WEED CONTROL IN YOUR COMMUNITY THIS SUMMER*

This is the time of the year when all nature looks beautiful to us. Every hill and meadow is clothed in garments of a shade of "new green." Fresh vegetation is appearing everywhere, and it is a most delightful contrast to the browns and grays of winter.

But what about this new growth? Will it be as unwanted in August as much as it was welcomed in June? Will the new spring shoots by mid-summer become a rank growth harboring millions of mosquitoes with an insatiable appetite for human blood? Will a fifth of the people in your community be suffering with hay fever by September?

Unless a weed-control program is put into action all of these questions may be answered "yes" by a suffering and angry citizenry.

Ragweed and Hay Fever

One of the most important reasons for having weed-control programs is to relieve people who suffer from hay fever. In an average community about one out of five persons suffers from pollenitis or hay fever. Most of these persons are adversely affected by ragweed pollen although many persons may be sensitive to other air-borne allergens—the substances that create allergic reactions—as well.

There is a wide variation in the degree of reaction to pollens among persons. Some persons will be merely uncomfortable while other persons will be quite ill from the effects of ragweed pollen. Many of the "summer colds" which cause so much distress to persons and absenteeism from employment are probably caused by pollen allergies.

Respiratory infections often set in when a person is suffering from hay fever. Here are some other facts about ragweed and weed control:

1. Air-borne ragweed pollen doesn't travel far. If the air in your community is polluted with pollen, most of it originated within the community.

2. A reduction in the amount of pollen in the air will help people who have allergic reactions to the pollen. Some persons will he completely relieved if the amount of pollen in the air is reduced. Other persons who are sensitive to smaller concentrations of pollen will have some relief when there is less pollen in the air they breathe.

3. Ragweed isn't common in the woods. It grows best on cultivated land or earth that has been "turned over." Good farmers and gardeners will keep ragweed out of their fields and plots. It is most often found on lots no longer tilled, old excavations, ditches, earth embankments, etc. It thrives along roadsides and places where the ground has been disturbed and later neglected.

4. Ragweed begins to bloom in mid-August and continues until frost. The peak of the ragweed season is about September 10.

5. Many weed control campaigns actually stimulate the growth of ragweed. An early summer weed mowing and spraying program may encourage ragweed growth later in the season by thinning out other vegetation. Ragweed matures much later than most weeds and early mowing encourages it to bloom more profusely with greater pollen production.

6. Ragweed is inconspicuous. There are two major types, the tall and the short varieties. The flowers are almost the same shade of green as the foliage. This is one reason why many people blame their hay fever on goldenrod and other weeds with more spectacular flowers. The real offender is ragweed which often goes undetected.

A Good Weed-Control Ordinance

A good weed-control program should start with a good weed-cutting ordinance thoroughly enforced. A weed-cutting ordinance should be specific. The weed-cutting ordinances of a great many Pennsylvania local governments are unenforceable because they do not establish standards. Many ordinances merely state "it is illegal for a property owner to permit weeds to grow on his property" or words to this effect. This type of ordinance will be thrown out by the courts because it does not specify a minimum height of the weeds, nor does it define what is meant by "weed." Every lawn has a few weeds so every homeowner would be held in violation of an ordinance expressed in vague language.

A good ordinance should specify the undesirable weeds by name and state that they should not be allowed to produce flowers or seeds, nor allowed to reach a height of more than a foot. Specifying conditions like these will control the weed situation without making a law violator out of an owner of a beautifully manicured lawn which happens to have a few dandelions in it. To some persons clover is a weed. To others, clover makes a lawn. This is the reason why your ordinance should specify ragweed, Canada thistle, poison ivy, chicory and a few other noxious plants by name.

A good weed-control ordinance (An ordinance in compliance with the Illinois Statutes, may be obtained by writing to the League Office, 537 South Fourth Street, Springfield, Illinois) will require that a notice shall be sent to the owner or occupier of property calling attention to the weeds growing on it. The notice should provide a reasonable length of time, five days, for example, for the owner to cut the weeds. If he fails to do so, the local government will then cut the weeds and the owner or occupier will be subject to the costs of cutting weeds plus the penalty specified in the ordinance.

Chemical Control of Weeds

Herbicides or chemical controls have an important role in weed-control. If your weed-control

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WEED CONTROL IN YOUR COMMUNITY THIS SUMMER

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ordinance is old, it probably doesn't even mention chemical controls. Herbicides are practical if used properly. However, dense vegetative growth killed by herbicides can create a fire hazard as well as an eyesore, and herbicide sprays or dusts may drift to other property causing damage to desirable and valuable vegetation. Your County Agricultural Agent can advise you on the kinds of herbicides, the equipment needed to apply them, and the circumstances under which they should be used.

In summary, weed control will benefit every community in many ways. Besides being unattractive, weed-covered roadsides may contribute to highway accidents by blocking a driver's vision at intersections or obliterating directional signs. Weed control will benefit the public health. Even a community with a small area will be able to reduce air-borne pollens and bring relief to hay fever sufferers. These are some of the benefits of weed control.

Although a weed-control program becomes a responsibility primarily of property owners, don't neglect weeds growing on public property. Roadsides and alleys often support heavy growths of weeds. Weeds and poison ivy often abound on the edges of playgrounds, public picnic grounds, and school playfields. Local governments should see that weeds in these areas are kept within bounds.
—David L. Cowell

Page 172 / Illinois Municipal Review / July 1958