The unit cost for seeding canals and rights-of-way with this drill has
averaged about $10.00 per acre, exclusive of canal bank reshaping and
cleaning.

The planting of fluffy seed is a problem which usually requires a local
solution, Separate seed boxes may be used on the drill or the fluffy

seed may be mixed with other grains such as rye, oats, or cracked

corn to promote the feeding of the fluffy seed. Rice hulls, ground

corn cobs, or sand also may be found satisfactory and occasionally
another desirable grass can be added to the mix. Regardless of mechan-
ical agitation or the type of additive, it is desirable to inspect the flow of
seed frequently.

The drill described is used extensively for seeding canal and lateral
banks and reservoir areas, and is equipped with large boxes for seed-
ing trashy seed and small boxes for seeding small hard grass seed.

Drilldisks have regulators to control depth of seeding and the drill has
the advantage that any type tractor may be used for power,

A drill similar to that previously described in operation seeding grasses
on the McMillan Reservoir area, on the Carlsbad Project in New Mexico,
is shown in Figure 6.

The separate containers provided on the seeder for the large, fluffy
seed (Western wheatgrass, grama, etc.) and the small hard seed

P5-D-29060

Fig. 6

14


'(d) Seeding. --The contractor shall furnish and sow a mixture of
brome grass and wheatgrass on all the areas to be seeded, except
that portion of Ayres Creek Channel Change from Station 34+00 to
End Station 44+50. This mixture shall consist of brome grass
(Bromus inermis), Lincoln or Achenback strain, at the rate of

14 pounds of pure live seed per acre and western wheatgrass
(Agropyron smithii) at the rate of 4 pounds of pure live seed per
acre, For that portion of Ayres Creek Channel Change from Sta-
tion 34+00 to End Station 44+50, the mixture of grasses to be sown
and the rates of seeding are as follows: (1) Brome grass (Bromus
inermis), Lincoln or Achenback strain at the rate of 10 pounds of
pure live seed per acre; (2) Rye (Secale cereale), at the rate of
20 pounds of pure live seed per acre; (3) western wheatgrass
(Agropyron smithii), at the rate of 4 pounds of pure live seed per
acre; (4) Sand lovegrass (Eragiostis trichodes), at the rate of

1 pound of pure live seed per acre.

Pure live seed - percent of purity x percent of germination
100

"The germination of brome grass and rye shall not be less than

85 percent, the germination of western wheatgrass shall not be less
than 65 percent, and that of sand lovegrass not less than 75 percent.
Seed shall contain no noxious weed seed or quackgrass (Agropyron
repens) and shall contain not more than 4 percent of other weed seed,
All grass seed shall comply with the seed laws of the State of Neb-
raska, The age of seed of the krome grass and rye shall not exceed
2 years, The sand lovegrass and brome grass seed shall have been
produced in Nebraska, Kansas, or Colorado,

"The seed of brome grass, western wheatgrass, rye, and sand love-
grass shall be separately packaged and labeled so they can be uni-
formly and thoroughly mixed after they are received on the job. The
mixture of grasses specified herein shall be uniformly distributed on
the designated areas to be seeded by means of a hand seeder or grass
drill. When seed is sown by means of a hand seeder, immediately
after broadcasting, the seed shall be properly covered with soil to

a depth not to exceed 1/2 inch by means of a spike tooth harrow, a
treader (rotary hoe run backwards), or any similar implement accept-
able to the contracting officer, If seed is sown with a grass drill, the
drill shall be regulated so that the seed will be properly covered with
soil to a depth not to exceed 1/2 inch, Seeding shall be done from Feb-
ruary 1 to April 15 unless weather conditions, unfavorable soil mois-
ture, or seedbed conditions are prohibitive to seeding, as determined
by the contracting officer: Provided, That when moisture and seedbed
conditions are favorable, thé contracting officer may order the con-
tractor to continue operations in a period other than that stated above,



