27th Year No 133 Time to Chase "S VHE DANDELION le- gions are advancing. Their yellow flowers rise quickly as a foretaste of summer sun t he w a r ms good earth. Each dandelion head is a composite of about thirty blossoms, producing thirty seeds. These seeds grow into the familiar downy white balls on tough hard-to-cut stems. While impossible to keep the ubiqui- tous dandelion from popping up in the yard, it's easy to prevent this poacher from taking over. Dandelions can now be stopped cold by timely use of today's weed controls. Dry applied 4-XD is about the easiest to use of various 2,4-D type weed controls. In addition to downing the dandelions, it makes short work of plantain, dock, wild lettuce, pepper grass, shepherds purse, daisies, wild mustard, in fact, almost any broad- leaved, non-grass type of weed. The time to control weeds is when in the actively Weeds Away! and the plants are growing noticeably lawn . . . preferably a couple of days before mowing. If there is much new seedling grass in the lawn, the weed control program should be deferred until the new grass has had two or three mowings. In The real joy of using the granular type weed control is ease of applica- tion. Just wheel out the spreader, set it to the prescribed scale mark and walk over the lawn . .. no carrying water, or fussing with spray equipment. Then too, because particles can drop right down on weed leaves, there is no mist drift to harm roses, flowers, vegetables. lawns where broad-leafers are growing in isolated patches, over-all weeding may not be needed. Here the spreader can be used for limited area application. Simply walk over infested areas, using handy off and on control to drop the particles wherever weeds appear. Some prefer hand broadcasting —using the shaker tab provided on the box, or even devise a can with holes for sifting the granules lightly on weed crowns like sugar on the morning cereal. But stoop to dig them out . . . never . . . that's the antiquated, labo- rious, slow and unsure way. Hand digging seldom removes more than topgrowth and the roots remain to shoot up new troublemakers. Double Action As weeds subside, grass needs to be stimulated to tiller out and fill in the spots where dandelion or other rogues pockmarked the lawn. WEED & FEED is the product to do just that. As one reader put it so well, this material is a Pro-Con sort of thing. It's not a fence sitter. Instead it's definitely "for" grass and "against" weeds. WEED & FEED is a clean, dry com- pound that is easily broadcast with a Scotts Spreader. It is economical to use since one easy trip across the lawn achieves the weed control action of 4-XD and an extra feeding. Definitely Weed & Feed is a labor saving, two-jobs-in-one fruit of Scotts Lawn Research, a faithful lawn aide since 1947. Many LAWN CARE readers use it at least once a year in their main- tenance program, even when weeds apparently are not too bothersome, to check chance invaders from neighbor- ing lawns before they can multiply and give the grass an extra boost. Scutl As Lawn Treatment Since its introduction in 1950, SCUTL has become the widest used of the crabgrass controls because of effective- ness and ease of application. In recent years LAWN CARE readers are finding SCUTL provides benefits beyond that of controlling crabgrass. They find it an excellent lawn treat- ment for late spring before crabgrass has become a worry in mind or turf. One of the extras of SCUTL arises from the fact that it carries a substan- tial amount of mercury — in one of the best fungicidal or disease control forms known for grass. This is import- ant in the spring because many fungus diseases, particularly Leaf Spot, severely weaken grass plants so they cannot survive the adverse weather of late spring and early summer. The other benefit of SCUTL as a lawn treatment is its action in curtailing the growth of hot weather annuals, in- cluding crabgrass, that may start up from mid-May to early June. The action is directly on the emerging seed- ling as it pops through the soil crust. Thus SCUTL must be at location on the soil to cause suicide of the emerging A Weed Control Program costs so little. All applications with the Spreader. WEEDS MATERIAL COST TO TREAT WHEN TO USE SEEDLING GRAS! 4-XD. Granular for- mulation of 2,4-D. $0.44 per 1000 sq ft basis bag pur- chase. Whenever non-grass w e e ds in a c t i ve growth. until Delay lawn has had cutting. af fi Same as 4-XD ex- cept avoid use on lush grass from mid June to mid August. Wait until seco season, i. e. spri until fall, fall ui next spring. Delay start of p gram until after fi or second mowii Water in well weather hot. directions. P r e - e m e r g e n ce schedule should be- gin during or just a f t er d a n d e l i on blossoming time. for complete 1. B r o a d - l e a v ed such as Dandelions, P l a n t a i n, C h i c k- w e e d, H e a l - A I I, Speedwell, Thistle, Mustard, practically all non-grass weeds. 2. A n n u al w e e ds springing up as soil warms, C r a b g r a ss included. Also in- hibits dis- fungus eases. Weed & Feed. Ex- c l u s i v e f o rm of 2 , 4 -D in s p e c i al grass food. SCUTL. Unique, dry formulation of mer- a nd c u ry o t h er chemicals. $1.07 per 1000 sq ft (bag size). Weed c o n t r ol v a l ue of 4 - XD p l us g o od feeding. $4.00 per 1000 sq ft (bag size). Covers cost of full series of five treatments. This is simply a planning guide. See folder in each package plants before they see more than a fraction of the light of day. Timing To enjoy the benefits of greener, more vigorous turf resulting from dis- ease control and to catch emerging annual weeds, the first SCUTL applica- tion should be made soon after dande- lion blooming time and after spring plantings of lawn grass have germi- nated. Generally this is late April to mid-May, depending upon climate. the Applications are best made with Scotts Spreader since the entire lawn must be covered for best results. Repeat dosages of SCUTL are essen- tial. These should be spaced at 14 day intervals and for safety's