ASSOCIATIONS LAWN DOCTOR THREATENS SUIT PLCAA adopts a code of ethics The Professional Lawn Care Association of America (PLCAA) has adopted a Code of Ethics and a Symbol of Good Practice. "This newly formed associa-tion is acting to let the public 
know what to expect from 
qualified service companies," PLCAA president Jerry Faulring 
said. He is also president of Hydro Lawn, Gaithersburg, Md. The formal Code of Ethics and Symbol of Good Practice will be presented to the public via the 
press, local advertisements and use of logo on trucks, stationery and business premises of PLCAA members. Membership in the associa-tion requires a principal owner/manager's signature in-dicating compliance with the es-tablished Code of Ethics. "There may be companies in the lawn care industry that abide by good business conduct that do 
not become members," PLCAA executive director Glenn 
Bostrom said. "The important 
point is that by their member-ship, companies do agree to sup-port the Code of Ethics, stan-dards of and objectives of this 
association." PLCAA's Code of Ethics reads as follows: "This Code of Ethics is adop-ted by the Professional Lawn Care Association of America to promote and maintain high stan-dards of public service and con-duct in order that membership in PLCAA may be deemed a badge of ethical conduct; that lawn care justly may be regarded as a pro-
fession; that the public may have increasing confidence in its in-tegrity; and that the practice of lawn care may best serve the 
public interest. Each PLCAA member agrees to abide by the following code: 1. To adhere to recognized agronomic principles of turf 
management. 2. To maintain a reputation for fair and honorable conduct in 
relations with customers, em-to page 7 Round 3 in sod grower/lawn care battle; second release sent to garden editors In a news release sent out early last month to newspaper garden editors across the coun-try, the Sod Growers Association of Mid-America charged that there is "no control over liquid lawn fertilizer in Illinois." The release, the second in about five weeks, was toned down somewhat from the initial 
release sent to 150 garden 
editors. But although toned 
down, the release still used terms such as "unscrupulous," "crooked operators," and "ap-plying nothing more than a light 
mist of water." One section of the two-page, single-spaced release says: "In our previous news release we inadvertently used the term iawn doctor' not realizing that those words are actually the trade name of a lawn service firm in the East. "This firm, we understand, uses only dry fertilizer material and should not be confused with 
liquid applicators," the release continued. Part of the reason for this second release may have been a lawsuit threatened by Tony Giordano, President of Lawn Doctor, Inc., Matawan, N.J. L4WN [ Jmm Serving lawn maintenance Ł and chemical lawn | care professionals. INDUSTRY OCTOBER 1979 Ł VOL. 3, NO. 10 Ł A Harvest Publication LCI SURVEY LCI readers spent $32.9 million last year on mowers and tractors Readers of LAWN CARE IN-DUSTRY spent more than $32.9 
million in 1978 for purchases of 
mowers and tractors, according 
to a recent survey conducted by 
the magazine. This breaks down as follows: Almost 28 percent of lawn care businessmen spent an average of $3,050 each for riding mowers, for an $8 million projection to the 
industry; almost 50 percent of QUICK STARTS ChemLawn reports loss, but sales up page 2 Pulse reports chart second quarter buying page 7 Cholinesterase test could save your life page 8 Thatch can cause turfgrass decline page 9 Mower/tractor manufacturers listed page 10 Lawn Doctor franchisees aid tornado victim page 10 MEMOS 2 NEWSMAKERS 3 MEETING DATES 4 TOOLS, TIPS & TECHNIQUES 5 COST CUTTINGS 6 MARKETING IDEA FILE 7 MONEYWISE 12 PRODUCTS 17 lawn care businessmen spent an average of $921 on walk-behind mowers, for a $4.3 million pro-jection to the industry. Tractor categories, percent-age of lawn care businessmen purchasing, average yearly pur-chase and projection to industry 
are: Tractors less than 10 h.p., five percent purchasing, $1,090 average yearly purchase, $520,-000 projection to industry; 10-20 
h.p., 12 percent purchasing a yearly average of $4,370, industry projection of $4.8 million; 21-30 Giordano told LAWN CARE IN-DUSTRY he called William Morgan of William Morgan Asso-ciates, Calumet City, 111. Š the firm which handled the release Š and threatened legal action. The earlier release was of concern to many lawn care busi-
nessmen across the country. However, the Professional Lawn Care Association of America, 
based in Chicago, has decided 
not to take any further action in the matter. Comments from PLCAA president Jerry Faulring were carried in last month's issue of LAWN CARE IN-DUSTRY. Basic sections of the second release were: Ł In the state of Illinois, there is little or no control over what is 
contained in tanks of liquid lawn 
care businessmen. Ł "Unscrupulous" or "crooked" operators could take advantage of this situation and 
apply nothing more than a light mist of water to a customer lawn. Ł The first release was not an intent to harm any firm who 
honestly uses either liquid or dry material. Ł Several sod growers have experienced problems of newly to page 6 h.p., six percent purchasing an average of $7,240 for an industry projection of $4.4 million; 31-50 h.p., four percent purchasing an average of $14,600 for an industry 
projection of $5.6 million; and 
larger than 50 h.p., three percent purchasing an average of $19,200 
for an industry projection of $5.3 
million. When asked what their pre-sent mower/tractor equipment inventory was, almost 79 percent 
of lawn care businessmen said they owned an average of seven rotary walk-behind mowers for 
an industry projection of 50,000 
units; more than 29 percent said they owned an average of almost four reel walk-behind mowers for an industry projection of 10,-000 units. Also, more than 55 percent of to page 6 mower/tractor equipment inventory equipment % owning number/owner industry projection 29l££ Id HQ-sa IrfVIH Hid J N IS iSl&l Iti 9col SiQHOQdd Basitili Od 13ÌVA ,;Jl -òiò-ilQà ¡essmen think about E THE INDUSTRY, ith looks at business, 3 businessman faces 
} been suggested by tractors less than 10 h.p. 26.2 2.02 5,000 10-20 h.p. 44.7 1.54 6,500 21-30 h.p. 20.1 1.47 2,800 31-50 h.p. 25.3 2.10 5,000 larger h.p. 19.9 2.32 4,300 Source: 1979 LCI survey H U O oc H c/3 D a g w < U 2 £ < COMPANIES ChemLawn reports loss despite higher sales ChemLawn Corp., Columbus, Ohio, reports sales up 37 percent for the third quarter to $31.7 million, compared to $23.1 
million for the 1978 period, but 
reported a loss for the nine-
month period. Net income for the third quar-ter was $5.2 million, compared to $3.3 million, bringing the year-to-date loss at July 28 of this year to $2.3 million, compared to $2.6 million for the 1978 period. Net income for the quarter was $2.05 compared to $1.13 per share for the 1978 period. The company said results reflect the seasonal sales and 
cost nature of the business and are consistent with patterns of past years and within budget ob-jectives for 1979. Management expects the fourth quarter to follow historical company patterns 
where the year's profit growth is achieved in the second half. At the end of the third quar-ter, annualized sales volume was $86.6 million, compared to $64.7 million for the 1978 period. This 
reflects the fact that the firm had 694,000 customers at the end of the third quarter, compared to 562,000 for the 1978 period, the company said, and price adjust-ments for service in a number of 
markets. There is every reason to ex-pect 1979 will be another good year, said Jack Van Fossen, com-pany president. He also announ-ced expansion to Birmingham, Ala., and Nashville, Tenn., with a major expansion into 11 new 
markets scheduled this fall. Sales figures were reported in the Columbus Citizen-Journal. Officials of The Toro Co., Minne-apolis, stand in a hay field in Mason City, Iowa, where trie company will build a $6 million plant to manufac-
ture lawn mowers and snow-
throwers. On the right is company chairman David T. McLaughlin, ana at left is Robert A. Peterson, com-pany treasurer. MEMOS Lawn care denting bag fertilizer market? At a recent meeting of the Turf and Garden Committee of The Fertilizer Institute which LAWN CARE INDUSTRY attended, the main questions was "Is the growth of the lawn care industry for real, and if it is, what affect will it have on the bag fertilizer 
market?" Members of the committee represent some of the largest fertilizer manufacturers in the country, and although many of them are not supplying the lawn care industry at present, the situation could change in the future, giving the lawn care businessman more options as to where he can go to purchase 
fertilizer. At the meeting, John Mohle, of the marketing department for ChemLawn Corp., Columbus, Ohio, stated that the lawn care industry is growing at a rate of about 20 percent, which is a far greater rate than the average five percent rate of growth 
of suburban areas. His figures turned some heads of commit-tee members. Chairman of the committee is Charles Dinsmore, Agway, Inc., Syracuse, N.Y. Members include: Ross Allmon, Boots Hercules Agrochemicals Corp., Wilmington, Del.; Richard 
Bangs, O.M. Scott & Sons, Marysville, Ohio; Vernon Bishop, Lebanon Chemical Corp., Lebanon, Pa.; A.H. Bowers, Hawkeye Chemical Co., Clinton, Iowa; Charles Butterworth, 
Chase & Co., Sanford, Fla.; George Hawkes, Chevron 
Chemical Co., San Francisco; Frank Jarc, Swift Agricultural 
Chemicals Corp., Chicago, 111.; Ron Meier, The Andersons, 
Maumee, Ohio; Jim Pursell, Parker Fertilizer Co., Sylacauga, Ala.; Fred Robbins, Kaiser Agricultural Chemicals, Savan-nah, Ga.; Ed Rynas, W.R. Grace & Co., Lansing, Mich.; H. Dean Smith, Voluntary Purchasing Groups, Inc., Bonham, Texas; George Valentine, Seaboard Seed Co., Bristol, 111.; and John Wells, USS Agri-Chemicals, Atlanta, Ga. L4WN GIRE INDUSTRY Editor/Associate Publisher: ROBERT EARLEY 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 Editorial Secretary: JEANNIE SUTTON 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 ne repro-duced aither in whole or in part without consent of copyright 
owner. Controlled circulation postage paid at Cleveland, Ohio. HARVEST 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: $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. Handling pesticides? Wash clothes with care: Persons in-volved in pesticide application should take special care to see that clothing worn during application is laundered correctly to avoid needless contamination. Residues from actual spillage on clothing or from drift can Š in some instances Š enter a worker's body through the skin. Daily laundering is an important way to eliminate this potential. Many lawn care businessmen have realized the 
problem and provide freshly laundered work clothes for their applicators each day. The following are procedures that should be followed for removing pesticides from clothing, according to Ciba-Geigy Corp., Greensboro, N.C.: Ł Launder work clothes worn while applying chemicals daily. Ł Do not mix contaminated clothing with other laundry. Ł Place contaminated clothing in a plastic bag to await laundering or place directly into the washing machine after 
removal. Ł Use hot water (140°F.) and a full water level. Ł Use the manufacturer's recommended amount of heavy duty phosphate-based detergent. Ł Dry the clothes thoroughly in an automatic dryer for 30 minutes at the regular fabric setting. Ł Remove any leftover chemicals from the washing machine by running the machine through the complete laun-dering cycle using the detergent, but no clothing. Ryegrass marketing in Northeast and Midwest: Many lawn service companies use ryegrass far beyond what the species is best-adapted for, according to Richard Hurley, vice president and director of agronomy and research for Lofts Pedigreed Seed, Inc., Bound Brook, N.J. Speaking before turf seed executives in Albany, Ore. re-cently, he said: "An example of this would be ryegrasses 
being seeded into dense shade with the knowledge that con-tinual overseeding would be necessary to maintain stand density." He said lawn service companies use the fine leaf turf-type perennial ryegrasses in almost all of their mixtures and many 
use blends of 100 precent improved turf types in all of their seedings. The perennial ryegrasses remain popular because companies receive very few complaints with its use. "The companies that utilize Kentucky bluegrass as the main component of their mixtures report many complaints due to slow germination and establishment, he said. "The homeowner has a black-and-white opinion of grass seed. If it germinates and establishes quickly, it is good. If it is slow to establish, it is bad." NEWSMAKERS Joseph A. Contini is owner of Lawn-A-Mat of Canada, based in Conestogo, Ontario. With retail outlets in Lincoln and Omaha, Neb. and Des Moines, Iowa, Ream's Sprinkler 
Supply Co. has been named a full-line master distributor for the Turf Division of Rain Bird Sprinkler Mfg. Co., Glendora, 
Calif. President is Ernie Bous-quet and general manager is Mike Bousquet. The Toro Co., Minneapolis, has named Marshall Maiden to the new position of marketing 
manager for its International 
Division. Frank McKenna is owner of Frank McKenna's Landscaping 
and Lawn Service, Philadelphia. Williams Schmidt is a partner in Schmidt Brothers Land-scaping, Peotone, 111. Dick D'Andrea is owner of Empire Lawns, Orange, Conn. R. W. Motley is president of R & M, Inc., Dearborn, Mich. Donald R. Flowers is owner of Don Flowers Lawnscape Service, Plain City, Ohio. The indepen-
dent company is mowing/main-tenance-based and applies granular pesticides and fertilizer. Petritz Hammes Chris Petritz Melgar has joined Californialand Jacobsen, a distributor of lawn and garden care equipment manufactured by Jacobsen Division of Textron, Inc., Racine, Wis. as sales 
manager. Californialand Jacob-sen is based in La Mirada, Calif. She previously was a district manager for the Outdoor Power Equipment Div. of J I Case Co. in 
New England. Eileen Hammes has been named manager of marketing services for Jacobsen Division of 
Textron, Inc., Racine, Wis., according to Roy L. Beatty, direc-tor of advertising and sales pro-
motion. Larry T. George is owner of Villa Valet, Gaithersburg, Md. D. Michael Meyer has been appointed director, Manage-ment Information Services, for Jacobsen Division of Textron, Inc., Racine, Wis., according to company president Thomas V. 
