BETTER LAWN

PUBLISHED PERIODICALLY BY THE NEWS BUREAU OF 

BETTER LAWN & TURF INSTITUTE-

Vol. 5. - No. 6

PART I

Harvests 

SUITE 818 - 1016 BALTIMORE BUILDING 

KANSAS CITY 5, MISSOURI

June 1, 1959

THE LAWN INSTITUTE COMES OF AGE

Robert W. Schery 

Director

(As presented to Lawn Institute Annual Meeting, Kansas City, May 9, 1959)

It is unusually pleasant to greet the membership this year, since we look 
back upon a year of substantial progress. I believe that the Lawn Institute 
has become of age. It is receiving professional recognition on many fronts. 
In many ways it is spokesman for fine lawns and for quality lawn seed. It 
has received acceptance in scientific circles, with industry, among the 
educational groups and on various public relations fronts. We have been 
invited on many occasions to contribute both to technical publications and 
the popular gardening press. We have met with agronomy, horticultural, 
weed control, and numerous gardening societies; also-, on the lighter side, 
with such as the Williamsburg Symposium, and several radio and TV inter­
views. Your Director’s election as Chairman of the Lawn & Turfgrass 
Division of the A.S.T.A. has been most helpful in keeping us stage-center 
nationally.

Nor is it only these positive accomplishments which involve the Institute. 
Forstalling happenings that might not augur well for better lawns and finer 
turfs, is also part of the picture. For example, one national gardening book, 
formerly edited from a restricted viewpoint, mentioned as worthwhile but a 
single variety of grass - with all maintenance dedicated to this alone. When 
such weakness was pointed out, your Director was asked to rewrite this 
chapter - and we now have every expectation that proper acclaim will accrue 
to the more voluminous fine turfgrasses (even though the Institute’s name will 
not appear, save in credit for a few photos). As designer of an outline for 
an Agricultural Yearbook on seeds, it was similarly possible to see that 
lawn seeds were not overlooked in the larger pattern of agricultural and 
horticultural happenings.

In summarization of the year’s experience I will attempt to categorize 
activities under four headings, realizing, of course, that there must of 
necessity be overlap. These are: (1) Source of Institute Strength, (2)
Seeking New Opportunities, (3) Turning out the Program, (4) Putting the 
Story Across.

SOURCE OF INSTITUTE STRENGTH

There are many factors that build strength into an organization, not the 
least of which are devoted, responsible officers such as mastermind the 
Lawn Institute, and the necessary financial sinews. These practical 
considerations will be considered later by your President.

Here I want to emphasize the strength that lies in authoritativeness and 
comprehensiveness. As I have mentioned in previous years, no institution 
can successfully live a lie. If we profess to represent better lawns and 
turf, we must understand and promote better turfgrass. People are con­
cerned with the end result - a good lawn - and with the total requirements 
for achieving a good lawn.

Obviously this means that our Institute must maintain up-to-the-minute 
contact with research centers, and with the literature in the field. This 
in itself could keep an individual occupied, and some day we might hope 
for affluence enough to engage a specialist for this purpose. Fortunately, 
our contacts built through the years have been soundly conceived, so that 
we are welcomed as a co-equal, not as an exploiter or promoter. We are 
thus voluntarily provided information which might otherwise require an 
elaborate and expensive research organization to obtain. Again, we might 
hope for sufficient affluence in the years ahead, to help sponsor research 
at selected centers, and participate even more fully in the research findings.

Additionally, the Institute must have first hand experience, and do certain 
things for itself. One can speak and write with authority only when one 
has experienced a procedure, - is cognizant of the handling of materials 
and equipment and of the practical pit-falls. Thus our limited trial and 
demonstration grounds, maintained less elaborately than we would like with 
part time labor, is more than justified. It does provide the opportunity
to witness and photograph, - to say "the Institute has found ---." At
the moment our demonstration area is entirely established bluegrass on 
"borrowed" property. As time goes on this should be elaborated upon to 
include newly planted and differently managed areas, in order to "dig up 
dirt" on the varieties and products which will flood the market in coming 
years.

We have had the good fortune to be associated with Seed Technology, whereby 
trained analysts and germinating equipment are nearby. Joint research has 
produced technical publications in a number of fields. We have shown, for 
example, the breaking point between "adequacy" and "inadequacy" in light 
vs. heavy bluegrass; in comparing area with area; in comparing regional 
ecotypes. We have been able to develop information on rapidity of germi­
nation, involving different treatments of seed (pre-soaking). We have been 
able to illustrate the inequitableness of the climax concept in certain instances. 
We have looked into minimum germination temperatures, - even so remote a 
project as the influence upon bluegrass seed of passage through an avian 
digestive tract. There has been some library research too, such as upon the 
historical aspects of bluegrass and lawns.