CONTENTS--Continued

Page

Small sprayers and spraying devices .............. 74
Tractor-mounted spray unit ........ceeeecececece 74
Weir pool weed sprayer .......... ee eeceececceces 76
Compressed-air weed sprayer ........0.-00. 77
Portable sprayer for reservoir waterlines ... 80
Portable, two-tank sprayer .........seeceeeeeeees 82
Portable Sprayer ...... ccc ec cece rc ccerccececces 85
Propane hand sprayer .......cecececcccccereeees 86
Portable mist sprayer .........0.-ee0ee eee ceeeee 88
Hand spray shield . ee ocecccerccccccccccsscces 88
Special SprayerS ....cecceeccsccccvccecvcsssecee 89

Burning Equipment for Control of Land Weeds .......... 91

The Problem .....ccceceecccseccceccscnsce «. 91
Equipment TypeS ....csseccecccscccsscccrecceceeee 92
Liquid Gas Weed Burners ............00ee0e seeeeee 92
Oil Type Weed Burners .......... cece eeeeeeeceeees 99

Mechanical Equipment for the Control of Land Weeds .... 103

MOoWEePrs .... ee eee eeecceeee sence eee cece cceeeceeere 104
Disks, Drags, and Similar Equipment .. seevececeeees 110

Control of Aquatic Weeds
The Problem .......... oe ec eae eccesecces eeeceeeeeeee 112

Effects of Suspended Sediment on Pondweeds ... 113
Chemical Methods for Control of Aquatic Weeds......... 114

Copper Sulfate Treatment ...........ceeeeee . 114
Antifouling PaintS ........ceeseeresecees . 117
Aromatic Solvents .......seeeeeceeeeeers - 120

Metering Aromatic Solvents .........eececcccecreees 126
Storage of Herbicides .......... cece cece eceeeceeccees 127

Storage Criteria ...... cc cece eee cece cere cc eeeveee 128
Bulk Storage ..... ccc eee e cere rece er ccccccsccvecess 128

Mechanical Methods for Control of Aquatic Weeds ....... 132

Chaining and DragsS......cceeecceeccececeecceeceese 132
Cutters . occ cece cece cece cece eer cecccceccsscsene 137

iii


(Bermuda, Lovegrass, etc.) are shown, A conventional car trans-
mission is incorporated into the construction of the drill to facilitate
changing seeding rates,

In Figure 7, there is shown a double disk opener, press wheel drill
used for experimental seeding of various grasses and legumes on a
ponded reach of a wasteway on the Columbia Basin Project, Washing-
ton. The wasteway was seeded prior to normal inflow to the channel.
The press wheel drill provides adequate seed placement, covering and
soil compaction even on the lighter non-tilled soils. This type of
seeding equipment can seldom be used on steep slopes, or on rocky,
or very heavy soils,

The seeding of a grass-
legume mixture through
non-disturbed annual
grass range on the Colum-
bia Basin Project, Wash-
ington, with a press-
wheel drill is shown in
Figure 8. The area,

soon to be wet from
impounded water was
seeded to learn which
species would survive

for competition against
noxious weeds and
phreatophytes which occur
where moisture conditions
change from semi-arid to
wet,

15


P-257- 500-2534

Fig. 3

Fig. 4

most of the weed vegetation, This may be accomplished simply by
dragging or by hand removal of boulders and other easily movable
debris, On one project, where it would have been a more difficult prob-
lem, a crawler-type tractor equipped with a special blade, as shown on
Figures 3 and 4, has given good results.

The bank shaper on slopes pictured has been very efficient and was
developed and constructed by maintenance personnel of the Tucumcari

12



Definition of Terms Used

To better understand the terms used in this bulletin a few definitions are
given. By classification used herein they are:

Weeds--A weed is a plant out of place. Generally speaking when
a plant in a particular situation lacks economic or aesthetic value
or is injurious, it becomes a weed.

Land or Ditchbank Weeds--Land weeds infest channel banks,
rights-of-way, and farms.

Aquatic or Channel Weeds--Aquatic weeds grow in water, below
and above the water surface.

Waterline Weeds--Waterline weeds may be water tolerant land
weeds or aquatic weeds which emerge from the water.