Bruns. Steven M. Ramig has 
been appointed manager of 
Management Information Ser-vices. John Cazzell is a partner in Four Seasons Lawn Care, Park-ville, Mo. The company handles lawn maintenance, has a com-plete nursery, and is one of the largest sod companies in the Kansas City area. The company also handles residential fertiliza-tion and tree care. Crown Center in Kansas City is one of the com-pany's accounts. Earl Jones is owner of Allied Lawn Maintenance, Newark, Del. Richard Gaulli is owner of Gaulli Landscaping, Brook-
haven, N.Y. The landscape gar-dening company is expanding 
into the liquid lawn care 
business. R.W. Jenkins is president of ABC Pest Control, Inc., San An-tonio, Texas. F.R. Whitcomb is owner of Perfect Lawns, Inc., Rockford, 111. Richard G. Ritenour is owner of Ritenour Lawn Maintenance, Butler, Pa. Paul J. Grimes is president of Landscaping, Inc., Dedham, Mass. Cleveland-based Yard-Man Co. distributor of the year was recently awarded to Ideal Mower Sales, Inc., Ferndale, Mich. John Botsford, Sr. accep-ted the award at the annual Yard-Man sales awards banquet in Cleveland. New distributor of the year award went to Power Edge Corp., Malvern, Ark. Dor-sey Glover accepted the award. 11 ' i r Nordmann Hawley H.G. Nordmann has been named vice president, finance 
for Jacobsen Division of Textron, Inc., Racine, Wis., according to 
company president Thomas V. Bruns. Don Burton, president of lawn care franchise Lawn Medic, Inc., Rochester, N.Y., said his company is expanding into the New Hampshire area. Clifford Royer is owner of Lawn Surgeon, Granville, Ohio. John M. Daly is owner of The Lawn Man, South Bend, Ind. He formerly owned a franchise of Westbury, N.Y.-based Lawn-A-Mat Chemical & Equipment Corp. Charles S. Putnam, vice presi-dent of sales for Weathermatic Division of Telsco Industries, Dallas, has appointed Tom W. Hawley regional sales manager for the company. Hawley will be responsible for the company's Pacific Northwest sales territory which includes Oregon, Wash-ington, northern Idaho, western Montana and the Canadian pro-vinces of Alberta, British Colum-bia and Saskatchewan. He will be based in Portland, Ore. > ? z n > sO m z a c CD H PC O n H H U 
O oc F co D Q 2 w a: < U 2 MEETING DATES 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. Franchise Management Workshops, Capitol Hilton Hotel, Washington, D.C., Oct. 10-11. Contact: Richard Levin, Inter-national Franchise Association, 1025 Con-
necticut Ave., N.W., Suite 1005, Washing-
ton, D.C. 20036, 202-659-0790. Central Plains Turf Foundation/Kansas State University Turf Conference, K-State Union, KSU, Manhattan, Kan., Oct. 10-12. Contact: Dr. Robert Carrow, Dept. of Horticulture, Waters Hall, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan. 66506, 913-532-6170. 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. Society of American Foresters Annual Meeting, Park Plaza Hotel, Boston, Mass., Oct. 14-17. Contact: S.A.F.: Curtin, 217-333-2777. Dr. Landon Miller, Department of Horti-culture, Clemson University, Clemson, S.C. 29631. 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. Planning and Budgeting Seminar, sponsored by Associated Landscape Con-tractors of America, Ramada O'Hare Inn, 
Chicago, Nov. 15-16. Contact: ALCA, 1750 
Old Meadow Rd., McLean, Va. 22102, 703-821-8611. Southern Turfgrass Conference, Camelot Inn, Little Rock, Ark., Nov. 18-20. Contact: 
Dr. G. Euel Coats, Drawer CP, Missis-sippi State, MS 39762, 601-325-3138. New Turfgrass Expo '79, Cherry HF Indyk, Box 231, Cook College, Rutgers Univer-Hill Hyatt House, Cherry Hill, N.J., Nov. 26-29. Contact: Dr. Henry W. Indyk, P.O sity, New Brunswick, N.J. 08903, 201-932-9453. Texas Turfgrass Conference, Texas A & M Conference Center, College Station, Texas, Dec. 3-5. Contact: Dr. Richard Du-ble, Department of Soil and Crop Science, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas, 77843, 713-845-1551. 25th Annual National Fertilizer Solutions Association Convention and Chem-
ical/Equipment Exhibition, Alfonso J. Cervantes Civic Center, St. Louis, Mo., Dec. 3-6. Contact: NFSA Housing Bureau, 1375 North Highway Drive, St. Louis, Mo. 
63026. 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. Planning and Budgeting Seminar, sponsored by Associated Landscape Con-tractors of America, Marriott Inn North, Dallas, Dec. 4-5. Contact: ALCA, 1750 Old Meadow Rd., McLean, Va. 22102, 703-821-8611. Planning and Budgeting Seminar, sponsored by Associated Landscape Con-tractors of America, Airport Hilton, Den-ver, Dec. 6-7. Contact: ALCA, 1750 Old Meadow Rd., McLean, Va. 22102, 703-821-8611. 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. 18-20. Contact: Dr. John Street, 106D Horticulture Field Lab, University of Il-
linois, Champaign-Urbana, 111. 61801, 217-333-2123. Mid-America Trade Show, O'Hare Exposition Center, Rosemont, 111., Jan. 20-23. Contact: James Kelty, 4300-L Lincoln Ave., Rolling Meadows, 111. 60008, 312-359-8160. Annual Turf & Landscape Conference, 
Tappan Zee Inn, Nyack, N.Y., Jan. 30. Contact: Frank Claps, 136 Laurel Ave., Larchmont, N.Y. 10538, 914-834-6846. Associated Landscape Contractors of 
America Annual Meeting and Trade Ex-hibit, Town & Country Hotel, San Diego, Calif., Feb. 3-8. Contact: ALCA, 1750 Old Meadow Rd., McLean, Va. 22102, 703-821-8611. Symposium on Pesticide Applications, McCormick Inn, Chicago. 111., Oct. 16. Contact: David Lindsay, Mobil Chemical, P.O. Box 240, Edison, N.J. 08817, 201-321-6379. 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. Turf Irrigation Short Course, sponsored by Sprinkler Irrigation Association, San Diego, Oct. 16-18. Contact: IA, 13975 Con-necticut Ave., Silver Spring, Md. 20906, 301-871-1200. Professional Grounds Maintenance Soci-ety Annual Meeting, Baltimore Hilton, Oct. 21-24. Contact: Allan Shulder, 19 
Hawthorne Ave., Pikesville, Md. 212068, 301-653-2742. Environmental Management Association 22nd Annual National Educational Conference Caribbean Gulf Hotel, 
Clearwater Beach, Fla., Oct. 21-25. Con-tact: Harold C. Rowe, 1701 Drew St., Clearwater, Fla. 33515, 813-446-1674. Michigan Green Industry Seminar and Trade Show, Davisburg, Mich., Oct. 23-24. 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. California Landscape Contractors Association Annual Convention, Hilton Riviera Hotel, Palm Springs, Calif., Nov. 8-11. Contact: CLCA, 1419 21st St., Sacra-mento, Calif. 95814, 916-448-2252. South Carolina Turf Conference, Clemson University, Nov. 13-14. Contact: How to choose the TOOLS, TIPS & TECHNIQUES Texas businessman builds windy-day sprayer Lawn spray drift can reach out several yards in the dry, windy region of Amarillo, Texas, so Jim Bruce, owner of Bruce Landscape Service has built his own push sprayer for windy-day work. He built a chassis which holds two three-gallon tanks and a hand pump to build pressure. A pressure gauge registers to 30 psi, so the spray can be maintained evenly. "I used sheet metal to build a rectangular shield of 36 inches by about six inches, and along the bottom attached rubberized flaps that reach down to within three or four inches of the ground,1" he told LAWN CARE INDUSTRY. "With this rig, we can spray a lawn in almost any kind of 
wind, because the spray is confined to a very small area." 
Story and photo by Jess Blair. p > ? z n > PO m Z a c CD H pa O n H Choosing the right golf club is a serious matter. You need one that's just right for the shot you have to make.\bu should take into account the distance, wind, lie, and obstacles. At Kubota, we feel that you should devote the same careful attention to choosing a tractor. VOII UJOULDII T TEE OFF UIITH H BASEBALL BRT. And you wouldn't want to get the wrong tractor for the jobs you have to do. Whether you take care of a golf course, an estate, a campus, a park, or do roadside maintenance, you want a tractor that's versatile. Can it handle a mid-mount mower? A gang mower? Can it move dirt? Dig a hole? Kubotas can do all these things. Every Kubota has rear PTO and a 3-point hitch that can accom-modate a wide variety of implements. You don't want a tractor so specialized it can do only one job. Another thing you don't want is a tractor that's too big or too small. KUB0TH.THE IT1ID-5IZE TRACTOR. Our tractors range from 12 to 55.5 horsepower. Small enough for economy, large enough for heavy-duty jobs. It's wasteful to use 100 horses for some mow-ing. And it's impossible for 10 horses to do heavy moving or hauling. DIE5ELS.il KUBOTA 5PECMLTV. At Kubota, we've been making diesel engines for 30 years. In fact, all our engines are diesels. And running a Kubota diesel engine costs a lot less than running a comparable 
gasoline engine. With 11 models to choose from, we have a tractor that's just right for the maintenance job you have to do. So see your Kubota dealer today. He'll help you get hold of the right iron. FREE HOT LIRE. 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. i UNIT! I want more information on all your i mid-size Kubotas. Please send me a free copy of your latest brochure. Mail to: Advertising Department | Kubota Tractor Corporation, 550 W. Artesia Blvd. P. O. Box 7020, Compton, CA 90224 NAME ADDRESS CITY COUNTY STATE ZIP AREA CODE TELEPHONE NUMBER LCIIO Rear-mount mowers are available for all Kubota tractors. Diesel engines are rugged and durable.They have no electric ignition system, so they never need a tune-up. ©1979 KubouTractor corporation HERBICIDES Basagran now also produced in the U.S. Production of Basagran post-emergence herbicide is now un-derway at the Geimar, La. works of BASF Wyandotte Corp., New York, N.Y. The company has previously supplied the U.S. with imports from its parent company, BASF AG, in Germany. The new com-plex in Louisiana cost $70 million, and employs 58 persons. MOWING/MAINTENANCE Maintenance symposium set for Milwaukee The 1979 Landscape Mainte-nance Symposium, sponsored by the Associated Landscape Con-tractors of America, will be held Nov. 5-9 at the Red Carpet Hotel in Milwaukee, according to pro-gram chairman Ron Kujawa. He is president of KEI Enterprises, 
Cudahy, Wis. The meeting will feature a unique dual program Š one pro-gram for owners, executives and managers, and a concurrent, separate program for mechanics and shop managers. The owners/managers pro-gram will cover such topics as control of direct costs, use and 
control of outside assistance, 
information systems for overall financial management, and 
personnel hiring, training and motivation. The shop mechanics' pro-gram, which will utilize training facilities at nearby manufac-turing plants, will cover such topics as mechanic training, controlling shop costs, vehicle 
equipment specifications, and a hands-on equipment servicing course. There will be two "general" sessions which all will attend, as a part of both programs, and two 
"semi-structured" buzz sessions in the evenings. Complete information and registration materials for the symposium are available from: 
ALCA, 1750 Old Meadow Rd., McLean, VA 22102. SOD/LAWN from page 1 planted sod deteriorating quickly where liquid fertilizers were being used. The text of the second release is: Recently we issued a news release which referred to the use of liquid lawn fertilizers by numerous firms who are in the lawn care business. The release brought out the fact that some of the liquid fer-tilizer companies, in Illinois and other states, could be dis-pensing little or no fertilizer because there is little or no control as to what is contained in the tanks from which the li-
quid fertilizer is taken when applied to a homeowner's Jawn. The Illinois Department of Agriculture has approved an analysis of 00.0-00-00 for liquid 
fertilizer applicators. An analysis of 00.0-00-00 is, of 
course, an approval to apply 
nothing to a lawn except a fine 
mist. Unscrupulous or crooked operators could take advantage of such a ridiculous situation, charging the property owner 
for applying nothing more than a light mist of water which con-tains absolutely no plant food whatsoever. Vendors or ap-plicators of dry fertilizers are state-regulated, requiring the analysis to be boldly and plainly imprinted on bags or containers. In our previous news release we inadvertently used the term "lawn doctor" not realizing that those words are actually 
the trade name of a lawn ser-vice firm in the East. This firm, we understand, uses only dry fertilizer material and should not be confused with liquid ap-plicators. No intent was made to harm anyone or any firm 
who honestly uses either liquid or dry material. What was intended was to point out the danger the home-owner encounters when he em-ploys the services of any firm which is not state-regulated and could be guilty of taking 
advantage of a silly, ridiculous 
regulation such as the Illinois Department of Agriculture has 
approved with its 00.0-00-00 
analysis approval of liquid fer-tilizer applicators. We cannot help but wonder if such an approval by the Illinois Department of Agriculture does not smack of graft on the part of some liquid applicator and some bureaucrat in that 
department. It is hard to believe that any intelligent state employe could be so 
naive as to approve an analysis of 00.0-00-00 unless there was a healthy incentive to make such an approval. Actually, what started all the conversation about liquid fer-tilizers was the difficulty being experienced by several sod growers when newly planted sod deteriorated quickly where 
liquid fertilizers were being used. In discussing the situation with Bob Warren of Warren's Turf Nursery (the nation's largest sod grower) Mr. Warren remarked: "It has come to our attention that in some instances liquid fertilizer people have blamed the quality of the sod used on a particular job when the grass began to deteriorate after the Professional SPRAY EQUIPMENT AT AN ECONOMICAL COST!!! DEPENDABLE ACCURATE Ł ECONOMICAL Your sproy compony is different than others so you need a sprayer tailored to your needs. That's why the Professional Turf Specialties system is used by lawn spray companies from Chicago to Texas. No other system can suspend large particles such as I6DU and nitroform and offer a separate tank that allows you to mix one product, one lawn at a time, through an inductor as well as these features: 1) A pumping system that con load or unload itself and other trucks. 2) Remote throttle tachometer and pressure gauge for finite accuracy. 3) Ability to suspend slow release nitrogen such as IBDU® or nitroform. 4) (an be mounted on your present equipment or on any new truck. 5) Optional compartmentalized tank, allowing you to fill one section from the other and custom mix chemicals on the job through an inductor. Professional Turf Specialties CALL COLLECT (309) 454-2467 SUPPLIERS OF EQUIPMENT AND CHEMICALS FOR TURF MAINTAINENCE 1801 INDUSTRAL PARK RD. Ł NORMAL. ILLINOIS 61761 use of a liquid fertilizer. Mr. Warren went on to state: "I have personally watched the application of liquid material which contained very little fer-tilizer, seed or anything except 
water. We don't propose to see our top-quality sod faulted by 
crooked or unethical operators without putting up a fight. I believe our competitors and members of the sod growers association are of the same opi-nion. We shall continue to fault the Illinois Department of Agriculture until their foolish analysis okay of a 00.0-00-00 analysis is corrected." LCI SURVEY from pagel businessmen said they owned an average of two rotary riding mowers for an industry pro-jection of 10,000 units; more than 15 percent said they owned an average of more than one reel riding mower for an industry 
projection of 2,000 units. For tractor equipment inven-tory, more than 26 percent of businessmen said they owned an average of more than two trac-tors with a horsepower of less 
than 10 for an industry projection 
of 5,000 units; almost 45 percent 
of businessmen said they owned almost two 10-20 h.p. units for an 
industry projection of 6,500 units. Also, more than 20 percent of businessmen said they owned an average of more than one 21-30 h.p. tractors for an industry pro-
jection of 2,800 units; more than 
25 percent said they owned an average of more than two 31-50 h.p tractors, for an industry pro-
jection of 5,000 units; and almost 
20 percent of businessmen said they owned an average of more than two tractors of larger than 50 h.p. for an industry projection of 4,300 units. The survey results are based on a 47.4 percent response to 500 questionnaires mailed to readers 
of LAWN CARE INDUSTRY on July 10. Returns were closed August 27. Further information is available from LAWN CARE IN-DUSTRY market research manager Clarence Arnold. COST CUTTINGS Checklist for buying used computers More and more lawn care firms across the country are moving to computers, and for many of them, the only way to break in is with used equipment. Here are some guidelines 
on buying used equipment, suggested by Joseph Auer, presi-
dent of International Computer Negotiations, Winter Park, Fla. Ł Know the name of the computer vendor and the specific model number for each part of the system. Make sure the equipment includes all of the manufacturer's engineering changes and software improvements. Ł Shop around for the best price. Get telephone quotes from a variety of computer dealers, brokers and users. Ł Check the record of the broker or the dealer you would like to do business with. It is not uncommon for these firms to operate out of a small office, with only a telephone and a post office box. To be sure the dealer is reputable, ask for bank references and names of past clients. Keep in mind, too, that brokers and dealers offer very different services. A broker 
simply puts a buyer and seller together, while a dealer main-tains an inventory, refurbishes equipment and provides ser-vices such as help with arranging financing. Ł Commit the seller to selling you the "real" thing. If he claims to have the equipment you want, ask for a serial num-ber or some evidence that he has the exclusive right to the machine. Too often a broker will promise a particular com-puter that he does not have, hoping to find one quickly. Some-
times he will find one, but at a higher price than he quoted. Ł Eyeball the computer. Go to the seller's site and ex-amine the maintenance logs. Look for repetitive repairs within a short time period. And find out how long the machine was "down" or inoperable. Ł Have the dealer do minor repairs. Many will pull the "skins" or exterior, off and push out dents, repaint, and blow 
out the dust gathered in the machine. Some can refurbish the 
system to make it eligible for, in IBM's case, certificate of maintenance. Ł Avoid buying equipment that needs a lot of work. Refurbishing a computer tends to be expensive and time-consuming, although it should be the seller's responsibility and must be completed before delivery. Get the seller to warrantee the machine's readiness for a standard service contract within a specific time (10, 20 or 30 days). Ł Make sure the seller assumes all risks while the com-puter and/or peripherals are in transit. If the computer is damaged (falls off a forklift truck, for example) on its way to you, the seller is responsible for getting it fixed. Ł Tie down a firm delivery date and schedule when the computer will be up and running. Ask for liquidated damages 
if the machine is not up and performing as expected. Also make sure that you are getting all the equipment, such as cables, terminators and hardware panels, as well as logic diagrams and documentation. Ł Avoid paying for the system until it is fully installed and running to your satisfaction. If the dealer balks at this, 
arrange to put some money in escrow until you fully accept the system. PULSE REPORTS LCI survey charts second quarter buying Almost 14 percent of respon-dents to a recent survey con-ducted by LAWN CARE IN-DUSTRY said they spent almost $6,000 apiece on lawn care trac-tors in the 10 to 20 horsepower range during the second quarter of this year Š the months of April, May and June. Results for this second quar-ter "pulse report" are based upon figures submitted 
anonymously by 166 respon-