SEEKING NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Institute activities are not only in depth, but in breadth as well. We have 
spilled over into the field of fine lawngrass for roadsides. An excellent 
booklet has been published through A.S.T.A.; and as you will hear from 
Mr. Beavers, several mailings have been made to highway departments 
recommending improved specifications to include more bluegrass and 
Oregon fescue, A few years ago the high price of these grasses resulted in 
their cancellation from many specifications; it is always hard to push through 
the red tape for revised specifications (there is usually a two year lag in 
specs any way). Your Director has been speaker to American Road Builders 
Association Conventions, speaker and co-host at Ohio Short Course (national 
gathering of highway landscape men), and has contributed to periodicals in 
the field.

Another opportunity being explored in the use of bluegrass as a "winter 
grass" in southern lawns. Trial samples were sent to southern research 
areas this last autumn.

The advantages of bluegrass (and lawn fescues) have been emphasized for 
certain specialty uses. Their summer dormancy restricts demands for water 
at the same time need is greatest for orchard trees; bluegrass should be a 
"natural" for orchard cover in hilly country. An article to this effect will 
appear in the American Fruit Grower. The bluegrass-lawn fescue seasonal 
cycle is such as to complement nicely the growing of summer flowers. We 
have an article soon to appear in the American Rose Grower magazine, 
emphasizing this compatibility, and stressing that for a rose garden a blue­
grass lawn is not the most attractive setting, but also the most practical.

We have expanded horizontally in many other respects too. Our services 
have been offered to new Associate members, of which more will be said 
later. And we have gone beyond the seed industry. Toro (lawn mowers) 
has been most cooperative in furnishing equipment, even flying into 
Marysville from Minneapolis their newest mower for the movie. Chemical 
houses, such as Linck and Velsicol, have supplied both equipment and 
materials. Universal Metal Products Company has sent us a sprayer. Linck 
and Toro have footed the bill for press release photographs mailed with our 
spring kit. Spencer Chemical has not only furnished free experimental 
material, but quoted the Institute widely in paid advertisements in U.S.
News & World Report, and House & Home. Northrup-King, Scotts, Bemis, 
Upjohn, Malinckrodt, Dow, Barber, Luminal, Kendall Mills, Great Lakes 
Yeast, International Minerals, Minnesota Mining, Troy Mills, and others 
have contributed materials.

Then there has also been an enlargement of our liaison efforts. The 
Executive Secretaries of the Agronomy Society & of A.S.T.A. have referred 
requests to us. We have been called upon by parks and recreation groups 
for information. We continue active in the Horticultural Congress, and as 
a member of the National Horticultural Society. We have been interviewed 
by a correspondent from Time Magazine (and written up in the business

column of the Columbus Citizen). We have corresponded with editors of 
Reader’s Digest and Life. CBS in New York has telephoned for materials.

In technical circles we have supplied information on lawns to the New York 
Botanical Garden, and appeared in print in their Journal, We have covered 
lawns for the Plants & Gardens Handbook, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, soon 
to appear. Manuscript for a book on lawns has been turned over to Macmillan, 
for publication in the spring of 1960. An agreement was made to co-author 
with Bill Daniel of Purdue, a text book for teaching turfgrass. We have 
supplied the basic outline for a USDA Agricultural Yearbook on Seeds. And 
we have supplied documentation for lawngrass display at the Rotterdam 
international exhibit. These and other activities are spreading Institute 
influence widely.

TURNING OUT THE PROGRAM

If previous headings might be likened to research and development, this 
section looks to production; - how the information is ground out, and how 
the wheels are kept turning.

Perhaps our most spectacular success comes through publication of articles 
in various magazines and the trade press. Usually we secure reprints of 
these, which are supplied in small quantities free of charge, or in larger 
quantities at cost, to organizations wishing to further distribute the story. 
Some of these we include in our own mailings to editors. We are happy 
that most articles seem to receive considerable favor, and some are 
reprinted a second time in merchandising publications. Several seed 
companies have requested reprints, including Michael-Leonard, Oliger, 
Twin City Seed, Lee Patten Seed, Ferry-Morse, L.Teweles, McCullough,
& Miracle Green. Reprints may also be distributed to garden clubs, or 
handed out when making personal appearances. We have supplied the 
Smith Agricultural Chemical Company with four different reprints for use 
of their speakers. Reprints also make a handy enclosure in answering 
correspondence.