Phreatophytes--Phreatophytes, a relatively new term meaning
well-plants,TM obtain water from the water table. They may
remove large quantities of water from land which is wet or dry

at the surface,

Weeds, like diseases, must be dealt with. Some weeds, like some
diseases may be prevented, others can be controlled, and others run
their time until disposed of, The bulletin, therefore, is divided into
three main sections:

Prevention--For all practical purposes, prevention includes the
acts Or means which create a condition under which weeds will not
grow in such numbers to require significant costs for control or
disposal.

Control--Where the prevention of weed growth is less than perfect,
as it usually is, weeds grow. The practices necessary to kill the
growing weed are termed control.

Disposal--The term disposal is used in this bulletin to describe
all other practices required after prevention and control have not
been successful in solving the weed problem.


INTRODUCTION

The prevention, control, and disposal of weeds on an irrigation system
are necessary prerequisites to the delivery of the quantity and quality
of water for which the system is designed. Equipment for handling the
weed problems must be adequate to get the job done at the proper time
and at the least expense.

Few of the commercial devices available to the operators of irrigation
systems are well adapted to the handling of weeds. Manufacturers are
unable to spread the cost of designing, tooling, and marketing a few
pieces of special equipment and sell the equipment at a cost that project
operators can afford. However, excellent components for such equip-
ment, such as pumps, nozzles, burner-heads, seed-metering devices,
and power units, are available. Most of the machines and devices de-
scribed herein, are an adaptation by project operators of these commer-
cially available components and other materials at hand to meet their
specific needs,

The Problem

The control of weeds is a worldwide problem, Contamination of farm
lands by noxious weeds in the irrigation water may be compared to per-
mitting an animal infected with foot and mouth disease to run free on
the range. Compared with the few weeks or months required for the
spread of the disease, the infestation of crop lands by weeds may take
several years.

The person most immediately concerned with the weed problems on an
irrigation project is the one who has direct responsibility for the opera-
tion and maintenance of the irrigation system. However, planners,
designers, and constructors of the system should be informed of the
needs which will occur and plan the system so that motorized weed con-
trol equipment can be used.

Other agencies involved in flood control, in water conservation, in the
construction of highway, municipal and industrial water supply systems,
in weed and mosquito control and in power transmission have weed con-
trol problems. Many of their problems are similar to those on irriga-
tion projects and require similar types of equipment.

The data in this bulletin, for the most part, applies to the 17 states in
the western part of the United States of America. It could apply to cer-
tain other countries in which machine power is less expensive than man-
power. However, of the pieces of equipment described, many may be
useful in irrigation systems where the cost of manpower is relatively
low.



CONTENTS --Continued

Page
Weed Disposal

The Problem... cece cee ce ccc ce ccc eeceeeeeeteesseras 142
Disposal of Dry Weeds by Burning ..........e0e00-. 143
Butane burners ...... sec eee ec ee cece ecceeccseces 144
Weed TrapS ... cc cece ccc ce ccc c ence cence csv enceeee 145
Wire weed trapS ... cece eee c cece rece wrens . 145

Diversion channel traps . . 147
Trash bOOMS ..... cee esee ee te ccc eereeecetnreees 150

TrashrackS 6... cece eee c cece ree cee sec ereecanereee 152

Trashrack for canals and larger laterals........
Small trashrack installations .........
Self-cleaning weed rack ....
Trashrack rake ........ eee meee race eveevcccee

152
153
154
160

Weed Forks ........--200- 163
Weed and Demossing Buckets » 165
Scrapers .........6.4 scr cccccees . 168

Scrapers for small ditches ..........eeeeeeeeees 168
Water-propelled scraper... cc cece eee rece eecene 169

Cutters and Mowers ........ec ee eee ree rece seeceeee 170

Root cutters ...... cece cece eee e eee ace e ee eeeee 170
Rotary cutters . . 172

Weed and Brush Rakes ............ccccceeeeseeees 172
Rock rake .. cc. ece eee cece eee e neces cee c cesses 173
Appendix