dents. This represents a 41 per-cent response to questionnaires mailed to readers of LAWN CARE INDUSTRY, according to 
LCI market research manager 
Clarence Arnold. The results in the 10 to 20 horsepower category would pro-ject to $7.8 million worth of pur-chases by the total readership of LAWN CARE INDUSTRY, Ar-nold said. In the less than 10 horse-power tractor category, 12.7 per-
cent of the respondents said they purchased an average of $4,030 worth of tractors for a reader-
ship projection of $4.8 million purchased during the second 
quarter of this year. For tractors in the 21 to 30 horsepower category, 6.6 percent of the respondents said they pur-
chased an average of $6,778 
worth of equipment, which 
would project to total purchases of $4.2 million in the second 
quarter. In the 31 to 50 horsepower category, 8.4 percent of the 
respondents said they purchased an average of $13,530 worth of tractors, which would project to total purchases of $11 million by readers of LAWN CARE IN-
DUSTRY in the second quarter. For the tractor category of larger than 50 horsepower, 2.4 percent of the respondents said 
they purchased an average of $13,361 worth of equipment, which would project to total pur-chases of $3 million by readers of LAWN CARE INDUSTRY in the 
second quarter. Arnold noted that there were some particularly large pur-chases in the tractor category that raised averages higher than in previous "pulse reports." Here are figures for other categories of purchases of lawn 
care businessmen. The first 
figure in the column represents the percentage of respondents 
making a purchase. The second column represents the average purchase per respondent. The third column represents the pro-jection to the total readership of LAWN CARE INDUSTRY. Turf fertilizer: 81.3%) $5,487 $42,000,000 Pre-emergence herbicides: 62.7% $1,772 $10,000,000 Post-emergence herbicides: 59.0%) $2,395 $13,000,000 Fungicides: 56.0% $753 $4,000,000 Turf insecticides: 59.6% $3,211 $18,000,000 Tree insecticides: 57.8% $993 $5,400,000 Turf seed: 62.0% $1,583 $9,200,000 Sod: 48.8%) $3,574 $16,000,000 Tree fertilizer: 45.8% $818 $3,500,000 Trees: 51.8% $5,467 $27,000,000 Ornamentals: 56.0% $10,494 $55,000,000 Soil amendments: 33.1% $1,653 $5,100,000 Self-propelled rotary mowers: 29.5% $2,762 $7,700,000 Self-propelled reel mowers: 6.07o $934 $530,000 Tractor-drawn rotary mowers: 9.0%) $1,613 $1,400,000 Tractor-drawn reel mowers: 1.2% $250 $28,000 Tractor-drawn flail mowers: 0.6% $1,500 $85,000 Irrigation pumps: 12.7% $1,274 $1,500,000 Sprinklers: 26.5% $1,944 $4,800,000 Irrigation pipe: 18.1% $4,066 $6,900,000 Irrigation controls: 10.8% $2,667 $2,700,000 PLCAA from page Î ployes and suppliers. 3. To endeavor at all times to conduct business upon the basis of service to the public and the lawn care industry. 4. To present qualifications consistent with the integrity and high standards of the lawn care industry and to scrupulously avoid any false, misleading and deceptive statements or advertis-
ing with respect to quality or ex-tent of service. 5. To support and advance the progress of research, technology and education in the lawn care field. 6. To understand and monitor safety and environmental factors relating to services performed. 7. To acknowledge that governmental and recognized standards are the mutual respon-sibility of the product manufac-turer and user. 8. To abide by laws and regulations affecting the industry and to promote their enforce-
ment. 9. To refrain from unfair business practices. For further information, con-tact: Glenn Bostrom, executive director, PLCAA, Suite 1717, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611. MARKETING IDEA FILE Is an agency necessary for success? Does the average lawn care company need an advertising agency? Probably not, but if you want to present a more pro-
fessional image to potential customers an agency can be very 
helpful. John Reeves, sales coordinator for Davey Lawnscape, Kent, Ohio, said, "It's expensive to have an ad agency, but I think the professionalism you get in association with them is worth it." Davey has worked with Meldrum & Fewsmith Ad-
vertising Agency, Cleveland, Ohio, since 1954. Reeves added that you can decrease agency costs by tak-ing the time to 'communicate exactly' what you want in terms of advertising to agency representatives. "If you spend a little time researching what you want to do you can save a lot of 
money," he said. "Before going into any major advertising 
function you should tell the agency specifically what you have in mind. They can take it from there, refine it, and come back with an improved piece of work." The main advantage to retaining an agency, according to Timothy Shallcross, Jr., of Green-Lawn, Inc., Louisville, Ky., is it allows you to concentrate on improving other areas of your business. "We have enough problems on our hands see-ing that our customers are taken care of and our employes are trained without worrying about advertising too. Other lawn care professionals argue that agencies are of-ten unresponsive. Fred Rowley, president of Rollins Care, Atlanta, Ga., said, "We stopped using an agency because we felt we were a little more keyed to what we wanted to do and we also thought we could do a better job." However, Jim Rose, of ChemLawn's agency, Stone & Adler, Chicago, 111., said a good advertising agency will work hand-in-hand with their clients to develop a successful adver-tising campaign. "We work with the Marketing Department at ChemLawn and try to understand their corporate goals," he 
said. "We then try to establish the mission that the advertis-ing is supposed to accomplish within those corporate goals." Rose said Stone & Adler provides ChemLawn with creative, media, and research services. The typical agency rate is about 15 percent of the total advertising expenditure. 
"Sometimes the agency will charge more than the 15 percent rate in the form of a labor fee if the total billable advertising is too small to cover their costs and make a reasonable pro-fit," Rose said. According to Rose, even small lawn care companies can afford the services of an agency. "A full-service agency like 
Stone & Adler is by nature designed to interface with larger companies," he said, "but there is no reason smaller com-panies can't work with smaller agencies." r* > ? Z n > ?o m z a 
c CD H X < O n H To improve your lawn care business, justadd water. You've got a grow-ing business, we've got a growing business. Why not combine them? ^ Installing under-ground automatic sprinkler systems is easy and profitable. And with quality controllers, heads and valves from Rain Bird, rainmakers to the world since 1933, your customer is assured the best system available. His lawn stays healthier and so do you. For more information on this money-making opportunity, contact your nearest Rain Bird distributor. Or write to us at the address below. We'll show you how easy it is to make more green while you make more green. RAiN^BtRD Bringing new ideas to life. 7045 N. Grand Avenue, Glendora, CA 91740 Ł Rain Bird is a registered trademark of Rain Bird Sprinkler Mfg Corp Glendora California c 1978 Rain Bird Sprinkler Mfg Corp 8 H U 
O oc H c/3 D Q 2 U < U 2 £ < ORGANOPHOSPHATES Cholinesterase test could save your life If your firm is using organo-phosphate insecticides, you should be taking steps to protect yourself and your employes from organophosphate poisoning, ac-cording to Alan Bebka, logistics manager for Techniturf, Inc., 
South Berlin, Mass. "Know the physician you will have to contact if you get into trouble," he told a Florida turf audience recently. "Better yet, become acquainted with him 
now. If you find the doctor at the local poison panic center too busy or too indifferent, get another one. Hunt until you find one who will really listen to you. You will probably have to 
educate him. "Next, locate a lab that can do tests for you and establish a base 
before the spraying season begins," Bebka said. "This has to be done through the doctor you choose, since a doctor must 
authorize the tests. We have a doctor who has left a standing 
order so that we can obtain a test anytime we want. Bebka's ex-perience with organophos-
phates and the testing program his firm has set up was outlined in Florida Turf. He described how organophosphates affect the nervous systems of humans by inhibiting the enzyme cholines-terase. The nervous system sends all of its messages in the form of impulses, he said. When the message reaches the synapse, or nerve end, acetylchlorine is released and the muscle or gland responds. Within the next 1/500-second, cholinesterase must destroy the excess acetylchlorine. If supplies of cholinesterase are low, proper muscle control will not be achieved. This applies to in-
voluntary as well as voluntary systems. The endocrine system, partic-ularly the liver, is affected in a different way. In addition to manufacturing cholinesterase and other enzymes, the liver is a detoxifying or cleaning center. In trying to remove these toxic materials, the liver can be over-worked to the point of losing ef-ficiency or being damaged. "The amount of chemical needed to damage varies not only with the specific compound, but also with the person being exposed," he said. "Different people have varying tolerances. As if this were not enough, an in-dividual's ability to resist the ef-fects of small doses of organo-
phosphates will change accord-
ing to the way he is living at the time." He said his firm has had in-dividuals whose levels of pseudo-cholinesterase have in-creased above base level during spraying operations. This means it is hard to ever really be sure how any one individual will react to a given amount of ex-posure at any given time. "Just because you have been using organophosphates for 
years and have had no indication of ill effects doesn't mean that you can't have them tomorrow," he said. When Techniturf set up its testing program, it ran its first 
test before any spraying began in 
the spring. This was done to es-
tablish norms against which to judge tests made during the season. "A month after we began spraying we ran a second test, and hit our first snag," Bebka said. "There are two different tests for pseudo-cholinesterase and our test results came back 
for a different test the second time. It was difficult to compare 
the two tests." Bebka recommended that lawn care businessmen all get a copy of Bulletin No. 134 366 77R, 
published by Dow Chemical Co., 
Midland, Mich., entitled Suggested Handling Procedures for Custom Lawn Spray Application. "It was one of those flyers that a salesman leaves on your desk which you give about two 
seconds of your time to," he said. "We should have given it two days. Reading through it we found that we were on the right track in setting up our blood 
tests, and that the pseudo-cho-linesterase enzyme is the most sensitive to organophosphates and therefore the most important one to monitor. Since then, pseudo-cholinesterase is the only enzyme we have monitored 
regularly, at intervals of a month or less." The results of this testing also prompted Techniturf to examine its daily routine and pinpoint the areas of exposure. The first thing the company did was isolate all chemicals in an area away from the daily routine. Then the entire work area was decontaminated. Next they examined the actual spray procedure and noted all 
phases where contamination oc-curred. The complete operation, as well as the equipment used, was modified to reduce ex-posure. The risk involved in han-dling concentrate was also reduced. This was accomplished by re-packaging pesticides in containers with pre-measured amounts coinciding with Tech-
niturf's spray tank capacity. Only one person then handled con-centrate and greatly reduced amounts of concentrate were carried on each truck. "When it became apparent that management was very con-cerned about exposure, all em-ployes caught the concern as if it was chicken pox," Bebka said. "There was no more whining about stuffy suits and hot rubber boots. Each day silicone cream is 
applied to hands, arms, neck and 
face. Rubber boots, rubber gloves, goggles, a charcoal-type respirator with a dust filter and a PVC rain suit are provided." At the end of the work day, all safety equipment is dipped in a 
diluted bleach solution and then in rinse water. Items too large for this, such as truck interiors, are sprayed with the same solution and rinsed after a brief interval. "In using bleach as a decon-taminant, be extremely careful The 2-Step TUrf Renewal Plan with Roundup and Pennfine. One. "Rvo. Spray Roundup® on the turf area to be renewed. With just one application of Roundup® herbicide by Monsanto, you can control or destroy most unwanted vegetation. Including stubborn intruders like annual bluegrass, bermudagrass, quackgrass, johnsongrass, tall fescue, and kikuyu grass. In a matter of days, Roundup circulates throughout these weeds. Even into the below-ground roots, destroying 
the entire plant. Yet Roundup has no residual soil activity. That means there is no injury to new seedings planted after application. Spread Pennfine Perennial Ryegrass seed over the area treated with Roundup. After applying Roundup, seed with fast-growing, fine-leafed Pennfine Perennial Ryegrass. Pennfine was developed by Dr. Joe Duich at Pennsyl-vania State University. Pennfine has been proven to germinate quicker, grow denser, and resist disease better than traditional ryegrasses. And it penetrates compact soil, sending its roots to depths of 12 to 18 inches. These qualities make Pennfine an excellent choice for turf renewal and help to 
explain why it's used by turf profes-sionals from coast to coast. In a short time, you'll see the proof for yourself. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW THE LABEL FOR ROUNDUP* ROUNDUP* IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF MONSANTO CO.. ST. LOUIS. MO. MONSANTO COMPANY 1979 PENNFINE PERENNIAL RYEGRASS HAS BEEN ACCORDED U.S. PLANT VARIETY PROTECTION CERTIFICATE NO. 7200019. that you do not mix it with am-monia, or ammonia-type fertil-izers," he said. "If you do, you will release chlorine gas im-mediately and it is deadly." All clothing should be dis-carded for washing at the end of the day and the person spraying should shower, paying particular attention to hair, before dressing in uncontaminated clothing. Bebka said that after imple-menting this program, pseudo-cholinesterase levels returned to normal and stayed there. ŁŁŁŁŁŁŁŁŁŁŁŁ RESEARCH Thatch can cause turfgrass decline Excessive thatch is a major contributor to turf decline and in some instances, loss. Although injury or loss may be attributed to some other cause such as lack of moisture, insect injury or dis-ease, thatch has contributed to the situation under which the final causal agent developed. Thatch is almost always con-fined to well-managed turf, ac-cording to John F. Shoulders, ex-tension turf specialist at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg. Home 
lawns and other areas of highly maintained turfgrass are subject to excessive thatch accumula-
tion. "It should be recognized that a small amount of thatch is 
beneficial," Shoulders said. "It is useful in maintaining moisture, for example. However, the 
beneficial effects cease when the thatch layer exceeds a thickness of about one-fourth inch. Once a thickness of one-half inch or 
more is reached, control or management measures are in 
order to prevent the detrimental effects of thatch which occur 
with increasing severity as the thickness of the thatch layer in-creases." Undesirable results occurring from thatch accumulations of 
about one-half inch or more in-clude: Ł Problems in maintaining soil moisture, particularly that of rewetting thatch and getting water to move through the thatch layer and into the soil. Ł Interference with surface-applied fertilizer, nutrients and lime reaching the soil. Ł The loss of nitrogen by volatilization from surface-applied nitrogen fertilizers. Ł The tendency of thatch to attract insect pests because of the protection offered. Ł Increase in disease pressure due to favorable medium provided by thatch. Ł As the thatch accumulation mounts, the tendency of the turf-grass roots to grow in the thatch with less and less penetration into the soil and the thatch layer thickens. "The result of these and other factors is a general decline of turf vigor, quality and ap-pearance followed by turf loss in severe instances," Shoulders said. A number of factors have an influence on thatch develop-ment, including the species and variety of turf, level of the fertil-izer program, pest control prac-tices, intensity of traffic and 
others. Practices which promote growth, vigor and persistence also promote thatch develop-The thatch layer should not exceed a thickness of about one-half inch. ment. But these practices are necessary for high turf quality and appearance and must con-tinue to be used. Thatch management entails the integration of a number of practices, including the selection of species, cultivars, blends and mixtures, lime, fertilizer pro-grams, pest control and cultiva-tion. However, after one has done the best he can with the usual management practices, cultivation remains as the most useful and practical means by which thatch accumulation is controlled. There are several points to bear in mind in cultivating turf for thatch control: (1) Thatch control is a con-tinuous practice which must be performed again and again just as other cultural practices. (2) Avoid severe dethatching. The cultivation should not be so severe that the turf does not recover in from three to 10 days, depending on the area. More fre-quent, less severe cultivations should be the rule. (3) Cultivation should be restricted to the times of the year when turf is growing fastest, i.e., cultivate cool-season turfgrasses in spring and fall, and warm-
season turfgrasses in summer. (4) If the thatch layer has reached an excessive thickness, be especially careful not to ver-tical mow too deeply or with 
knives placed too close on the mower shaft. In such instances, more frequent vertical mowing with knives far enough apart to avoid tearing the turf between cuts is normally the best ap-proach, again restricting mowing to the seasons when the turf will 
recover rapidly. ^mmmmmmm THE COURTS Toro wins ruling in Weed-Eater suit A federal judge has ruled in favor of The Toro Co., Min-neapolis, in a patent infringe-ment lawsuit filed over the design of flexible line trimmers 
by Weed-Eater, Inc., a subsidiary of Emerson Electric Co., St. Louis. U.S. District Judge George Templar of Topeka, Kans., ruled the patents held by Weed-Eater were invalid because they were based on designs generally available before they were filed. Free. cMÊMâm *It will have cost you nothing to see how dramatically the 2-Step T\irf Renewal Plan can improve your turf. Our free kit contains enough Roundup and Pennfine to renew about 200 square feet of turf. And when you see the results, you can judge for yourself just how well this new concept in turf renewal works. Roundup and Pennfine -the 2-Step Turf Renewal Plan. Put Our Free Kit to the Test. Find out for yourself how effectively these two superior products work together in a simple turf renewal program. All it will cost you is the price of a stamp. Zip Send this coupon to: Turf Renewal Plan, Box 923, Minneapolis, MN 55440 Note: this offer is restricted to turf professionalsŠthose whose livelihood depends on the maintenance of quality turf. Limit one per company or course. Offer void where prohibited by law. 10 EQUIPMENT Mower and tractor manufacturers listed H U 
O OC H co D Q Z u oc < U z < -J The following partial listing of mower and tractor manufac-turers may be useful to the mowing/maintenance business-
man in gathering information to help him make his buying deci-sions for the 1980 lawn care season: The Toro Co. One Appletree Square 8009 34th Ave. South Minneapolis, MN 55420 612-887-5900 Kubota Tractor Corp. 300 W. Carob St. Compton, CA 90224 
213-537-2531 Ryan Turf Equipment P.O. Box 82409 Lincoln, NE 68501 402-475-9581 National Mower Co. 