sake, should continue well through June. SCUTL has little or no effect on estab- lished weed plants, such as dandelions and the like. An application of 4-XD can well be scheduled half way between the SCUTL intervals to take care of established broad-leaved weeds. MOWING Cool season cutting heights can probably be continued into June in most areas at these approximate mower settings: Deluxe Lawn — 1 inch Good Lawn — 1 to 1 l/i inches Utility Lawn — 1 l/i to 2 inches Raise mowing height about 50% when summer heat sets in. Meanwhile, frequent mowing is important. It is better for grass if there is not too much cut off in one mowing — a half inch is about the maxi- mum. This applies to brand new lawns as well as old ones. TOUGH SEEDING SPIKES of grass sometimes present a problem in late spring or early summer. This is the natural time for grass to develop seed heads in an effort to repro- duce its kind. Seeding stems may develop closely to the ground but as they grow the seeding stalk gets coarser and tougher, and may escape the mower. This is more pro- nounced in some types of grass than others but actually may appear in any lawn and the condition may be worse when a dull mower is being used. This seeding period is usually limited to a couple of weeks and calls for a little extra patience in mowing, possibly chopping off the prostrate stems. A sickle or grass whip may be used to cut off upright stems. WATERING may need to be started earlier than many people realize. A few days of burning sun and wind without rain is apt to dry the upper inch or two of soil quite severely. Restoration of surface moisture with sprinkling may conserve the moisture lying deeper in the root zone, thus keeping the soil in better condition and preventing injury to the grass. If a lawn is to be watered, it's better to replace moisture be- fore the grass shows signs of wilting. This is especially true with the deluxe lawn. FEEDING If perchance a spring bolstering with Turf Builder was missed, by all means get it on as soon as possible. Even if feed- ing was made earlier but turf does not seem too vigorous, make another application. Consider double-acting Weed & Feed as an alternate. SEEDING New grass starting in May will have a tough time of it. Abundant moisture will help but the hot burning sun takes its toll of young grass. If late seeding a new lawn, consider use of Scotts "Special", quick growing Haven or even straight Clover. Keep in mind the convenience of the easier to sow Clovex, the Scott formulation of clover and dry inert carrier to make it easy to seed evenly and lightly. LEAF SPOT DISEASE in grass has been j described by one writer as "going away" but likely he was thinking of "melting out" — a term long used by greenkeepers to describe a particular trouble on putting greens. summer When Leaf Spot attacks, the grass does not immediately disappear though it does develop lesions, brownish cen- ters merging into black edges. This trouble of a cool, wet spring can be forestalled by utilizing the fungicidal activity of SCUTL. • In sending samples of weeds for indenti- fication, the best wrapping material is alumi- num foil. Wax paper is satisfactory but identification is more difficult if the speci- men is packed in soil or wet paper. Late spring SCUTL-ing made difference SCUTL-ing in New the England New Haven, Conn. . . . We were very much pleased with the outcome of the use of your crab- grass control composition during the season of 1953. You will see by the data that Scutl was applied to crabgrass infested turf on three occasions: April 24, May 15 and June 8. No treatments were made during the summer months. At the close of the growing season the treated turf area was tor the most part free from crabgrass infestation. This was in contrast to heavily popu- lated areas in the near vicinity of the treated plot. It would appear that the use of Scutl during the summer months would have eliminated virtually all of the crabgrass plants in the treated turf. There were almost no weeds in the treated turf. An occasional dandelion showed up. These were removed by hand. Disease was non-existent where Scutl had been applied. J C SCHREAD, Assoc. Entomologist Agric Exp Station Junior Achievement . . . with the dry weather coming up, I want to be ready to apply Scotts Weed Controls. I am in high school and during the summer have two fel- lows helping me take care of 17 lawns. That's all we do — fix up lawns with the Scotts Spreader. A year ago I spent 75c for a want ad and have kept busy ever since. Burlington, DICK MILLER Wisconsin Give the Grass a Chance. If seed has been planted into an established lawn, don't smother the new growth by failing to mow regularly or letting clippings lie heavily on the grass. Remember, too, that germination may be delayed if the soil is dry or cold. If you fail to see young grass, don't rush out and sow more seed. It will do more harm than good. Generally all that is needed is patience and confidence. Philadelphia Enquirer — Tuesday, March 3. State police issued a warning today for residents of this area to be on the watch for two men who are solicit- ing sales of lawn fertilizer at exorbitant prices. The warning was issued after Mrs. Mary Frederick of 535 Beach Avenue said she agreed to let the men spread fertilizer on her lawn. When they fin- ished, Mrs. Frederick said they asked for $500 and when she refused, $200. She finally gave them a check for $96 and traveler's checks totaling $10. jf The old black dirt racket. See Lawn earlier.—(Ed.) Care Nos 120, 117 and • A solid turf is advisable but not a matted condition. Some grass develops a shaggy- dog effect because of cutting too high. A few brushings and mowings at an inch or so in cool weather will help alleviate such condi- tion. Thick lawns are better cut at one inch in the spring and fall, and at IV2 inches in hot weather. O M SCOTT & SONS C O. S c o t te M A R Y S V I L LE - - O H IO M C - 1 11 3 2 2 54 EVERY PACKAGE OF SCOTTS LAWN CARE PRODUCTS BEARS THIS TRADE - MARK AND IS SEALED FOR YOUR PROTECTION