A ND THEY STILL BITE THE BAIT is a bit different at times. But the racket is still the same as frequently described in L A WN CARE. A truck loaded with what looks like "rich, black dirt" pulls up in front of a nice looking home. Usually two men are aboard, one of the spokesman. 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- them 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, seed, weed killer, and even vitamins. Sometimes they promise permanent dampness. fertilizer, 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. 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. the 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 A WN CARE to "buy soil, humus, or lawn and nursery work and services from a local concern that can provide satisfactory references." Know landscape man or nurseryman. your There are qualified and legitimate operators in every community. local By the 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 lawn. the 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 tests year and again this year show little promise for its use on lawns. A rate of spray that stopped growth, it by the death method. In re- did peated tests it invariably discolored and injured the grass to the extent that it would displease any home owner. the advice the present A further claim for M-H Common sense would seem to clas- this as an act against Nature. sify 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 is keep it in good state of repair. is that Crabgrass is killed "by doses which do not seem to afiect the good permanent grasses 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 fact than needed applications below range for Bluegrass actually seemed to give Crabgrass a new lease on life. like Bluegrass, Fescue for Crabgrass. the critical In the most in town. His success formula "Me a nd Scotts products done it/' w as the ¡oking comment of C. F. Farris of Billings, Montana, after he took beautiful top honors in- lawn a nd cludes water. He cuts high, the clip- pings but after they are dry he cross- mows over the them evenly to lawn. scatter plenty leaves food for of grass V e t e r an Reader Reminds Us H ow L a te In T he F a ll The first issue of LAWN CARE, August 1 9 2 8, 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: I lawn Many congratulations on the production of your new compound, SCUTL, for the con- for about trol of Crabgrass. I have known to twenty-four years—since first reacted your advertisement on in the you National Geographic Magazine — that vexacious have been wrestling with 1928, problem. the "King of No. 2), which is devoted the Fall Pests," Crabgrass, following significant statement: "The surest way to is the (September, In "Vol. to rid seed this the fact to pull of Crabgrass hand during June and July Following in mind the above directions and keep- in your many ing L A WN 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 this worst of in combating task. that the ground the plants by 1" . . is May I take this occasion to thank you for the many, many L A WN CARE bulletins sent me from the beginning. Each one has its own particular and absorbing mes- had sage and after its filed away significant passages, long- for time devotees who in better lawns, but who—at 68—still considers him- self an attentive amateur. future reference by one of your studying and marking it has been interested is Roslindale, Boston, Mass. THOMAS J. FLYNN • SIRS: My neighbors and I have discovered the it has been our privilege most perfect lawn to behold, unquestionably the 48 states. Upon inquiry of the proud owner, he ten years ago, using all Scotts products. informed us turf was installed finest the the in Jamaica 3, N. Y. HENRY HOROVITZ late. The question 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 is such that the lawn can't be worked on until quite the schedule lying dormant but the winter, ready 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 uninjured seed through 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 its germinating ability destroyed. and 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.. Fall N EW L A WN HINTS 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 DIAGRAM "A" LUG SLOT SHOULD EITHER BE H E R E- C L O S ED OR H E R E- O P EN AGITATOR SHUT-OFF BAR AXLE BUSHING C u t a w ay d r a w i ng s h o w i ng u n i q ue c o n s t r u c t i on of t he Scotts S p r e a d e r. is ready soon as possible after September is advised. to receive seed. Seeding as first Divide seed; sow one-half direction, balance at right angles insure more even coverage. in one to Rake and roll per directions in seed package. L A WN FAILURES TURF TIPS published from time to time by the Rhode Island State Col- lege, under the able editorship of J. A. DeFrance, carried this cogent observa- tion in a recent issue under the heading "WHY SOME LAWNS FAIL." lightly, and . . . "Perhaps the seed was covered too deeply or too 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." S p r e a d er S e r v i ce B u l l e t in A v a i l a b le 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. 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. then, some rusting Even 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. in this To a id j ob a n ew Scotts has SPREADER SERVICE M A N U AL b e en p r e p a r e d. This is a v a i l a b le w i t h o ut c h a r ge by a d d r e s s i ng O M Scott & Sons Co, M a r y s v i l l e, O h i o. O M SCOTT & SONS CO. M A R Y S V I L LE - - O H IO EVERY PACKAGE OF SCOTTS LAWN CARE PRODUCTS BEARS THIS TRADE - MARK AND IS SEALED FOR YOUR PROTECTION