Sel'vice Stations atarchive.lib.msu.edu/tic/ngktc/page/1931oct2-10.pdf · The TOROZenith Oisker...
Transcript of Sel'vice Stations atarchive.lib.msu.edu/tic/ngktc/page/1931oct2-10.pdf · The TOROZenith Oisker...
The TORO Zenith OiskerFOB. cultivating putting greens without marring their beauty ... to open the
soil for light, air, water and top dressing and to prevent excessive souring.use the Toro Zenith Disker several times during the season. It cuts the runningstooling grasses and weeds without injuring the turf.
Sel'vice Stations at:
Write for conl/Jlete catalogof Toro Equi/)ment
TOrft ltl;II •••fuet •••.i••g eft.
3042,3160 Snelling Avenue
Minneapolis, Minn.
Hullu... Tcxu ..1.0.. ,\I1~d.: ... Culif."'innip.:g. 1\lun.Toronlo. Onl.. Cun.Cul~ur)'. Ahu .• Cun.Bueno .. Air.:... S. A•lIurn""r~. G.:rrnun)'
(:I,,\'<-lnl1.l.OhioDcolroil.1\Ii.:h.Indiunupoli ... Ind.Sun Frund ..co. Culif.Chicu~o. III.H.... 1\loin..... lowuKun ..u.. Cil)', 1\10.
N..,wlon. l\1u;....New York. N. Y.Yonkcor8. N. Y.SyrncUl.c. N. Y.Troy, N. Y..Juckson\'illc. Flu.Philud.-I"hin. I'u.
SECONDEDITIONJUSTOUT~
The LawnBY LAWRENCE S. DICKINSON
Ass't. Professor of HorticultureMassachusetts Agricultural College
Dcfine~ and Descrihes the Culture ofTurf in Park~ Golfing and Home area~.
CONTENTSThe General View Controlling PestsMolding the Lawn General MaintenancePreparation of the Seed Bed Lawn MowersSeed Selection and Planting Park TurfImportant Turf Plants Cemetery TurfPlanting a lawn with Stolons Useful Tables
Fertilizing
IUustrJlte.1128 pages---Price $1.25 postpaid
to allY address
Tile NJltiollJl1Greenkeeper405 Caxton Bldg. Cleveland, Ohio
WAYSIDE GARDENSPLANT FOOD
A Real Foundation Fertilizerfor Golf Courses
'This new OHGANIC Plant Food has been de-veloped by plantsmen for the specific purposeof feeding grasses or plants low at the roots,promoting, as well as, inducing deep long root-action, thereby, building a thick sod and con-sequently a very dense growth. In general itsaction is similar to that of rotted cow-manure.It is not a by-product turned into a stimulant,but developed to produce sturdy growth, re-ducing up-keep costs to a minimum.It does not contain any filler (is all pure PlantFood).It saves on the quantity applied.It is a one-application-a-year Plant Food as itlasts from twelve to sixteen months.It does not burn, and ean be applied a t anytime under all conditions.Being organic, results are the same on all soils.Complete information may be had by writingto the manufacturers,
THE WAYSIDE GARDENS CO.MENTOR, OHIO
OCTOBER, 1931
VOLUME V~No. XROBERT E. POWER,
Prnidmt and Editor.FRANK H. PELTON,
Surttary.C. E. LOWE,
Trtasurtr.M.]. Fox,
Assistant SUrttary.
The NATIONALGREENKEEPER
(Registered U. S. Patent Office)
Single Copies Twenty-Five Cents.Yearly Subscription Three Dollars.
EDITORIAL COUNCILALEX BINNIE ChairmanFRANK ERMER
M. E. FARNHAM
ALFRED E. LUNDSTROM
WALTER C. REED
Official Organ of the National Association of Greenkeepers of AmericaPublished monthly at 405 Caxton Building, Cleveland, Ohio.
Contents copyright, 1930, by The National Greenkeeper, Inc., Publishers.
Entered as second-class matter, .4 ug. 25, 1928, at the post office, Cleveland, Ohio, under act of March 3, 1879
All Rights Reserved - None of the contents of this Magazine, either wholly or in part, may be reprinted without permission.
