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00:01:08 Weeds are our common enemy, plaguing the homeowner,

00:01:13 ruining golf courses and our tempers,

00:01:17 cursing us with hay fever,

00:01:20 piling up work by millions of man-hours for railroads and highway maintenance departments.

00:01:27 But worst of all is their never-ending warfare against the American farmer.

00:01:33 It is officially estimated that farm losses caused by weeds

00:01:37 are approximately three billion dollars annually,

00:01:41 second only to the loss from soil erosion.

00:01:44 Though the enemy is powerful, the fight is no longer one-sided.

00:01:52 For here at the Dow Chemical Company in Midland, Michigan,

00:01:56 revolutionary chemical killers are being produced to help rid us of these costly pests.

00:02:02 For years, Dow research technicians, leaders in agricultural chemical developments,

00:02:07 have experimented with organic herbicides to control weeds or kill them outright,

00:02:13 to kill them inexpensively without harm to the crops they infest or to the soil.

00:02:20 Thousands of tests in field and laboratory have resulted in the development of four major weed killers,

00:02:27 Dow Selective Weed Killer, Dow Contact Weed Killer, two four Dow Weed Killers, and Esteron 44.

00:02:40 Dow Selective Weed Killer has proved highly effective for the chemical weeding of flax, peas, and grain.

00:02:48 The water-soluble spray destroys weeds without causing permanent damage to the crops.

00:02:54 Where mechanical mowing is difficult and all vegetation must be kept in check,

00:02:59 Dow Contact Weed Killer is useful, such as for fence rows, orchards, roadsides, vacant lots.

00:03:11 Dow Contact Weed Killer kills all top growth to the ground.

00:03:16 It does not kill roots nor sterilize the soil, and so provides vegetation control without inviting erosion.

00:03:25 It is best to kill non-grasses once and for all with two four Dow,

00:03:30 and then use Dow Contact to keep the grasses under control.

00:03:35 One of the newest and most versatile weapons in Dow's arsenal of chemical warfare is two four Dow Weed Killer,

00:03:42 proved in action against hundreds of weeds and a wide variety of crops.

00:03:48 Two four D kills the entire weed, roots and all.

00:03:52 Its victims include most broad-leaved annual weeds, as well as perennials.

00:03:57 Even perennials with deep root systems may be eradicated by repeated applications.

00:04:02 Most grasses are not harmed when it's properly applied, nor is the soil poisoned.

00:04:09 This time-lapse photography shows in a few moments the gradual killing of a common weed over a 15-day period

00:04:16 after spraying with two four D Weed Killer.

00:04:19 Two four D is a growth regulator type of weed killer.

00:04:24 The action is physiological, appearing to upset the plant's growth processes,

00:04:30 causing modification and breakdown of its parts, and causing gradual but certain death.

00:04:37 Dow set out to demonstrate the effectiveness of its chemical killers on a nationwide scale,

00:04:43 on many kinds of weeds, under varying climatic conditions.

00:04:48 The rich Red River Valley region of North Dakota afforded an ideal proving ground.

00:04:54 In this area, farms cover thousands of acres, and weed control is a tremendous job.

00:05:01 In the past, this meant fallowing the land or reduced yield because of weed competition.

00:05:08 But today, modern chemical methods provide the answer.

00:05:13 A plane dusts a field of young wheat with two four D quickly and inexpensively.

00:05:20 Less spectacular, but equally efficient, is the down-to-earth method.

00:05:25 The two four Dow dust, ready-mixed and free-flowing, is poured into the hopper.

00:05:31 The canvas floating behind the boom duster helps confine the powder to give better coverage and better weed kill.

00:05:39 Early morning dusting when the air is calm gives good results.

00:05:44 Two four D is also provided for liquid spraying.

00:05:48 Spray pressure can be low, just enough to give uniform coverage.

00:05:53 This work can be done satisfactorily without the help of the dog.

00:06:03 The plot at the left is shown ten days after treatment.

00:06:07 That at the right was untreated.

00:06:13 Treatment stopped the growth of the weeds.

00:06:16 The breakdown of weeds is gradual.

