PUBLISHED FIVE TIMES YEARLY A ND DISTRIBUTED FREE TO LOVERS OF BEAUTIFUL TURF Vol. VI No. 4 SHEPHERD'S PURSE Other Names—Caseweed; St. James' Weed; Mother's Hearts. Annual and Winter Annual—Propa- gates by seeds. Seed Time—April to December. Range—All cultivated regions of the world. Habitat—Any soils and invades all crops. Anywhere out-of-doors one may expect to find Shepherd's Purse. It is at home in every country. Moreover, it plays no fa- vorites as to crops. It in- fests them all. At harvest time the seeds, which are about 1/24 of an inch long, are gathered along with many species. Lawn mixtures that are not composed of thoroughly cleaned grasses may con- tain an abundance of Shepherd's Purse because a single plant is ca- pable of producing 50,000 seeds. DESCRIPTION. There are few SHEPHERD'S Capsella Bursa- plants so variable in size and appearance as this weed called Shepherd's Purse. It may be bright green and nearly smooth, or gray from very short hairs. A plant August 1933 may be a dwarf, little more than an inch or two high, or a vigorous, branching plant, three feet high with many pods. There may be at the base a rosette of leaves or none at all. The leaves may be deeply cut or without any teeth or di- vision. The stem leaves are for the most part arrow-shaped, with two sharp, ear-like pro- jections, one on each side of the stem. The flowers are small and white. The only part of the plant which seems to be con- stant is the seed-pod, is flat, heart- which shaped, triangular in shape, ¡4 inch long, wedge shaped at the base and notched at the top with the outer angles rounded. Each pod con- tains about twenty seeds. Seeds become sticky (mu- cilaginous) when wet. SEEDS LONG LIVED. The buried seeds of Shepherd's Purse, like other members of the mustard family re- main viable for PURSE, a n um ° years# astoris L When brought near pas tor is, the surface during cultivation they will germinate. An old lawn that is spaded up to be remade may develop plants of this weed in addition to having more in- . VOLUME 6 [ 9] troduced through the sowing of impure lawn seed. METHODS OF CONTROL. It is obviously important to prevent seed production. Hand cutting or hoe- ing below the crown is a satisfactory method of controlling small patches. Lawns that have been sprayed with Iron Sulfate for Dandelion control are rea- sonably sure to be safe from infestation by Shepherd's Purse as it succumbs to the same treatment. Copper Sulfate may also be used. Maturing plants of this weed may now be seen in many lawns. They should be removed before the big production of seeds is completed. Terrace Problem Solved interest you to know C i TT M I G HT A- that for five years I tried without success to grow good grass on the terrace from sidewalk to curb, about two feet drop in eight, all under trees with heavy foliage. The terrace was slightly convex and washed off continually. Last August I had it dug up, enough earth hauled away to make it slightly concave, well fertilized and sowed with Scott's Shady Mixture. Today it is the most beautiful portion of my lawn. Notwithstanding numerous heavy rains and the fact that the ground was soft (I did not roll but slightly) there has been no wash. I be- lieve the "concaving" had much to do with it. It was interesting to read in a recent L A WN C A RE this suggestion of slightly concaving a terrace, after I had struck on the idea myself. One loves to have his ingenuity complimented by c o n f i r m a t i o n . " — W I L L I AM H. D O U B L E R, Commercial Trust Bldg., Philadelphia, Penna. ANOTHER TERRACE SUGGESTION. "I recommend using a small rake, with teeth filed sharp and rather thin, on the bare places on terraces. Then plant grass seed which roots deep, roll, then cover [ 1 0] VOLUME 6 with damp peat, and roll again. This should prevent the seed being washed out by rains before it has had time to sprout and grow."—BERNARD P. G R U N- AUER, 11425 Glen wood Ave., Cleveland, Pitchfork Used on Moles To the What Do You Think Editor— J. B. Eyres—Dear Mr. Eyres: "I had some time last summer at my home on Lake Ontario with moles. I used camphor balls and many other things—but I found as soon as the mole came to the balls or other things he started out on another track. "I found there were four moles work- ing on different parts of the lawn and just had to do something and right quick or my lawn would be spoiled. I went to the tool shed, got a four-tined fork used to spade the ground and each morning would go out on the lawn spade in hand to the end of these tracks and stand there a few minutes. "Moles work early in the morning, say from 7 to 8 o'clock, and I would soon see the ground move up and down (they are looking for grubs and roots). Down I would force the tines three or four inches deep and in a few mornings I had the moles (four of them) cleaned up. I hope you will have the same luck."— EDWIN P. FAILING. Fall Planting Best AY man-of-all-work evidently IV JL seized the psychological moment for planting the seed received from you the last of August. Within five days after planting there was a beautiful green velvet with an inch pile where bare ground had been. Now it is several inches long and brilliant green in color. I am hoping I have converted the man to fall p l a n t i n g . " — D R. H O PE S H E R M A N, 2 9 15 Coleridge Road, Cleveland Heights, Ohio.