ContentsTHE BATTLE OF 1931
By James A. Smith. h __ u __ hhhh h_UU _
WHAT A HOT SUMMER WE HAD - HERE'S WHAT THE GREEN-KEEPERS SAY! 6
GREENKEEPING TODAY AND TOMORROWBy Professor L. S. Dickinson - Chapter VIII 23
RHODE ISLAND GREENKEEPERS FEAST 25CANADIAN NEWS
By J. H. Evans U __ h h_h 26
PHILADELPHIA NEWSBy M. E. Farnham _h u 26
NEW FRENCH RIVER COURSEBy E. H. Banks
h
h 27
CLEVELAND DISTRICT NEWSBy Walter E. Knowles
u28
PACIFIC COAST GOSSIPBy Arthur LanA ton u h h • 28
OKLAHOMA NEWSBy Merle Zweifel. h 29
MINNESOT A GOSSIPBy H. E. Stodola h h 30
GOLF N :IWS 31
MARKET PLACE AND BUYER'S GUIDE u h 32
John Quaill, SecretaryHighland Country Club426 Highland AvenueWest View, Pittsburgh, Penn.
Officers---National Ass-'n of Greenkeepers of AmericaJohn Morley, President Fred A. Burkhardt, Treasurer Robert J. Hayes, Third Vice Pres.
Youngstown Country Club Westwood Country Club Pelham Country Club2248 Selma Avenue Cleveland, Ohio Pelham Manor, New YorkYoungstown, Ohio John MacGregor, First Vice Pres. George Davies, Fourth Vice Pres.
Chicago Golf Club Big Springs Golf ClubBox 717, Wheaton, Illinois Louisville, Kentucky
Wm. J. Sansom, Second Vice Pres. John Anderson, Fifth Vice Pres.Toronto Golf Club Crestmont Country ClubLong Branch, Ontario, Can. West Orange, New Jersey
DISTRICT VICE PRESIDENTSELMER F AFFELDT, Engineers'
Country Club, Roslyn, Long Island,New York.
A. E. ARNOLD, Masonic Country Club,Grand Rapids, Michigan.
C. J. AUGUSTO, Del Monte CountryClub, Del Monte, Calif.
G. W. BARNES, Banff Springs GolfCourse, Banff, Alberta, Canada.
C. G. BARTON, Sylvania Golf Club,Toledo, Ohio.
ALEX BINNIE, Shoreacres Golf Club,Lake Bluff, III.
JAMES BOLTON, Berkshire CountryClub, Reading, Pennsylvania.
MICHAEL BISSEL, Montclair GolfClub, Montclair, New Jersey.
ALEX BOYD, Rainier Country Club,Seattle, Washington.
A. L. BRANDON, Saint Charles Coun-try Club, Saint Charles, Illinois.
CARL A. BRETZLAFF, Meridian HillsCountry Club, Indianapolis, Indiana.
PAUL BROCKHAUSEN, New BlueMound Country Club, Wauwatosa,Wisconsin.
THOMAS BRYDON, Kahkwa CountryClub, Erie, Pennsylvania.
J. O. CAMPBELL, Wethersfield Coun-try Club, Hartford, Conecticut.
JAMES CONNAUGHTON, Monroe GolfClub, Pittsford, New York.
CARL DAVIS, Moonbrook CountryClub, Jamestown, New York.
E. E. DAVIS, Meadville Country Club,Meadville, Pennsylvania.
M. L. DePARLIEN, Gulf Stream GolfClub, Delray Beach, Florida.
THOS. E. DOUGHERTY, Sprin~havenCountry Club, Chester, Pennsylavnia.
GORDON W. EARL, Ogdensburg Coun-try Club, Ogdensburg. New York.
CHARLES ERICKSON, MinikahdaClub. Minneapolis, Minnesota.
FRANK W. ERMER, Ridgewood- Willo-wick Golf Clubs, Cleveland, Ohio.
LEWIS M. EVANS, Tam O'ShanterGolf Club, Canton, Ohio.