688 Raymond Ave. St. Paul, MN 55114 612-646-4079 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 Deere & Co. John Deere Road Moline, IL 61265 309-752-4459 Excel Industries, Inc. Box 727 Hesston, KS 67062 316-327-4911 Jacobsen Division Textron, Inc. 1721 Packard Ave. Racine, WI 53403 414-637-6711 Satoh Agricultural Machine Mfg. Co. 345 Park Ave. New York, NY 10022 212-935-8826 The Sensation Corp. 3601 N. 16th St. Omaha, NE 68110 402-345-3884 Simplicity Mfg. Co. 
Box 512 
Milwaukee, WI 53201 414-475-3511 American Honda Motor C. Co. 100 W.Alondra Blvd. Gardena, CA 90247 Ariens Co. 655 W. Ryan St. Brillion, WI 54110 414-756-2141 Bunton Co. 4303 Poplar Level Rd. Louisville, KY 40232 -502-459-3810 Dixon Industries, Inc. Box 494 Coffeyville, KS 67337 
316-251-2000 Engineering Products Co. P.O. Box 284 Waukesha, WI 53186 
414-547-5558 FMC Corp. Agricultural Machinery Division Industrial Drive Minden, LA 71055 318-377-0383 FMC Corp. Outdoor Power Equipment Division 215 S. Park St Port Washington, WI 53074 414-284-5521 Ford Tractor Operations 2500 E. Maple Rd. Troy, MI 48084 313-643-2764 Gravely One Gravely Lane Clemmons, NC 27012 919-766-4721 Heckendorn Mfg. Co. Cedar Point, KS 66843 316-274-3501 Hefty Tractor Co. P.O. Box 188 Juneau, WI 53039 414-386-2401 Hesston Corp. Woods Division Oregon, IL 61061 815-732-6156 Howard Price Turf Equipment, Inc. 18155 Edison Ave. Chesterfield, MO 63017 314-532-7000 International Harvester Pay Line Group 600 Woodfield 
Schaumburg, IL 60196 Kee Mfg. Co., Inc. P.O. Box 2195 Bradenton, FL 33508 813-746-8255 F.D. Kees Mfg. Co. 700 Park Ave. Beatrice, NE 68310 402-223-2391 Lawn-Boy McClure Street Galesburg, IL 61401 
309-343-0141 McDonough Power Equipment, Inc. Macon Road McDonough, GA 30253 404-957-9141 Mott Corp. 
500 Shawmut Ave. 
LaGrange, IL 60525 312-354-7220 MTD Products, Inc. 5389 W. 130 St. Cleveland, OH 44111 216-267-2600 Roseman Mower Corp 2300 Chestnut Ave. Glenview, IL 60025 
312-729-2300 Sarlo Power Mowers, Inc. P.O. Box 1169 Fort Myers, FL 33902 813-332-1955 Vemco Corp. of America 
1331 23rd St. Racine, WI 53403 414-634-6050 Yanmar Diesel 476 Country Club Dr. Bensenville, IL 60106 312-860-4670 Yard-Man Co. 5389 W. 130 St. Cleveland, OH 44111 216-267-2600 Roper Sales Corp. 1905 W. Court St. Kankakee, IL 60901 815-937-6223 Wheel Horse Products, Inc. 515 W. Ireland Dr. 
South Bend, IN 46614 219-291-3112 Mathews Co. 
Box 70 Crystal Lake, IL 60014 815-459-2210 Roxy-Bonner, Inc. 2000 Pioneer Rd. Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006 215-675-6869 Locke Mfg. 1085 Connecticut Ave. Bridgeport, CT 06607 Austin Products, Inc. 1000 Singleton Blvd. Dallas, TX 75221 214-651-0733 Brillion Iron Works 200 Park Ave. Brillion, WI 54110 414-756-2121 Modern, Inc. Box 790 Beaumont, TX 77704 800-231-8198 Gilson Brothers Co. P.O. Box 152 Plymouth, WI 53073 414-893-1011 Moridge Mfg. Co. Box 810 Moundridge, KS 67107 316-345-6301 Murray Ohio Mfg. Co. Box 268 Brentwood, TN 37027 615-373-4500 Roof Mfg. Co. 1011 W. Howard St. Pontiac, 111. Yazoo Mfg. Co. 3607 Livingston Rd. Jackson, Miss. 39216 601-366-6421 Spartan Tree Equipment Co. 16084 S. Chandler Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 517-351-1370 Wisconsin Marine, Inc. P.O. Box 28 Lake Mills, WI 53551 414-648-2331 Flymo Products Co. 400 Woodbine Ave. Woodbridge NJ 07095 Storr Tractor Co. South Avenue East Westfield, NJ 07090 201-232-7800 Maryland Landscape Management 11995 Old Frederick Rd. Marriotsville, MD 21104 301-328-2474 WICHITA FALLS Lawn Doctor franchisees aid tornado victim At 6:15 p.m. on April 11, 1979 most lawn care businessmen were in the process of com-pleting another typical day in the field. However, for John Hooker, owner of Lawn Doctor of Wichita Falls, the day was anything but typical. In fact, it will undoubtedly be a day he will recall with pangs of nausea for the rest of his life. For at 6:15 p.m. on April 11 one of the most devastating series of 
tornadoes in Texas history 
roared through Wichita Falls at 70 m.p.h., leveling 2,000 homes. Hooker, 26, and his family (Wife Kay and daughter Michelle, 5) were not spared the 
destruction. "The storm knocked 
out everything we owned," he said. "Our house, the warehouse where we kept our supplies, the service vehicle, and my own car were all damaged." Not only were most of their personal belongings damaged, 
but their 13-month old lawn care 
franchise was also severely im-
paired. "We lost a lot of our 300 
customers because of the storm," 
Hooker said. "All over town lawn care was obviously the least of people's concerns." But fortunately for Hooker his affiliation with Lawn Doctor, of Matawan, N.J., was not the least bit damaged. Shortly after the disaster Lawn Doctor ran a short 
item in its newsletter, the Blade, 
informing other Lawn Doctor franchisees of Hooker's plight. Tony Giordano, owner of Lawn Doctor, said, "After we ran the article in the newsletter we started getting calls from our Mttà 1 Texas Lawn Doctor franchisee John Hooker holds a check for more than $11,000 donated by other lawn Franchisees when his home and msiness was ravaged by a tornado earlier this year. dealers asking what they could do to help out. So we announced 
we were opening up a fund for anyone who wanted to contrib-ute and within two or three weeks we collected $11,400. Some dealers gave as much as $300." Needless to say, Hooker was surprised when Giordano flew to 
Wichita Falls in June to present him with the check. "I would not have been surprised if it had been contributions from the Dallas dealers or other dealers in the area," he said, "but I 
received money from people I had never even seen. And more importantly, they didn't know me from Adam!" Hooker said without the other franchisee's help it is unlikely he would have been able to stay in business. "By losing so many customers so fast it could have 
overextended me to the point 
where it would have been impos-sible to continue the business," he said. However, because of the generosity of nearly 190 Lawn Doctor franchisees Hooker will be able to continue developing his lawn care business in the Wichita Falls area. Call Lakeshore today and SAVE up to 14% 
on early orders of LESCO Sulfur-Coated Urea r-> ? Z n > 70 W z a c CD H 70 < O n H Place your order for delivery before November 10 and save up to 14% on LESCO Sulfur-Coated Urea. AND YOU DON'T PAY A CENT UNTIL NEXT SPRING. LESCO Sulfur-Coated Urea and Fertilizers provide the perfect components for denser, greener lawns. The sulfur-coating, applied to urea, provides timed release of nutrients for prompt and sustained feeding for the safest and most efficient fertilization of lawns in all 
areas of the countryŠNorth, East, South and West. LESCO mixes sulfur-coated urea with other sulfur-coated nutrients for a balanced lawn fertilization program. Our toll-free lines are never too busy to handle your call. Call Barb and place your order now. 1-800-321-5325 Nationwide 1-800-362-7413 in Ohio 1-216-323-7544 Call collect The fertilizers are formulated for high density, non-burning, dust-free fertilization. The granules are sized for smooth, uniform distribution. Lakeshore produces its sulfur-coated urea and sulfur-coated fertilizers with you in mind. The complete line of LESCO chemicals Š including herbicides, pesticides and insecticides Š round out the full LESCO family of products for the lawn care professional. Buy your sulfur-coated fertilizer now and save. And remember Š get the best deal any time of the year with quality chemicals and fertilizers at affordable prices Š from Lakeshore. LESC^p PRODUCTS Div. Lakeshore Equipment & Supply Co 300 S. Abbe Road Elyria, Ohio 44035 A Family of Fine Products: Lescosan 12.5G Š Lescorene Š Leseo 4 Š Lescobor Š Lescopar Š Lescopex Š Leseo Non-Selective Herbicide Leseo MSMA Š Leseo Thiram 75W Š Lescozyme Š Lakeshore Chinch Bug & Sod Webworm Control Circle 112 on free information card INSIDE THE INDUSTRY More comments from LCI readers A feature on how lawn main-tenance businessmen view mowers and tractors on the market is the second of a new series of articles which began last month in LAWN CARE IN-DUSTRY Š "Inside the In-dustry." It begins on page 14. "Inside the Industry" will feature topics suggested by readers of LAWN CARE IN-DUSTRY each month. Here are some of the sugges-tions we have received from readersr 44 I would like to see more arti-cles on technical problems con-fronted in servicing homeowners such as types of grasses, weeds, etc another subject would be> collecting money from past due accounts. . Mark Tamn Perf-A-Lawn Hilliard, Ohio 44 steps in setting up a lawn care business . . . information on com-bines and various spray set-ups ... article on native or wildflower seedings for low-maintenance areas " Paul Price Tamarack Industries Whitefish, Montana 44 industry breakdown on fees charged for applying liquid or dry fertilizer and all forms of pesticides. Also, for mowing and commercial lawn maintenance 99 Richard Buchman Lawn Servioe 
Paulding, Ohio 44 OSHA and EPA effects on employes, equipment and facilities .. . more of on FIFRA .. . consumer protection in lawn care ... labeling for liquids . . . product liability with tank mixes . . . more information is needed that is of a practical nature 
such as various company's solutions to problems " Ed Hiestand Noble Lawn 
Hillsboro, Ohio 44 needs of different grasses concerning fertilizer and other nutrients such as iron and lime ... times of the year when insects and disease do the most damage and what can be done about it " Steven Fry 
Nu-Lawn South Vienna, Ohio 44 management and personnel information . . . confidential wage, net profit surveys . . . fringe benefit programs " B. L. Spencer The Spencer Co. Houston, Texas 44 Jawn care in the Southwest, especially weed control for this part of the country " Dan Blair Blair Lawn Service Snyder, Texas 44 what to do or what steps should be taken to renovate lawns after insect or fungus damage has destroyed turf " Daniel Gundler Agri-Care Lawn Co. Hamilton, Ohio 44 hydromulch seeding . . . tips and pointers for young, small inde-pendent companies . . . various pro-grams used by companies in different parts of the country " John Thomas Thomas Lawn Spray Service Bentonville, Arkansas 44 managerial improvement pro-cedures and recommendations. Bruce Kopitz Berkshire Hills Grounds Mainte-nance Co. 
