railroads and highway maintenance departments but worst of all is their never ending warfare against the american farmer it is officially estimated that farm losses caused by weeds are approximately three billion dollars annually second only to the loss from soil erosion though the enemy is powerful the fight is no longer one sided for here at the dock chemical company in midland michigan revolutionary chemical killers are being produced to help rid us of these costly pests for years down research technicians leaders in agricultural chemical developments have experimented with organic herbicides to control weeds or kill them outright to kill them inexpensively without harm to the crops they infest or to the soil thousands and ester on forty four dollars selective weed killer it has proved highly effective for the chemical weeding of flax peas and grain the water soluble spray destroys weeds without causing permanent damage to the crops where mechanical knowing is difficult and all vegetation must be kept in check down contact weed killer is useful such as for fence rows orchards roadsides vacant lots down contact weed killer kills all top growth to the ground it does not kill roots nor sterilize the soil and so provides vegetation control without inviting erosion it has been hill non grasses once and for all with two for doubt and then used our contacts to keep the grasses under control one of the newest  most versatile weapons in tao's arsenal of chemical warfare is too far down a weed killer proved in action against hundreds of weeds in a wide variety of crops to for the kills the entire weed roots and all its victims include most broad leaves annual weeds as well as perennials even perennials with deep root systems may be eradicated by repeated applications most grasses are not harmed when it's properly applied nor is the soil poisoned this time lapse photography shows in a few moments the gradual killing of a common weighed over a fifteen day period after spring with two for the weed killer to forty is a growth regulator type of weed killer the action is physiological appearing to upset the plant's growth processes causing modification and breakdown of its parts and causing gradual but certain death dow set out to demonstrate the effectiveness of its chemical killers on a nationwide scale on many kinds of weeds under varying climatic conditions the rich red river valley region of north dakota afforded an ideal prov ground in this area of farms covered thousands of acres and weed control is a tremendous job in the past this meant following the land all reduced yield because  competition but today modern chemical methods provide the answer a plane does a field of young weight with two for the quickly and inexpensively less spectacular but equally efficient is the down to earth method the two for tao dust ready mixed and free flowing is poured into the hopper the canvas floating behind the boom duster helps confine the powder to give better coverage and better weed kill early morning dusting when the air is calm gives good results to for day is also provided for liquid spraying spray pressure can be low just enough to give uniform coverage this work can be done satisfactorily without the help of the dog the plot at the left is shown ten days after treatment that at the right was under rated treatment stop the growth of the weeds the break down of wages gradual in two to four weeks the destruction of many waves is complete left to itself mustard can choke the life out of a growing wheat crop these pictures taken a month after treatment give dramatic proof of two four days ability to control this weed not a sharp dividing lines between treated and under rated test areas that we planted right is from a treated area the smaller one that left from an untreated one annual while buckwheat shown here weighs down grain by its twining growth it often causes considerable loss in yield and makes harvesting difficult here isn't an sprayed plant treatment with a special two for day dust results in stunted plants like  growth as often as effective as outright killing this is south us all growing in wheat a young plant and one about ready to bloom in this plant the growing point is killed after treatment with two forty this field of healthy weight shows what can be accomplished through the proper application of two for tao weed killer tao selective weed killer has proven very effective for selective spraying of p fields spraying should be done on bright warm days when the foliage is dry it's best to avoid spring when excessively hot or immediately after a prolonged rainy or cloudy period the piece at the left of the scene have been treated and are almost free of weeds we needs are flourishing in the adjoining strip plaque field had been summer fallowed but it didn't prevent a heavy growth of mustard from ruining the crop down selective is also used to selectively weed flax dowe selective should be applied to flax and other crops as a coarse low pressure spray using fan type weed nozzles after treatment without selective the flax is virtually free of weeds the lower leaves of flax may be burnt slightly after treatment but the crop is not permanently or seriously damaged in california killing weeds in the water covered rice paddies it always been the toughest production problem and the arrowhead lay one of the most troublesome we pests again aviation and agricultural chemistry supply the answers the plane is loaded with to follow tao solution in the past there was no practical way of fighting weeds after the rice had been seeded a long growing period required by rice unable weeds to mature and seed before harvesting time but twelve days after spraying with two four day they effect on the wages easy to see area at the right has not been treated compare this healthy and sprayed water plant and where this beat up specimen after a bout with two four day there are other ways that like to live with rice such as kelp tooley and curly duck and four d takes care of them again without injury to the right here's a sample of how to really feels sometime after a thorough spraying and hair sprayed kelp tests were also made in california sorghum fields this milo was infested with pigweed but the area on the right has been treated and the weeds are under control compare the lamb's quarters on the right from this treated my love field with a healthy and sprayed specimen on the left free of weeds thirty days after spraying with two for doubt we kill in texas where everything is on a grand scale even the weed problem is protarchus ranchers and farmers fight a never ending battle against the plant tests crowding in on the range mines and cultivated acres they fight against mesquite which spreads over millions of acres against the impenetrable encroachments of wildrose and the creeping menace of bind we promise of help through chemistry aroused much interest in the tao experiments conducted in this region to four day was used in the experiments on the skeet once again to four day proved to be the answer compare the untreated mesquite on the right with the treated plants to the left the healthy plant hair was protected from the spray asked around forty four does the best