O. E. EVANS, Country Club, York-town, Virginia.
R. E. FARMER, Brynwood CountryClub. Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
D. ALLEN FRASER, Berkshire Huntand Country Club, Lenox, Mass.
THOS. C. GOODMAN, NormansideCountry Club, Albany, New York.
FORD GOODRICH, Flint Country Club,Flint, Michigan.
JOHN GRAY, Essex Golf and CountryClub, Sandwich, Ontario. Canada.
J. E. HAMMER, JR., Memphis Coun-try Club, Memphis, Tennessee.
HARRY HANSON, Maple Bluff Coun-try Club, Madison, Wisconsin.
H. HAWKINS, Lakeview Golf Club,Port Credit, Ontario.
ROBERT HENDERSON, Country Clubof Buffalo, Williamsville, N. Y.
G. HOLMQUIST, Fort Wayne CountryClub, Fort Wayne, Indiana.
FRANK J. HOSNER, Glendale Golf andCountry Club, Saginaw, Michigan.
ARTHUR J. JENSEN, Fargo CountryClub, Fargo, N. D.
CHAS. S. KESSELRING, MoundsvilleCountry Club, Moundsville, WestVirginia.
FRED LARRENCE, Deal Golf Club,Oakhurst, New Jersey.
M. W. LAWRENCE. West End Coun-try Club, New Orleans, Louisiana.
GEORGE LIVINGSTONE, Bell MeadeCountry Club, Nashville, Tennessee.
HUGH LUKE, Garden City CountryClub, Garden City, New York.
JEROME MACDONALD, PalmettoGolf Club, Aiken, South Carolina.
TOM K. McCLENAHAN, Mayfair Gol(and Country Club, Edmonton, Al-berta, Canada.
JOE P. MAYO, Pebble Beach CountryClub, Pebble Beach, California.
CHESTER MENDENHALL, WichitaCountry Club, Wichita, Kansas.
T. H. RIGGS MILLER, RichmondCounty Country Club, Staten Island,New York.
HUGH C. MOORE, St. Simon's IslandGolf Club, St. Simon's Island, Ga.
JAMES MUIRDEN, Ridgewood GolfClub, Cincinnati, Ohio.
L. T. PARKER. Pasadena Golf Club,Pasadena, California.
WILLIAM E. PERKINS, Yale AthleticAss'n., New Haven, Connecticut.
JOHN PIRIE, Whippoorwill CountryClub, Chappaqua, N. Y.
CLARENCE PLOSS, Salem, Mass.EDWIN O. PRATT, Mission Hills
Country Club, Kansas City, Kansas.WALTER C. REED, Westwood Coun-
try Club, St. Louis, Mo.ROBERT SCOTT, Baltimore Country
Club, Baltimore, Maryland.H. E. SHAVE, Oakland Hills Country
Club, Birmingham, Michigan.CLARENCE W. STROUSE, Highland
Country Club, Grand Rapids, Mich.DAVID TAIT, Northwood Country
Club, Meridian, Mississippi.RALPH THOMAS, Sandy Burr Coun-
try Club, Waltham, Massachusetts.D. R. VALENTINE, Beaumont Country
Club, Beaumont, Texas.JOSEPH VALENTINE, Merion Cricket
Club, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.TOM VARDON, Yacht Club, White
Bear, Minnesota.RICHARD WATSON, Chevy Chase
Golf Club, Washington, D. C.BONNIE WEAVER, Burlington Golf
Club, Burlington. Iowa.GEORGE WELLIN, Tumblebrook
Country Club, New Britain, Conn.JACK WELSH, Wakonda Country
Club, Des Moines, Iowa.SAM WHITING, Olympic Club, San
Francisco, California.JOSEPH WILLIAMSON, Scioto Coun-
try Club, Columbus, Ohio.WALTER WOODWARD, Senneville
Country Club, Montreal, Quebec,Canada.
Crestnlont~John Anderson's Course at West Orange, N. J.
GENERAL VIEW OF PART OF CRESTMONT SHOWING HEAVILY TRAPPEDNo. 11 GREEN ON RIGHT. No. 18 FAIRWAY ON LEFT.
