Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1914-06-05
PUT SALT ON WEEDS
Pinch Of II WIN KIN the Trouble.
some Dandelion.

Department Of Agriculture Gives Prse-
deal Methods for killing oands-
llons and PlantaIns That Ruin
ths Appearance OF Lawns.
WashinSton.-The best way to XIII
individual dandelion plants 10 TO cut
on their tops and put pinch OF SAT-
(about q thimbleful) on the surface OF
each exposed root. This will kill most
Of them. Az salt, II generally applied
ruins soil, the salt should be used spar
ingly and applied only to the. root.
tops OF the dandelion. The Unitea
States department OF agriculture has
for some time been testing various
poisons to discover the most emcient
means Of Graduating this troublesome
weed from lawns. but although others
have been found satisfactory. the COM
mon salt ID best for general use as
there is no danger accompanying lts
application. Nv. ~~.
The departments specialists say
that much effort Is wasted IN mercy
cutting OF the dandelion top without
applying some poison to the root that
remains. The dandelion has a tap root
that grows deep into the soil and cut
ting of the plant merely encourages
the dandelion to come up in thicker
growth.
The time to eradicate dandelions Is
in the spring before the plant has mao
time to form seed. The seed spreads
rapidly, blown by the wind. The dos
SONS should be close mown before
they have gone to seed and salt should
then be applied to each root. A man
may be very diligent IN caring 1or
his own lawn and yet have SEEDS
blown In from neighboring lawns. THIS
IL OF such importance to those desir@
Ing fine lawns, that it might be made
4 matter for community action.
II the lawn Ia very full OF this
weed It 10 too tedious a process to
treat each plant by the salt process.
In this case two possible methods OF
eradication may be recommended. the
1lrst method Is to thicken the STAND
OF grass to tend to crowd out the
dandelion. The grass should be put
into vigorous condition by top dress
Ing with well.rotted manure or ferul'
ixer In the fall, and by reseeding IN
thin places. The second method, ao-
ytsed in extreme instances, Is to start
nil over again. Plow up the lawn hrst
Tor spade it up Il the area Is smali):
A generous amount OF well-rotted
manure should .hen be worked into
the soll, but not fresh manure 1of
that ID full Of weed seeds ready to
terminate. In case manure ID not
available, commercial fertilizers may
be used. Many lawn soils are IN neeo
Of lime and It II often . wise pan
to use It. especially II white clover
Il to be sown. After plowing. the
land should be narrowed or raked IRE.
ouently to reduce It to . good seed bed
condition. This will encourage the
early termination OF weed seeds Win
the subsequent determination OF the
seedlings. Thorough cultivation az
this period will destroy the dandeiion
plants, both those that come from
roots and seeds. After following
either OF the two plans sketched here
the lawn should be maintained N
rood condition by careful moving
rolling and watering.
The dandelion is not native Amer,'
can plant having been introduced
from Europe several centuries ago.
II was first introduced In the east ana
has spread westward with our emigra-
ton
The name "dandelion" il said to
come from the French Dent de Lion,
which means tooth Of lion and refers
TO the oth-shaped edges Of the leaf
OF the plant.
The dandelion IN widely used
throughout Europe a. q truck crop.
Certain foreigners recently arrived IN
America have continued to use the
plant Is . vegetable and Italians In
the neiKhborhood Of large cities have
made considerable profit by gathering
and taking 1t to Market
Another weed that Injuries the beau
u OF many lawns 10 the plantain. OF
which there are two varieties; the
buckhorn. or rib grass: and the COM
xaon, or broad leaf.
The same methods that apply to
graduating the dandelion apply to the
plantain except the method OF poison
inx the individual plant. Instead OF
eating on the top and sprinkling the
root With salt ~ 10 done IN the case
OF the dandelion, the individual plan
tain may best be removed by pulling
up BY the root after . heavy rain
when the ground 10 wet The plan
tain does not offer dimcut prob
lem q the roots are pulled up readily,
even from clay soil, after heavy
rain.