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  &  S O NS  C O M P A NY 

-  SEEDSMEN 
S e p t e m b er  1930 

Vol.  Ill 

-  MARYS VILLE,

  O H IO 

N<T~5 

ANTS 
How to Rid Your 
Lawn of Them 
A SEASON  when  the  weather  has 

been  so  unfavorable  to  the  growth 
of  grass  appears  to  have  been  chosen  by 
A N TS  as  an  ideal  time  for  their  whole-
sale  appearance.  Letters  by  the  scores 
have  come into  our  office asking  how  ants 
might  be  most  successfully  relieved  of 
"life  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness." 

The  remedies  herein  described  are  not 
our  own  discoveries  but 
the  accepted 
extermination  methods  recommended  by 
experiment  stations  and  the  vast  army  of 
golf  course  green  keepers  who have  thou-
sands  of  acres  of  fine  turf  under  their 
watchful  care.  The  burrows  of  ants  may 
be  fumigated  or  a  poisoned  bait  used  to 
feed  them. 

that  holes  be  made 

Carbon  bisulphide  and  calcium cyanide 
are  the  two  most  generally  used  fumi-
gants.  If  the  burrows  are  so numerous  as 
to  form  a  mound  it  is  suggested  by  one 
authority 
the 
mound  about  a  foot  apart  by  driving  a 
stake  an  inch  in  diameter  to  a  depth  of 
ten  or  twelve  inches.  About  one-fourth 
pint  of  carbon  bisulphide  is  then  poured 
into  each  hole  and  the  opening  plugged 
with  soil.  The  entire  mound  should  then 
be  covered  with  a  piece  of  old  carpet  or 

in 

burlap  for  twenty-four  hours  to  prevent 
escape  of  the  gas  formed  by  the  chemi-
cal. 

Where  the  ants  are  not  so  numerous 
that  they  have  formed  mounds,  carbon 
bisulphide  may  be  injected  into  the  open-
ings  by  employing  a  mechanic's  spring 
bottom  oil  can.  About  a  teaspoonful  of 
the  fumigant  should  be  squirted 
into 
each  opening.  The  openings  should  be 
plugged  with  soil  after  the  treatment  so 
the  fumes will  be  kept  in. 

Instead  of  carbon  bisulphide  one  may 
use  calcium  cyanide  provided  the  open-
ings  of  the  ant  nests  are  enlarged.  One 
teaspoonful  should  be  used  for  each  bur-
row.  Care  should  be  taken  not  to  spill 
lawn  areas 
these  chemicals  over  other 
than 
treated. 
Injury 
to 
plants  may  result  if  the  material  comes 
in  contact  with  the  roots.  Carbon  bisul-
phide  is  both  poisonous  and  inflammable 
and  should  be handled  as  such. 

those  being 

The  poisonous  bait  idea  may  also  be 
employed  in  the  war  on  ants.  This  is  the 
so-called  government  formula: 

1.  Dissolve  2  pounds  (1000  grams)  of 
sugar  in  2%  gills  of  water,  add  1/10 
ounce  (3  grams)  of  tartaric  acid  (crys-
tals)  boil  for  thirty  minutes  and  cool. 

2.  Dissolve  1/10  ounce  (3  grams)  of 
sodium  arsenate  in  4  teaspoonfuls  (20 
c.c.)  of  hot  water.  Cool  and  add  3  1/3 
ounces  (100  grams)  of  honey. 

Mix  the  two  solutions  together  thor-
oughly.  Small  pieces  of  sponge,  cotton 

V O L U ME  3 

[ 9} 

or  wadded  paper  should  then  be  sat-
urated  with  the  poison  syrup  and  dis-
tributed  where  the ants work. 

