removing the roots to a depth of not less than 8 inches, including all 

 side roots as well as the base of the plant. Workmen must make 

 sure that no roots fall back into the hole and that all dirt is shaken 

 from the roots grubbed to prevent posible regrowth. 



It is outstandingly important to burn all plants after removal 

 to prevent their consumption by cattle. Regardless of the care ex- 

 ercised in digging Barbey and other larkspurs, it is always nec- 

 essary to go over the area the following year to remove any plants 

 which have been missed. Usually a second follow-up is necessary 

 to eradicate plants developing from seed stored from previous 

 seasons. 2 



Chemical eradication has thus far proved very effective in Mon- 

 tana, but only partly successful in Utah. In general, chemical 

 eradication of larkspur is much more expensive than grubbing. 

 The chemicals used are relatively costly, and heavy applications are 

 needed to kill plants possessing such heavy deepset root systems as 

 those of most tall larkspurs. It the plants are merely weakened they 

 almost invariably recover unless the work is repeated. Although 

 continued research with chemicals in larkspur eradication is justi- 

 fied, for the present, hand grubbing is the most practical method of 

 eliminating small stands of these plants from the range. 



Spraying with sodium chlorate in neutral, acid, or alkaline solu- 

 tions of 2% percent or more and upwards during the active growing 

 period of larkspur is effective. However, it is risky to use this! 

 chemical because of its inflammability and toxicity in quantity to 

 livestock. A salty taste increases its attractiveness and encourages 

 consumption of treated plants. Calcium chlorate, while less effec- 

 tive than sodium chlorate, has also been successfully used in chemical 

 eradication of larkspur and has the advantages of being neither 

 poisonous nor inflammable. These soluble chemicals are readily 

 applied, kill both tops and roots of the poisonous plants and thus 

 prevent sprouting. The addition of a little whale-oil soap or glycer- 

 ine facilitates the uniform distribution and retention of the solution 

 upon the leaf surfaces. 



Larkspurs may be bunched, leafy, and conspicuous or low, single- 

 stemmed, and few-branched, and may vary in height from a few 

 inches to 7 feet. In general, the species may be grouped, for prac- 

 tical purposes, in two divisions: Tall larkspurs and low larkspurs. 

 The stalks arise from long and woody or from short and thick roots, 

 being hollow, and often rather stout, with the alternate leaves hairy, 

 smooth, or covered with a bluish-white coating like that of a grape or 

 plum. The leaves often resemble those of maple or currant. The 

 leaf divisions extend from the tip of the leaf stem like a human hand 

 with outstretched fingers. During the spring, before the plants 

 blossom, it is difficult to distinguish between the leaves of larkspur, 

 monkshood and geranium. Larkspur flowers are usually colored 

 various shades of violet, blue, and purple, although white-flowered 

 forms occur in nearly all species, with a few species having red 

 flowers. 



2 AldOUS, A. E. ERADICATING TALL LARKSPUR ON CATTLE RANGES IN THE NATIONAL 



FORESTS. U. S. Dept. Agr. Farmers' Bull. 826, 23 pp., ilius. 1917. 



