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 YEARLY BY Vol. IV O. M . S C O TT & S O NS C O M P A NY - SEEDSMEN September 1931 - MARYS VILLE, O H IO No. 5 KNOT GRASS Thrives Best Where Treated Worst THE N A ME sounds worse than the weed proves to be in most lawns. It is a social, almost domesticated weed which seems to thrive best where con- grass. It is both annual and perennial, propagates by seeds between July and September, and may be found nearly everywhere in North America as well as in Europe and Asia. The stems of Knot Grass are slender, pale green, faintly ridged, and usually prostrate. Some of the stems from a sin- gle plant will vary from four inches to KNOT GRASS, Polygonum Aviculare Illustration courtesy of New Jersey Experiment Station stantly trampled and abused. It is apt to persist in garden walks, borders, and along city walks. Knot Grass is known by other names such as Doorweed, Knotweed, and Mat- two feet in length and will branch out in all directions. Smaller branches come out at many of the numberless knots. There are small flowers, greenish white with pink margins sitting both solitary and in groups of two or three. Aside from the Prostrate Knot Grass which is shown in the illustration because of its greater prevalence, there are other species such as Erect Knot Grass and Bushy Knot Grass. Erect Knot Grass is sometimes found growing with the Pros- trate variety. They resemble each other except that the Erect as the name indi- cates grows upright and often to a height of four inches to a foot. The Bushy Knot Grass is quite similar to the Erect yet it is more certain to be found in sandy soil usually from Maine to New Jersey and in the West from Minnesota to the Northwest Territory. Prostrate Knot Grass grows so close to the ground that it is difficult to cut it with the mower, otherwise it would be a very easy weed to suppress. It is not deep rooted so may easily be removed by hand pulling or hoeing. The other types of Knot Grass which grow upright will soon disappear if mowed frequently and not allowed to go to seed. Knot Grass should be removed from lawns now if it is present to any extent. New seed should not be allowed to re- infest the ground. There are no chemicals effective in Knot Grass control. We feature it in LAWN CARE more for identification than with the thought of setting forth some easy method of destruction. Creeping Bent Praised "No doubt you will be interested to know how my lawn is progressing which I planted last September with your Creeping Bent Stolons. I wish to say it has done everything you claimed for it and have had a number of people say they have never seen such a beautiful lawn." J. L. BOURQUIN, Torrington, Conn. M oreBad NewsforMoles A MOST ENTHUSIASTIC recep- tion greeted the July issue of L A WN CARE in which Moles played the lead. We are sorry not to be able to print in detail all the letters received, some in appreciation of the data presented and others explaining additional methods of execution. We submit them briefly as follows: "Sixty grains of Strychnine Sulfate to one ounce of water. Soak about a dozen grains of corn in this solution for 24 hours then deposit 2 or 3 grains in run- way every 6 to 8 feet. It positively kills them.'—Theodore Bange, M.D., 214 W. McCullan St., Cincinnati, O. "Mix 3 parts cornmeal and 1 part Hellebore. Push stick into mole runway and drop half teaspoonful of above bait into it. Place small stone over opening to keep out light. Do this every three feet."—R. H. M., San Francisco, Calif. "Powder Paris Green or London Pur- ple over half inch squares of raw meat." Place in runways as above.—L. R. F., Emporia, Kas. "Apply teaspoonful of flake naptha- lene or household lye in mole runways at intervals of about 20 feet."—Ohio State University Bulletin. "Use 1 ounce of Strychnine to 1 pound of raisins. Mix well and run through meat grinder. Put piece size of hazel nut in every mound. Leave holes open. Re-open holes next day and rebait. Soon the whole mole family will be gone."—W. G. Hannam, Portland, Ore. "You might be interested to know that I have entirely rid my lawn of moles by opening up the runways, putting in about a teaspoonful of pepper from a shaker and closing up the runway again. We have not a mole in any of our lawns. I don't know where they go but they go quickly."