A   discussion  oj the vital problems  o f lawn  making  and maintenance

P U B L I S H E D   S E V E R A L   T I M E S   Y E A R L Y   B Y  

O.  M.  S C O T T   &  S O N S   C O M P A N Y  

-  S E E D S M E N  
March-April  1930 

-  M A R Y S V I L L E ,   O H I O

No. 2

Vol.  Ill 

(Achille Millefolium).

FRIEND and  FOE
Y ARROW, 

IS  THIS  WEED

Other  English  names  for  this  weed 
are  Milfoil,  Thousand-leaf,  Sanguinary, 
Bloodwort,  Soldiers’  Woundwort,  Nose­
bleed  Weed.  This  is  one 
of  the  few  weeds  that 
cannot  be  classified  as  a 
serious pest. It is not par­
ticularly  unsightly, 
the 
leaves being fern-like and 
ra th e r  p retty .  T hese 
leaves do, however, lie flat 
upon the ground, tending 
to  smother  out  other 
grasses.  If  allowed  to  go 
to  seed  the  plants  will 
grow  two  feet  tall.  Nat­
urally  they  are  not  per­
mitted  to produce seed in 
the lawn  but  being a  per­
ennial,  p ro p ag ate  by 
means  of  root  stalks  as 
well  as  seeds.  In  pasture 
and waste lands where al­
lowed to grow unmolested 
Yarrow  blooms  between 
June  and  October.  The 
seeding time is August to 
November. Yarrow grows 
throughout  North  America  and  in  most 
parts  of  the  world.  It  is  a  very  hardy 
weed,  thriving  in  almost  any  soil  and  be­
ing  indifferent  to  tropic  heat  or  arctic 
cold.  The  Latin  name  reveals  the  fact

that  Yarrow  was  named  for  the  invul­
nerable  Achilles  who,  it  is  said,  used  the 
herb  for  the  cure  of  his  Myrmidons 
wounded at the siege of Troy. It is known 
that  the  plant  has  some  medicinal  value 
and  its  dried  leaves  and  flowers  bring  a 
fair price in  the drug market.

Tough  Root  System

In addition to the fern­
like  leaves  which  at  the 
base  of  a  fully  matured 
plant  are  about  10 inches 
long,  there  are  w hite 
flow ers  appearing  in  a 
dense,  flat-topped,  com­
pound  corym bis.  T he 
roots  are  horizontal  and 
tough  and  cling  strongly 
to  the  parent  plant.  The 
foliage  is  strong  scented 
and  has  a  b itte r  taste 
(probably the  reason  it is 
used for medicine). Cattle 
avoid  the  plant  for  that 
reason  but  may  eat  it  in 
dry  fodder,  in which  case 
it becomes very damaging 
to  the  quality  of  dairy 
products.  In  some  parts 
of  the  world  the  pure 
seed of Yarrow is obtain­
able,  indicating  th a t  it 
has  some  use  as  a  grow­
ing crop. Business friends of ours in Ger­
many  say  that  Yarrow  is  not  cultivated 
there  but  that  the  seed  is  hand  collected 
where it grows wild. "It is used for sheep 
pastures  and  also  in  chemists’  shops  as  a

• • » • » • « • • • m iit m iM I M I M I I H M I lH S I I I I I I M M I I I H I im it lllim iim M M m M I I I M lim iim im ilim illlM M M M M I I I M I I I M M H I I I I H I I I M M M M M I M lM M

medical  drug.”