Hazel Park, Michigan 44 cooperative advertising pro-grams available through manufac-turers .. . regional market saturation statistics . . . pictorial and statistical explanations of application methods used . .. industry abuses, how to avoid consumer problems and how to correct ones that do arise. ..." John Kenney Turf Doctor Framingham, Massachusetts 44 profitability comparison be-tween liquid and dry fertilizers Kenneth Mock Super Green Lawn Service Warren, Ohio 44. ... .. help keep up-to-date on new laws and license requirements, for spray and irrigation and the industry-related fields. Don Teske Don's Lawn & Garden Care Beloit, Wisconsin 44 fertilizer responses and benefits, slow-release versus other, types and amounts, method of ap-plication . . . turf pest control chemicals, characteristics, method of action, residual .... spraying noz-zles in detail " Robert Habermehl Agrilawn, Inc. Owensboro, Kentucky 44 case histories of various companies " Kurt Graeser Graeser's Landscape & Nursery Louisville, Kentucky 44 please spend at least one arti-cle a month on technical data and techniques in the lawn care industry .. . we in the industry would also ap-preciate a Q 8r A section " David Brown Pinebrook Guardian Systems Winston-Salem, North Carolina MONEYWISE Salary guide for small firms If, as your lawn care business grows, you are having prob-lems determining how much your key people should be compensated How to Install and Administer a Wage and Salary Program is a detailed compensation guide for small-and medium-sized companies. It provides a step-by-step program for the administrative manager, including job descriptions, wage guidelines and pertinent government regulations. It is available from the Administrative Management Soci-ety, Maryland Road, Willow Grove, PA 19090, for $29.95. 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. A,pine . Suite 201 Rockford, H61108 Ł (815) 397 9367 spraying systems NAME ADDRESS CITY Circle 126 on free information card STATE and ZIP 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 Meet the DSM 1200 SprayMaster Lawn Service Unit Fiberglass tanks available in same dimensions as steel ^^m m m Vile SERVICE what we build VvUlL« 614/253-7479 EQUIPMENT CO. 1437 E. Fifth Ave., Columbus, Ohio 43219 Direct Drive Pump Mechanical Agitator Power Rewind Reels LAWN CARE INDUSTRY READER SERVICE CARDŠOCTOBER 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 If you would like a subscription to LAWN CARE INDUSTRY circle number 101. Subscription cost is $10.00 per year. To help us better service you editorially, please answer the following: 1. Are you primarily Involved in. 4-Ł Chemical lawn care and maintenance services 5 ^®®ident Ł Chemical application only D Owner Ł Mowing and other maintenance services 
Ł Other (specify) Ł Manager Ł Technician 
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 SIGNATURE CIRCLE THE ITEM NUMBERS FOR FREE DETAILS ON PRODUCTS AND SERVICES 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 106 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 163 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 206 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 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 mall. 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? TITLE B CITY ŁTATE. ZIP LAWN CARE INDUSTRY READER SERVICE CARDŠ OCTOBER 1979.(expiresin90days) Usa this prepaid reader service card to get additional Information on products or services mentioned In this Issue (Card must be completed before processing) NAM|_ _riTLE_ COMPANY BUSINESS ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP If you would like a subscription to LAWN CARE INDUSTRY circle number 101. Subscription cost Is $10.00 per year. To help us better service you editorially, please answer the following: 4. Title: Ł President Ł Owner Ł Manager 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 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-.DATE-CIRCLE THE ITEM 101 102 103 121 122 123 141 142 143 
161 162 163 
181 182 183 201 202 203 221 222 223 241 242 243 
261 262 263 NUMBERS 104 105 
124 125 
144 145 164 165 
184 165 204 205 224 225 244 245 264 265 FOR FREE 106 107 126 127 146 147 166 186 206 207 226 227 
246 247 266 267 DETAILS ON 108 109 128 129 146 149 166 169 
186 189 208 209 226 229 
246 249 
268 269 PRODUCTS 110 111 130 131 
150 151 
170 171 190 191 210 211 230 231 250 251 
270 271 AND SERVICES 112 113 114 132 133 134 152 153 154 172 173 174 192 193 194 212 213 214 232 233 234 
252 253 254 272 273 274 115 116 135 136 117 
137 
157 155 156 175 176 177 195 196 197 215 216 217 
235 236 237 255 256 257 275 276 277 118 119 120 
138 139 140 
156 159 160 
178 179 
198 199 218 219 220 238 239 240 
258 259 260 
278 279 280 180 200 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 CITY 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 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 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 D Signature . " government control, effects on applicators . . . licensing of ap-plicators .... applicator responsi-bility in terms of insurance " R. L. Hendricks Wonderlawn-Twin Cities St. Paul, Minnesota " the most helpful articles are the ones about lawn care companies who offer lawn spraying as well as mowing and allied services I would like to see some articles on how to stay busy in the winter M George Hass Hass Complete Lawn Care Bloomington, Indiana " more coverage on the inde-pendent owner (commercial and residential] who contracts complete lawn care mowing, fertilization, weed control and shrub trimming " Kenneth Torborg Chapman-Torborg Grounds Maintenance Co. Prior Lake, Minnesota " my company needs more information concerning lawn main-tenance in the areas of grass mowing equipment, edging equipment, prun-ing equipment and other related equipment. This is the equipment we use every day, week in and week out. This equipment costs us the most money from date of purchase, through lifetime in parts and repair " Lenwood Hudson Taylor Yard Services, Inc. Florence, South Carolina " federal law requires cer-tification for everyone applying chemicals for hire. I would like arti-
cles that would prepare us for the certification test " George Keating Desert Green Landscape Victorville, California " in-depth articles on herbi-cide, insecticide and fertilizer damage on heat and/or drought stressed lawns. How to avoid damage and still maintain a four-time-a-ye a r application program " William Clutter Fert-A-Lawn Kettering, Ohio PUBLICATIONS New booklet explains landscape evaluation How does a tree, nursery or landscape professional go about the business of appraising the value of living plants? And when trees or other plants are damaged or destroyed by casualty, how does the profes-sional arrive at a fair value to cover the loss? The Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisors Ap-praisers (CTLA) has developed a booklet and slide/tape program to cover the subject. It is entitled 
the Tree Casualty Puzzle. For further information,.con-tact: CTLA, 232 Southern Building, Washington, DC 20005. " I have also benefitted from your various articles on management and organizational techniques Jim Miller Miller Landscaping Fresno, California " We have found all of your ar-ticles to be extremely informative. We have been particularly inter-ested in your comments pertaining to marketing, advertising and how to provide better service to customers Rick Eldred A-Perm-o-Green Lawn Austin, Texas " Show us copies of mainte-nance service contracts that have been used successfully by other landscape maintenance companies E. W. Slater Green Gene's Longview, Texas " I wish to see articles on equipment for mowing and fertiliz-ing, and also ones on publicity for 
and building my type of business Paul J. Foreman Florida Cracker Lawn Care Venice, Florida " how in-house training of ap-plicators is accomplished .. . how to motivate employes without pro-mising the world .. . how to drop customers who expect too much and won't do their part in keeping lawn watered, etc " Ron Dodson Kaw Valley Turf Farms, Inc. Silver Lake, Kansas " cost-benefit analysis of new lawn care techniques . . . advertising techniques (new, unconventional methods) . . . personnel-related issues (absenteeism, turnover) David Calvin David's Landscaping Langley Park, Maryland " contract writing in the green industry " Colin Vorgang Tree-Lawn, Inc. Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania " what types of work land-scape contractors do during the win-ter months . . . more information on management techniques ... ef-ficiency control " William H. Peterson Neville's Landscaping 
Hatfield, Pennsylvania " New chemicals on the market .. . EPA outlook for the future M William J. Siegel ChemLawn Corp. Willow Grove, Pennsylvania INSIDE THE INDUSTRY begins on the next page. The Commercial Mower RYAN TURF-CARE EQUIPMENT Day-ln, Day-Out Performance. 3051 Cushman P.O. Box 82409 Lincoln. NE 68501 Finally, An Aid For Teaching Turf grass Superintendents. Contractors. Lawn Care Managers. New. On-the-Job Reference The Turf Managers Handbook is a compre-
hensive. organized approach to turfgrass 
science and care It has been designed and 
written by leading turf specialists Irom Purdue. Or William Daniel and Dr Ray Freeborg lor on-the-job relerence ancLas a text for students The book contains 150 illustrations and 96 color photographs Data includes 240 tables and forms Included are 
specifications for rootzones. employment, calculations for TU mana' Hann chemical applications, and extensive metric-imperial conversion Business and technical aspects of turfgrass management are covered in this 424-page Planning, purchasing, hiring. construction, and plant selection are put together for easy on-the-job reference Markets covered include lawn care, sod production, golf course management, cemeteries, athletic fields, low maintenance areas If it concerns turf, it's in the Turf Managers Handbook Jrand T Gers' BOOK k (SISSS Ml _ cop»« Ol the papar back ($14 SS aa I A (Npping charg* ol $1 28 par b PlaaM charpa lo my VISA or MASTER CHARGE (orda orwl 0 bookatora rata* avaiiabW upon raquaai >« Haryail Pubi. PUBLISHING ClavalanO OH 44102 COMPANY »ubkth.no Company 9800 Oatro.1 Aya Ciqui-matic TREATS LAWNS 250,000 square feet capacity FEEDS TREES 100 caliper inches per hour Formula flexibility Š 2 optional pumped streams Š variable fertilizer flow Š corrosion proof Š all fiber-glass Š a light truck Š 10,000 lb. GVW Mill's Ciqui-SystenP Victoria, Texas 77901 512-575-5882 There just isn't another mower built like Ryan's. After just a year in the field, the Ryan Commercial Mower has attracted a lot of attention. It just may be the toughest high-performance mower you've ever seen. 
Here's why. (1) Its simple 2-cycle engine has fewer moving parts, so you get a longer life cycle of power with less downtime; (2) Its air vane 
governor kicks in extra cutting power the instant you hit tall grass; 
(3) Five adjustable cutting heights give you total control you save on repairs. Instead of rebuilding the engine 
parts you can replace the entire component. Economically. And fast. With operating costs getting higher all the time, you need to get the most out of every hour's wage you pay. That takes a de-pendable crew, using depend-over your ground's appearance; (4) A 12 
gauge steel housing and 
tubular steel frame protect the engine as you cut 
around shrubs and fence; (5) There's a fuel-efficient fixed-jet carburetor. And Ryan's modular parts replacement system helps able equipment. Like the Ryan Commercial Mower. Ask your Ryan dealer for a demonstration, and see for yourself how we build a mower. 80-CUR-3 Circle 115 on free Information card Circle 110 on free information card How do you keep a mowing/maintenance businessman happy? Give him mowing equipment that can jump curbs, is easy to load and unload, has a heavy-duty deck, and don't forget parts availability Mowing/maintenance lawn care businessmen are some of the hardest peo-ple to please in the green industry. You spend a little bit of time with some of them in their shops and offices, and you start to get a feel for some of the problems they face in their jobs every day. Labor is a big one, and right up along with that are problems they have with mowers and trac-tors manufactured for their business. Some of them say the mower/tractor in-dustry still caters to the consumer first and the golf course second, and that most units still don't fit the needs of the company do-ing landscape maintenance. And when you find a lawn care businessman who is happy with the equip-ment on the market, there is always the possibility that he is unhappy with parts availability and follow-up he gets from his 
local dealer. Here are some other comments from mowing/maintenance lawn care business-men across the country: Ł "Build us equipment that can jump curbs and be loaded and unloaded all day. Ł "We need parts available now, we can't afford any downtime." Ł "Give us better warranties." Ł "Build stronger mower decks that can withstand the abuse of contract work." Ł "We need good commercial baggers for our riding mowers." Ł "Talk to us about our needs, don't rely simply on your dealers." Ł "Don't be as restrictive with your dealership areas. Give us room to negoti-ate our best deal, not have to simply rely on 
a man who has 'the only game in town.' " Ł "Dealers: Make price breaks avail-able to us when we buy in volume, or a cer-tain amount each year. Many of us feel that we are being 'raked over the coals.' " Rick Baird, maintenance division head for AAA Lawn Industries, Inc., Tucker, Ga. 
is pretty direct when asked if he has anything he wants to say to manufacturers of mowers and tractors for the lawn care 
industry: "Build us mowers and tractors that will load and unload and jump curbs, or build us equipment that will do that for us," he told LAWN CARE INDUSTRY. "In our business, the biggest problem we have is that we are jumping curbs all day and loading and unloading five or six times a day," Baird said. "The front run-ning wheels just can't hold up to it and they 
break off." He says that most equipment is built for the golf course market, where there are few 
problems with curbs and unloading and loading, for the most part. He says what is needed is a clearance of 18 inches Š not just four inches Š because when an operator is going over a six-inch curb there is no way that part of the unit is not going to scrape. Another thing Baird takes issue with is price. "We don't have the kind of budgets that golf courses have," he said. "The costs are 
getting so high that we can't afford to replace units that need to be replaced. We just keep rebuilding as long as we can." by Bob Earley, Editor And this runs into other problems, like getting the work done, and finding parts to do the work. Baird spends a good deal of his time looking for alternate sources of parts, and has to go all over the country to keep his supply up. "We have 77 20-inch walk behind mowers, but only 48 of them are running 
now," he said. "We can't get wheels, and we can't get short blocks. We're robbing parts from the ones that go down to keep the other ones running. I've got an eight-crew division now running with nine walk-behinds, when they usually would have 
24." He also says that he has five of his riding mowers down for some of the same 
reasons. A partial listing of Baird's maintenance equipment inventory would include: Eight 
Jacobsen Commercial 60-inch riding 
mowers, nine Hustler 72-inch riding mowers manufactured by Excel Industries 
and 77 Jacobsen Commercial 20-inch walk-behind mowers. Jacobsen is a division of Textron, Inc., based in Racine, Wis. Excel is based in Hesston, Kans. Also, he says: "I just bought a 60-inch Jacobsen Turfcat yesterday, and it looked great in our tests. Call me later today, and I'll let you know how it worked out." AAA Lawn Industries also owns three 24 horsepower tractors manufactured by Kubota Tractor Corp., Compton, Calif., fit-ted with mowers for wide-open work. He likes them. "Maybe diesel Š which the Kubotas are Š is the answer," he said. "We've had two of these Kubotas for two years, and we haven't been in the engine yet. It just runs and runs. Of course it is impossible to get the in-close work with them, but they haven't given us any other problems." What Baird looks for most when he pur-chases equipment is flexibility. He and other lawn maintenance businessmen need 
units that can do wide-open work, and also do the close-in work. "The Hustler is the best on the market but it can't mow fine bermudagrass," he 
said. "That is why we got the Turfcat. But for most of our wide-open work, we sched-
ule the Hustlers." AAA Lawn Industries has two full-time mechanics and what Baird estimates to be a $100,000 parts inventory. If a crew super-
visor notices work that needs to be done, it is taken into the shop. The company will be hiring a full-time night mechanic this win-ter to handle minor repairs from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., so that the unit can be ready for the next day. Terminology on factory recommenda-tions for service of mowers and tractors are a joke, as far as John Cazzell, of Four Season Lawn Care, Parkville, Mo., is con-cerned. He also feels that warranties on the 
same equipment could be a lot Š perhaps 30 percent Š better. With three tractors in two years, he had to replace four short blocks, two trans-
missions, two engines and four sets of 
brakes, following factory recommenda-tions for maintenance at "worst" condi-tions. He has since taken the amount of hours recommended before a certain maintenance task is done, cut them in half, and he has had fewer problems since. "My motto is," he told LAWN CARE IN-DUSTRY, "if in doubt, do a little more than is recommended." You start talking about recommended maintenance with Cazzell, and the subject of warranties is not too far behind. For a lot of lawn care businessmen, he feels that, "when you go in to buy the mower or tractor, they say their warranty is for one year, and covers everything except just about gas and oil changes. But when you go back with a problem, they say it was 
because of 'abuse.' " Cazzell estimates that he has to "eat" $250 a year of what he feels should be covered by companies on warranty, things like repairs to steering wheels, seats, wheels on mower decks ("I burn up four a 
year for about 170 hours of work, and they cost between $7 and $13 apiece") and belts. Cazzell estimates that he spends $10,000 a year replacing tires, wheels, blades, belts, 
etc. on his tractors, hand mowers and string trimmers, and he feels that at least 30 per-cent of this should be covered by warranty. He owns four tractors manufactured by Deere & Co., Moline, 111., and seven walk-behind mowers manufactured by Lawn-Boy, Galesburg, 111. One of his Deeres is a 20-horsepower 400 series unit with a five-foot width of cut. It also has power steering, and he calls it the best tractor/mower he has ever used in 15 years in the business. One of the reasons he feels so good about it is that the mower deck is made of Ve-inch steel, and it holds up to just about everything his operators can dish out. He is happy with his three other Deeres Š 16-horsepower 316's, with a 48-inch cut. However, he doesn't like the electric clutches, because they "heat up, they won't kick on, and the employes don't know how to adjust them to get them going again, and they have to wait about an hour to use them." He is also not happy with mower decks that are not made of strong enough material and that often "cave in." He says that 
"when you are doing contract work, you have to really hustle to make any money, and you are going over curbs, stumps, rocks and things like that at times. If you cave in the discharge chute, you lose the vacuum of 
the mower." He uses Deere agricultural tires for his tractors because he gets better traction. 
