Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-12-27
Means Of Eradic atina DandeIions.

! Means Of Graduating Dandeions.
4 (By IL. l.. Bolley, Botanist North Da-
kota Agricultural Experiment Station)
\ There are many calls upon the agri-
| cultural experiment stations to give
| advice as to how to eradicate the dan
delion on parks and lawns. Complete
eradication of this weed is probably
an economic impossibility for the OBJ
vious reason that it has gained a
world wide distribution in waste places
and from these 1t may always be ex-
pected to furnish seed for general dis
tribution upon lawns. parks, and
meadows and roadsides. Its wind
blown seeds are produced at almost all
times Of the year and may be expected
to be present In large numbers upon
any piece of ground
Many of our best parks and lawns
are kept free from these weeds by
persistent diligence in using the spud
or knife, cutting below the ground.
This method, If sufficiently persisted
in, eventually destroys the old dam
delions. provided only the person who
does the cutting does not allow any
leaves to come to light. The dandelton
being perennial rooted, stores up a
large amount of reserve food material
in it's roots. Persistent destruction Of
the leaves prevents food making and
even old roots must die If sufficiently
starved In this manner. This station
has conducted number of cutting
tests upon old dandelions and young
dandelions and we find that any part
Of the root below the ground when in
normal state will send up new plants
after being cut off. Plants readily
sent up shoots from roots that were
icut three and four inches below the
surface The more often they are
cut off the weaker become the Off
shoots. The trouble with the process
of cutting is that the surface Of the
lawn is kept too much disturbed for
the formation Of a good turf and the
method actually demands too much
labor
Another means Of keeping this lawn
pest in check, is heavy seeding AT
the start the lawn should be given an
extra thick seeding Of the lawn grass.
preferably blue grass. Many lawns
are kept in good condition and free
from dandelions by constantly keep
ing the ground well supplied with blue
grass seed. A very satisfactory seed
ing calls for the use of from five to
ten pounds of seed upon 9 100 by $50
lot once every three months, April,
July and September. Keeping the
lawn thus we'll supplied with grass
seed, keeps fine mat of grass over
the area, preventing bare spots where
in the dandelion seeds may lodge and
terminate AS the weed Is sun low
ing one, the young plant cannot with
stand dense growth of young grass,
80 that lawns which are we'll supplied
with grass seed, and are regularly
lnown, give little chance for 1t to get
a foothold. Under this method, old
plants must be up-rooted as they are
sturdy enough to hold their own.
Good success has been obtained In
using large quantities of white clover
seed upon areas infested by dandelions.
White clover under ordinary condl-
tions If the drainage is good, with
stands the climate we'll and is capable
of crowding out most grasses ana
weeds However, under the best con-
ditions it sometimes dies out on large
areas leaving the lawn spotted and
unsightly when the dandelion readily
take charge The white clover method
is most approved for roadside I'M,
proyement Road supervisors and
street commissioners should. after the
streets are properly graded, seed the
roadsides and bitches to white clover,
covering any possible bare spots with
fresh seed each spring.
Fighting the Dandeion by Sprays.
Fortunately, late experiments In
dictate that new method of fighting
dandelions will eventually give marked
success, in fact the man who is suffi-
GENTLY patient and persistent to make
a success in any work which demands
constant observation and constant re-
doing at the right time, will have no
difficulty in maintaining weed free
lawn. The dandelion may be erad1-
Gated in blue grass lawns. In parks
and meadows and roadsides without
injury to the grass by means of chem1-
cal sprays properly applied and ap-
piled at the right time. This does not
mean that they will stay out AS near
AZ the writer can state, from the work
he has done, it will be necessary to
spray the lawns in the region of Fargo
approximately once lloiilh " oi.Se
in six weeks thruout the year In order
to hold the dandelions completely in.
check. During the present season four
times spraying has completely disposed
of a heavy growth of new dandelions
and sent the dandelions of more than
one years growth into winter without
any foliage to supply them food
for the coming year. This does not
mean that there will be no dan
delions on that lawn the coming year
but it does mean that with proper
spraying machine and eight hours
labor the lawn has apparently been
freed from dandelions. OF course there
are millions OF wind blown seeds