No. 1-476-YARD HOLE-PAR 5-CRESTMONT GOLF CLUB. A GOOD TESTAS IT IS HEAVILY TRAPPED. No. 10 GREEN IS SEENON RIGHT. '
OCTOBER
1931
VOLUME V
NUMBER X
Jhe NATIONAL
GREENKEE PEROfficial Organ of The
National Association
of Greenkeepers of
America
The Battle of 1931A resume of what the greenkeepers fought for and won. A season
of unusual climatic conditions
By JAMES A. SMITH
(Colltilllll't! all page J3)
Will they get all the credit theyso richly deserve for this fight?Ten years ago the fight would havebeen lost as quickly as it started.
That the greenkeeper is now aneducated, thinking man is evi-denced by the following reasonswhich have been given by thenlfor their trouble this year. Sitdown in the shade of the tool housewith one of them and you will besurprised to learn how clearly he isthinking.
CONDITIONS WHICH FACED THE
GREEN KEEPERS
1. Poorly drained greens orthose in poorest physical conditionsuffered most. These are not prop-erly aerated and hold stagnantwater often too near the surface.The physical inability of many
soils to provide properly digested nourishment isapparent even when supplied with normally,proper feedings because of this lack of aeration.
2. Too closely cut foliage or foliage destroye.d byover-nledication did not provide sufficient evapora-tion from the turf to bring up the feedings whichnlight have been prepared for them in the soilbelow.
3. A few with but a lilnited knowledge of properdosage, grew panicky and promptly murderedtheir greens with poison too freely administered.But few of these greens have as yet fully recovered.
4. Watering at night during the very hot
JAMES A. SMITH
\V/)O for 1111111)' )'(,IlYJ hils b(,(,11('11-gll,I!,('t! ill tllrf clIltllr(' Illlt! cOlI/li-tiollfllg of soils. HI' cOlllbill('Sboth th(' throrcticlllllll/l prllcticlll
sil/n of gr(,(,lIkl'l'pillg.
Such climatic con d i t ion sbrought on trouble with whichthey were familiar. The symptomswere at once recognized, the rem-edy was known and the trouble wasquickly under control. Therenever was any doubt of the out-conle because now the better class of greenkeepersare men educated for this or any sinlilar type ofbattle.
This year even the fairways required scientificattention. The trouble was new to most of thembut they knew where and how to get the informa-tion they needed in this emergency. With a sug-gestion as to proper treatment, they were familiarwith the method of application, of the proper med-ication and where treatments could be applied, re-sults were entirely successful.
The green keepers have won what appears to havebeen their first great battle, by their eagerness toed uca te themselves.
C[;E season of 1931 will alwaysbe remembered by those who havebeen responsible for the mainte-nance of turf upon golf greens.The brunt of the fight has natural-ly fallen upon the green keepersand that they were ready and couldstand punishment has been satis-factorily proven. Heat and humid-ity seemed constant during thenights of the past summer andwhile these conditions existed theirwork received their constant atten-tIOn.
What A Hot Summer We Had! !
"Will you please, therefore, send our magazine a short account of what naturehanded you and what you did along the lines of the enclosed questionnaire."
"I t seems to me to be our duty to tell the members of our cIubs through our officialorgan, the NATIONAL GREENKEEPER, something ahollt the problems we had to
solve in the season of 1931.
"We have been through a hard season, hardly any of us has been immune from turftroubles due to the hot weather and drought.
"Golfers generally do not understand how we try to cope with unusual conditionsand they are daily asking questions, not in a spirit of criticism but because they wantto know and help us in any way they can.
question. The fungus, in oneform or another, is around all thetime and when conditions areright it becomes parasitic on ourbeautiful turf and the beauty dis-appears.
