mis- sion, Kansas, five years ago. By the end of 1973, they had 150 chemical-application cus-tomers, by the end of 1974 they had 300 customers, and by the end of 1975 they had 600 custom-ers, 200 of which they also mowed lawns for. In 1976 they cut the mowing operation and doubled their customer list to 1,-200. They presently have almost 2,000 customers and hope to in-crease this by 50 percent in the coming lawn season. They feel that their strong suit is the amount of communication they have with their customers. They do three to four mailings a year to their customer list, usually at special times telling of special problems. Last year, for exam- ple, when the disease problems began to hit the Kansas City area, they saw what was happening and got a mailing out to their cus-tomers identifying the diseases and telling their customers what to do. "It cost us $1,200, but it was worth it," Dave says. They also put out what they feel is one of the most complete customer booklets in the city, explaining to their customers watering, aerat- ing, seeding and liming pro- cedures. "We feel that if the customer is in-formed, and knows what he is buying, then he will be a better custom- er and easier to work with," says Dave. Ji m McGee (left), is the owner of Smith Lawn & Tree Co., Kansas City, Mo., and has been in business 30 years, doing about 50 per-cent lawn work and about 50 per-cent tree work. He handles about 200 full-time accounts, 30 per-cent of which are home lawns. A percentage of his work revolves around reseeding and overseed- ing twice a year for over 100 cus-tomers in spring and fall. He feels organization and manage-ment is the most crucial part of a lawn care business Š in a busi-ness like his, for example, hav-ing a full-time manager to complement McGee's duties in bidding jobs and using his knowl-edge to troubleshoot specific problems. Darrell Kene- more (left) is assistant man-ager of the ChemLawn Corp. branch in north Kan- sas City, and Jim Pope, (bot-tom right) has been with the company since it opened its doors in Kansas City in 1972. Bob Hart is branch manager of the north Kansas City branch, Phil Johnson is branch manager of the Kansas City, Kan. branch, and Doug Coleman is manager of the southeast Kansas City branch in Grandview, Mo. opened within the last year. It is estimated that ChemLawn is the largest lawn care company operating in Kansas City, with approximately 16,000 customers, although it is only an estimate. According to Pope, the company started in Lenexa, Kan. in 1972, and had about 2,000 customers after the first lawn season. The branch Kennemore works with goes as far north for applica-tions as Platte City, and as far east as Buckner and Oak Grove. Kennemore estimates the aver-age home his company handles is valued at between $40,000 and $60,000, the household has two incomes totaling between $20-25,000, and the average age of a customer might be anywhere from 25 to 40, although there are many older people who re-ceive the service. The average- size lawn is 8,500 square feet. "We see many younger families go on the program, and then sell the concept to their fathers," Pope told LAWN CARE IN-DUSTRY. Both Kennemore and Pope feel that federal bodies like the Environmental Protection Agency are going to be keeping a close watch on the lawn care industry as it becomes more vis-ible, and that a lot of the small-er companies that do not fol-low govern-ment guide-lines will be in trouble when the time comes. Wow. Now you can" Weed and Turf renovation has to be one of the most inconvenient and unpop-ular projects for a grounds superintendent. Now there's a painless way to renovate a weedy fairway, sod farm or other grassy areaŠwithout heavy tillage. "Translocation" is the key. Roundup is applied to the weed foliage, absorbed through the leaf surface, and4 translocated" throughout the entire plant. In this way, Roundup effectively controls most weedsŠright down to the roots and rhizomes. RTR 8/7 ©Copyright Monsanto Co. 1977. Roundup has no residual soil activity. That's why you can go in seven days later and re-plant. And Roundup won't wash or leach from the treated area to injure desirable vegetation. Naturally, normal precautions should be observed to avoid spray drift. Always read and carefully follow the label directions for Roundup herbicide. Announcing an important new turf renovation program for Roundup* herbicide. Five years ago this month, Neil Darnell, 28, (left) Joe Jackson, 26, (lower right) and Louis Mat-SBm^l W started Green Lawn Fertilizer Corp. in Ray-town, Mo., east of Kansas City. The first year they finished the lawn season with 800 customers. Then they tripled their business for chemical application in 1974, and now count 6,000 customers on their books. They offer