job on what he plants a few new suckers may develop after the first treatment and they should be sprayed again while rose is beautiful to the eye but texans regard it as a major pest one method of control is to wrap it up with chains but the roots remain in the ground or send up a new growth the following year chemical spraying points the way toward a more prominent control of this hardy fast spread nuisance to follow d kills roots and all several weeks after spraying the dead dried out plants are ready for burning  the tops of wild morning glory or bind weed are highly sensitive to two four day and a large part of its extensive root system is killed by the first application there is a healthy untreated bind weed and here is its next door neighbor after treatment the tops are killed the deep roots maybe later send up shoots but should be treated again better weed which has taken over vast acreage is of once good range land is a menace to the livestock industry to four day proved its effectiveness in combating this noxious weed which has caused untold losses by poisoning cheap these tests plots show them our contrast between an sprayed better weed rice is also a very important crop in texas and one of the serious weed pests in rice is indigo part of a test field was sprayed with two for day and the rest of it left untreated this shows the contrast between the untreated under treated areas the indigo weed in this plot is dead the sprayed weight at the right is brown and beginning to rot while these tests were conducted after flooding other experiments show that two four day can best be applied shortly before flooding when we'd start still small in are approximately three hundred thousand acres of sugar cane in cultivation producing an average of four thousand pounds of sugar per acre keeping sugar cane clear of weeds is vital to a profitable yield one permissions enemy of cane is the alligator weed notice the talking at the right which has been treated with two for the cane at the left is smaller showing the result of weed competition here th the right was sprayed with two forty the row at the left was not sprayed and the weeds are flourishing weeds sprayed with two forty don't often play return engagements this field for example which was sprayed a year ago is still relatively free of alligator weed tests have shown that spraying with two forty eight results in a greater yield then three good home wings during the growing season one of the most serious weed problems in the ways ana and other states in the south is the control of water hyacinth but just spread over thousands of miles of inland waterways hampering navigation destroying facia and ruining farm and recreation areas this aquatic test the water hyacinth spread with almost incredible speed within fifteen years after a few of the beautiful plants that been introduced into this country from venezuela  so alarmingly as to call for a government survey on methods of control they propagate from seeds as well as from shoots and in warm weather will double in area within thirty days sec tangled  float on the water blocking navigation and clogging drainage canals an acre of these mats contains something like six hundred thousand plants and weighs more than a hundred tons that estimated at the annual damage done by water and louisiana alone as more than a million dollars several millions have been spent to date and mechanically controlling this weed that crusher and shredder type dredges are used to destroy the plant in navigable streams but the destruction is only temporary the plants grow back and the cost of repeated mechanical treatment is high recently the louisiana state department of wildlife and fisheries began experimenting with two forty and the results offer new hope in the battle for control the plants in these treated areas are dying and will eventually sink to the bottom certain large areas of pest ridden waterways can be treated from airplanes or power boats at a relatively low cost tests are continuing in all parts of the country each one extending the list of victims for downs chemical weed killers power companies for example are experimenting with two forty in eradicating many species of brush along power lines air without two for the weeds and young brush flourish uncontrolled sprouting woody plants soon grow to tree size and then must be cut down before the damage the overhead wires this heavy brush is the result of only one year's growth it makes the line inspector's frequent trips more difficult notice the difference in this treated area after treatment with dollars esther on forty four much of the brush is eliminated traveling throughout the plant structure and roots this chemical weed killer leaves only shriveled leaves and poultry rotted roots a single application of ester on forty four to young suckers goes a long way toward their eradication there is poison ivy noxious with a plant that spread rapidly after a treatment with esther around forty four poison ivy looks like this notice that the grass has not been damaged many woody species succumb into treatment here is sumac second or locust while cherry sassafras none of these look very healthy if the brushes reach considerable hide it  best to first cut the plants down but it may be done only once not every year or two as has been necessary in the past spraying the stumps as a promising method of application to kill the root system if shoots  later they should be sprayed during their early growth period for complete eradication of the woody plants weeds have long been a problem on our nation's fine golf courses after two years use age grains keepers report excellent results with two for tao weed killer in clearing weeds from golf links and thereby improving the turf on fairways dandelions one of the biggest nuisances to golfers and greens keepers alike are killed root all without harm to the turf dandelion buckhorn and plantain cannot resist two forty ten days after treatment most plants will be past any hope of recovery this fair golfer is playing on a course that has not been treated when her ball rolls into a clover growth it's very hard to see her temper can be ruffled and her game is delayed while the ball hides in the c this young lady is more fortunate just before blossom time the green caper spray with two four d although the clover was not eradicated blossoming was stopped and her ball shows up clearly against the green t the testing and experimentation goes on hair growth of both the soul as with two forty while a portion is protected against the spread by a tarpaulin spot treatment of both us all or other weeds can be done without injury to clover the difference two months later the sprayed plants are dead those which were protected are of course thriving nicely the list of weeds which can be killed  south as canada says old elderberry which is particularly susceptible to two four d as can be seen in this test area whatever you always problem whether as a homeowner with a lawn and garden to maintain a greenskeeper at a golf club a farmer with hundreds of acres under cultivation an operator of a railroad a sugar cane pla or the operator of a public utility down agricultural chemists have the answer