"These tires don't spin when the operators 
are going around corners or up hills, they 
really bite in. The wheels have individual 
braking, but many of the operators forget that at times." He is not happy with the depreciation on his 316's. He says that he bought one for $2,850 in April of last year, and says that he is now offering it for sale for $1,800 "firm." "You have to mow an apartment com-plex a year just to pay for depreciation," he says. "I think the depreciation is too high." Cazzell says that his 400 series Deere is like a "mountain goat. It takes 2-to-l hills 
like nothing. It has that individual braking, has great balance and is very low to the 
ground. I've mowed up hills where the front wheels have been off the ground." He says that next season he will be going INSIDE THE INDUSTRY to an 88-inch unit manufactured by Heckendorn Mfg. Co., Cedar Point, Kans., for the wide-open areas he maintains that do not require bagging or vacuum. He likes the V4-inch decks on the mowers. He calls his Lawn-Boy heavy-duty 21-inch walk-behinds "fantastic. They are 
light, require little maintenance, it holds the bag on the side real well, and it is easy 
to change the tires." Of course, as he says: "It is a $250 mower, but I have a little different attitude from some lawn service guys. Many are happy to buy $39.95 mowers, and throw them in a ditch when they burn up. Not me." He says he gets between IV2 and two years per mower, and then sells them to a customer who might be interested. The wheels and the modular carburetors are the only thing that have to be replaced or rebuilt at the end of the first year. He has 
found a wholesaler where he gets his 
wheels for about $3.50 apiece. The mower/tractor industry neglects the lawn care industry in two big ways, ac-cording to Hans Hauser, manager of Lawn-Pro Lawn Care Services division of Sassa-man Enterprises, Sarasota, Fla. First, he told LAWN CARE INDUSTRY: "The more you know about this industry, 
the more you know that the proper type of equipment is simply not being made for us. 
Oh, it's a little more sophisticated than what the homeowner has available to him, 
but it is still basically designed for the con-sumer. We are neglected, the units being built and sold to us are not really commer-
cial, and it is costly to us." Second, there are no commercial baggers available, Hauser said. "We have to do a lot of backing up, and there is no bagging unit that really works good in that situation. It's like having a 
piano attached to your equipment." He said that in the Florida lawn care market, there is absolutely no way a lawn care company can do business without 
bagging. This is because of the high mois-ture content which promotes disease, and the clippings also give insects a place to 
live, he said. "We build our own bagging units with ducts and a bracketry system we devel-oped, and we feed the blower off of the PTO or an auxiliary engine," he said. "If 
somebody could come up with a mass-manufactured molded fiberglass bagging unit kit that could be bolted on to competi-tive machines, they might be able to build a real tidy business" Hans Hauser uses five 42- to 48-inch Wheel Horse units, two Deere & Co. 16 horsepower units, seven Snapper 32-inch units manufactured by McDonough Power 
Equipment Co., McDonough, Ga., and six 36-inch Dixon ZTR units manufactured by Dixon Industries, Inc., Coffeyville, Kans. He also has more than 20 walk-behind mowers manufactured by Murray Ohio Mfg. Co., Brentwood, Tenn. Wheel Horse Products, Inc. is based in South Bend, Ind. He says that the Wheel Horse units hold up well, and particularly likes the flotation system on the mower decks of the Deere units. "We have a lot of hilly work in the condominiums we care for, and often can get into problems with scalping and gouging and poor discharge," he said. He says that the Snappers are good for bagging, but are often too small for many areas to really be 
efficient. The Snappers also have a good pickup system with the right amount of lift. "We try to use our equipment at least 24 months," he said. "By that time there is too much repair work to be done to keep them going. Many guys like to keep repairing them, but at that point we buy new ones." Charles Racusin, of Environmental Landscape Services, Inc., Houston, feels that more mower and tractor manu-facturers and dealers/distributors are a bit complacent in the way they deal with many 
lawn care businessmen. "I think many manufacturers are miss-ing an important step when they simply go to their dealers and distributors to get input on new designs and changes in equipment 
for mowing," he told LAWN CARE INDUS-TRY. "If I were a manufacturer, I would be digging a little deeper, be spending time 
with the guy who actually uses the equip-ment.' " Racusin also says that he feels the mower/tractor dealers are not as aggres-sive as they could be. "After I have bought a piece of equip-ment, I've never had the dealer come back to me and follow up and ask if the mower or tractor was working well, to see if I was having any problems with it," he said. The general attitude of dealers, as Racusin says, is: "Here it is in the catalog, and if you ask them about it, they will tell you more, but I don't see the aggres-siveness that I see in other areas of sales," 
he said. "The dealers should be doing more to get equipment that fits the needs of the customers, not fitting the customer to the 
equipment he carries." Racusin uses Hustler riding mowers, and says they are mobile, durable and re-
quire little maintenance. They are well-built, and can take heavier abuse than 
other units in the same price range, he said. 
He feels the same about the Toro Grounds-master 52. He also uses Snappers, manufac-
tured by McDonough Power Equipment Co., and in the past has also used units manufactured by Yazoo Mfg., Jackson, Miss. The Toro Co. is based in Minne-apolis. He uses the Jacobsen Turf King reel mower for mowing bermudagrass turf, and 
al£o uses smaller Jacobsen reel mowers. For walk-behind mowers, he does not use major brands. The reason for this is simply that he can buy the off-brand mowers cheaper than he can buy an engine to 
rebuild a more expensive model. When he buys a walk-behind mower, he replaces the wheels and bearings so that it will be easier to push for the operators. "This might not be the right thing to do, but I never justify the price of a piece of equipment based on the volume I am doing, 
but rather whether or not I need that particular piece of equipment for a particu-
lar job that I have taken on," he said. "Many of my accounts have particular pieces of equipment written into the job specifications, and after I have that piece of equipment, I try to pick up other jobs that need it." Racusin has some of the same feelings as other lawn care businessmen across the 
country about bagging and curb-jumping abilities of many units on the market. "It's a funny thing about mowers and tractors," he says, "many companies manufacture this relatively large piece of 
equipment, and there is no effective means of catching or bagging the clippings. They always say they are coming out with some-thing to handle that next year. I need it now. "And I just don't see how they can make mowers and tractors for commercial work 
that don't have the ability to jump curbs," he said. "I don't care where you are work-ing, you are going to have to jump a curb sooner or later. That's one reason why we use Hustlers, they can take a curb." "We have some strong feelings on that," says Wayne McKinnon of Land Mainte-nance, Inc., St. Louis, when you ask him about the quality of mowers and tractors on the market today, and ease of repair and getting parts. "The market for the big mowers Š the Toros, Jakes and Howards Š is good," he told LAWN CARE INDUSTRY. "They are basically doing a good job designing units 
for the landscape maintenance business-man and keeping up on parts and repairs. But there are some real problems in the small mower market, the walk-behinds." His main problem with walk-behind mowers is getting replacement parts. He has 12 Lawn-Boys and eight Jacobsen Commercial 20's. "The Jacobsen is a great hand mower," he said. "I've got one that I have been run-ning five years and never had to replace a short block. There must be thousands of them running around St. Louis, but you can't buy a base plate for the motor. 
Unavailability of parts is the big problem. 
Maybe the dealerships are too restrictive." 
He says he particularly likes the Lawn-Boys 
because of their heavy cutting table, and he also recently picked up a dealership for the 
line. He also says the square deck design 
unit is "indestructible." McKinnon owns eight riding mowers manufactured by Howard Price Commer-cial Turf Equipment, Inc., St. Louis Š six with an 82-inch cut, and two with a 72-inch cut. He also owns two Jacobsen 60-inch 
riding mowers, two 36-inch Goodall mowers, three 36-inch Bunton mowers, and 
a number of Bobcats manufactured by Wisconsin Marine, Inc., Lake Mills, Wis. Bunton and Goodall are based in Louis-ville, Ky. "Price used to be our main considera-tion when we first started in business, but now that has taken a back seat to versa-
tility of a unit," he said. "And more and 
more, parts availability is becoming our 
main consideration. The Bobcat is a very versatile mower for the kind of work we do, but there is no dealer for us to work with in this area." McKinnon doesn't see how a landscape maintenance businessman can operate 
anymore without his own shop. "Downtime will just kill you," he said. "If you have to take a piece of equipment 
into a shop, it is one or two days minimum 
for a repair that takes only a half-hour." In addition to major repairs handled during the day by one of the company's partners, Land Maintenance has two men that come in at night and handle such preventive maintenance items as changing 
and sharpening blades, grease jobs, chang-ing tires, etc. McKinnon is also hoping to get a commercial turf mower/tractor rebuilding 
operation off the ground soon Š to of course aid his own operation, but also to 
bring some extra dollars in. The idea would be to have a set price established for valves, gaskets and rebuilding. "It costs me $400-500 now to get an engine rebuilt," he said. "I'd like to be able to offer a basic rebuilding job for $150, depending on what needed to be done, of course. Most motors are quick-pull now, so they are not that hard to work on." He feels that on any unit over a 48-inch cut, that present mowers on the market are trying to throw too much grass out of a single discharge chute. He also has some problems with wear on mower decks, and 
after about six months or a year sends the decks to a welding shop to have a whole new rear section put on. He also has the spindles and yokes strengthened, and the total cost is about $150-200 per deck. Then they last for about three or four years with 
no serious problems. "We figure to get two years out a big mower," he said, "with no major problems. Then we rebuild them and get them back out. You get about two years for free." LAWN CARE INDUSTRY ORGANIZES Ł To provide and disseminate informa-tion to the industry regarding laws and regulations affecting the industry and to promote the enforcement of same Ł To provide industry statistics Ł To exchange knowledge among the members for the improvement of the industry PURPOSES OF THE ASSOCIATION Ł To collect and disseminate informa-tion regarding lawn care for the betterment of public interest Ł To recommend standards of nomen-clature for the improvement of the industry Ł To sponsor and promulgate research related to lawn care among other persons or institutions Ł To provide information to the public regarding lawn care by sponsoring or participating in seminars, confer-ences and congresses related to educa-tion in the lawn care fields Ł To promote the lawn care industry in all other lawful ways. NATIONAL CONVENTION An annual event for the professional exchange of new ideas, innovations and operating know-how. Also a forum for Lawn Care industry suppliers to sell and demonstrate their wares. NEWSLETTER A periodic publication distributed to dues-paying members to keep them abreast of the latest thinking and activities affecting their business and industry and what other Lawn Care professionals are doing about it. The proposed Newletter will include regulatory and consumer market trends, technical, economic, legislative and industry news as it happens. 
SEMINARS Conferences, clinics and workshops will be conducted in sessions aimed at continuing management education for today's business climate and conditions relating to the Lawn Care profession. 
TRAINING PROGRAMS Specially designed courses for sales, service and supervisory employees of member firms to project a strong overview of the Lawn Care profession and to teach, with case histories wherever possible, the common fundamentals of business practices, customer relations, regulatory and legal aspects, cost control and the importance of economics to business success. 
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT Industry-funded projects will be initiated relating to advancement of Lawn Care technologies, analysis of new 
or unique methods, preparation of generic and industry-
wide information for general dissemination, conduct of 
studies relating to supplies, safety, equipment, transporta-tion and other general market data. 