A  more  satisfactory  plan,  however,  is 
to place the poison to the depth  of  a half 
inch  in  small  covered  cans,  in  the  sides 
of  which  holes  have  been  punched  from 
the  inside  out  with  a  ten-penny  nail, 
about  an inch  from  the  bottom.  A  piece 
of  sponge,  cotton  or  paper  placed  in  the 
can  will  prevent  the  ants  from  drowning 
in  the  syrup.  This  poison  is  not  strong 
enough  to  kill  the  ants  immediately  but 
they  will  carry  it  away  to  the  nests  and 
feed  it to  the  queen  and  the young,  thus 
destroying  the  entire  colony. 

This  and  the  other  treatments  sug-
gested  will be  found  most successful  dur-
ing  warm,  sunny  weather  when  the  ants 
are most active. 

It  is  interesting  to  know  how  ants 
injure  grass.  The  galleries  which  they 
form  in  the  soil  disturb  plant  roots  and 
the  earthen  mounds  which  they  build 
cover  low  growing  plants.  Some  species 
carry  away  germinating  seeds  and  still 
others  are  indirectly  injurious  because 
they  protect  certain  plant  pests  such  as 
bugs  and  insects.  Ants'  nests  make  very 
unsightly  spots  in  lawns.  It  is  useless  to 
resow  such  spots  with  seed  until  the  ants 
have  been  killed.  These  areas  should 
then  be  raked  thoroughly,  new  soil  scat-
tered  over  them,  the  ground  fertilized 
and  re-seeded. 

Two  simple  treatments which are some-
times  successful  involve  the  use  of  coal 
oil and  Paris  green. 

Coal  oil  cannot be used on  the lawn as 
it  will  kill  the  grass.  However,  in  drives 
or other places without vegetation, a little 
coal  oil poured  into the holes will usually 
kill  the ant  colony. 

Paris green  mixed  in equal  proportions 
with  brown  sugar  will  often  destroy  a 
colony  as  the  ants  will  carry  the  poison 
to their nests and  feed  it to the  young. 

[ 1 0]  VOLUME 

As  in  the  treatment  of  all  lawn  pests, 
we  shall  be  glad  to  have  the  comments 
and  experiences  of  any  who  have  used 
various  ant  killing  remedies  and  formed 
some  opinion  on  the  subject.  There  are, 
of  course,  some  commercial  remedies  on 
the  market,  obtainable  usually  in  drug 
stores. 

Ant Extermination 

"T  H A VE  tried  all  kinds  of  things 
-L  for  ants  on  clay  courts  where  I 
could  get  at  them  with  Carbon  Bisul-
phide,  Gasoline,  Coal  Oil,  Boiling  Wa-
ter,  etc.  Waste  of  time.  The  simplest 
and best method  yet is to  mix  thoroughly 
Tartar  Emetic 
(poison)  1  part  to  ten 
parts  of  powdered  sugar  (fruit  sugar). 
Sprinkle  a  little  anywhere  where  the 
ants  are  working  at  any  time  when  the 
ground  is  dry.  Repeat  for  a  day  or  two 
where  some  nests  have  been  missed.  I 
generally  keep  it  in  a  can  and  just  drop 
a  pinch  or  two  as  I  walk  along  near  the 
ant  heaps.  The  ants  soon  carry  it  away 
and  don't  return." 

J.  M.  CARTIE, 
173  Barrington  Ave., 
Toronto,  Ont.,  Canada. 

Leaves for Protection 
MR.  ROBERT  RAMSEY,  of  New 
York  City, asked  us recently  what 
we  thought  of  allowing  leaves  that  had 
fallen,  to  remain  on  the  grass  over  the 
winter.  Our  advice  was to  rake or  sweep 
the leaves off  when  dry.  Wet  leaves mat 
so  tightly  that  they  keep  air  from  get-
ting  to  the  grass  and  it  is  apt  to  be 
smothered  out.  Such  a  covering  would 
be  especially  bad  for  new  grass  and  it 
was  a  brand  new  lawn  Mr.  Ramsey  was 
making.  It  takes  leaves  so  long  to  de-
compose  that  no  fertilizing  benefit  could 
possibly  result  simply  by  allowing  the 
leaves  to  remain  on  the  grass  through 
the  winter  months.