I have been very successfulwith applications of 1/3 bi-chloride and 2/3 calomel, 2 ouncesper 1000 square feet, mixed withscreened soil and broadcast once
Editor) s 1\[,ote '-'IN LINE with the policy of the National Association ofGreenkeepers of America, Colonel John MorIey, presidentof the association, recently sent out his annual letter togreen keepers throughout the United States and Canadarequesting them to report conditions as they found themthis season just past. It is a privilege to print for the benefitof those engaged in turf culture a condensed report from themost experienced green keepers from all parts of the country.What they say will be helpful to everyone concerned, be-cause their opinions are based upon practical experience as
contrasted with text-book theory.
We quote extracts from Colonel MorIey's letter and also print his question-naire in full. Colonel Morley says:
QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE NATIONAL GREENKEEPERPrepared by COLONEL JOHN MORLEY, President,
National Association of Greenkeepers of America
I.-Did your turf become infested with webworm? If 50, what treatment didyou apply, and what results if any did you observe?
2.-Was your turf affected with large or small brown patch? If not and youdid not use any mercury compounds as a preventative, what methods didyou use in the way of fertilization?
3.-00 you omit using organic fertilizers during the summer months?
4.-00 you think that over-feeding or over-watering hastens fungus diseases?
5.-Have you observed various diseases on greens that have been dried out forthe lack of water and appear to receive plenty of air?
skies what can one do. Keep yoursoil as open as possible and look tothe drainage. Soil as well as sur-face are my only thoughts on thequestion.
Brown patch and Philadelphiaseem to be synonymous. As aresult one more routine operationis added to those necessary to keepthe course in shape. There is noth-ing mysterious about the upatch"
Wet vs. DryBy M. E. FARNHAM
SUPERINTENDENT OF GOLF
COURSES
Phi/a de!phia Country Club
CJ:E above title which strikes meas very much to the point whensummer conditions are discussedmay attract attention if nothingelse I have to say does. I think theaspect I have in mind will be easierto reach agreement on than thatmore frequently before thepublic.
\Vhen members of a club re-turn after their vacations know-ing tha t the rainfall has beenabundant, even to excess, theyseem to feel that those in chargeof golf courses must have beenha ving more or less of a vaca tiontoo. I find myself expressing theopinion, rather frequently, thatI would rather have droughtconditions to contend with thanperiods of excess precipitation andextreme humidity.
Given the rather doubtfuldrainage of present on greens, aheavy downpour, followed bybright, hot sun and heavy play-result, for want of a better name,uScald." In addition, such con-ditions make fertilizers, especiallythose organic in nature breakdown very rapidly, giving thegrass too much food, resulting invigorous soft growth extremelysusceptible to attacks of diseaseand severe injury thereby.
Over-watering may well bringabout similar results. Over-watering can be prevented butwhen the water comes from the
6 October, 19 J 1
Here's What the Greenkeepers Say every 2 or 3 weeks. If the grass is dry we do not
hesitate to treat regardless of temperature .
W h e n we seem to have things p re t ty well in hand
something like this webworm comes along. I have
not been bo thered 'much on either of our courses
and feel that perhaps the fact tha t our tur f is all
p re t ty well poisoned may be an explanation.
Florida Speaks By O. S P R O U L E BAKER, Greenkeeper
Boca Raton Club, Boca Raton, Florida
2—WEBWORMS started about July 1. Sprayed
arsenate of lead (under pressure of 300 lbs . ) , into
tur f forty pounds per green, eight thousand square
feet in one hundred and fifty gallons of water .
Control not complete. Tried Red Ar row oil of
Pyre th rum extract spray one to four hundred
which brought them (and wi th wire worms, ear
wigs, bugs and beetles) to the surface s tunning
them bu t not a kill to the webworms, all others
killed.
By finding the webworms again active next few
hours we again sprayed Red Ar row to bring them
to the surface and then sprayed them with " C y a n o -
gas," a dust mixed six pounds to one hundred and
fifty gallons of water and added for ty pounds
arsenate of lead to eight thousand square feet. The
kill was one hundred percent wi th not any damage
to the turf, other than that which had been done by
the sod webworms.
A week later a light shot of sulphate of ammonia,
five pounds per thousand square feet. Care should
be given not to use either the dust or sulphate of
ammonia too close together as the base of carrier of
the gas is hydrated lime. (Calicium cyanide dust
( C a C n ) 2) (40 to 5 0 ' / Calcium cyanide) .