Writes an  English seedsman:  ''Yarrow 
is  certainly not  considered  a  weed  in this 
country.  At one time it was used in quite 
considerable  quantities but now in a very 
small  way.  It  is  always  in  sheep  pasture 
where it is considered a very useful plant. 
The  seed  has  been known  to command  a 
price of $2.00 per pound.”
Possible Airport Grass

It  is  possible  that 
Y arrow ,  while  now 
considered  a  weed, 
m ay  yet  become  a 
useful  plant  in  this 
country. As a matter 
of  fact,  the  grass  is 
now  being  consid­
ered  for  use  on  air­
ports  principally  be­
cause  of  the  tenacity 
with  which  the  foli­
age  clin g s  to  the 
roots, also because of 
the  tough  root  sys­
tem itself. The thick, 
finely  laced   leaves 
adhere to the ground 
and  form  a  sort  of  carpet  which  may 
prove  quite  useful in keeping  down dust, 
one  of  the  serious  airport problems.

Means of Control

Yarrow  is  one  of  the  few  weeds  for 
which  there  is  no  remedy  recommended 
other  than  hand  digging.  Because  the 
roots though spreading, are attached so se­
curely to the parent plant a whole colony 
of  Yarrow  may  be  ousted  in  one  pull  if 
the ground is soft.  Seed production may, 
of  course,  be  prevented  by close mowing. 
Many do not regard Yarrow seriously be­
cause  it is not unsightly and is preferable 
to  coarse  ugly  weeds  if  weeds  you  must 
have.  However,  it  shouldn’t  be  allowed 
to  take  the  place  of  desirable  grasses. 
Most impure lawn mixtures contain many 
thousand  seeds  of  Yarrow  per  pound.

Earthworms  Next

WEEDS  will  have  a  rest  in  the  mid­

summer  issue  of  Lawn  C are  and 
the  feature  article  will  be  on  the  subject 
of  Earthworms  and 
their  elimination 
from  a  lawn.  You  will  be  surprised  to 
learn  how much study has been put upon

this  matter  and  what  interesting  fact* 
have  been brought  to  light.

Appreciates 

Advice

Y OUR bulletin of February,  1930,  on 

Ground  Creeping  Ivy  is  what  we 
have  been  waiting  and  looking  for,  for 

quite a number of years. W ith the simple 
treatment  that  you  outline  it  should  be 
no  trouble  to  get  rid  of  this,  one  of  the 
very  worst  of  all  lawn  pests.

R. S.  Isaacson, 
Princeton,  111.

"Your  Turf  Builder  is  a  perfect  won­

der.” 

C larence  G riggs.
Ottawa,  111.

Qrass Hunting in Africa
IN   a  recent  issue  of  one  of  the  farm 

papers we noted a very interesting ar­
ticle  by  L. W . Kephart  of  the  U .  S.  De­
partment of  Agriculture written after his 
return  from East Africa.

We  learn  that  for  thirty  years  there 
has  been  a  systematic  introduction  of 
new  grasses  from  foreign  countries,  dur­
ing  which  time  80,000  plants  have  been 
brought  to  this  country  for  experimental 
purposes.  A  large  portion,  of  course,  are 
doomed  to  failure  because  they  are  not 
adapted  to  conditions  here  but  many  of 
our  modern  improved  varieties  owe  their 
beginning  to  this  process;  for  example 
numerous  cereals,  cotton,  soybeans,  alf­
alfa  and  various  fruits  and  vegetables. 
In  the  field  of  grasses  there  are  notably 
the fescues.

Mr.  Kephart  traveled  thousands  of 
miles  in  East  Africa  and  sent  back seeds 
of  150  different grasses from which there 
may  emerge  some  outstanding  varieties 
which  will  be  a  blessing  to  either  the 
farmer  or  home  owner.  This  research  on 
the  part  of  the  government  is  constantly 
going on.  It is a part of the general pro­
gram  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture 
to  discover and classify new plants  of ev­
ery  description  for  the  profit  and  pleas­
ure of our people.

Note:  Mr.  Kephart  has  been  good 
enough  to  write  us  about  two  possible 
lawn  grasses  which  his  trip  brought  to 
light.  We  shall  tell  you  about  them  in 
the next issue of Lawn  Care.

— f—

Scott  Publications

The  following  may  be  had  for  the 

asking:

Scott’s  Seed  Guide,  a  72-page  book  of 
valuable  information  for  the  man  who 
farms.