four applications a year, with a basic cost of $18 for 5,000 square feet and $2 for every 1,000 square feet after that. They use a slow-release fertilizer in all four ap-plications, because "we feel it gives us an edge on the competi-tion," Darnell said. They also ap-ply insect control in their two summer applications, mostly to control sod webworms. They have been doing business in Springfield (about 130 miles southeast of Kansas City) for about a year, and say they have 1,000 customers there and are the only company operating on a ma-jor basis. They also are breaking into the St. Joseph, Mo. market, about a HA-hour drive to the north. Also, as part of their pro-gram, they offer a fifth applica-tion of lime as an option, which is usually applied late in the season. "We don't truck mix," Jackson says, "we tank mix and then feed it into our trucks. This way we keep a close watch over the mixture. We also have our drivers fill out daily reports, and we don't allow any more than five or 10 gallons off on a typical day of 400,000 square feet of ap-plications." The main ad-vice they offer to lawn care operators is to "keep your reputation up," Jackson said "And don't try to grow to fast," Darnell adds. Re-seed" in a matter of days. Al Buford, 30, (right) joined Mount Moriah Cemetery in Kansas City, Mo. four years ago as mana-ger of its lawn care department. The company also does tree work, however, most of its 1,700 customers receive lawn chemical applica-tions. The company began using granular fertilizer as a selling point, but will be going to a li-quid program to a great extent this lawn season. Buford's phil-osophy, though, is different than some of the other major lawn care companies. "I don't believe in using fertilizer in the third, or summer, application," he says. "You are not supposed to fer-tilize bluegrass and ryegrass in the summer, and we don't." He says they get at least 50 percent of their customers after they have tried another lawn care ser-vice. They are going to keep the lawn care customers they have and go more heavily into the tree care business in the future. Ron Chiswell, 44, (right) started Chis-well Lawn Service, Kan- sas City, Mo., 10 years ago on a full-time basis. He runs two three-man crews during the year to handle his 500 customers, 250 of which he mows on a regular basis and 250 for whom he does other work such as power raking, seeding, dethatching, verticutting, etc. He also handles the Crown Center complex in downtown Kansas City. He said finding depend-able help is his biggest problem, and warns a lawn care company from trying to get too big too fast, and stresses that it is important to charge enough to make a profit. Harold Cole- man (left), ow- ner of Fault-less Pest Con-trol, Kansas City, Mo., hired David Bulk (bottom right) to run his lawn service work two years ago when it got to be too much of a sideline to handle himself. He now has 200 lawns that he sprays with liquid applications, and he also does spot seeding, aeration, etc. Like many pest control com-panies in Kansas City and else where, Coleman found that lawn service can be a profit-able sideline. It is less than one percent of his business now, "but we don't intend on keeping it that way," Cole-man said. to page 16 Roundup* is a registered trademark of the Monsanto Company, St Louis, Mo. It's with a turf renovation program involving Roundup® herbicide by Monsanto. Roundup will control many annual and peren-nial grasses and broadleaf weeds. Yet, as soon as seven days after treatment (to allow time for trans-location), you can proceed with your tillage and planting operations. Roundup controls many emerged annual and perennial grasses and weeds. Including bluegrass, bermudagrass, quack- grass, bindweed, john-songrass, fescues, and vaseygrass. Circle 118 on free information card There's never been a herbicide like this before. Monsanto Roundup. The herbicide that gets to the root of the problem. To learn about a turf renovation program suited to your needs, write: "Turf Renovation," Monsanto Agricultural Products Company, C3NF, 800 North Lindbergh Boulevard, St. Louis, Mo. 63166. TOOLS,TIPS & TECHNIQUES When does a tree need fertilizer? Many lawn care companies have always done tree feed-ing, or are thinking about getting into that area to increase their scope of business, and they may have questions about when a tree needs fertilizer, how much is necessary, and what time of year is best for applications. Roy K. Rasmussen, director of grounds at the University of Nebraska, reports that trees that need fertilizer are gener-ally those growing under adverse conditions such as poor soil or subsoil, or trees surrounded by pavement or packed earth Š the conditions under which most of your customers' trees grow. Symptoms