Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1911-05-26
Death For Dandellons,

= Eraolcation CT the dandelion, with il;
tendency to become ubiquitous to thu
rdlnation of lawns once smooth anc
or and to the pair of pers ons who
Try to eliminate the pest by hand. is
promised through sure and easy meth.
DDS by Professor A. D. Wilson. of the
university farm school, r. w. Fisher,
horticultlrist at the agricultural college
at Bozeman, Mont, and Professor H.
l.. Bolley, of the North Dakota agri-
cultural college, following experiments
with solutions of sulphate of iron or
cooper says Minneapolis paper.
Sprayed with the right solution the
dandelions promptly shrivel up and die,
and general use of the solution, it is
said, will mean a solution of the dande-
lion problem.
Getting the dandelion in hand by the
use of knife to dig the plants up
singly by the roots is a discouraging
process, and usually by the time part
of the crop has been put out of the way
the rest has gone to seed, and the white
fluffy balls sow bigger crop than ever
with the first strong breeze.
With the sulphate solution the plants
not only are nipped in the bud, but
seem to evaporate into thin air. The
grass, which is bound to be killed event
ually by the inroads of the dandelions
is not harmed by the solution.
Directions for killing the dandelions
given out by the farm school profess
sors read in part as follows: "The iron
sulphate, or copper as it is commonly
known, can be purchased for a few
cents pound in quantity, and is used
at rate of one and one-half to two
pounds to one gallon of water. The
solution should be applied as soon after
the iron sulphate is dissolved as posi-
bic, as there is a chemical reaction
which takes place soon after it is dis
solved, and if left standing too long it |
lessons its power to kill the dandalions. |
1t should not stand more than three or
four hours. The solution is not poison
GUS to handle, but will discolor iron,
stone and clothing and reasonable care
should be taken in applying it about
houses where there are iron fences and
stone foundations and walks.
''When the spray solution is properly |
made and applied the dandelions can be
killed without injury to the bluegrass
or white clover, except that the leaves
Of the clover may be spotted little for
a time, rarely enough, however, to dis
figure lawn. By keeping the lawn
closely cut and we'll watered it will
quickly recover from any injury. The
spaces where dandelions were killed
should be seeded at once with bluegrass
% fill up the vacant ground and prevent
weeds from terminating. The solution
should be strained through a fine sieve
" cloth into the spray can so that no
can get into the pump and
log it.
AS a result of the experiments it has
,een found that it is impossible for the
landelion roots to live more than one
eason without green leaves, and spray
ng about once in six weeks, or when
'ver the leaves start to grow, will elm
nate the pest in a season.
1.-THE solution can not be successfully
pplied with a sprinklng can" accord
ng to the agricultural school bulletins,
as the large drops will not stay on the
caves. Spraying should be done when
he wind is not blowing, and when the
ky is partly cloudy, The lawn should
'e well watered sereral hours before
he solution is applied, so that the grass
an dry, but the roots will be moist
nough to go a day or two without
moisture to give the spray solution time
o do its work.