Also the "gas" sprayed on the greens where etio
lation of plants (yellow spots) is caused by scurvy
scale ( a soft bodied sucking insect) which most all
of us in the past have been passing off as a "Scald"
of some kind. W e worked this out dur ing this past
year by cut t ing a plug and pu t t ing under a strong
glass for examination finding the roots infested
with the small grayish white scale which we looked
up and found to be scurvy scale.
I t is also controlled with the usual b rown patch
dose of one ounce corrosive sublimate, two ounces
of calomel per thousand square feet after two or
three applications—lime sulphur (32 degrees
Baume) . Spray one gallon to one hundred and
fifty water also is good control if the spray is forced
into the ma t of grass. I t will not bu rn at the above
rate. The reaction of the lime sulphur in the soil is
too gypsum, and will leach out. Have found this
scale as deep in the roots as two inches. Th ink I
have made a discovery of helpful importance to our
brother greenkeepers in this. If so, I am happy to
pass it on to you all.
2 - A — N o brown patch this summer on these
Bermuda greens, bu t did use the corrosive and
calomel, one and two ounces respectively per one
thousand square feet as a preventative to prepare
for seeding to Kentucky bluegrass this next mon th .
2-B—The mercury compounds wi th sulphate of
ammonia applied in dry form, five pounds per and
three times during summer.
3 — N o ; made two applications, each of Mil-
organite of fifty pounds per thousand square feet
about two months apart and top-dressed over the
material.
4—Over-feeding is not good at one dose, rather
small amounts and often during the season when
play is on. ( W e are closed from April to December,
SCENE ON THE GOLF COURSE AT BOCA RATON, FLORIDA
but maintenance is intensively pursued the entire
year with all its vexing problems in this par t of the
world. Rain? about 17 inches over Labor Day!
D r o u t h all s u m m e r ) .
October, 1931 7
8 Tbe National Greellkeeper October, 1931
5-No, we have not, as we keep enough moistureand by using peat moss in the top-dressings obtaingood air pore space.
Toronto Hit by Hot WeatherBy WM. J. SANSOM, GreenkeeperToronto Golf Club, Toronto, Onto
HAVING received questionnaire for our NA-TIONAL GREEN KEEPER, prepared by our worthyPresident, Colonel John Morley, I feel that it is ourduty to try and tell the members of our clubsthrough our NATIONAL GREEN KEEPER journalsomething about the problems we have had to dealwi th this season of 1931.
It undoubtedly has been a very hard season onturf grasses. Due to the very hot, humid weatherand drought we have had very few courses, I ven-ture to say, but what have had their own troubles-brown patch, scald and the webworn1. Golfers as arule do not know or understand how their green-keepers try to cope with these unusual conditions.
No doubt there will appear in the NATIONALGREEN KEEPER some very interesting and educa-tional articles of what Nature has handed to usthis season if we will only write our own observa-tions and our methods of treatment.
On looking over my records for this season forwatering alone, fairways, tees and greens, startingon the 9th day of May and continuing up to thepresent time of writing, the 17th day of September,with no prospect of a let up in sight as yet. The lat-ter part of June became very hot. On the 17th dayof July we had a severe thunder storm with a tem-perature ranging fr0I11 85 to 100 degrees. Imme-diately after the storm, we discontinued wateringuntil the 23rd and also four days in August fromthe 10th to 14th-surely a record season for water-Ing.
Our courses around the Toronto District sufferedmost from scald although there was some brownpatch reported, I have to admit that I did not seeany brown patch until after treatment and the turfhad recovered. But I did see plenty of badly scald-ed greens.
I was fortunate in not having brown patch orscald on any of my greens. But I did have scald ontwo fairways, No.1 and No. 18. These fairwaysare pretty well enclosed with trees with very little
air circulation and a soil that is very sandy andwhich gets very hot. The two fairways mentionedlooked very beautiful up till the third week in July.The turf being quite 30 per cent of Poa Ann uatook the scald very badly with the result that I havevery little Poa Annua left in those fairways. I havelet Nature take its course and have not used anyspecial treatment.