of a starving tree include: the leaves are smaller and lighter green color than leaves on a healthy free of the same kind; the tree generally accumulates several dead branches; the annual growth, both in frunk and ends of the twigs, is less than that of a healthy tree. Fertilized trees ward off borer attacks and withstand drought periods better. They come back with a new crop of leaves after a severe at-tack of leaf-eating insects because of materials stored in the tree. Trees should be fertilized only enough to keep them healthy, Rasmussen reported in The Golf Superintendent. Fertilize a tree every year or two until it starts growing nor-mally again and then every three to five years as necessary to keep a healthy green color. Some trees may need constant treatment, depending on conditions. Spring is the best time to fertilize, but the tree can be fertilized any time of the year that the soil will take fertil- izer. Because fertilizer travels only downward to the roots, it must be placed in or above the root area. Roots cannot seek out fertilizer, so as many holes as possible should be made in the root area for fertilizer. One way to determine the proper amount of fertilizer to use is to figure from the diameter of the trunk. The generally accepted rate of actual nitrogen per tree is one-half pound of actual nitrogen for each inch of the trunk diameter, Ras-mussen said. Kansas from page 15 Reely rugged!..,and economical! Since 1919 National has built completely functional, easily maintainable reel mowers. We skimp on styling in order to lower initial cost. National mowers are ruggedly built for extra years of service. NATIONAL REEL MOWERS FEATURE: Maneuverability and superb performance on banks and hillsides ^J Automotive-type trans-missions Heavy-duty, tubular steel frames Upturned bed bar lips for extra weai^jPower-driven, free-floating reels that follow ground contour without skip or scalp. Width of cut-7 feet. Mows up to 5 MPH. Transport speed-12 MPH. 68-Inch Triplex Cuts 68" swath. Forward and reverse speeds up to 4 MPH. Requires less pulling power than any unit its size. Write for detailed literature ___ NATIONAL NATIONAL MOWER COMPANY 704 Raymond Avenue Ł St. Paul. Minnesota 66114 Phone 612/646 4079 Seven years ago, Pete Levy, 24, (left) star-ted with Line-Mai Construction Company, Kan-sas City, Mo. installing sprinkler" systems during the summer. He got so good at it, that he went at it full-time when he graduated from the University of Kansas two years ago. He says his com-pany installs about 50 residen-tial automatic sprinkler systems a year, at a cost of about 25 cents a square foot, or about $2,500 for a typical 10,000-square-foot lawn. He stresses to his customers that adding a sprinkler system adds that much value to a house at re-sale time the same as a room addition might. Dan Adams, (left) owner of Shawnee Lawn & Garden, Shawnee, Kan., began tree spraying eight years ago and gradually moved into the lawn spraying business. He now sprays the lawns of 300 custom-ers. Also, 3V2 years ago he got into the retail lawn and garden center business, an area that many lawn care companies hope to branch into someday. He said the first year the retail store was 30 percent of the business and the lawn spraying 70 percent. Now the ratio is reversed. When 33-year-old Donald Keller, (left) owner of Kel-ler's Turf and Shrub Care, Independ- ence, Mo., went back to his high school reunion re-cently, many of his friends came up to him and said, "Hey, you're a gardener," and kind of laughed on the side. But he has built what started out as a sideline mowing business six years ago into 70 commercial mowing accounts, 20 home lawn mowing accounts, and 450 home lawns on which he sprays pesticides and fertilizes with granular applications. And he says: "Companies like Chem-Lawn have given our industry a bit of professionalism, they have paved the way for us. The day of sending out a lawn care crew with no shirts and bermuda shorts is long gone." Keller is go- ing to liquid spray applications of fertilizer this lawn season and hopes to add more trucks and lawns the following year. These companies of course are not the only ones in the Kan-sas City lawn care market. Paul Constant of Constant Care Lawn & Tree Service, Kansas City, Mo., does mowing, spraying, shrub care, trimming, landscaping, sodding, snow removal, sprin-kler installation, and other ser-vices. He has over 300 custom-ers. Bill Stueck, owner of Subur-ban Lawn & Garden, Overland Park, Kan., provides mowing, tree spraying, lawn spraying, shrub care, sprinkler installa-tion, landscaping, and one of the largest retail stores in the Kan-sas City area. He employs 200 workers during peak times of the year. He bills 1,000 residential customers on a yearly