P U B L I S H ED IN F E B R U A R Y, M A R C H, APRIL, A U G U ST A ND SEPTEMBER BY O. M. SCOTT & S O NS CO., MARYSVILLE, OHIO August 1933 SIXTH YEAR Number 26 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 soil and invades all crops. Anywhere o u t - of doors one may expect to find Shepherd's Purse. It is at home in every country. Moreover, it plays no favorites as to crops. It infests them all. At harvest time the seeds, which are about 1/24 or 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 capable of producing 50,000 seeds. 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 or leaves or none at all. The leaves may be deeply cut or without any teeth or division. The stem leaves are for the most part arrow shaped, with two sharp, ear-like projections, one on each side of the stem. The flowers are small and white. The only part of the plant which seems to be constant is is the seed pod. This heart-shaped, being wedge-like at the bot- tom and notched at the top with outer edges rounded. It is flat and about lA inch long. Each pod contains about twenty seeds. Seeds become sticky (mucilagi- nous) when wet. Seeds Long Lived b u r i ed seeds of Shep- herd's Purse, like other members of the mustard family remain viable for a number of years. When brought near the surface during cultivation they will germinate. An old lawn that is spaded T he Description There are few 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 may be SHEPHERD'S PURSE (Capsella Bursa-pastoris, L.) C O P Y R I G HT 1933 BY O. M. SCOTT & S O N S C O. up to be remade may develop plants of this weed in addition to having more introduced through the sowing of im- pure 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 sulphate for Dandelion control are reasonably sure to be safe from infes- tation by Shepherd's Purse as it suc- cumbs to the same treatment. Detailed directions for the use of iron sulphate may be found in Lawn Care No. 6 for August 1929. Copper sulphate may also be used. Maturing plants of this weed may now be seen in many lawns. They should be removed before the big pro- duction of seeds is completed. Terrace Problem Solved "It might interest you to know 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 fo- liage. The terrace was slightly convex and washed ofï continually. Last Au- gust I had it dug up, enough earth hauled away to make it slightly con- cave, 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 believe the "concav- ing" had much to do with it. It was interesting to read in a recent Lawn Care this suggestion of slightly con- caving a terrace, after I had struck on the idea myself. One loves to have his ingenuity complimented by confirma- tion."—William H. Doubler, Commer- cial 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 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."—Ber- nard P. Grunauer, 11425 Glenwood Ave., Cleveland, Ohio. Here are several good suggestions made by J. R. Abbott of Sweet Briar, Virginia: "I should like to advise that I have had very good results in grow- ing grass on terraces by preparing the soil as you would for level ground, then plant the seed as usual and stamp the whole terrace with a board about eight inches wide and three feet long to se- cure a compact surface. "Then the entire terrace is covered with ordinary plantbed canvas, which is a thin grade of cheese cloth; to put this on you start at the bottom of the terrace and put one strip down and fas- ten the bottom edge with wooden pegs about six inches long, then follow this with another strip, lapping it over the first about two inches and peg this down in the same manner; after this is done the whole terrace is well watered. This will protect the grass seed and also prevent the terrace from washing. After the grass is up about an inch or more remove the covering, allowing the grass gradually to become hardened to the sun." O. M. S C O TT & S O NS CO. M AR Y S V I L LE • • O H IO EVERY PACKAGE OF SCOTTS LAWN SEED BEARS THIS TRADE-MARK AND IS SEALED FOR YOUR PROTECTION 2 26 a