Weed Control Handbook ......cccceee cece cseeccceneee I

iv



Project, New Mexico, A similar and equally effective sloper is
being manufactured commercially for mounting on a tractor or grader,

The first shaper developed by project forces and pictured was con-
trolled entirely by the tractor operator by means of cables. However,
to prevent the blade from "riding" in areas where a large amount of
cut is necessary, the hydraulic actuating arm installed on the device
has definite advantages for raising and lowering the blade in lieu of
the cable control,

Drill-type Seeders

A commercially available grass drill attached to a tractor, as shown in
Figure 5, is used in Region 5 in seeding all varieties of grass, either
individually or in mixtures. The grass drill may be removed from the
rig and attached to a conventional wheel-type tractor for use in seeding
adjacent rights-of-way and reservoir areas.

=*P-257-500-2575

Fig. 5

The side mounted grass drill is one of the very few pieces of equipment
which does a job of steep-slope grass seeding, comparable to the seeding
of the flatter range of cropland, Operation of this type of seeder is made
more trouble-free on banks the slopes of which are 2:1, 3:1 or flatter.

13


The disposal of weeds, a term used in this release to describe all
other practices required after prevention and control have failed or
have not been done, is more expensive than prevention or control and
"Ten dollar's worth of control is better than thirty dollar's worth of
removal,"

Sources of Additional Information and Assistance

This publication does not cover such items as adapted grasses, weed
chemical mixture formulas, and detailed application procedures. The
general principles of prevention, control, and disposal of weeds on
irrigation systems are being treated in the Bureau of Reclamation pub-
lication "Weed Control on Irrigation Systems, ' which is now being
revised and should be available for distribution in late 1961.

Much specific data on land weeds may usually be obtained locally for
each project from the Agricultural Extension Service, the Soil Conser-
vation Service, the Agricultural Research Service, and other state and
federal agencies concerned with crops, soils, and agriculture,

Procedures which have been proven on a project or in a general area
have been assembled into a pocket-sized booklet in many areas. One
such booklet is that prepared for the Tracy Division of the Central Val-
ley Project, by Mr. Gene Cakin, Irrigation Agriculturist of the Bureau's
Region 2 Office in Sacramento, California. A few pages of Mr. Cakin's
booklet are included in the appendix of this publication to illustrate its
contents,

Specific data on aquatic weeds were not readily available from local
sources in 1961. Much of the information is developed cooperatively
by regional offices of the Bureau of Reclamation and the Weed Labora-
tory of the Bureau's Division of Engineering Laboratories in Denver,
Colorado, where a team of scientists representing the Agricultural
Research Service and the Bureau of Reclamation investigate specific
problems as well as basic data. Copies of reports prepared by these
specialists are available. Equipment for the control and disposal of
aquatic weeds, based upon project experience as well as the recom-
mendations of the weed specialists are included in a separate section
of this bulletin.

Other agencies have weed control equipment problems. Equipment
development and improvement is a function of the U. S. Forest Service
at its Arcadia Development Center, Arcadia, California, where such
equipment as the rangeland drill, the browse seeder, the Oregon press
seeder, broadcast seeder, and spray equipment are under study.



1 is out o.

Release No.
reissued.

print 4nd will not be

Release No. 1 is out of print and will not be
reissued.

Releases No. 3, 8, and 16 were on the subject of
Weed Control Equipment and have been superteded
by Release No. 37.

United States
Department of the Interior

Bureau of Reclamation

OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE

EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURES
RELEASE NO. 37

lOVE

July, August and September 1961

LAST OPY,-DO.NOT REMAvE

; "Equipment For The Prevention,

Control, and Disposal Of Weeds On Irrigation Projects."

‘7

9
9

3, 8, 16, and 37 were on the subject

of Weed Control Equipment and have been superceded

Releases No.
by Release No.

CONTENTS

Equipment for the Prevention, Control and Disposal of Weeds on
Irrigation Projects

LAST COPY - DO NOT REMOVE


even on a northern project if grass seed crops are to be irrigated with
the project water supply. If 2,4-D herbicides are employed to kill
annual weeds in the first 2 or 3 years to assist the development of
perennial grasses, few of the desirable legumes will survive.

