Vegetation Control on Nonagricultural Land 



K. C. BARRONS 



UNWANTED plants are not exclusively a problem of the farmer; almost 

 everyone has a vegetation control problem. Weeds in lawns, gar- 

 dens, and vacant lots, undesirable woody and herbaceous plant growth 

 on highway, utility, and railroad rights-of-way are a part of our daily 

 existence. Industrial grounds, canals, ditches, lumber yards, oil-tank 

 farms, and military installations all have their particular problems of 

 vegetation control. For factors of safety, health, fire protection, and 

 general efficiency of many operations, as well as for aesthetic values, 

 vegetation must be confined to desired species or kept from growing 

 beyond certain heights. 



In the past we have had to resort almost exclusively to mechanical 

 methods of controlling plant growth. True, certain chemical weed-killers 

 have been used to a limited extent for a number of years, but the 

 discovery of the herbicidal value of the chlorophenoxyacetic acids has 

 given us an entirely new concept of the possibihties of controlling 

 vegetation by chemical means. I wish to discuss certain vegetation 

 control problems, to point out how research on herbicides has helped 

 in their solution, and to mention some remaining problems which you 

 as research workers interested in plant-growth control must take the 

 lead in solving. 



It has been my privilege to work with several public utilities in the 

 eastern states on right-of-way vegetation control since 1945, soon after 

 the first publications on 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Our 

 first problem was one of formulation. It was soon found that the esters 

 of 2,4-D were more consistent in their action than the salts, particularly 

 on species with a relatively thick cuticle. Apparently the solubility of the 

 esters in leaf wax is an important factor. In spite of the many reports of 