Bent  Lawns,  an 

illustrated  booklet 
which  tells  how  to  make  and  maintain  a

Creeping  Bent Lawns.

Lawns,  a  small  booklet  of  condensed 
facts  about  the  making  of  a  new  lawn 
and  the  improving of  an  old one.

Converting  to  Creeping  Bent,  a  folder 
which explains four methods of remaking 
and  improving  an  old  lawn  by  using 
Bent.

In  addition  to  the  above  we  will  send 
to  anyone  a  full  set  of  the  issues  of 
Lawn  Care  which  have  preceded  this 
one.  There  have  been  nine  and  the  fol­
lowing  lawn  pests  have  been  discussed: 
Plantain,  Crab-grass,  Dandelions,  Moss, 
Grubs  and  Beetles,  Chickweed,  Buck- 
horn, and Ground Ivy.
Dandelion Eradication
AS promised in a previous issue of this 

*  paper,  we  are  glad  to  reprint  an 
artice  appearing  recently  in  G olfdom 
Magazine  on  the  subject  of  Dandelion 
and  Plantain  eradication.  The  author  is 
Mr.  John  Mac  Gregor,  Greenkeeper  of 
the Chicago Golf Club.

I have  tried  every device and method 
which  I  thought  might  combat  them. 
First,  I  tried  cutting  them  under  the 
ground,  and  I  found  they  had 
in­
creased  instead  of  decreased  in  num­
ber;  where  one  was,  six  or  seven 
showed  up  from  the  same  plant,  so 
the  pest  was  multiplied  a  thousand 
fold.  Then  I  tried  gasoline.  I  took  an 
ordinary  oil  can  and  soldered  a  spike 
with  a  sharp  point  to  the  spout.  The 
spike  extending  an  inch  and  a  half 
beyond  the  end  of  the  spout,  this  was 
pushed  into  the  heart  of the  dandelion 
and  a  small  amount  of  the  gasoline 
deposited  in  the  wound,  which  was 
very  effective,  but  an  expensive  cure. 
Then  there  was  the  danger  of  poison­
ing  the  soil.
During  this  period  we  wrote  to  the 
Department  of  Agriculture  at  Wash­
ington  for  information  on  the  eradica­
tion  of  dandelions.  When  the  informa­
tion  came,  I  immediately  set  to  work 
on  this  new  system.  We  bought  a 
power  sprayer  of  200  gallons  capacity, 
also  a  potato  sprayer  attachment, 
which was  attached behind  the outfit.

The  formula  was  one  and  a  half 
pounds  iron  sulphate  (copperas)  to one 
gallon  of  water,  the  solution  to  be  ap­
plied  with  150  pounds’  pressure.  I  fol­
lowed  the  instructions,  choosing  one 
of  the  worst  infested  areas  I  could 
find.  The  day following  the  application 
I  looked  over  the  result  of  the  experi­
ment  and  was  disappointed.  All  that 
could  be  noticed  was  the  leaves  of  the 
dandelions  were  spotted  with  rust. 
Then  I  noticed  that  where  the  wheels 
of  the  sprayer  had  traveled  the  leaves 
were  entirely  black.  I  decided  we  had 
the  correct  formula, but  the  method  of 
application  would  not  give  the  desired 
results.  The  first  dandelions  I  sprayed 
were  just  as  strong  as  they  were  be' 
fore  I  started.  During  this  period  I 
was  trying  to  devise  ways  and  means 
whereby this solution could be handled 
and applied  with  dispatch.

