rill MONTHLY BULLETIN. 93 



fields adjoining the highway, new seed produces a new crop each 

 season." 



Mr. J. B. Woodson, headquarters, Fresno, says: "The noxious weeds 

 consist in this division principally of sunflowers, and ground burrs in 

 Kern County, mullen in Merced County, and miscellaneous weeds in 

 the other counties. 



"Since the travel is confined mure to the center of right of way, 

 where there is a pavement, more effort is required in keeping the right 

 of way elear. Three principal methods have been employed in this 

 division to make the highway more presentable: (1) grader drawn by 

 .truck; (2) the grub hoe. and (3) mowing and burning. The latter has 

 been done with team-drawn mowers and with the. scythe. The first 

 method is the most effective if done just after the weeds start and often 

 can be done in connection with working the dirt toward the exposed 

 edge of the pavement. More attention will be paid to follow up this 

 method hereafter unless we are advised otherwise. 



"The second method (grub hoe) is the most expensive though quite 

 effective. Mowing is the cheapest, after the weeds have gotten a good 

 start, but only gives partial success. 



"From .July 1. 1915, to January 1, 1916, Maintenance Requisitions 

 No. 162 and No. 216 were issued for this division for the single purpose 

 of keeping down the weeds. These funds were applied on approximately 

 120 miles and the amount spent amounted to $1,336.42 exclusive of the 

 pei- cent retained for overhead. This would be approximately $11 per 

 mile 



"From January 1, 1916, to the middle of October, 1916, weed cutting 

 was included in the general Maintenance Requisitions No. 363 and 

 No. 493, and the sum used for weed destruction amounted to $1,687.81 

 applied over 180 miles or approximately a cost of $9.40 per mile. 



"In both cases of cost per mile it must be taken into consideration 

 that there are many places where there are no noxious weeds for a long 

 distance." 



Mr. W. W. Patch, headquarters. Los Angeles, says: "Weeds have 

 been cut during the seasons of 1915-16 over the following sections in 

 Division VII: LA-2-A, B and C; Ven-2-A, B, C. D, E, F and G; 

 Ora-2-A, B. C and D ; S D-2-A, B, C and D, and L A-4-A. 



"The approximate average annual cost has been $15 per mile of 

 road. The method employed in this work was to cut as much of right 

 of way as possible with a twoJiorse mowing machine, following this 

 with scythes and shovels to clean up around guardrails, right of way 

 fences and such points as could not be reached by mowing machines. 

 A crew, consisting of one twoJiorse team and driver and one laborer, 

 would cut on an average J mile of road (both sides) per day, where 

 conditions were such that the mowing machine could reach most of the 

 right of way. 



"The above expense of $15 per mile per vear is smaller than would 

 be required to keep the roadway properly free from weeds. We have 

 not spent more than this amount as the funds were not adequate in 

 many cases to take care of the more important features of maintenance 

 and still remove the second crop of weeds." 



