NEWARK, Del. Christmas the'only practical means of control trees offer a potential cash crop for for both kinds of enterprise, part-time fanners and people with University of Delaware Ex small land holdings in semi-urban tension horticulturist Charles areas. One of the problems in Dunham has been evaluating establishing such plantings is weed potential herbicides for their ef control - especially during the' fectiveness and safety on plants, first few years after trees'are information he collects is planted. being used to help clear promising Weed control is also a major materials for use on such or problem for operators of nurseries, namental crops under the En- High labor costs make chemicals vironmental Protection Agency’s ATTENTION FARMERS... FREE ESTIMATES ON RODENT CONTROL RODENTS carry diseases which can endanger the health of your dairy herds. Your business is raising them. Ours is prdtecting them. Since 1928 Pest control is too important to trust to anyone else Here's What You Get For Less Than 15* A Week! —\ LATEST INFORMATION from livestock markets and auctipns of the East and Mid-West, including futures. OUR MARKET REPORTS are received by phone up to 10 AM on Friday morning...just 2 hours before press time! . ★ _ - MAILBOX ( MARKET...and much, mucp more! , ■ I an caster Control weeds 1278 Loup Rd. Lancaster, PA 17604 717-397-3721 •^JsSSsSSA i*««?3a!S6f' THURSO*** . / ®SJJJ3£jSSSS* jC~^ —l Guard GjilGQtfGOQ!] daw?®me© SQompmm^ Lancaster, PA 717-569-5361 "Friend of Farmers since 1896.” : How recently have you evaluated your buildings, machinery and livestock? Our agent in your area can help you and will gladly propose proper insurance coverage for all -your fire and casualty needs. JOHN W. ROBERTS, 45 Western Terrace, Oxford, PA EVERETT SECHLER R.D. #3, Box 45A, Confluence, PA HAROLD R. SHELDON R.D. #2. Box 25, Thompson, PA' | SELT2R INSURANCE AGENCY Rt. 61, Country Club Hill, Orwlgsburg, PA P.O. Box 366, Lititz, PA 17543 717*626-11640r 394-3047 in Christmas tree plantings special IR-4 program. “There aren’t very many ef fective herbicide treatments currently available for Christmas tree growers to use at planting,” says Dunham. “As coarse weeds get ahead of young trees, it becomes almost impossible to remove them without resorting to a contact herbicide.” Last summer he says he got excellent results on white pine. At LANCASTER, FARMING, we think we do a good, job of' keeping you' In formed... ahd we have over 39,000 paid subscribers who think so tod! I■ i ' Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 19,1981—D17 Norway spruce and Douglas fir with a combination of several herbicides, including Princep, a product not presently labeled for use on ornamentals at planting. Princep was applied im mediately after planting in combination with either Goal or Deverinal. Spray- formulations included either 1 pint of Goal or 2 pounds Deverinal (a-ctive ingredients) with several different rates of Princep. At the 1 pound rate, Princep, in combination with these materials caused no plant injury to or namentals growing on either sandy soil at the university’s Georgetown Substation, or the heavier soils of the experimental farm in Newark. Materials were applied over'the top immediately after planting on weed-free ground. Though results were promising, Dunham thinks it is very im portant that the soil be well firmed around plants if they are to resist herbicide injury. This is easier to do if you’re planting by hand, rather than by machine. In a related demonstration, Dunham has been evaluating the effectiveness of the Herbi sprayer as a low-cost, low-labor means of applying herbicides on nursery stock, including Christmas trees. Advantages of the sprayer are that it applies very low volumes of material per acre. This means that with one filling, you can cover a large number of trees. The equipment is light and easy to handle. “I think the Herbi has a place in ornamental production,” he says. “The main disadvantage we en countered was that the volume put out is so low that it’s hard to realize you’re putting any material on.” This poses a psychological problem for the person doing the spraying in the sense that it may seem that the job isn’t getting done. You have to be careful not to overtreat. Tests showed that the sprayer is effective in applying flowable pre emergence herbicides such as Princep, Deverinal, Goal and Lasso. It is also very effective in applying post-emergence materials such as Roundup. Roundup cannot be used where foliar contact is a potential cause of injury. All indications are that despite the low volume of water applied per acre, the effectiveness of the materials is much the same as when comparable rates of her bicides are applied by other methods, says Dunham. He feels the Herbi offers a very efficient low-cost method of applying weed control chemicals. Being hand held, it can be used in areas dif ficult to reach with mechanical equipment. During the past two years, Dunham has worked on weed control problems encountered the previous year. Using spring planted Norway spruce, Douglas fir, white pine and Colorado spruce, he has been able to find the most effective control and rates of herbicide application on young trees of these species.