Personally, I am of the opinion that over-feedingand over-watering does help fungus diseases. Theonly explanation that I can give for escaping bothbrown patch or scald on my greens was due to thefact that I was at that time using the Del Monterake for my greens very freely and also making suremy greens were being very thoroughly poled withbamboo each morning.
My watering was done at night, starting at 9o'clock and finishing at 6 o'clock. We get ourwater supply from the creek having no storage tankand pump direct to the greens and fairways. There-fore our water from the creek is always quite warmin comparison to the township water used by manyof the clubs.
I believe there can be too much dope used in theway of fertilizers and chemicals for the productionof a good healthy turf. Not so much, perhaps, theuse but rather the abuse that tells the tale. When weconsider and enumerate the list of fertilizers, inor-ganic, organic, humus and mushroom soil that is onthe market it is a very easy matter to err on what weuse. I have always stuck t.o the practice of not usingany organic fertilizer during the hot summermonths to set up or cause any fermentation. At thesame time I am a firm believer in organic providedit is used in early spring or in the fall of the year-around the middle of September for fall ~nd Aprilfor spring use.
Nature does her best for turf when the nights arecool with a normal rainfall. In the spring and fallnitrogen from an organic source is slowly released tofeed the growing turf.
I can truthfully say that we have never had a caseof brown patch and have never spent a cent ofmoney on any chemicals for a preventative. I amold-fashioned enough to still depend on using a goodcompost for topdressing, believing that by buildingup a healthy soil we can produce a healthy turf.
I believe in aerating greens by a thorough rakingoccasionally, using a good two or thee-year-old
October, 1931 The National Greenkeeper 9
compost two or three times through the growingseason, enriched by an inorganic fertilizer, about a5-12-2. The grass then gets a steady diet of naturalfood and is able to ward off most diseases throughjust being healthy. I use a little of Sulphate ofAmmonia, mostly in liquid form, taking care notto promote too lush a growth to withstand a suddenspell of hot weather.
Pay strict attention to the watering of greens,not to create a water-logged condition. It does notharm a green to get a little on the dry side occa-sionally as its natural nitrogen is a valuable stimu-lant when used on soils in good condition but itshould not be used entirely as a fertilizer. There isa great temptation on the part of a greenkeeper touse a little more which may prove detrimental tothe grass and favorable to the various diseases.
A great deal of trouble is caused by inexperi-enced Green committees who have not the neces-sary knowledge themselves and are oftentimes car-ried away by high-pressure salesmen, who have thisor that to sell that will make grass grow on a bil-liard ball. Club officials should get in closer touchwith their green keepers and together work out asystem to install for fertilization and not pay somuch attention to vrhat the high-pressure salesmenhave to say. By doing so there would be less trouble.
Place confidence in your greenkeeper as by doingso you will accomplish what you set out to do, forin greenkeeping as in other things it is much easierto keep right than to make right.
Webworm Hits DetroitBy HIRAM F. GODWIN
GJ) Redford Golf Course, Detroit, Mich.
L\, EFERRING to your questionnaire, the web-worm or cutworm was quite destructful in places.I d9 not believe they destroyed greens so much, asmost of these were arsenated for angle worms, buton lawns, whole areas were eaten off. Five poundsof ~ead arsenate applied either dry or in solutionseemed to give full control.
Brown patch has not been particularly evidentthis season. Mercuric chloride or Semesan seemedto give full protection.
An occasional light dressing of Ammonium Sul-phate along with a compost containing humus is theonly fertilizing I use during the warm months ofthe year. My opinion is that over-feeding or over-watering does not necessarily affect the fungus, butit does get the grass in a soft condition, which makesthe grass more subject to fungus attacks.
I have observed this summer several going to de-cided extremes in withholding water and fertilizer,much to the detriment of their greens. I considerthe soil should be kept moist enough at all times sothat the roots can replenish the plant-food removedin the cuttings and I like to keep sufficient availablenitroge~ in the soil for the plant.
