Poison-ivy, poison-oak and poison sumac : $b Identification, precautions, eradicationCrooks, D. M. (Donald Mundell)
Science
Poison-ivy, poison-oak and poison sumac : $b Identification, precautions, eradication
Crooks, D. M. (Donald Mundell)
Poison ivy; Poison oak; Poison sumac
Plants differ greatly in their resistance to borax. Some species, as
Virginia creeper and deep-rooted trees, do not seem to be injured, but
others, notably dogwood, are very sensitive to it. Until more complete
information is available as to the effect of borax on other plants,
it should be employed on poison-ivy only where possible damage to
surrounding vegetation is not objectionable.
=Carbon disulfide.=--The fumes of this pungent, volatile liquid are very
poisonous to plants, and the chemical is widely used in the West to kill
deep-rooted perennial weeds. When poison-oak, particularly, is growing
in a mixture with wild morning-glory (bind-weed) or similar noxious
weeds, both plants may often be killed at one operation by treating the
soil with carbon disulfide. Holes ordinarily 6 inches deep and 18 inches
apart in all directions are punched in the soil with a 1-inch iron bar,
and 2 ounces of carbon disulfide are poured in each hole. The openings
are closed immediately with a wooden club. This dosage equals 20 pounds
of the chemical per square rod. Carbon disulfide is likely to be less
effective on shallow-rooted than on deep-rooted plants and is therefore
of limited value against poison-ivy, which is surface-rooted.
=Carbon disulfide is poisonous, and as it is also highly flammable it
should be handled as carefully as gasoline.=
=Coal-tar creosote oil.=--In the fractional distillation of coal, many
oils and oillike substances are obtained, some of which are very toxic to
plants. The most common and usually the cheapest is the creosote used for
wood preservation. This substance has great penetrating power and is an
excellent herbicide on woody plants like poison-ivy. Ordinarily creosote
oil is too expensive to use alone and is therefore mixed with some
kind of petroleum oil. A mixture of 75 percent fuel oil and 25 percent
creosote oil is almost as effective as straight creosote and is made at
one-third the cost. Two applications of this mixture at an interval of
about 6 weeks usually kill a high percentage of poison-ivy. Creosote is
not selective and kills all plants alike.
_Fuel oil (Diesel and similar oils)._--Crude petroleum is refined into
many kinds of oil, and those corresponding to fuel oil. Diesel oil,
stovetop oil, and orchard-heating oil are more injurious to plants
than crude oil itself or the higher distillates, such as gasoline
and kerosene. Fuel oils are widely used for destroying vegetation,
particularly by highway departments in States having oil resources. When
sprayed on poison-ivy, fuel oil brings about a slow but fairly sure death
of the plants. Two or three applications may be necessary before the
roots are killed. Fuel oil, like creosote, must be used with care around
valuable trees and shrubs because it penetrates the bark and kills or
injures all species. As used for poison-ivy spraying there is no injury
to the soil. The oil-soaked vegetation is flammable.
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