00:06:18 In two to four weeks, the destruction of many weeds is complete.

00:06:25 Left to itself, mustard can choke the life out of a growing wheat crop.

00:06:31 These pictures taken a month after treatment give dramatic proof of two four D's ability to control this weed.

00:06:38 Note the sharp dividing lines between treated and untreated test areas.

00:06:45 The wheat plant at right is from a treated area.

00:06:49 The smaller one at left from an untreated one.

00:06:54 Annual wild buckwheat shown here weighs down grain by its twining growth.

00:07:00 It often causes considerable loss in yield and makes harvesting difficult.

00:07:06 Here is an unsprayed plant.

00:07:10 Treatment with a special two four D dust results in stunted plants like these.

00:07:16 Stunting of weed growth is often as effective as outright killing.

00:07:22 This is sow thistle growing in wheat, a young plant and one about ready to bloom.

00:07:30 In this plant, the growing point is killed after treatment with two four D.

00:07:36 This field of healthy wheat shows what can be accomplished through the proper application of two four Dow weed killer.

00:07:46 The sow selective weed killer has proven very effective for selective spraying of pea fields.

00:07:54 Spraying should be done on bright, warm days when the foliage is dry.

00:07:59 It's best to avoid spraying when excessively hot or immediately after a prolonged rainy or cloudy period.

00:08:06 The peas at the left of the scene have been treated and are almost free of weeds.

00:08:11 Weeds are flourishing in the adjoining strip.

00:08:20 This flax field had been summer fallowed, but it didn't prevent a heavy growth of mustard from ruining the crop.

00:08:27 Dow selective is also used to selectively weed flax.

00:08:32 Dow selective should be applied to flax and other crops as a coarse, low-pressure spray using fan-type weed nozzles.

00:08:42 After treatment with Dow selective, the flax is virtually free of weeds.

00:08:47 The lower leaves of flax may be burned slightly after treatment, but the crop is not permanently or seriously damaged.

00:08:55 In California, killing weeds in the water-covered rice paddies had always been the toughest production problem,

00:09:06 and the arrowhead lily, one of the most troublesome weed pests.

00:09:11 Again, aviation and agricultural chemistry supply the answer.

00:09:17 The plane is loaded with two four Dow solution.

00:09:21 In the past, there was no practical way of fighting weeds after the rice had been seeded.

00:09:26 The long growing period required by rice enabled weeds to mature and seed before harvesting time.

00:09:33 But 12 days after spraying with 2-4 D, the effect on the weeds is easy to see.

00:09:39 Area at the right has not been treated.

00:09:43 Compare this healthy, unsprayed water plantain with this beat-up specimen after a bout with 2-4 D.

00:09:51 There are other weeds that like to live with rice, such as kelp, tule, and curly dock,

00:09:58 and 2-4 D takes care of them, again without injury to the rice.

00:10:03 Here's a sample of how tule feels sometime after a thorough spraying.

00:10:09 And here's sprayed kelp.

00:10:13 Tests were also made in California sorghum fields.

00:10:17 This milo was infested with pigweed, but the area on the right has been treated and the weeds are under control.

00:10:24 Compare the lamb's quarters on the right from this treated milo field with a healthy, unsprayed specimen on the left,

00:10:32 free of weeds 30 days after spraying with 2-4 D weed killer.

00:10:40 In Texas, where everything is on a grand scale, even the weed problem is prodigious.

00:10:46 Ranchers and farmers fight a never-ending battle against the plant pests

00:10:51 crowding in on their rangelands and cultivated acres.

00:10:54 They fight against mesquite, which spreads over millions of acres,

00:10:59 against the impenetrable encroachments of wild rose, and the creeping menace of bindweed.

00:11:05 Promise of help through chemistry aroused much interest in the Dow experiments conducted in this region.

00:11:12 2-4 D was used in the experiments on mesquite.

00:11:16 Once again, 2-4 D proved to be the answer.

00:11:20 Compare the untreated mesquite on the right with the treated plants to the left.

00:11:26 The healthy plant here was protected from the spray.

00:11:30 Esteron 44 does the best job on woody plants.