Fifth question: My experience has been that ifgreens are properly watered, fertilized and top-dressed that no spiking or other tearing up of theturf is ever required.
l.A \X'RENCE HUBER
\Vya/ldo/ Golf Cll/b,\Vor/bi/l!{/oll, Obio.
HIRAM F. GODWIN
Rrdford Golf COl/rsr,Dr/roil, Micb.
w. J. SANSOM
Toro/l/O Golf Cll/b.Ca/lada
10 The National Greenkeeper October, 1931
Rain and Heat Proved EnemiesBy JOSEPH BALL, Greenkeeper
Cbartiers Heigbts Coulltr)' Club, Crafton, Pa.
I AM at a loss how best to answer your question-naIre.
This has been a very trying year for greenkeepers.Grass could not be controlled under the adverseconditions of weather. Rain and heat were theenemies of good turf this summer.
I do really think that over-feeding and over-watering may have a tendency to encourage brownpatch. The moment the sun shines in spring we areall rarin' to go. We use rich composts and fertilizersof high nitrogen content before the grass has hadtime to recover from its winter sleep. Now most ofus topdress and fertilize in the fall. What becomesof this; it relnains dormant in the ground untilclimatic conditions in the spring start bacteria lifeagaIn.
Many of us never think of this and the results oftoo hasty topdressing in the spring produce a fastgrowth of succulent grass, soft and spongy andsusceptible to brown patch.
It's the boast of many greenkeepers of twentycatches of clippings early in spring. It would bemuch better three or four in spring and twenty inJuly.
I have had brown patch, both large and small,and mostly controlled by lime. My greens are inpretty fair condition just now and will only recoverfully after the first frost.
Webworm In IowaBy C. R. FRAZEE, Greenkeeper
If H),periol/ Field Club, Grimes, Iowa
V1 NSWERING yours of the 8th, my turf be-came badly infected with webworm this summer.However, after treating it with arsenate of lead,following up with a treatment of Paris Green Ifound Mr. \Y! ebworm pretty well under control.Two days later I fertilized three of my greens withVigoro, the other fifteen with sulphate of ammonia.My greens are badly scarred but corning alongnicely again. Having no sod I will re-stolon thelarger areas this week. The slnall places will cover
'" themselves.I used no organic fertilizers during the summer
months. Over-feeding and over-watering seem to
encourage fungus diseases. I have never observeddiseases on greens that appear to receive plenty ofaIr.
I have had very little brown patch, large or small.This quickly disappeared after a treatment of Nu-Green.
Boyd One Of Lucky OnesBy J. B. BOYD, Greenkeeper
Sunset Ridge Country Club, Winnetka, Ill.
IN ANSWER to the questionnaire sent our byColonel Morley, President, may I submit the fol-lowing from my experiences:
I guess I am one of the lucky ones this season, forthis reason: I have had no serious trouble, whatever,and am still ((hammering the old ivory" for suchgood luck, and living in hopes that it continues.
First of all, it has been one of the hardest yearsI have ever experienced in my green keeping. I havehad no trouble with the webworm, but did havesome with the army cutworm like I used to have inthe good, old farm days. I treated them, or ratherfed them some poisoned wheat bran. They seemedto like to eat it, and soon disappeared.
A few large brown patch showed up, which I be-lieve were due to watering after dark with a sprink-ler. After giving my greens a good spiking Ichanged my method to early morning watering byhand and the patch disappeared.
The following is what I consider one of the mostimportant things to remember about good green-keeping:
Watcb greens very closely for brown patch. Byusing some mercury compound this summer as apreventative rather than a cure I was able to keepahead of it. I shall continue to do this same thing inthe future. As a consequence I was blessed thissummer with very little trouble of this nature, andI thoroughly believe that if this method is con-sistently kept up it will eliminate same in the future.
About organic fertilizer, I have used very littleof it since the middle of May. Sulphate of ammoniamixed with a little mercury compound sprayed onI have found to be conducive of the best results.
I find it best not to use very much organic ferti-lizer during the summer months. During thespring, however, I use it freely. My experience in1930 taught me this.
Further, I am confident that overfeeding of the