The Associate members themselves are a formidable means of enhancing 
the Institute program. These are the advertisers, the prominent names 
reaching the consuming public. Merely having their support and sponsor­
ship is a boon. Moreover, in the exchange of information, many good ideas 
are developed. Your President, a little later in the program, will dwell 
upon a suggestion for further liaison with the Associate members, as has 
been discussed with Bill Ward. It is my hope that our Associate members 
can be induced to further call upon us for discussion, materials and for 
presentations to the public. Already we have supplied, in addition to 
reprints, slide materials, photos and loan of the movie. Possibilities for 
working through Associate members would seem almost limitless.

Other "production” efforts of wide utility are the preparation of slides 
and photographs. Slides are in demand for public appearances (we have 
loaned to Burpee, Shell Chemical, Horticulture, Encyclopedia Britannica), 
and we receive requests from newspapers and magazines for photographs.
For example, the Providence Journal has requested materials from us, and 
sent us the Sunday supplement where these were used. The Boston Traveler 
and Detroit Times similarly asked for help. We have supplied illustrations 
for many lawn booklets and magazines, such as Popular Mechanics and 
Better Homes and Gardens.

Grinding out of letters is no small part of our mechanics of operation.
Nor are regular mailings to our national board of Advisors. As this 
becomes more voluminous, the Marysville office certainly should secure 
a duplicating machine. A wide array of correspondence is received:
Quotes from a few letters might be of interest. We have had inquiries even 
from Australia and Europe, and many states or provinces in this hemisphere.

From Wisconsin: "Your most recent publication "Latest public information 
on better lawns" is excellent. Will you please send a copy of it to our 
regional men who are as follows."

From Massachusetts: "Material from the Better Lawn & Turf Institute has 
been distributed to the Home Horticulture Agents in the various counties of 
Massachusetts. I can assure you that this material will be of tremendous 
value to these horticulture agents in their extension programs. I wish to 
thank you for making this material available to us, for I know of no other 
source of such fine material to fit into our statewide program of better lawns."

From Perth, Australia: "We have read with interest your article relative 
to weeds in lawns, and wonder whether you could advise us the best 
preparation to date, for the control of crabgrass."

From Westchester County, N. Y.: "I believe you can help me. I am 
designing the cover for the Annual Dinner Journal of the Westchester County 
Democratic Committee."

We thus advise on planting lawns in North, South, East and West, We deflate 
"Mondo grass", and call for calmness when consumers reach for miracles.

Another mechanism for getting good information out is through invited 
speakers or representatives. Your Director, in arranging Lawn & Turfgrass 
Division programs for the A.S.T.A., has had the good fortune of securing 
outstanding speakers to appear before the membership. This, and encourge- 
ment of good booklets (as that put out by Colorado State University) command 
the respect of a significant audience. Certainly our own booklets, including 
"Quality Turfgrass" (now being reprinted) have been highly commended.

PUTTING THE STORY ACROSS

Putting our product - information - on the market has involved the use of 
many media. The eleven display boards which Mr. Beavers has prepared 
show the volume of this contact. I have mentioned the many gardening 
articles, reprints of which are displayed on one. You also see on display 
many newspaper clippings and references acquired by our clipping service, 
radio and television scripts, seasonal press kits, photographic and art 
services, direct advertising, etc. Mr. Beavers will dwell upon these at 
greater length in a moment.

As opportunity permits we like to make personal appearances. This enables 
us to assess public sentiment, as well as carry our message to the people. 
Public appearances also facilitate distribution of printed materials, and 
of carry-home reminders such as the seed samples now available.

The new movie, which you will see shortly, is another means of reaching 
large audiences economically. Mr. Beavers will explain to you the mechanics 
of distribution, and the potential audience to be reached.

We also like to work through key contacts, such as the researchers at the 
experiment stations and advisors. In Massachusetts, for example, so close 
and effective has been our liaison that each county agent is receiving our 
materials through the University, as basic indoctrination for lawn making 
recommendations in his county. Very much akin to this has been our close 
cooperation with other university-sponsored programs; at the University 
of Missouri this summer your Director appeared with Dr. Hibbard on a TV 
interview program.

Whenever possible television and radio appearances are sought. One of the 
most effective coverages of this sort was during the appearance with the 
national Men’s Garden Club Convention in Cleveland; David Burpee and I 
appeared on two television and several radio spots within a 2 day period, 
some of them recorded for repeated replay.

Mr. Beavers will have more to say about issuance of press kits to editors, 
and various press releases to the news services. Apparently these are 
widely picked up. Membership in the Garden Writers Association & 
committee chairmanship there, results in personal acquaintance and mailing 
list reception of a number of valuable contacts.

We continue to cooperate in every way possible with professional and 
amateur groups interested in lawns and turfgrass. I think our work with 
Colorado State University has been especially rewarding; all of you have 
received a complimentary copy of their bulletin "Lawn Care", in which 
bluegrass is recommended in the headline on the very first page. We are 
more than happy to encourage wide distribution of this fine booklet.