00:11:34 A few new suckers may develop after the first treatment and they should be sprayed again.

00:11:40 Wild rose is beautiful to the eye, but Texans regard it as a major pest.

00:11:47 One method of control is to rip it up with chains,

00:11:51 but the roots remain in the ground to send up a new growth the following year.

00:11:56 Chemical spraying points the way toward a more permanent control of this hardy, fast-spreading nuisance.

00:12:01 2-4 D kills roots and all.

00:12:05 Several weeks after spraying, the dead, dried-out plants are ready for burning.

00:12:10 Unfortunately, a 2-4 D sprayed range is not injurious to livestock grazing in treated areas.

00:12:19 The tops of wild morning glory, or bindweed, are highly sensitive to 2-4 D,

00:12:26 and a large part of its extensive root system is killed with the first application.

00:12:32 Here's a healthy, untreated bindweed.

00:12:35 And here's its next-door neighbor after treatment.

00:12:39 The tops are killed.

00:12:41 The deep roots may later send up shoots, which should be treated again.

00:12:46 Bitterweed, which has taken over vast acreages of once-good rangeland,

00:12:51 is a menace to the livestock industry.

00:12:54 2-4 D proved its effectiveness in combating this noxious weed,

00:12:58 which has caused untold losses by poisoning sheep.

00:13:02 These test plots show the marked contrast between sprayed and unsprayed bitterweed.

00:13:09 Rice is also a very important crop in Texas,

00:13:13 and one of the serious weed pests in rice is indigo.

00:13:20 Part of a test field was sprayed with 2-4 D, and the rest of it left untreated.

00:13:25 This shows the contrast between the untreated and the treated areas.

00:13:29 The indigo weed in this plot is dead.

00:13:33 The sprayed weed at the right is brown and beginning to rot.

00:13:37 While these tests were conducted after flooding,

00:13:40 other experiments show that 2-4 D can best be applied shortly before flooding,

00:13:45 when weeds are still small.

00:13:49 In Louisiana, there are approximately 300,000 acres of sugarcane in cultivation,

00:13:55 producing an average of 4,000 pounds of sugar per acre.

00:14:00 Keeping sugarcane clear of weeds is vital to a profitable yield.

00:14:05 One pernicious enemy of cane is the alligator weed.

00:14:10 Notice the tall cane at the right, which has been treated with 2-4 D.

00:14:15 Cane at the left is smaller, showing the result of weed competition.

00:14:20 Here, the cane at the right was sprayed with 2-4 D.

00:14:25 The row at the left was not sprayed, and the weeds are flourishing.

00:14:29 Weeds sprayed with 2-4 D don't often play return engagements.

00:14:34 This field, for example, which was sprayed a year ago, is still relatively free of alligator weed.

00:14:42 Tests have shown that spraying with 2-4 D results in a greater yield

00:14:46 than three good hoeings during the growing season.

00:14:51 One of the most serious weed problems in Louisiana and other states in the south

00:14:55 is the control of water hyacinth, which has spread over thousands of miles of inland waterways,

00:15:01 hampering navigation, destroying fish, and ruining farm and recreation areas.

00:15:07 This aquatic pest, the water hyacinth, spreads with almost incredible speed.

00:15:13 Within 15 years after a few of the beautiful plants had been introduced into this country from Venezuela,

00:15:19 they had multiplied so alarmingly as to call for a government survey on methods of control.

00:15:25 They propagate from seeds as well as from shoots, and in warm weather will double in area within 30 days.

00:15:33 Thick, tangled mats of interlaced plants float on the water, blocking navigation and clogging drainage canals.

00:15:40 An acre of these mats contains something like 600,000 plants and weighs more than 100 tons.

00:15:47 It is estimated that the annual damage done by water hyacinth in Louisiana alone is more than a million dollars.

00:15:54 Several millions have been spent to date in mechanically controlling this weed pest.

00:15:59 Crusher and shredder-type dredges are used to destroy the plant in navigable streams,

00:16:04 but the destruction is only temporary.

00:16:07 The plants grow back, and the cost of repeated mechanical treatment is high.