Selection of a desirable adapted species is a controlling factor in pre-
ventive weed control, Equipment for establishing this vegetation is
adapted to the requirements of the species. If seed of the best species
is bulky and offers problems in feeding through a grain drill, the drill
will be modified to handle the seed.

The establishment of vegetation, although eventually resulting in a-
more permanent preventive means of weed control, may require 1 to 5
years to develop a stand which will resist the invasion of weeds.

The Bureau's Region 7 believes the best method of controlling weeds

on irrigation systems in the. Kansas and Nebraska areas of the Missouri
River Basin Project is the planting of desirable adapted grasses. Exper-
ience under the climatic conditions in this area shows that 4 to 5 years
after planting the grasses, weed control expenditures are at a minimum.
During the 4~ to 5-year period that the grasses are becoming estab-
lished, they must compete with weeds for nutrients, water, and light.
Spraying with 2,4-D during that time eliminates most of the weeds and
encourages more rapid development of the grasses, Studies of grass
stands previously established have shown that for every dollar invested
in seeding grasses, about $2.50 is saved in O&M costs. A good stand

of grass on the banks of a canal on the Mirage Flats Project in Nebraska
is shown in Figure 2.

In 1952, cost records were kept in planting work done on the Frenchman-
Cambridge and Bostwick Divisions, Missouri River Basin Project. The
costs ran from $6.60 to $13.76 per acre, depending upon conditions
encountered and methodof seedingused. In the same divisions, weeds were
sprayed with 2,4-D using ground rigs, at costs ranging from $3. 23 to
$4.95 per acre. Mowing costs averaged about $2.45 per acre, How-
ever, mowing had to be accomplished two or three times during the
season to give results comparable to those obtained with one 2, 4-D
spraying.

Much of the ditchbank seeding in Region 7 has been done under contract.
To indicate how the work is done, an excerpt from a typical seeding
specification is presented:



PREVENTION

The prevention of weeds is the creation of an environment which is
uninhabitable by a significant number of weeds, The development of
equipment for preventing weed growths, particularly for seeding of
steep slopes of canal, lateral and drain banks, has been much slower
than the development of equipment for chemical and mechanical weed
control and disposal. Possibly this follows because the results of chem-
ical and mechanical weed control and disposal are immediate and the
cost of special equipment will be returned within a few years, Mechan-
ical and chemical methods of preventing weed growth, though necessary,
must usually be repeated, Hazards of fire, pollution of water, and dam-
age to adjacent crops also must be considered.

Establishment of Desirable Vegetation

On most sites, vegetation can be tolerated. Grasses are often bene-
ficial in preventing erosion by wind and water and in some instances by
traffic. The establishment of desirable vegetation can be the most
important means of weed control on irrigation system rights-of-way,
and desirable vegetation provides weed control with little maintenance.

Well sodded waterways are a protection against flashfloods, heavy run-
off, and overflow-type canal breaks, in addition to protection against weed
invasion. As illustrated in Figure 1, the grasses on the waterline, at
center, held against the flooding water resulting from a canal break

which cut into an unprotected bank.

Vegetation is established by sodding, by planting cuttings or whole
plants or by seeding. The high cost of planting the living plants on
steep slopes often elim-
inates all methods except
seeding,

The selection of species
is governed by the local
environment and its effect
on the available or desir-
able species. Selection
is further controlled by
such other project condi-
tions as the cropping pat-
tern and the chemical
weed control or disposal
program, For example,
Bermuda grass, a weed
as well as a valuable
forage crop in some loca-
tions, should not be used



Equipment Design

Rights-of-way on most irrigation systems are long narrow strips of
land which may be wet or dry, sandy or rocky, Slopes are usually
steep. Access to the right-of-way, especially on older irrigation
systems, may be limited.

