23rd Year No. 113 AND THEY STILL BITE T HE BAIT is a bit different at times. But the racket is still the same as frequently described in Lawn C are. A truck loaded with what looks them like “rich, black dirt” pulls up in front of a nice looking home. Usually two men are aboard, one of the spokesman. He spins a glib story that would outdo the best old time medicine men. For so much a basket they will really fix up the lawn because their stuff pro­ vides humus, fertilizer, seed, weed killer, and even vitamins. Sometimes they promise permanent dampness. Actually all they have is worthless, tired old muck or other exhausted or­ ganic material. Surprisingly those who should know better are the ones who so often fall—doctors, lawyers, busi­ ness men, besides the nice widows and maiden ladies who are supposed to be the gullible ones. Typically the trick is to put ten bas­ kets of the “magic” stuff on the lawn but claim to use 50 or 100. By some pretext or other, they maneuver the owner so he is not in position to count. They make their price so high they can cut 20% or more from the bill and still walk away with several hundred dol­ lars clear profit. A new quirk was reported recently by a Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, news­ paper. A couple of husky young men offered to apply “humus” at 7 cents per bushel. The owner said okay. He thought it was cheap. When the pair had finished, they demanded 70 cents per basket, claiming the owner had misunderstood their price quotation. Because they were big and threatening, they got the money. The papers of Keane, New Hamp­ shire, tell of the arrest and subsequent conviction of two men who were oper- the ating this racket in their town. Pre­ viously they had mulcted several resi­ dents, including two doctors. The same operators are reported to have taken over $500 from several professional and business men in Greenfield, Mass. In many instances of the black dirt racket, trucks bear out-of-state licenses. Instead of arousing suspicion, this seems to lend enchantment. The racket would be stopped if lawn own­ ers followed the oft-repeated advice of L awn Care to “buy soil, humus, or lawn and nursery work and services from a local concern that can provide references.” Know satisfactory your landscape man or nurseryman. There are qualified and legitimate operators in every community. local • the By time of killing frost, untreated Crabgrass plants will have dropped thou­ sands of seed to the soil. There is then no value in applying Crabgrass controls. The crop has been set for the next year so the only thing to do is start a control program next summer to stop the new crop before it can damage the lawn. Better Keep Your Mower! Several feature writers have excited many folks this year by optimistic re­ ports on a chemical that is supposed to halt the growth of grass, but still keep it nice and green. Let no lawn mower manufacturer jump out of the office window in des­ pair. The magic of chemistry isn’t that good yet. Perhaps an important place in horticulture and agriculture will be found for Maleic Hydrazide. However, Scotts Research last year and again this year show little promise for its use on lawns. A rate of spray that stopped growth, did it by the death method. In re­ peated tests it invariably discolored and 2 tests injured the grass to the extent that it would displease any home owner. Common sense would seem to clas­ sify this as an act against Nature. Stop growth and you stop life. When Newfoundland dogs can be held down to Pekinese size and you can throw away your razor because whiskers stop growing, maybe lawns can be so treated that the mower can be put into moth balls. For the present the advice is keep it in good state of repair. A further claim for M-H is that Crabgrass is killed “by doses which do not seem to affect the good permanent grasses like Bluegrass, Fescue and Bent.” Perhaps so under certain con­ ditions but in a series of tests by Scotts Lawn Research all three of these vari­ eties were killed at rates much lower than needed for Crabgrass. In fact applications below the critical range for Bluegrass actually seemed to give Crabgrass a new lease on life. "Me and Scotts products done it," was the joking comment of C. F. Farris of Billings, Montana, after he took the most beautiful top honors lawn in town. His success formula in­ food and cludes plenty of grass water. He cuts high, leaves the clip­ pings but after they are dry he cross­ mows them evenly over the to scatter for lawn. Veteran Reader Reminds Us The first issue of Lawn Care, August 1928, was sent to not more than five thousand souls. At least one of these folks has a sharp memory and a valuable file of the early bulletins as witness this letter: Sirs: the production Many congratulations on of your new compound, SCUTL, for the con­ trol of Crabgrass. I have known for about twenty-four years—since I first reacted to your advertisement on the in lawn seed National Geographic