CONSUMER EDUCATION A generic (non-proprietary) approach to inform potential 
customers of the advantages of Lawn Care and the importance of putting the proper care of lawns in the hands of dedicated, trained, skilled professionals. STATISTICS Surveys to enable each PLCAA company to compare its 
performance against the average performance of all MEMBER ACTIVITIES AND SERVICES member companies and to compare business performance factors, such as: sales volume, profit, investment, inventory levels, growth, etc. The Association will gather proprietary data from participating members for statistical analysis and prepare generalized data for dissemination to participating members while protecting the confidential 
information of each participant. 8. SAFETY PROGRAM The establishment of safety standards that, effectively followed by an industry, can better prepare that industry to contend with the multiplicity of national government regulatory groups and state and municipal codes that might seriously inhibit a business activity. Self-regulation and standards create a strong position on safety comprehension. Safety education films can also be produced for use in employee training, presentation to regulatory groups, management or customers as required. 9. ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVE A basic concern of all Lawn Care professionals is proper understanding of environmental factors relating to services performed and the responsibility to protect the environ-ment. This important aspect of consumer and governmental awareness of environmental treatment will be carefully 
monitored and an alert system will be maintained. 10. DIRECTORY A listing of each member of the Association in good 
standing, the PLCAA statement of objectives, code of ethics, active committees, members' management personnel and association representatives. Current 
officers, directors and active projects will also be listed to facilitate participation. 11. INSURANCE An extremely important service to members is the 
availability of insurance programs tailored to the specific needs of the average PLCAA member. A package of selective coverage is planned to include health and medical plans, accident, death, liability, comprehensive business insurance and risk management. 12. LEGISLATION A significant factor in today's business climate is the constant presence of state and national legislation that could seriously affect the operation of Lawn Care professionals through laws and regulations controlling 
industrial material and processes for example Reports to 
member companies in these areas will provide advance 
notice of pending legislation which will enable PLCAA 
members to respond. 13. GOVERNMENT RELATIONS In a broader concept, federal government activities relating to labor, standards, safety, liability, consumer 
interests, finance, trade, revenue, environment, imports and exports and other areas of special interest will be monitored. Appropriate agencies will be contacted when necessary. PLCAA. as spokesman for the entire industry, can present your interests with greater force and 
effectiveness than can an individual company. 14. STANDARDS Establishment of acceptable and common technical and safety standards will allow the Lawn Care profession to look upon criteria for their own performance and to have specifications that are tangible and demonstrable to both 
critics and allies 15. TRADE PRACTICES Development and recommendation of industry objectives and encouragement of practices that will reflect favorably on the industry as a whole constitute an important Association function. Special problems in trade matters can then be addressed and solutions recommended within the framework of industry objectives and policies. 16. ASSOCIATION LIAISON The exchange of information and industry viewpoints with related Associations in industry, arts and sciences will significantly expand the influence and prestige of PLCAA as well as give PLCAA members a broader insight into their own industry. 17. INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS Motivation of employees, the proper utilization of human 
resources, standard operating procedures, labor relations, training and job descriptions will be explored under this activity. MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS Please read qualifications and answer all questions on this application. Membership in the PLCAA may be held in the name of the company only. Send together with your check for the $50 application fee. I, (WE), HEREBY APPLY FOR MEMBERSHIP IN THE PROFESSIONAL LAWN CARE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, AS FOLLOWS: Ł REGULAR MEMBER Š $200 per year Application for Regular Membership in the PLCAA may be made by any person, firm or corporation active in the chemical lawn care business for at least six months prior to this application. Ł AFFILIATE MEMBER Š $100 per year Application for Affiliate Membership in the PLCAA may be made by an operating branch or division of a Regular Member or business-related entity/individual designated by a Regular Member entitled to 
all rights of membership other than voting. Ł ASSOCIATE MEMBER Š $500 per year Application for Associate Membership in the PLCAA may be made by any person, firm, corporation or 
other association engaged in business or research activities, related to, but not directly engaged in lawn care management, i.e. chemical suppliers, manufacturing and equipment suppliers, distributors and manufacturer's representatives. Name of Company Street 
City Phone State Zip Name and title of individual(s) who will represent your company to PLCAA: In making application for the class of membership indicated above, I certify that the applicant is qualified in accordance with the requirements for membership as defined above. I further certify that all information submitted in this application is true and, if accepted as a member (Name of Applicant Company) agrees to abide by the Articles of Incorporation, By-laws, and Code of Ethics of the Professional Lawn Care Association of America. 
A check in the amount of $50 is enclosed. I understand the application fee is not refundable if the company is not accepted as a member. If accepted, I will be billed for annual dues. (Fiscal year of association extends from July 1 through June 30. Dues are payable a full year in advance, but credit will be made on the following year if a portion of current fiscal year has passed when joining.) BACKGROUND DATA 1. Date applicant company started: 2. Applicant company is primarily involved in: Chemical lawn care and maintenance services Application Ł Chemical application only Ł Liquid Ł Mowing and other maintenance services Ł Other (specify: 3. Are you licensed? Ł YES 4. Applicant company is an: Ł Independent Ł Partnership Ł Corporation Ł Chain 
Ł Franchise 
Ł Other (specify: Ł Granula r _) Ł Both Ł NO 5. Applicant's type of business: Ł Manufacturer Ł Dealer Ł Distributorship Ł Lawn Care Service Ł Other (specify: 6. Is applicant company's business location: Ł Headquarters Ł Branch Office CONVENTION PLANS 1. Will you attend a national PLCAA meeting? Ł YES Ł NO 2. What time of year would you prefer the meeting to be held? Ł Winter Ł Summer Ł Other Date . . Signature . Title Please complete the reverse side of this application and return with your check to: Professional Lawn Care Association of America, 435 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 1717 Chicago, IL 60611. FOUNDER'S DESIGNATION Please send the necessary information for this membership to receive "Founder" member status. Ł YES Ł NO MOWERS/TRACTORS Yard-Man: "No-shift" hydrostatic drive Yard-Man's new Model 13780 heavy duty lawn tractor features "no-shift" hydrostatic drive Š instant forward, reverse and speed changes, eliminating gear shifting and clutching. With a 
16 HP, synchro-balanced twin cylinder engine, the unit pro-vides power for big jobs, uphill mowing and towing, and for operating a big selection of front, 
center or rear-mounted optional 
accessories. Isolated engine is shock-mounted on all-steel frame weld-
ment for a vibration-free ride. Steel hood, grill and rear fen-ders. High back adjustable seat. Convenient controls, including 
hydrostatic lever, lift lever for accessories and "on-the-go" cut-ting height adjustment lever for 
the all-steel 44-inch twin-blade cutting deck. Other features include: pivoting front axle, segment and pinion steering, disc brakes. A similar 11 HP hydrostatic model and a five-speed transaxle drive 
model are also available. Circle 229 on free information card A MOWERS/TRACTORS FMC: Rear-mount rotary cutters FMC Sidewinder has in-troduced the SC-60, smooth-cutting utility mower, as the newest addition to its line of 
rear-mounted rotary cutters. The 
SC-60 was designed to maintain large lawn acreages. It is equip-
ped with three updraft blades with an overlap of 1V2 inches that allows for even, controlled cut 
and a handsome lawn finish. The 
unit was designed with a gear 
box and two belts to drive the spindles. This eliminates the big pulley arrangement mounted behind the tractor that is often found on other models. The unit 
features a 35 HP rated gear box, 
front roller and adjustable side skids to prevent scalping. Also, an easily adjustable cutting height to suit a wide variety of lawn-cutting chores. MOWERS/TRACTORS Deere: 14 HP with hydrostatic drive If you want the convenience of hydrostatic drive and hydrau-
lic equipment lift, consider the John Deere 300 Series Lawn and Garden Tractors. The company offers a full line of tractors and attachments from low horse-
power to 50 HP. Detailed 
information is available. The 314 is powered by a 14 HP cast iron 
engine that is isolated to reduce vibration. New this year on the 
314 are right front hydraulic out-lets as standard equipment. Drum type brakes on each rear wheel are activated by a single pedal. Hydraulic lift provides near effortless control of at-tached equipment. The 317 is powered by a twin-cylinder 
engine for super smooth ride. Dual brake pedals give you ex-ceptional control: To make a tight turn, brake one of the rear wheels and let the opposite wheel continue to rotate, pro-viding a pivoting motion. Brake pedals can be locked together for simultaneous braking. Choose a 38- or 46-inch rotary mower attachment that mounts to the tractor frame for firm support and level mowing. Circle 226 on free information card MOWERS/TRACTORS Lawn-Boy: Commercial application mowers A three-model line of com-mercial application Lawn-Boy is being formally introduced by Lawn-Boy Product Group of Out-board Marine Corp., Galesburg, 111., according to R.W. Reid, group manager. Reid said the Lawn-Boy Commercial Mowers have been specially strength-Fit your EXCEL HUSTLER tractor for winter, and work your investment the year around. The EXCEL HUSTLER tractor that excels at cutting labor costs all summer shows off those same qualities when the leaves fall and snow flies. All it needs is a change from mowing deck to snow season attachments. All EXCEL HUSTLER tractors feature dual hydro drive and easy fingertip controls. ROPS is standard on model 402 that keeps a level head on slopes; optional on 275/285/295. For more operator comfort, install cab enclosure panels, doors, and heater. 1. Rotary Broom sweeps up storm debris, litter, sand, leaves, silt, etc. Fixed angle or hydraulic angling, depending on your needs. 2. Dozer Blade lifts/lowers by hydraulics. Angle adjusts manually, or install optional cylinder kit for hydraulic angling to any point 30° right or left while on the job. Dozer pushes heavy litter, snow, silt. Ideal for backfilling around construction and repair sites. 3, 4, 5. Snow Thrower gets rid of snow, period. Hard packed, high drifts, dry powder, or heavy, wet slush. Angle of spout adjusts from inside cab. Makes short work of clearing walks, drives, parking lots, patios, entries. Superior maneuverability of EXCEL HUSTLER tractor (any model) lets you move freely in many places an ordinary snow thrower cannot function. All EXCEL HUSTLER tractors can be equipped with headlights, permitting full nighttime snow removal. No more waiting for daylight to get the area cleared; the day shift can report for work without parking delays (and short tempers!). Watch for a field demo or write for free literature and Distributor's name. Call toll-free (800) 835-3260; in Kansas or Canada, call (316) 327-4911 collect. EXCEL HUSTLER turf and groundskeeping equipment is built right by Excel Industries, Inc., Box 727, Hesston, KS 67062. For GSA: GS-07S-03665 For HUD: OAH(CO)m 2635 EXCEL ^V I HUSTLER Turf Equipment ThereS a Difference! EXCEL INDUSTRIES, INC. Box 727 / Hesston, Kansas 67062 / (316) 327-4911 / (800) 835-3260 Circle 104 on free information card H U o oc H c/D D Q Z w oc < u z ened to answer the needs of pro-fessional lawn maintenance. All three models have six-inch front, eight-inch rear steel wheels with greasable ball bearings; full in-terrace hubs; floating type heavy guage tubular handles; heavy guage handle mounting brackets; a die cast aluminum carburetor equipped with a special air filter that can also accept an optional remote air inlet; and a five quart fuel tank. The Lawn-Boy Com-mercial Line consists of a 21-inch 
pushmmodel that can, with op-
tional accessories, be equipped to mow and mulch. Circle 224 on free information card MOWERS/TRACTORS Excel: New engine gets high torque at low RPM A new model featuring a liquid-cooled industrial engine has been added to the Excel In-dustries, Inc. line of commercial mowers. The Model 295 retains all the maneuvering ability that has characterized the firm's mowers since their introduction 14 years ago. The significant dif-ference between the new Model 295 and the Model 285 is its engine. Unlike automotive type engines commonly installed on mowers, this two-cylinder, long stroke Continental engine develops high torque at lower RPM, which adds to engine life and delivers good performance. Dula hydrostats move each drive wheel independently, with twin hand levers that control both the 
speed and direction of move-ment, including the start and stop as well as reverse. The 72-inch mower can perform intricate 
turns without time-consuming 
maneuvers. This also relieves operator fatigue. Circle 220 on free information card MOWERS/TRACTORS Yanmar: 19 HP diesel tractor, 72-inch mower Pictured is YanmarDis Diesel Tractor's 19 HP diesel tractor and the YRM 72-inch mower. Specifications for the tractor in-clude: engine is two-cylinder, vertical, four-cycle pressure cooling system; 60.8 cubic inches; 19 HP at 2400 RPM; dual range transmission with eight speeds Five new compact diesels! It's a new kind of Fdrd! 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-horsepower. 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 see the compact Ford diesels ... a new kind of Ford, at a compact price. It's a new kind of Ford! FORD TRACTORS forward and two speeds reverse; dry, single disc clutch, standard l3/8-inch PTO drive. Specifica-tions on the mower include: 540 PTO speed; 35 HP gearbox; three blades each 24-3/4-inch long; and 
anti-scalp chains which are ad-justable to eliminate scalping. 
The company also features 13 HP and 24 HP units. Further 
information is available on all three. Circle 223 on free information card MOWERS/TRACTORS Simplicity: 17 HP tractor, attachments A 17 HP garden tractor with a twin-cylinder engine has been announced by the Simplicity Mfg. Co., Port Washington, Wis., an Allis-Chalmers Co. This unit is just one of the company's com-plete line of lawn and garden tractors and walk-behind mowers. Detailed information is 
available on the full line. The pictured Model 7117 features hydrostatic transmission and replaces the 18 HP single-cylinder model in the company's 
line for 1980. The twin-cylinder Kohler cast iron engine provides a high level of smooth, quiet 
operation in addition to an effi-cient source of power. Con-
tributing to quiet running is a new muffler on all of the 7000 series, which also includes 16 HP, 14 HP, 12 HP and 10 HP units. Turning radius is 32 inches measured inside the rear tires. Engine speed at 3600 RPM is 0 to 7 mph forward and 0 to 4 mph backward. A large selection of attachments are available for the new tractor including Sim-plicity's full floating, anti-scalp 
mowers in 42 to 48 inch widths. Circle 225 on free information card Ariens: Rear grass collector attachment Available for selected 1980 Ariens rear-engine riding mowers is the company's rear grass collector attachment. The attachment helps cut big mowing jobs down to size by picking up grass clippings, leaves, and debris as grass is being mowed. Circle 127 on free information card it* * If crabgrass is the problem, Lescosan* is the only solution z n > PC m 2 a c CD H PO O H Ron Giffen, National Marketing Director We can save you money and misery if your lawns are plagued with crabgrass. Lescosan (Betasan*) is outsell-ing other pre-emergence crabgrass controls Š and for good reason. For full-season control of crabgrass and other annual weeds, there is no more effective product 
on the market than Lescosan 4E (emulsion) and Lescosan granular (in 12.5 and 7% granules). Lescosan is also labelled for many ornamentals and ground covers. You can save money by buying your crabgrass control direct from a formulatorŠLESCO Products, a division 
of Lakeshore Equipment & Supply Co. With quantity, early delivery, and early payment options now in ef-fect, lawn applicators and turf managers can save even more and can plan ahead for spring applicationŠor you can make application yet this year. No payment is required until next spring. Ask us about our dating pro-gramŠit can save you money. LESCO has a complete family of quality chemicals and fertilizersŠincluding herbicides, pesticides, insecticides and LESCO Thirty-Seven Sulfur-Coated Urea. For more information about the fine family of LESCO Products, call me today on our toll-free telephone lines. I'll have one of our lawn service specialists contact you. 1-800-321-5325 1-800-362-7413 
1-216-323-7544 Nationwide In Ohio Call collect Remember Š LESCO's full line of turf products means quality at affordable prices Š the best deal at any time of the year. ^(BetasanŠregistered TM of the Stauffer Chemical Company.) PRODUCTS Div. Lakeshore Equipment & Supply Co 300 S. Abbe Road Elyria, Ohio 44035 A Family of Fine Products: Lescosan 12.5G Š Lescorene Š Lesco 4 Š Lescobor Š Lescopar Š Lescopex Š Lesco Non-Selective Herbicide Lesco MSMA Š Lesco Thiram 75W Š Lescozyme Š Lakeshore Chinch Bug & Sod Webworm Control Circle 113 on free information card Grass clippings are funneled through a durable tube to the rear collector. Circle 230 on free information card MOWERS/TRACTORS Kee: High wheel 24-inch power mower Kee Mfg. Co., Inc., the makers of high wheel mowers, has an-nounced the introduction of its Model GC-25 power mower. The rugged design coupled with a 7 HP Briggs & Stratton or 8 HP Kohler engine makes this mower a top performer in both residen-tial and commercial use, the company said. Double-swivel front wheels with ball bearings and 20-inch by 2.125 heavy duty 
rear wheels with pneumatic tires give good maneuverability. Cut-ting width is a full 24 inches and the cutting height adjust from about 2 V4 to 3 V2 inches, depending on the type of grass. Other standard features include welded frame construction using 
one-inch square steel tube, grease fittings at all wear points (10 grease fittings in all) tough, non-rust aluminum deck, one-
inch diameter steel blade shaft 
with precision ball bearings. Circle 227 on free information card i i M ;! F; STRONG STRONG ON SAVINGS STRONG 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. 4240 S.W. 72nd Ave., Miami, Florida Ł (305) 264-5525 PACKAGE INCLUDES: 250 gallon or 500 gallon, mild steel (12 gauge) cylindrical tanks c/w inspection & access cover, pressure gauge, agitator & sway baffle. 2 only Š Nordic hose reels, 400' x Vi" hose (hand 
or electric rewind) Honda Š 5 h.p. general purpose hand start motor & reduction gearing. Hypro Š big twin piston pump c/w surge limiter. Piping Š flexible thick wall rubber hose or built to customer specification. Available for fall delivery 2 only Š 1979 Ford F350 Š 140" wheel base, "styleside", 8' box pickups, c/w 500 gallon spraying package. Used only one (1) month. For purchase or lease. Apply for further information to: C-D-N RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT LTD. 460 Wyecroft Road OAKVILLE, ONTARIO, CANADA 16K2G7 Phone (416) 842-2703 Telex 06-961146 Bashcor, Inc. Suite 234 2630 West Freeway FORT WORTH, TEXAS, U.S.A. 76102 Phone (817)335-3471 THE WEED & FRUIT SPRAYING UNIT OF THE 1980's Skid mount spray equipment for your pick up truck 'Quick-response' mower A quick-response governor, which maintains power even in tall or thick grass, is featured on Ryan's 20-inch commercial lawn mower. The air-vane governor eliminates linkages by operating directly from the air flow off the flywheel cooling fins, reducing governor 'lag time' in responding to suddenly higher grasses. Circle 234 on free information card Circle 117 on free information card MOWERS/TRACTORS Flymo: Rides on a cushion of air A cushion of air enables the hand mower manufactured by Flymo Products Co. to float anywhere you want it to go, mak-ing it easy to maneuver, accord-ing to national product manager Gary Livemore. Hand pressure moves the mower sideways, for-ward or backward. The 19-inch blade is adjustable for a cutting height from 3/4-inch to 2V2-inches. 