basis. Ray Shelton, owner of Shelton & Son Landscaping, Kan-sas City, Mo. has one of the larg-est landscaping and lawn care operations in the area. He did the landscaping for Kansas City International Airport and Arrow-head Stadium, and has about 600 residential lawns that his com-pany cares for. More than 100 of these resi-dential customers get complete services from Shelton, the rest receive anywhere from a one-time cleanup to twice-a-year overseeding and renovation work. Other companies providing lawn care in the Kansas City area include: Augustine Extermina-tors, Ever-Green Lawns, Econ-omy Exterminating Co., Frey & Frey Landscaping, Lawn Medic of Olathe-Lenexa, G & G Lawn Service, Home Lawn & Shrub Maintenance Co., Lindesay Lawn & Tree Service, Meyers Liqui-Turf, Jennings Tree & Lawn Care, Lawn-a-Mat of Shaw-nee Mission, Lawn Doctor of East Johnson County and Soil Service Maintenance. MANAGEMENT Bend-over-backward approach spells Kansas City success The words on a poster on a wall of the office at the back of the equipment and materials warehouse hold more than a small significance to Vern Brown. The poster tells how a firm loses customers. It says, "One percent of your customers die, three percent move away, five percent leave because of friend-ships with personnel of other companies, nine percent leave for competitive reasons Š often price Š 14 percent because of dissatisfaction with the product and 68 percent quit because of the attitude or indifference of employes." The owner of Vern Brown Landscaping Service, Inc., Over-land Park, Kansas, has battled the effects of that last problem since he founded the business six years ago. He works doubly hard to improve when he encounters a situation such as the one taking place recently with a young worker. "The kid had just come back from a job at a residence," he told LAWN CARE INDUSTRY, "and said that the lady had told him to trim a couple of bushes. But he said that it was not on his job list. "I came close to blowing my stack," he said. "It made me real-ize that despite all my stress that the customer's word is law, I am not getting through to some em-ployes." He feels that unlike many industries, customers of the lawn care industry react very favor-ably to bend-over-backward treatment. And this is one of the basic philosophies that has built a company started in 1971 with 10 customers, a Small Business Ad-ministration loan and a prayer into a real success. The business grossed $25,000 the first year, had doubled that figure by the third year and this year will gross more than a quarter million dol-lars. Those 10 original residential customers have grown to 150 and there is a nice core of commer-cial contracts including a $97,000 MARKETING IDEA FILE Lawn care company branches out Jim McCurdy of Green Lawns, Inc., Belleville, 111. had a problem about six years ago Š what to do in the off-season? That is when he expanded his services to include industrial weed control, and "the business has doubled every year for the past three years," he says. The industrial herbicide operation now accounts for about one-fourth of his total operation, and is the top money-maker in his shop. Actually, finding something to do in the off season is noth-ing new for McCurdy. As proprietor and owner of the Mc-Curdy Chemical Co. back in 1957, he specialized in on-farm application of fertilizer. "That job really left me with time on my hands," he ex-plains. "And that's how I got into the lawn care business. I started applying fertilizer on lawns and found it was more profitable. I had my last farm job in 1965." For his lawn customers, McCurdy takes care of fertilizer, herbicide and insecticide needs. He makes most of its lawn care applications in March through October when lawns are usually treated with various combinations of fertilizer, her-bicides and insecticides about four times. That leaves a lot of time for the industrial .weed control business. McCurdy says that most of his industrial herbicide work is done in the spring and he has found that Krovar is effective for broad-spectrum weed control. As for his equipment, he has a 1,000-gallon tank truck with 300 feet of hose and guns with off-center nozzles. McCurdy insists on 100 gallons of water per acre and says he seldom ever uses more than 15 pounds of herbicide per acre. He's also found that'when ground is treated in second and third years he can decrease his herbicide rate the second year. These spring applied weed killers give summer-long con-trol of weeds and grasses, which of course, fits right in with McCurdy's lawn care services. His clients obviously are pleased as 90 percent of them account for repeat business in an enterprise whose volume has been doubling every year. Right now McCurdy says he's only got one more