Farm-type equipment, designed for the culture of crops on arable land,
is not readily adapted to steep canal banks, or to rough areas adjacent
to the canals. Heavy construction equipment can be and often is used,
but only at a high cost considering the amount and type of work to be
done.

The physical needs of two projects may appear to be similar, but
because of different labor costs, water demand, operating practices,

and other factors, considerable variation occurs. Before the advent

of herbicides and motorized equipment, prevention, control, and dis-
posal of weeds was accomplished primarily by hand methods. One alter-
native was to let the weeds grow until the use of heavy construction-type
equipment could be justified.

Today, preventive maintenance so far as weeds are concerned, is as
practical on an irrigation system as it is on a fleet of automotive equip-
ment, The missing factor is availability of suitable equipment from
commercial sources.

There must be suitable means of access to the canals for the use of
motorized equipment. Flat berms along the canals must be provided
on which the motorized equipment can be operated. The design and
construction of motorized equipment for the prevention, control and
disposal of weeds must provide for efficient operation. These factors
are necessary to an efficient and effective weed program.

Seeding, spraying, burning, and weed disposal equipment is most often
mounted "offside. '' Offside mounting presents a side-draft problem with
most motorized equipment. Equipment may be designed and built to fit
a given set of circumstances, Certain principles, however, may be
incorporated into a piece of equipment for performance of similar work
elsewhere, It is these principles that are being stressed in this bulletin.

Program Timing

Preventive practices in weed control must be done before weeds are
present in significant numbers. This is a part of the planning, design,
construction, and operation of an irrigation system. One slogan worth
repeating is: "A dollar's worth of seeding is worth ten dollars' worth
of weeding."


Preface ....see eee c ccc cceeccec cscs eeccees

Introduction

The Problem

Equipment Design....

Program Timing ........ccccccceccssscceece
Sources of Additional Information and Assistance

CONTENTS

Definition of Terms Used...........

Prevention

Establishment of Desirable Vegetation ............0000-

Seeding .............-000.
Preparations for seeding ..
Drill-type seeders
Broadcast seeders
Gravity flow-type seeders

Seed covering equipment

Accessory equipment ......

Chemical Preventive Methods .........

Soil sterilants
Sodium chlorate and safety ........

Weed Exclusion DeviceS ..... ec ccc ceccc ccc ceeeeceeeee

Weed seed screens

Control of Land Weeds

Pasturing of Canal Rights-of-way....

Cattle guards .....

Spraying Equipment for Land Weeds .

Spray rigs ....
Booms for spray rigs..
Hoists ....
gaskets ..

Spray rig
Valves ..
Agitators

li

Pwnwne

35
35
41

42
54
70
72
72
72



"(e) Measurement and payment. --Measurement for payment for
furnishing and spreading fertilizer and furnishing and sowing grass
seed will be made of the areas actually prepared, fertilized, and
seeded. The areas will be computed to the nearest one-half of an acre.
Payment for furnishing and spreading fertilizer and furnishing and
sowing grass seed will be made at the unit price per acre bid there-
for in the schedule. The quantities as stated in the schedule for fur-
nishing and spreading fertilizer and furnishing and sowing grass seed
are estimates for the purpose of comparing bids and the contractor
shall be entitled to no additional compensation above the unit price
bid in the schedule by reason of any amount or none of this work
being required."

Examination of the specifications will show that they meet several essen-
tial requirements needed to get the grass seeding done properly. First,
the specification is written to enable Reclamation to make field changes
in the seeding methods. For instance, it may be necessary to require
the contractor to compact or loosen the ditch banks prior to seeding.
Secondly, the specifications enable Reclamation to direct the contractor
to seed miscellaneous spoil areas that are created during construction,
In other words, if it is determined during construction that an additional
bank will be constructed which is not anticipated in the original specifi-
cations for the canal or lateral, provisions are made in the contract that
require the contractor to seed this additional area. Flexibility in the
contract is also obtained by requiring the seeding of different species

of grasses on different areas that are seeded. By going over such areas
prior to preparing a specification, it can be determined what grasses are
best adapted to the different soil types and drainage conditions encountered.

