riiE Dandelion in Colorado 
^5 
plants are comparatively few and of good size. In the case of 
lawns containing many small plants, it is correspondingly expen¬ 
sive in time and material recpiired in addition to the injury suf¬ 
fered by the lawn. Kerosene has been found about as effective as 
gasoline, and may be used in the same way. A large sized oil can 
forms a convenient means for applying the liquid. 
Coal tar creosote, such as is 
used in treating timber to make 
it last, is capable of doing good 
service as a herbicide. It is ap¬ 
plied in the same manner as gaso¬ 
line, but in smaller amounts, from 
one-fourth to one-half teaspoon¬ 
ful being enough for each plant 
of good size. Its effects appear 
to be most pronounced if the liq¬ 
uid is applied when the ground is 
rather dry. 
Digging the Dandelion .—This 
is the most familiar and com¬ 
mon method of combatting the dandelion in lawns. There are two 
general methods of digging. The first consists in cutting the root 
off and removing the severed part of the plant, while the lower 
portion of the root is left in the ground. This the common 
method of digging and varies from shallow to deep digging, 
the former being the prevalent practice. The second method of 
digging aims at the removal 
of the entire plant, including 
practically all of the root. 
The chief advantages of 
digging are that it at once 
removes the offending weed 
from sight, it requires little 
or no outlay for special 
tools or material, and it 
can usually be done on a 
small place without other 
expense than the patience 
and time of the owner. Its 
disadvantages are that it fails to kill more than a small percent¬ 
age of the plants, when performed in the usual way, unless re¬ 
peated frequently; it is a slow and laborious task, and it cuts 
many small holes in the lawn. Our experiments indicate 
Fig’. 14a. Taking out a dandelion 
with the right hand tool shown in 
Fig. 13., cutting the sod close to 
plant. 