At  this  time  we  still  had  horses  and 
they  were  the  only  means  by  which 
this  sprayer  could  be  navigated.  Any­
one  who  has  had  anything  to  do  with 
horses  knows  that  hauling  a  200-gal­
lon  sprayer,  loaded,  is  real  work,  and 
that  they  must  be  given  a  breathing 
spell  quite  frequently  to  enable  you 
to  have  them  the  following  day,  espe­
cially  in  hot  weather.  The  result  was, 
before  I had  covered  half of the  rough, 
the  wheels  had  bruised  the  leaves,  I 
must  devise  some  means  of  bruising 
the  leaves  so  the  iron  could  penetrate, 
and  hit  on  the  idea  of  using  a  chain 
drag  which  had  been  used  during  the 
construction  of  the  course.  I  am  glad 
to  say  this  has  proven  to  be  the  death 
knell  of  the  dandelion,  although  suc­
cess  was  not  to  come  just  yet.

When  we  got  the  first  few  ship­
ments  of  iron  sulphate  it  was  coarse 
and  hard  to  dissolve.  Upon  investiga­
tion  I  found  we  could  purchase  granu­
lated  or  sugar  iron  sulphate.  This  I 
found  could  be  dissolved  in  less  than 
half  the  time.  Then  I  procured  six 
fifty-gallon  barrels  and  knocked  the 
heads  out  and  used  them  for  dissolv­
ing,  putting  100  pounds  of  iron  sul­
phate  in  each,  dissolving  with  suffi­
cient  water.  Three  of  the  barrels  are 
enough  for a  load  in  a  200  gallon  tank. 
The  other  three  barrels  are  dissolving 
while  the  load  is  being  emptied  on  the 
course;  when  the  men  return,  these 
three  are  pumped  into  the  tank.  Every 
time  three  barrels  are  emptied,  the 
material  is  put  in  for  the  next  load.  I

use  a  portable  double-action  suction 
pump  for  pumping  the  solution  into  a 
tank,  using  a  two-inch  suction  and  a 
two-inch  outlet  hose.

After  two  years’  experimenting,  we 
purchased  a  Fordson  tractor.  This was 
the  first  time  results  really  began  to 
show,  as  I  found  the  rough  could  be 
sprayed  in  a  week,  and  that  five  suc­
cessive  sprayings  two  weeks  apart 
would  kill  ninety-eight  per  cent  of  the 
dandelions.  The  only  ones  left  were 
some  of  the  very  largest,  which  were 
very  easily  destroyed  with  a  weed 
stinger  and  gasoline.

The  success  of  this  treatment  is 
evidenced  by  the  fact  that  the  treated 
areas  are  free  from  dandelions.
Do  not  use  iron  sulphate  on  bent 
turf,  either  seeded  or  stolons.  It  will 
kill  out  badly.

Mr.  Mac  Gregor  supplements  this  in­
teresting  article  with  a  letter  to  us  in 
which  he  further  expresses  his  satisfac­
tion  with  his  present  method  of  eradi­
cating  dandelions.  He  also say*:

"The  best  method  of  application  for 
lawns  is  a  fifty-gallon  spray  barrel  on 
wheels  so  that  it  can  be  moved  about. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  have  a  pressure 
pump.  A  hand  operated  pump  will  be 
satisfactory.  The  soil  should  not  be  sat' 
urated  with  the  material. 
It  is  only 
necessary  to  spray  the  foliage,  then  it 
should  be  dragged  immediately  before 
the  material  has  a  chance  to  dry  on  the 
foliage.  You  will  find  at  the  end  of  two 
weeks  the  dandelions  have  made  a  new 
growth  and  it  is  only  by  the  continual 
killing  of  the  new  foliage  that  the  vi­
tality  of  the  plant  is  sapped.  Finally 
there  is  nothing  left.”

The  equipment  to  be  used  in  carry­
ing  out  Mr.  Mac  Gregor’s  plan  would 
of  course  depend  upon  the  size  of  the 
area.  Only  on  large  lawns  or  extensive 
grounds  would  the  fifty-gallon  barrel  be 
necessary.  The  type  of  container  to  be 
used  should  be  determined  by  the  lawn 
area  which  needs  to  be  treated.  To  carry 
out  the  dragging  idea  either  a  steel  door 
mat  or  a  heavy  plank  pulled  over  the 
lawn  should  suffice.