Flymo is perfect for lawns with 
shrubbery, since it can go under bushes without damaging them. It also floats over curbs and cuts along edges of flower beds and sidewalks, without scalping. This reduces the need for hand fiiusning. An impeller fan draws in air and pushes it to the edge of 
the hood. The resulting air cushion lifts the machine, mak-
ing it float about Vi-inch from the ground. "Whether grass is dry, wet or tall, the mower's cir-culating air action raises the 
grass for an even cut," Livemore said. Circle 222 on free information card MOWERS/TRACTORS Roper: 16 HP, opposed-piston design The new, Twin 16 HP opposed-piston, four cycle, twin 
cylinder tractor from Roper 
Sales Corp. is a new concept in performance and operation, the 
company said. There is less vibration and quieter operation than with standard engine designs. The all-gear trans-mission provides a full selection of speeds (six forward, two 
reverse) to match the unit's power to the job. It is shown a rotary mower that is 42 or 48 inches wide. The Twin-16 rides 
on a heavy duty chassis with a rugged front axle to stand up to tough tasks. Front axle pivots for 
firm footing and oscillates to follow uneven terrain. Many im-plements and attachments are 
available. Circle 228 on free'information card MOWERS/TRACTORS Roseman: 5-gang A 5-gang hydraulic lift-type mower from Roseman Mower Corp. raises clear of ground for easy transporting, according to the company's Warren J. Roseman. Circle 221 on free information card Jacobsen mower Designed for daily commer-cial mowing, the Commercial 20 and 21 feature rugged decks, con-stant engine lubrication, and multiple bearings on the crank shaft for durability. Circle 236 on free information card Howard Pri-ce: Front cutting rotaries A detailed catalog describing the complete Howard Price Turf Equipment, Inc. line of commer-cial front cutting rotaries is available. The Turf Blazer line includes units from 16 to 19.9 HP and with cutting widths of 48, 60, 72 and 82 inches. Circle 231 on free information card MOWERS/TRACTORS Ford: New tractor series, 13 to 30 HP A new series of five diesel-powered tractors Š 13 to 30 HP Š is being offered by Ford Trac-tor Operations. All five models are available with two- and four-
wheel drive. The top model in the series, the Ford 1900, has a 
three-cylinder diesel engine rated at 30 HP, with 26.5 PTO HP. Ten- and 12-speed transmissions offer the operator a choice of working speeds. Optional creeper-speed ranges add flex-
ibility, providing 15 or 24 speeds. Wheel Horse tractor Wheel Horse Products' B-165 tractor features a twin-cylinder 16 h.p. Briggs & Stratton engine, balanced for a smooth ride. Circle 232 on free information card Circle 235 on free information card You won't find fancy shrouds, shiny hubcaps or chrome accent strips on a NATIONAL ...Only its performance proves its worth! Ł FAST! Mows a 68- or 84-inch swath at speeds up to 4 MPH. That's half an acre in 15 minutes! Trimming time is reduced as reels reach out over curbs and up to ob-structions. Ł EFFICIENT! Three power driven, free-floating reels follow ground contour. Reels shear grass cleanly without "tip burn." Ł DURABLE!Timken bearings;automotive-type transmission; heavy duty, tubular steel 
tie rods and bed knife frame; and cutter bar lip...all add to more years of use! Ł SERVICEABLE! No-nonsense design makes normal maintenance faster than any mower on today's market! National Mower Company...our reputation is your guarantee of quality! Our start in 1919 makes us one of the (if not the) oldest power mower manufacturers in the U.S.A. NATIONAL national Mouuer Company 704 Raymond Avenue Ł St. Paul, Minnesota 55114 Phone: 612/646-4079 MODEL 68 BEHIND THIS ISSUE It is that time of the year when poli-ticians begin to hit the campaign trail, and also the time that lawn care businessmen, manufacturers trying to reach them, and lowly magazine editors hit the conference trail. There are going to be some good ones this year, and we urge you to mark your calendar now after checking assistant editor Dan Moreland's compilation of what is on tap this fall and winter on page 4 of this issue. Look for special turf sessions and participation by lawn care businessmen at the Michigan Green Industry Seminar in Pontiac Oct. 23-24. Of special interest to mowing/maintenance businessmen is the excellent Maintenance Symposium spon-sored by the Associated Landscape Con-tractors of America in Milwaukee Nov. 6-9. The Missouri Lawn and Turf Confer-ence will feature participation by the 
newly formed Professional Lawn Care Association of Missouri. The Southern Turfgrass Conference Nov. 18-20 in Little Rock will feature a lawn care session ex-panded over what it has been in the past. Same for the New Jersey Turf Expo Nov. 26-29 in Cherry Hill. Three of the best meetings for lawn care businessmen are the Texas Turfgrass Conference Dec. 3-5 in College Station, the Ohio Turfgrass Conference Dec. 4-6 in Cin-cinnati, and the Illinois Turfgrass Con-
ference Dec. 18-20 in Champaign. All have trade shows with heavy participation by manufacturers trying to reach the lawn care businessman. Others which promise to have pro-grams of real interest to the lawn care businessmen are the Maryland and Vir-
ginia turf conferences in January, the 
Associated Landscape Contractors of 
America annual meeting and the Golf 
Course Superintendents Association of America meeting and trade show in Febru-ary, and the Massachusetts Turf Confer-
ence and Midwest Turf Conference at Pur-due University in Indiana in March. Dan Moreland and I will be there. We hope to see you too. U Uy PRODUCTS Lawn sprinklers Rain Jet underground sprinklers feature a patented rotary, pop-up pendulum action which provides even covereage over an entire lawn. The sprinkler produces rainlike droplets rather than fog 
or mist. Circle 202 on free information card Riding triplex mower The Deluxe Turf King riding triplex mower can mow up to 33 acres of lawn in one eight hour day when fitted to an 84-inch cut-ting width. The mower, from Jacobsen Division of Textron, Inc., features an electric starter, 
ducted air intake, large muffler for quiet operation, and hydrostatic drive that eliminates gear shifting. Circle 205 on free information card Circle 103 on free information card A bigger little-big tractor. Introducing, a new John Deere diesel tractor with a 33-PTO-hp turbocharged engine Two years ago, John Deere in-troduced the 22-PTO-hp 850 and the 27-PTOhp 950 diesel tractors. They were simple, reliable, sen-sibly-priced tractors. And people loved them. At John Deere, we called them our "little-big" tractors because they were big enough to handle many landscaping and construction jobs, yet small enough so they were economical to buy and operate. And now along comes another one: the new 33-PT< Optional me-chanical front wheel drive pulls _ . v. you through ^ the toughest spots with ease. It's a little bit bigger and more powerful than the other two, and it has some interesting new features. But the principle is still the same. A simple, basic tractor at an affordable price. Features Like the other "little-big" trac-tors, the 1050 has a number of big 
tractor features. Liquid-cooled diesel engine. 8-speed transmission. Differ-* Maximum PTO horsepower measured at 2400engine rpm (factory observed). ential lock. 3-point hitch. Adjustable wheel tread. It also has some features the others don't have. For instance, the 1050 is the only tractor of its size to have a turbo-charged engine. With a turbo, you get greater power in a 
smaller pack-
age. Plus 
fewer emis-
sions. And smoother, 
quieter 
performance. The 1050 also has a continuous- cleaner, quieter ric running 540-rpm PTO that keeps your imple-ments running even while the 
tractor is standing still. A "load-and-depth-sensing" 3-point hitch (Category 1) that can be set to compen-
sate for varia- H 
tions in soil density. And both the 1050 
and 950 offer optional mechanical 
front-wheel 
drive to give 
you sure-footed YJ^&SL Load-and-deptti-m almost sensing 3-poinihitch any terrain maintains constant or ground depth when working condition. wi th ground-engag-ing tools. 7iirbocharging ives you more power, tter fuel economy, a Attachments Of course, one of the big re^rons for buying a John Deere is tne variety of tractor-matched attachments that go with it. We have over 20 implements to choose from, including 4 different kinds of mowers, front loader, backhoe, box scraper, planters, culti-vators, plows, rear blade, posthole digger and more. We also offer a choice of bar or turf-type tires. Parts and service Needless to say, your John Deere dealer is a man you can count on for parts and service. And his inventory of implements is nearly always complete. | So if you're look-ing for a real work-horse at a sensible rice, see the new Continuous-running 540-rpm PTO keeps imple-ments running at full power even while tractor ) at the John Deere dealer nearest you. Better yet, take it for a test drive. We t --- v.Š-7tT think you'll agree it's ^standing still. the smoothest-runnine, quietest, most solidly built tractor in its class. Nothing runs ¿ŠJ like a Deere. For free literature, write John Deere, Dept. 63, Moline, Illinois 61265. PRODUCTS Landscape edging Weather-resistant, woven ny-lon lawn and landscape edging is offered by Louis A. Green & Co., Inc. The edging measures seven inches wide to provide ex-tra stability and sharp definition of boundaries between lawn and planting beds. The flexible black edging blends with vegetation and retains moisture to promote plant growth. Circle 206 on free information card Electric hedge trimmers True Friends Garden Tools, Inc. offers a line of electric hedge trimmers for the profes-sional landscaper. The trimmers 
feature a ball bearing mounted armature shaft which reduces jamming and ensures evenness of operation. Other standard equipment includes heat-treated cutting blades, friction safety clutch, and chrome-armored teeth. Further, both motor and housing are double insulated. Circle 212 on free information card ADVERTISERS INDEX Big Trees Today 12 Deere & Co 22-23 Dountz Equipment Co 12 Excel Industries, Ine 17 Hill's Liqui-System 13 Kubota Tractor Corp 4-5 Lakeshore Equipment & Supply Co 11,19 Lofts Pedigreed Seed, Ine cover IV 
National Mower Co 21 Professional Lawn Care Assn. of America 16 Professional Turf Specialties 6 Rainbird Sprinkler Mfg. Corp 7 Ryan Turf 13 
S.P.I.C./Monsanto 8-9 The Toro Co 3 Tuflex Mfg. 10 CLASSIFIED FOR SALE FOR SALE THIS FALL: Very pro-fitable lawn spraying company serv-ing Chicago and suburbs. One of the largest such firms in the area and of-fers both liquid and dry ap-fdications. Write: Box 14, Lawn Care 
ndustry, Box 6951, Cleveland, Ohio 44101. USED EQUIPMENT FOR SALE: 1978 Ford 350 competely equipped with 700 gal. steel tank, 
pump, Hannay electric reel, hose, etc. Complete unit, excellent con-dition, ready for immediate use. Phone 301 473-8777 9 A.M. to 3 P.M. 2 STAINLESS STEEL combines that roll. aerate, apply seed plus liquid and granular cnemicals. Call 301 987-5901. 78Š750 FORD spray truck, 1300 gallon tank, hypro pump, two elec-tric reels, 300 ft. hose, ready to spray. Assume lease of outright purcnase. 
Phone 512 855-4853. HELP WANTED LOOKING FOR EXPERIENCED 
PERSON who has knowledge of tree & landscape business. Must be able to take charge of complete operation & have sales ability. Must have a good business background. Salary plus bonus depending on qualifica-tions. Send resume & salary require-
ments or call A-l Tree & Landscape Co., 50 Flushing Pond Rd., Westford, 
Mass. 01886. 617 692-3166, 692-7825, 453-3736. MISCELLANEOUS "KNOW pH INSTANTLY. Electronic tester, portable, handheld. For soil, liquids, etc. $21. Details free. A & H 
Marketing, Dept. L4, 8325 Dru Ave., SE, Albuquerque, NM 87108. Phone 505 266-4821." KELWAY SOIL pH TESTER, used by professionals everywhere. Direct reading, longlasting, portable, lightweight, no power source. Model 
HB-2 reads moisture too. Available through local distributors or contact Kel Instruments Co., Inc., P.O. Box 1869, Clifton, N.J. 07015. 201 471-3954. Hershey's Chocolate Town, U.S.A. In the public eye, and under its feet... and bareJn thrive Kentucky Bluegrass even under the abuse of over a million visitors each year.' 'Yorktown is a superior ryegrass. . .texture, color, fast germination, disease resistance. . .everything about it is better. Yorktown and Baron do so well in Hershey, we've incorporated them into our private landscaping business," William Bowman, General Manager of Hershey Nursery & Hershey Gardens, Hershey, Pennsylvania. "Hershey 
Gardens has an image to maintain. And that's not easy 
when you consider the traffic stress our grass has to take. Even a large staff of nursery/grounds employees can't keep the grounds looking this good without a really superior grass seed." That's why Hershey uses literally tons of Lofts Baron/ Yorktown mix to maintain its image. Yorktown Perennial Ryegrass holds its color in summer when others yellow out. Added to Baron Kentucky Bluegrass, it's a tough combination to beat. If Yorktown and Baron can look this good under these tough conditions, just think what they can do for YOUR image. mm H LOFTS Lofts Pedigreed Seed, Inc. Bound Brook, N.J. 08805/(201) 356-8700 Bill Bowman, General Manager Š World-Famous Hershey Gardens, Hershey, Pennsylvania Lofts/New England Arlington, Mass. 021 74 61 7-648-7550 Great Western Seed Co. Albany, Ore. 97321 
503-926-2636 Lofts Kellogg Seed Co. Milwaukee, Wis. 53201 414-276-0373 ^mjW Ł Ł s&pf» a Lofts/New York Cambridge, N.Y. 12816 518-677-8808 Lofts/Maryland Landover, Md. 20785 301-322-8111