problem Š he still can't find anything to fill the rest of the year and has resigned himself to travel (he prefers Florida and Ari-zona) and afternoons of golf. "The lawn care company owner who fails to maintain regular contact will lose customerssays Vern Brown, Kansas City operator who has built his business into a quarter-million dollar operation in six years. grounds care job at the Capitol Building in Topeka, Kansas. The firm was recently awarded a $54,000 contract at the National Cemetery in Kansas City, and it also is regularly assigned to proj-ects at Kansas City International Airport. Brown says that once he gets a customer, he usually manages to hold him by pleasing him. "Mis-takes we make are usually due to communication failures," he said. "When we handle a yard for the first time, I emphasize to the customer that my men are human and subject to human frailties. If they make a mistake I want to be told immediately, and I promise that we will make things right." To keep open lines of communications with custom-ers, Brown gets around to them all at least once every two weeks during the season. He has al-ready put 30,000 miles on the Jeep he bought last year. The typical home lawn treat-ment schedule normally starts with mowing and includes an array of added services. He feels it is the extras that make it all worthwhile. "I sell needed add-ons like a men's clothing store clerk sells ties and shirts after making a suit sale." His fees for mowing home lawns range from $15 to $80; commercial mowing fees are from $80 to $300. Herbicide applications call for fees from $15 to $300. Prices for power rak-ing are from $50 to $500. A good percentage of his jobs fall under the heading of "renovation work" and prices Š depending on size Š run from $75 to $500. These include power raking, aerating, cleaning beds, seeding, etc. When Brown sells a job he promises his customer two things. "First, I promise that we will be dependable Š and that is a big selling point in this busi- ness," he said. "Second, I prom-ise that I will give them personal attention. We make good on both talking points. If my business has been successful, it is only be-cause right from the start I took the attitude that if I treated each customer right he would gain me three more, and the business has snowballed." Hypro sprayer pumps Choose from a wide range of pump designs and materials to suit your requirements: cast-iron, Ni-Resist and bronze pump housings... even nickel plating on piston pumps. PISTON PUMPS ROLLER PUMPS Choice of nylon, polypropylene or rubber rollers. Series 6500 7.6 gpm at 100 psi 6 gpm at 200 psi 4 hp gas engine Other models up to 44 gpm ** at 50 psi. CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS Series 9200. Output to 135 gpm Pressures to 180 psi. Speeds to 6000 rpm. Write for a FREE Sprayer Pump Handbook / tsi A division of Lear Siegler, Inc 319 Fifth Ave NW, St. Paul, Minn. 55112 Ł A . . . Ł i i^AIIL Series 5400 4-Cylinder 25 gpm output at 600 psi Series 5200 Big Twin 10 gpm output at 400 psi with 6 hp engine NEWSMAKERS Thomas M. Carter has joined Jacobsen Manufacturing Co. as manager of engineering for the Turf Products Division, Racine, Wis. Dr. Dwight Barkley, a well-known person in turfgrass management in Kentucky, has accepted the position of chair-man of the Department of Agriculture at Eastern Kentucky University. Robert Nelson has been pro-moted to vice president and gen-eral manager of Cal-Turf, Cama-rillo, Calif., the state's largest producer of sod and stolons. Ralph Evans was named assis-tant general manager. Jack D. Buzzard has been named vice president of inter-national sales and marketing for Rain Bird International, Inc., Glendora, Calif. Charles Bradley has been promoted to the new position of manager of rider development for Toro Co.'s Outdoor Power Equipment Group, Minneapolis, Minn. He lives in North Miami, Fla. Also, the Irrigation Division of Toro has named John S. McLaughlin to the new post of national sales manager for its line of backflow preventers. Also, Terry Anstett has been named group director of manu-facturing for the Outdoor Power Equipment Group. Buzzard Bradley Monsanto Agricultural Prod-ucts Co., St. Louis, has an-nounced a number of appoint-ments: Jane E. McKinney is advertising promotion manager; William E. Phelps, III is man-ager of its Janesville, Wis. dis-trict; M. Rose Jonas is personnel manager for its research depart-ment; and Robert L. Fields is manager of its El Dorado, Ark. manufacturing facility. Gene Probasco has been named merchandising manager of LESCO Truck Sales by Lake-shore Equipment & Supply Co., Elyria, Ohio. Also, Howard Alt-man has been named the com-pany's sales representative for the eastern Michigan marketing area. SPRAYING SYSTEMS C0.< Teeje