Seeding

Seeding may be accomplished by several types of equipment on irrigation
systems, including seeders, drills, planters, and under certain circum-
stances by the use of aircraft. Part of the seeding operation requires
that the planted seed be covered and this can be accomplished by har-
rows and weeders. From experience it has been found that some types
of seeding and covering equipment have better qualifications for per-
formance of the work than others and based upon this experience two
tables have been prepared. Tables I and II on the following pages pre-
sent the results that may be expected from the use of commercially
available equipment for the planting and covering of seed.

Preparations for Seeding

Prior to seeding grasses on established canal banks, it is generally
necessary to reshape the banks by filling in erosion cuts, and removing



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11



OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE
EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURES
Release No, 37

July, August, and September 1961

PREFACE

This release of the Operation and Maintenance Equipment and Procedures
release (No. 37) is being devoted exclusively to a presentation of equip-
ment and devices suitable for the prevention, control, and disposal of
weeds on irrigation systems. It has been prepared after a review of
present field practices and a review of previous bulletins in which arti-
cles on the subject appeared in an attempt to present newer develop-
ments, practices, and procedures. Therefore, this release of the
bulletin will supersede previous Releases No. 3, 8, and 16, which also
were devoted exclusively to the subject of weed control and will include
much of the material on the subject included in more recent issues.

The Operation and Maintenance Equipment and Procedures release is
published quarterly by the Division of Irrigation Operations in the
Office of Assistant Commissioner and Chief Engineer, Bureau of
Reclamation, U. S. Department of the Interior, Denver Federal Center,
Denver, Colorado. It is circulated for the benefit of irrigation project
operation and maintenance people to serve as a medium of exchanging
operation and maintenance information. It is hoped that the labor-
saving devices and less costly equipment developed by the resourceful
water users will be a step toward commercial development of equip-
ment for use on irrigation projects in continued effort to reduce costs
and increase operating efficiency.

This issue of the bulletin has been made possible by the assistance of
many Bureau field organizations, water users operating irrigation proj-
ects and others interested in the field of weed control. Special recog-
nition is due Mr. Delbert D, Suggs, Agronomist, from the Bureau's
Columbia Basin Project, for his helpful assistance in the general
assembly of material after a review of present practices being used

in the control of weeds throughout the western portion of the United
States.

ee

Division of Irrigation Operations
Office of Assistant Commissioner and Chief Engineer
Denver, Colorado



Front Cover

The application of aromatic solvent for the control of pondweed
and algae on the Owyhee Project. Equipment used in the operation
is easily transportable in a small pick-up truck. P43-100-72.


P-278-700-43

"Spreading fertilizer and sowing grass seed, (a) General,
of excavation surfaces, embankments, Spoil banks, and drains, as
shown on the drawings, or designated by the contracting officer,
shall be prepared for seeding and fertilized and seeded. All seeding
operations shall be in accordance with the provisions of this paragraph.

"(b) Seedbed preparation, --The contractor shall compact or loosen
the surfaces of laterals, drain ditches, embankments, and Spoil banks
as directed prior to seeding, in order to obtain a firm well-packed
seedbed. Compaction for seeding may require two passes, but not
more than two passes, with a packer and mulcher similar but not
restricted to the 'Western Sprocket Packer and Mulcher' manufac-
tured by the Western Land Roller Company of Hastings, Nebraska.
No separate payment will be made for compacting or loosening areas
to be seeded and all costs of seedbed preparation shall be included in
the unit price per acre bid in the schedule for furnishing and spread-
ing commercial fertilizer and furnishing and sowing grass seed.

"(c) Commercial fertilizer, --The contractor shall furnish a standard
commercial fertilizer of 16 (nitrogen), 20 (phosphorous), 0 (potassium)
formula, and shall uniformly broadcast or drill the specified ferti-
lizer at the rate of 100 pounds per acre into the surfaces of the areas
to be seeded unless otherwise directed. Fertilizer shall be applied

to the prepared seedbed previous to seeding operations, or at the

time of seeding ifa grass drill with a fertilizer attachment is used,



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