The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-05-29
HoRTlcuLTuRlsr AT EXPERT,
MENTAL STATION EXPLAINS.
EFFECTIVE SPRAY
Solution Of Iron suIphate Used in
Spraying Grass and Killing Weed in
One Observation-Disclosures How to
Make and Use Solution.

In a letter received yesterday by
The Gazette from R. w. Fisher, hor.
ticulturist Of the Montana experiment.
al station at Bozeman, the writer
sends an instructive article on how to
successfully eradicate dandelions
from lawns by a method tested at
the experimental station.
In the article there are many facts
OF a helpful nature that will be OF
great assistance to a lawn grower in
the extermintion Of the ~dandelion
pest. Following is the article:
Iron sulphate of copperas as q
spray solution for the eradication OF
dandelions has been tested by several
experiment stations in the United
States with more or less success.
When the spray solution is properly
made and applied, the dandelions car
be killed without injury to blue gras
or white clover, except that the leav
Of the white clover may be spotted
little by the iron sulphate solution,
rarely enough, however, to disfigure a
lawn. By keeping the lawn closely
cut and well watered the clover and
blue grass win rapidly recover from
any injury which might result from
the spraying.
How TO Spray.
An automatic spray pump of which
there are several makes will give the
best results. A pump manufactured
by Brandt Bros, Chicago City, Min.
nesota, has been found very conven-
lent In experiments made at this sta.
ton, and is well adapted to lawn
spraying. The nozzle should be such
that a fine mist can be made, because
II large drops Of the spray colution
tall on the leaves they will u OF
and no injury to the dandelion leaves
will result. When spraying with an
automatic spray or hand pump, high
pressure should be kept at all times
as only then will a fine spray mist be
thrown.
One good spray pump will be sui.
flcient for several lawns as it takes
only a short time to spray a lawn.
The spray solution cannot be success.
fully applied with a sprinkling can as
the large drops will stay on the
Spraying should be done on
a day when the wind is not blowing.
when the grass is dry and can be
kept dry for IL or "a hours after
Spraying. The lawn should be we'll
Watered several hours before the So
luton is applied, long enough in adj
vance to permit the grass leaves to
dry and still have the roots in soil to
give the spray solution a chance to do
its work. If water is applied too soon
after spraying, the iron sulphate will
be washed off and no results will fol
low.
To Be Done Every Six Weeks.
Spraying should be done about ey-
cry six weeks or whenever the dande-
lion leaves show a green color. and, by
keeping the leaves killed by SPRAY
ing with iron sulphate whenever they
start to grow, the roots can be entire
~ Killed, as it is impossible for the
roots to live To- than one season
without green leaves. Sprayings made
at the experiment station with the
iron sulphate solution resulted in
all the leaves on dandelions.
without injury to blue grass and with
only a few spots on white clover
which In no way disfigures the lawn.
Where the dandelions are thick the
lawn will look bad for a few days
after spraying because Of dead leaves
the dandelion plants. The spaces
where the dandelions are killed out