00:16:13 Recently, the Louisiana State Department of Wildlife and Fisheries began experimenting with 2-4 D,

00:16:19 and the results offer new hope in the battle for control.

00:16:24 The plants in these treated areas are dying and will eventually sink to the bottom.

00:16:30 Certain large areas of pest-ridden waterways can be treated from airplanes or powerboats at a relatively low cost.

00:16:39 Tests are continuing in all parts of the country, each one extending the list of victims for Dow's chemical weed killers.

00:16:48 Power companies, for example, are experimenting with 2-4 D in eradicating many species of brush along power lines.

00:16:56 Here, without 2-4 D, weeds and young brush flourish uncontrolled.

00:17:02 Sprouting woody plants soon grow to tree size and then must be cut down before they damage the overhead wires.

00:17:10 This heavy brush is the result of only one year's growth.

00:17:14 It makes the line inspectors' frequent trips more difficult.

00:17:19 Notice the difference in this treated area.

00:17:22 After treatment with Dow's Esteron 44, much of the brush is eliminated.

00:17:27 Traveling throughout the plant structure and roots, this chemical weed killer leaves only shriveled leaves and pulpy, rotted roots.

00:17:37 A single application of Esteron 44 to young suckers goes a long way toward their eradication.

00:17:45 Here is poison ivy, a noxious woody plant that spreads rapidly.

00:17:50 After a treatment with Esteron 44, poison ivy looks like this.

00:17:55 Notice that the grass has not been damaged.

00:17:58 Many woody species succumb to treatment.

00:18:01 Here is sumac, sycamore, locust, wild cherry, sassafras.

00:18:12 None of these look very healthy.

00:18:16 If the brush has reached considerable height, it is best to first cut the plants down.

00:18:21 But it need be done only once, not every year or two, as has been necessary in the past.

00:18:27 Spraying the stumps is a promising method of application to kill the root system.

00:18:33 If shoots appear later, they should be sprayed during their early growth period for complete eradication of the woody plants.

00:18:41 Weeds have long been a problem on our nation's fine golf courses.

00:18:45 After two years' usage, greenskeepers report excellent results with 2-4 Dow weed killer

00:18:51 in clearing weeds from golf links and thereby improving the turf on fairways.

00:18:57 Dandelions, one of the biggest nuisances to golfers and greenskeepers alike,

00:19:02 are killed roots and all without harm to the turf.

00:19:06 Dandelion, buckhorn, and plantain cannot resist 2-4 D.

00:19:12 Ten days after treatment, most plants will be past any hope of recovery.

00:19:17 This fair golfer is playing on a course that has not been treated.

00:19:21 When her ball rolls into a clover growth, it's very hard to see.

00:19:25 Her temper can be ruffled and her game is delayed while the ball hides in the clover blossoms.

00:19:33 This young lady is more fortunate.

00:19:36 Just before blossom time, the greenskeeper sprayed with 2-4 D.

00:19:41 Although the clover was not eradicated, blossoming was stopped

00:19:45 and her ball shows up clearly against the green turf.

00:19:54 The testing and experimentation goes on.

00:19:57 Here, a growth of bull thistle is sprayed with 2-4 D

00:20:01 while a portion is protected against the spray by a tarpaulin.

00:20:05 Spot treatment of bull thistle or other weeds can be done without injury to clover.

00:20:11 The difference two months later.

00:20:13 The sprayed plants are dead.

00:20:16 Those which were protected are, of course, thriving nicely.

00:20:22 The list of weeds which can be killed or controlled by Dow weed killers is virtually endless.

00:20:28 Barnyard weeds such as burdock, dog fennel and lamb's quarters,

00:20:34 ragweed, wolfweed, sow thistle, Canada thistle, elderberry,

00:20:44 which is particularly susceptible to 2-4 D as can be seen in this test area.

00:20:49 Whatever your weed problem, whether as a homeowner with a lawn and garden to maintain,

00:20:54 a greenskeeper at a golf club, a farmer with hundreds of acres under cultivation,

00:21:01 an operator of a railroad, a sugar cane planter, or the operator of a public utility,

00:21:11 Dow agricultural chemists have the answer.

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