Historic, archived document

Do not assume content reflects current
scientific knowledge, policies, or practices.

pen

ha

Ne
|

—
St ey - Br

OO EPART.MENT
~~ of AGRICULTURE

HOUSEKEEPERS! CHAT Tuesday, May 17, 1938

(FOR BROADCAST USE ONLY)

| SUBJECT: "QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS." Information from the Bureau of Plant Industry,
| United States Department of Agriculture. Publications offered: "Poison Ivy and |

| Sumac and Their Eradication", Farmers! Bulletin 1166; "Growing Annual Flowering

| Plants", Farmers! Bulletin 11/1; "Herbaceous. Perennials", Farmers! Bulletin 1361.

~~-0000000-——

More and more questions on the program today.

First, a poison-ivy question. Writes a listener: "How can I get rid of a
(great thriving poison-ivy vine that is spreading all along my Back fence?"

) Answer: Poison ivy is a difficult plant to kill because it is so dangerous

) to handle and grows up from creeping underground stems which spread in all direc
(tions a few inches below the soil. New shoots keep coming up from these underground
| runners.

Fortunately, cheap oil—-old crankcase oil will do the job if you use it
|properly. You will want to thin crankcase oil with kerosene to make it spray

| €asily and then spray it on the leaves. You can buy small inexpensive air—pressure
‘sprayers very reasonably. Spraying saves you from getting too near the ivy plant.
(Be careful not to use oil where it is likely to come in contact with the bark of
|\Valuable trees ——- or for that matter, with valuable plants or a lawn.

Other methods of killing poison ivy are described in a Department-of—Agri-
jculture bulletin. I am sending this listener a copy and anyone else is welcome to
JOne as long as the free supply lasts. ‘The name of the bulletin is: "Poison Ivy
and Sumac and Their Hradication." The number is 1166. And you get your copy by
jwriting to the Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C., It tells how to

iknow both poison ivy and poison sumac; how the poisons from these plants act; how
to prevent poisoning; what to do if you get it; and finally, how to kill the plants.
‘Once more, the number of the bulletin is 1166,

By the way, several listeners have asked about the difference between poison
javy and so—called poison oak. They are simply different forms of the same plant.
jo the casvern and central parts of this country, poison ivy is a vine, a trailing |
ishrub or a bush with a leaflet divided into 3 pointed leaflets. From New Jersey,
Delaware and Virginia southward and southwestward,.. the oak-leaf poison ivy occurs.
jfhis is a form of the plant that does not climb and has leaflets that look like
certain eastern oaks, Then in the western part of the country, especially on the
Pacific Coast, they have a plant known as poison oak--a bush about 4 to 8 feet

nigh that has leaflets resembling certain western oaks. But whatever form the
jplant takes, the poison has the same effect,

(1667)

i
ti Ve

ee hiya
se ad
iat) sr

rita
om on
im et ribb
ly ih u
Witabes Ae thi A
, ;

on eye,
i

PAH th

Fa ve , ; ie i da ae) f ‘ mh AAG Neral ag
Te DNDN er ‘ thay Oh re NANI fey Me cp Nai tN

oR yet
ia KRING
Re aN
ihe ebind

HC-R -2- 5-17-38

So much for poison ivy. Now here's a letter from a listener who complains
jthat she hears a great deal about growing vegetables in the home garden but not

| enough about flowers, W#1ll, far be it from your Aunt Sammy to show any partiality.
It'll stop right here and eeu this listener two favorite Department of Agriculture
Woulletins on flowers. One is No. 1171 called "Growing Annual Flowering Plants."
Jhe other is No. 1381 called "Herbaceous Perennials."= I don't know whether this
llistcner favors annuals or perennials but here's information about both kinds of
flowers. She cm "take her pick," so ta speak,

Of course, any listener is also welcome to these flower bulletins. They
will give information of interest even to the lady whose garden is just a window
box or a little pot of earth. Write to the Department of Agriculture, Washington,
hc.e, for Farmers’ Bulletin No, 11/1 on annuals and Farmers! Bulletin No. 1381 on

perennials.

Your county agent or State college also probably has flower garden informa-
tion to send you that will answer the problems of your own locality.

That takes care of the flower questions, Now to answer a question about
'tPlease tell me," writes a listener -—~ "Please tell me if it's true that

It Certainly is true —— or, as the plant scientists explain it, weeds harbor

Of course, everybody knows that it is wise to keep weeds out of fields and
"Bardens as much as possible. But most people think weeds are harmful only because
they choke out other plants. However, another serious charge against weeds it that
bhey harbor various plant ills that are contagious, so to speak, One weed may be
most to one kind of disease and another wecd may be host to another, For example,
vild mustard, which May come anto thé farm with cereal secd, is a dangerous weed to
fave about, especially if you are growing cabbage, cauliflower and related vege-
fables, Wild mustard is susceptible to the 3 most important discases of cabbage -~
Nolack rot, black leg and club root. So wild mustard helps keep these serious and
Pamaging disease alive, And most important are the mosaic disease, especially in
ections where cucunbers are grown for pickles, The wild hosts of tho mosaic

Last question: Another gardener writes that she has heard somewhere about

Answer: It is not only possible but a very helpful practice with certain
speeds, You can control damping-off of beets, eggplant, lettuce, peppers, salisfy,
spinach and tomatoes by treating the secds, Use 1 level teaspoon of red copper
(pxide for cach pound of vegetable seed, Put the red dust and the seed in a tight
Weontainer and shake thoroughly before planting. Then, to control scab and angular-—
leaf spot of cucumbers, squash, melons and pumpkins, you can dissolve a 7 and one
Palf grain tablet of corrosive sublimate in a pint of water and soak the seed for
|) Minutes. Then plant immediately. 3y theway, corrosive sublimate is extremely
POisonous, If you use it to sterilize secd, use it with the greatest care.

SpA