Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-05-20
SALT WILL KILL oANoELIohs.
Department. Of Agriculture Gives Some
Expert Advice on Eradication.

4
! Washington. May eo-The best way
cut off their tops and put a pinch OF
salt (about a thimbleful) on the sur
face OF each exposed root This will
kill most of them. AS salt If generally
applied ruins soil, the salt should be
root tops Of the dandeIion. The United
States department of agriculture has
for some time been testing various
poisons to discover the most efficient
means of graduating this troublesome
weed from lawns. but altho others have
been found satisfactory, the common
salt is best for general use as there 10
no danger accompanying it's applica-
ton.
The departments specialists say that
much effort Is wasted in merely cutting
of the dandelion top without applying
some poison to the root that remains.
The dandelion has tap root that grows
deep into the soil and cutting off 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 had
time to form seed. The seed spreads
IdP1uISs OiOWA ny SAC "AAlos hC OAOOe
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 for his own
lawn and yet have seeds blown in from
neighboring lawns. This is OF such i'm
portance to those desiring fine lawns.
that it might be made q matter for
community action.
he To- To- <p,Il ~ THIS v.ao
it is too tedious process to treat each
two possible methods of eradication
may be recommended. The first meth
cd Is to thicken the stand of grass to
tend to crowd out the dandelion. The
grass should be put into vigorous
condition by top dressing with we'll
rot ted manure or fertilizer in the fall,
and by reseeding in thin places. The
second method. advised in extreme in
up the lawn first Cor spade 1t up II the
area 10 smalD. A generous amount Of
well-rotted manure should then be
worked into the soil, but not Sffesh ma
nure for that is fun of weed seeds ready
to terminate. In case manure is not
available, commercial fertilizers may be
lime and it is often wise plan to use
1t especially il white clover 10 to be
sown. After blowing. the land should
lie narrowed or raked frequently to re-
duce it to good seed bed condition.
This will encourage the early germina-
ton Of weed seeds with the sub
sequent determination Of the seed
lings Thorough cultivation at this
.fnI -,sv1 hA Slan l4If
plants both those that come from roots
and seeds. After following either Of
the two plans sketched here. the lawn
should be maintained in good condition
by careful moving, rolling and water
ing.
Spraying with iron sulphate solution
to kill dandelions without killing the
grass is not recommended by the de-
partment, altho 1t has been tried by
some who consider it successful. Ex-
as a practical method.
The dandelion is widely used thru
out Europe as truck crop. Certain
foreigners recently arrived In America
have continued to use the plant az a
vegetable and Italians in the neighbor-,
hood Of large cities have made con-
SloeraDie prom Dy 8atnerlng ana taxing
1t to market.
Several places around Boston now
grow the dandelion as truck crop.
The seeds are sown In July or August
in rows twelve inches apart and altho
the plants are of good size in the fall
they are not generally gathered for the
market until early in the spring. As
soon an the snow is off the ground the
crops are gathered and for time the
farmers receive from 81 to $1.25 a BUSH
ell for these green's. BY May the price
has fallen to about so cents bushel
and then the ground IL plowed up to
make room for other vegetables. az the
dandelion is no longer profitable.
Another weed that injuries the