—A. P. Whittemore, Sara- nac Lake, N. Y. Mr. Howard A. Sayford, President of the Sayford Paper Specialty Company of Vineland New Jersey, obtained a head- ache but otherwise enjoyed the suppres- sion of his mole crop as follows: "Moles were not in my lawn but in the flower bed. I couldn't tell where they were until the entire plant roots had been destroyed. . . . After L A WN CARE ar- rived I hooked the garden hose to my Packard, stuck the other end of the hose in the mole runway and let the motor run for quite a while. After removing the hose from the runway I sealed up the holes with mud. I believe I am rid of the moles. Have lost no plants since. . . . May I offer two suggestions which may be helpful to someone else who wants to try this method? Wait until after a rain; the soil is much less porous and more likely to retain the gas. Sec- ond, be sure to back the car out of the garage as the back pressure caused by attaching the hose and pumping of the gas causes the escape of a great deal of carbon monoxide. Even with my garage door wide open I got enough gas to make my head spin." Win Prizes We join all readers of L A WN CARE in thanking these gentlemen for their con- tributions. The mole is whipped. Two of Our Customers THE GARDEN CLUB of New Cas- tle, Pennsylvania, offered prizes for the best lawns in the city and a good cus- tomer of ours, Mr. C. D. Wharton, en- gineer for the Pennsylvania Railroad, won first award with his creeping bent lawn. In the better lawn contest sponsored by THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE last summer, another Scott customer, Mr. James W. Mears of Waukegan, won one of the principal awards. The lawn of Mr. Mears since 1927 has been kept in the best of condition by the use of Scott's Seed and Turf Builder. Winter Covering Is Unnecessary THE covering of lawns to provide win ter protection is not considered nec- essary by leading authorities. Numerous experiments have been made to prove that grass does not require a winter blanket. New turf that has a good start before cold weather sets in will survive as well if unprotected although it is well to have a top growth of from three to four inches. Lawns should not be cut closely right up to the dormant period, but al- lowed to go into the winter just short of the lopping over stage. A number of friends who have written in, confirm the above opinion after experimenting with their own lawns. A Correction IN the August issue of Lawn Care we told about the sod web worm, and in doing so quoted Mr. George McClure, of Ohio State University. In describing the poison bran method of controlling web worm it may have appeared that Mr. McClure recommended this treat- ment. This was erroneous as Mr. Mc- Clure is decidedly opposed to the use of Paris green and recommends instead arsenate of lead. ARSENATE OF LEAD ON WEB WORMS Tests at the Ohio State University and at the Experiment Station have in- dicated that arsenate of lead is at pres- ent the most satisfactory control method. Arsenate should be applied at the rate of 5 or 6 pounds per 1000 square feet by dusting it on dry turf, using a hand dusting machine or placing it in a coarse burlap sack and dusting it on by shaking the bag up and down with a quick motion. After dusting, the arsenate should be worked into the roots by a thorough brushing with a broom. Following this, the poison must be washed into the soil by means of a HEAVY, COARSE STREAM of water from a hose. The use of sprinklers for this has not proven satisfactory. Normally web worm attacks would be expected to die down during late July. However new broods seem to have ap- peared almost daily throughout August. We suggest that you watch carefully for any signs of web worms in your lawn all through September. Effectiveness of Lead Arsenate Confirmed "I used arsenate of lead and dirt on a spot on my lawn where the sod web worms were working and found it to be effective. Used about a half pound to a ten quart pail of fine dirt. Spread it over the infected area and then wet down good with water. That treatment worked well where I used it, but I was fortunate enough to have some red winged black birds dis- cover them in other parts of the lawn and they destroyed them quickly." R. K. KENNEDY, Yorkville, 111. Chickweed Cure — f— "I annihilated my pest of chickweed by cutting the areas in rectangles—lift- ing like sod—turning over and tamping. The chickweed died. Now I am ready to topdress and reseed." MRS. VINCENT NORTON The Collins Lone Pine Road Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Bent Registers "The stolons I planted last fall have made a most beautiful lawn—truly a velvety carpet of grass—which is a de- light to the eyes as well as a cushion to the feet." J. M. WISAN, D. D. 1143 East Jersey St. Elizabeth, N. J. What weeds or pests would you like in the 1932 issues of Lawn featured Care? Send us your suggestions. Scott Publications The following may be had for the asking: The Putting Green. An illustrated book telling how to construct, plant and maintain grass greens. Gratis to greens chairmen, greenkeepers, or any golf club officers. To all others at actual cost of 25 cents. Bent Lawns, an illustrated booklet which tells how to make and maintain a Creeping Bent Lawn. Converting to Creeping Bent, a folder which explains four methods of remak- ing and improving an old lawn by using Bent. Lawns, a small booklet of condensed facts about the making of a new lawn and the improving of an old one. Scott's Seed Guide, a 72-page book of valuable information for the man who farms. 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 sixteen and the following lawn pests have been dis- cussed: Plantain, Crab Grass, Dande- lions, Moss, Grubs and Beetles, Chick- weed, Buckhorn, Ground Ivy, Yarrow, Earthworms, Heal-all, Ants, Speedwell, Creeping Buttercup, and Moles.