A discussion of the vital problems of lawn making and maintenance P U B L I S H ED S E V E R AL TIMES Y E A R LY BY O. M. SCOTT & SONS C O M P A NY - SEEDSMEN August 1929 - MARYS VILLE, O H IO No. 4 Vol. II CHICKWEED Varieties and Cures THERE are many varieties of Chick- weed but the two which are found most frequently in lawns are the Com- mon Chickweed and the Mouse-ear Chickweed. We shall comment first upon the weed in general and then describe in detail the two species. In spite of its frail ap- pearance, chickweed is probably the hardiest and most persistent weed on earth. One authority has this to say: "I have picked green and thrifty stems, bear- ing buds, flowers and seeds, within a yard of a melting snow bank, dur- ing a January thaw." Though the seeds of chickweed are small they retain their vitality for many years. Common chickweed is a familiar pest all over the world while the mouse-ear variety is at home in North America and may be found as far north as the Arctic Circle. Common chickweed is an annual and propagates from seeds. It blooms throughout the year and may be found in gardens, meadows, cultivated fields and waste places as well as in lawns. The leaves are usually not more than a half inch in length. They are ovate, smooth, and the upper ones so numerous that the plant often covers the ground like a green mat. Chickweed has small white flowers with five star-like petals. This star is set within a larger green one, formed of five oblong, pointed, hairy sepals, their base. The seeds are very numerous and are round, brown and flattened. joined at Mouse-ear chickweed is a perennial; blooms from May until September, and propagates from seeds. The leaves of this species are usually ob- long, sometimes lance shaped, and not as might be supposed, resembling the ears of a mouse. The whole plant is covered with downy hairs giving the plant a dirty grayish cast. The weed flowers in loose clusters, the central one solitary and always the oldest. Usually but one flower in a clus- ter is open at one time. Common Chickweed A side view of the illustra- tion will give you a better idea of how chickweed ap- pears in lawns. VOLUME 2 [7] CONTROL OF CHICKWEED. In cultivated ground chickweed is not apt to become troublesome as its shallow growing roots are usually destroyed by tillage. But it is the killing of this weed in lawns which interests us. Spraying with Iron Sulfate is the oldest remedy. This may be done just as in the case of check- ing dandelions and plantain, by the use of one pound of Iron Sulfate (Copperas) Crystals in one to one and a half gallons of water sprinkled or sprayed on about 100 square feet of area. This treatment is especially effective on young chick- weed plants. The grass may be stained temporarily by the spray but it will re- cover. A newer remedy but perhaps no more effective is the use of Ammonium Sul- fate. Says a bulletin published by the Golf Association: "Burn your chickweed with Ammo- nium Sulfate. Water the area to be treated so chickweed will be wet and then sprinkle a small amount of the dry chemical on these patches and let it stand for a day. Then follow this with a thorough watering to wash the chemi- cal down into the soil. Some of the grass may be burned but the damage to it is only temporary. These chemicals, of course, possess fertilizing value and will benefit the grass." In real wet weather the plant of com- mon chickweed can easily be pulled out by hand. We shall welcome, for later publica- tion, suggestions by any of our readers as to their successful encounters with chickweed. If you have found one of the above remedies better than the other or a third one still more effective, sit right down and tell us about it, today. [8] VOLUME 2 Chickweed Cure "I annihilated my pest of chickweed by cutting the areas in rectangles—lift- ing like sod—turning over and tamping. The chickweed died. Now I am ready to topdress and reseed." M R S. V I N C E NT N O R T ON The Collins Lone Pine Road Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Covers Newly Seeded Areas With Burlap "I wish to give you some information on how to grow grass quickly, which if you do not already know, is very valua- ble on flat surfaces and especially on slopes. "My neighbor advised me to place bur- lap over the surface, pinning the same down at the corners with heavy wire after the soil had been prepared and the grass had been planted and to wet the burlap daily. In this way the sun strikes the burlap, heating the same and making the grass grow very rapidly. The burlap also prevents the birds from disturbing the seed and eating it. He told me that within two weeks after planting the seed I would have quite a heavy growth of grass, and to my surprise, this was true. I had tried for several years to grow grass in this particular location without success. "Perhaps the above information will be of some value to you."—H. C. ZIM- MERMAN, General Motors Bldg. Corp., Detroit, Mich. Hushing Pins and Potato Peelers Win Weeding Honors "I greatly appreciate your L A WN C A R E. Do you know that an old fashioned curved husking pin is the finest weeding tool in the world? Seedling weeds, espe- cially, simply can't resist it. Mine cost S C H E N K, Des Moines, 15c."—CASPER Iowa.