Magazine — that you have been wrestling with this vexacious problem. In “Vol. 1” (September, 1928, No. 2), which is devoted to the “King of the Fall Pests,” Crabgrass, is the following significant statement: “The surest way to rid the ground of Crabgrass is the plants by hand during June and July . . Following the above directions and keep­ ing in mind the fact that in your many LAWN CARE bulletins you have always ad­ vised against bare spots by keeping the turf thick, I have been more than ordinarily suc­ cessful lawn pests because mine is a small grass plot— and hand pulling of weeds for me has not been too arduous a task. May I take this occasion to thank you for the many, many LAWN CARE bulletins sent me from the beginning. Each one has had its own particular and absorbing mes­ sage and after studying and marking its significant passages, it has been filed away for future reference by one of your long­ time devotees who in better lawns, but who—at 68—still considers him­ self an attentive amateur. THOMAS J. FLYNN Roslindale, Boston, Mass. this worst of in combating to pull is interested SIRS: My neighbors and I have discovered the most perfect lawn it has been our privilege to behold, unquestionably the finest in the 48 states. Upon inquiry of the proud owner, he informed us the turf was installed ten years ago, using all Scotts products. Jamaica 3, N. Y. HENRY HOROVITZ How Late In The Fall For one reason or another, folks find winter weather imminent before they can get their fall lawn work done. Par­ ticularly is this true where a new home has been built and the schedule is such that the lawn can’t be worked on until quite late. The question is put to the editors thousands of times, “Shall I seed at this late date or wait until spring?” Generally the answer is, “If you can get the ground ready, go ahead. There is better than an even chance of the seed lying dormant but uninjured through the winter, ready to sprout when the soil warms in the spring.” This bit of advice has backfired in the last couple of years because of mild weather over a large part of the coun­ try. Ordinarily the seed could be ex­ pected to be under frozen conditions which would preserve it as a deep freeze does with food products. If the winter is mild the seed is apt to rot and its germinating ability destroyed. So the decision to seed after mid- October hinges on long range weather forecasting which may be by hunch or by the old timers’ signs that supposedly portend whether or not it’s to be a real old-fashioned winter. There are those who have, with reason, taken the road of compromise. They plant one-half the required rate whenever the lawn is ready in late fall or early winter, keeping the rest for over-seeding in the spring. NEW LAWN HINTS Fall is the preferred seeding time for new lawns. Careful soil preparation insures better results. See Lawn Care Digest Chapters 1 through 4. After final grade but before last raking, spread Turf Builder at 20 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft. After raking or dragging, ground 3 DIAGRAM A" Spreader Service Bulletin Available Conservation is again the order of the day. The life of a spreader can be lengthened appreciably by a little at­ tention after each use such as a thor­ ough washing and drying followed by oiling of the wheel bushings. Even then, some rusting is likely to occur, some parts unduly worn or damaged in use. So to be ready for lawn treatments next year, the owner of a Scotts Spreader is urged to service his machine before he puts it away for winter. Most any man who is handy with tools can fix up his own spreader. If the owner is not such a person, then a garage mechanic, lawn mower re­ pairman or community handy man could take care of it. To aid in this job a new Scotts SPREADER SERVICE MANUAL has been prepared. This is available without charge by addressing O M Scott & Sons Co, Marysville, Ohio. is ready to receive seed. Seeding as soon as possible after September first is advised. Divide seed; sow one-half in one direction, balance at right angles to insure more even coverage. Rake and roll per directions in seed package. LAWN FAILURES TURF TIPS published from time to time by the Rhode Island State Col­ lege, under the able editorship of J. A. DeFranee, carried this cogent observa­ tion in a recent issue under the heading “WHY SOME LAWNS FAIL.” . . . “Perhaps too deeply or too lightly, and it is washed or blown away. Young seedlings may have dried out from lack of water, or drowned out from too much water. Diseases like damping-off, seedling blight or brown patch may kill the tender young turf. If bare spots occur, reseed them immediately to help avoid invasion of weeds. Give these spots some extra care to hasten their development and blending with the rest of the lawn.” the seed was covered O M SCOTT & SONS CO. \Scsm) M A R Y S V I L L E - - O H I O EVERY PACKAGE OF SCOTTS LAWN CARE PRODUCTS BEARS THIS TRADE - MARK AND IS SEALED FOR YOUR PROTECTION