252 ARID AGRICULTURE. 



tion from below, or by an occasional thorough 

 and deep soaking with water by flooding instead 

 of by the ordinary method of sprinkling on the 

 surface, the seeds of the dandelion blowing on- 

 falling onto the sod will not be so apt to germi- 

 nate and become established. Spraying with 

 sulphate of iron solution is often recommended. 

 It will kill off the tops of dandelions without 

 serious injury to the lawn grass, but unless it is 

 repeatedly done, which takes considerable ex- 

 pense, it will not be successful. The strength of 

 sulphate of iron recommended for dandelions is 

 two pounds to each gallon of water. Dandelions 

 in the field may be killed by plowing and putting 

 into cultivated crop for one or more seasons or by 

 thorough summer tillage without crop. In the 

 long run it does not pay for any one to wear him- 

 self or herself out digging dandelions out of 

 lawns. A good heavy seeding of grass on well 

 prepared ground to secure a perfect lawn will 

 usually remain looking well for eight or ten 

 years. When the dandelions get thick enough 

 to get unsightly, plow or spade up the lawn, giv- 

 ing the soil clean culture and such treatment as 

 will germinate all weed seeds in it until the first 

 of July and replant with blue grass and white 

 clover. You can use as much as 150 pounds of 

 blue grass seed and thirty pounds of white clover 

 seed per acre. 



WILD OATS Jt j s commonly believed that tame oats de- 



generate and change to wild ones. This is no 