Mr. Beavers will tell you about some of the proposed approaches for our 
future. These include continuing use of present methods, plus hope for 
resources to complete several brochures and a cartoon series. We hope 
that through the good offices of the members, commending us to their 
customers (often Associate members), that we will be called upon for 
presentations and public contact to an ever greater degree.

Thus, while there are difficult problems ahead, and broader financing 
needed, I do look forward to the future of your Institute with great optimism.

PART 2

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING , . . ABOUT THE INSTITUTE AND KENTUCKY
BLUEGRASS

"...This grass contributes significantly to nearly 100 million acres of humid 
pasture in the United States and is considered the most important introduced 
grass in North America. "

(Phillips Petroleum Manual No. 5 -- "Introduced Grasses and Legumes", 
page 25)

"Kentucky bluegrass is the ’Old Faithful’ of the grass kingdom. It best fits 
the needs for the ’average’ lawn. With modern fertilization and high mowing 
(2 to 2-1/2 inches) it will make a satisfactory lawn with little effort. One of 
the red fescues, such as creeping red or chewings may be used in mixture 
with bluegrass. "

(Dr. Davis, "Which Grass for Your Lawn", page 59, July-August, 1958, 
Ohio Farm & Home Research.)

"Large scale planting is still going on from Birmingham, Atlanta, and Char­
lotte northward, where mixtures of bluegrass, bents and fescues are used."

"Fertilize lawns now to promote growth of Dichondra and cool weather grasses 
like Kentucky bluegrass ..."

(Popular Gardening, October, 1958)

"It is my intention to supply each of our Superintendents, Assistant Superin­
tendents, General Managers, and Division Engineers with a copy of this 
publication ("New Ideas in Roadside Turf"), together with a letter urging them 
to consider grass seed down cuts and fills on the Union Pacific right-of-way."

(Letter from Joe W. Jarvis, Supervisor of Livestock & Agriculture for Union 
Pacific Railroad Company, Omaha, Nebraska)

"Permanent Lawngrasses are perennials that last for years if growing condi­
tions meet their requirement. If your lawn dies out periodically, you may be 
sure that the conditions are not to the liking of the grasses sown. Don’t blame 
it all on the seed. Instead investigate the soil conditions. Kentucky bluegrass, 
for example, usually the mainstay in a quality lawn seed mixture, will live 
indefinitely and will spread by underground stems called stolons to make a 
thick, dense turf. It is rugged and durable so it is used on football fields, 
golf course fairways, grass tennis courts and other places that get heavy 
traffic. Other quality turf grasses have similar quality traits, such as fine 
textured red fescue, noted for doing well on poor soils and in shade. These 
two combined make the finest and toughest kind of lawn."

(Horticultural Newsletter, October 27, 1958)

"The selection of the correct grass or grass mixture is one of the basic steps 
in the establishment of a lawn. Lawn seed should be purchased according to 
your needs and with considerable discrimination. Turfgrass species vary in 
their ability to meet shade, moisture, fertility and soil acidity conditions. 
Certain grasses are considered permanent and others will persist only for 
a period of one or several seasons. The use, then, of unadapted species may 
lead to failure and the necessity for starting a new lawn in a relatively short 
time. It never pays to "economize" and buy seed by price only, as the mix­
ture that costs least per pound is frequently the most expensive over the 
years.

"Kentucky bluegrasses are durable and are the predominant lawn species in 
this area. They should be included in most lawn mixtures."

(Dr. C. Richard Skogley and Dr. Ralph E. Engel, New Jersey Agricultural 
Experiment Station, Rutgers)

"Your land grant college is always a source of information. Also, industry 
has excellent publications. For example, the Better Lawn and Turf Institute 
and its able Director, Dr. Robert W. Schery, provide extensive material. "

(Larry Groves of the Better Homes & Gardens, page 76 of the 1958 Turf 
Conference Proceedings, Midwest Regional Turf Foundation, Purdue 
University)

"Grazing Hurts Yield of Bluegrass Seed

Production of bluegrass seed was the highest when the bluegrass was grazed 
the previous year until December 1. Lowest yields were produced when the 
bluegrass was not grazed at all. Grazing from the previous harvest through 
April 1 of the following spring gave intermediate yields.

According to the experimenter who reported the above findings, Robert Buckner, 
of the University of Kentucky, pasturing stimulates production of seedheads 
regardless of length of grazing period. However, continuous grazing from 
seed harvest to the following May does have some adverse effect. The yields 
were 150 pounds per acre for plots grazed only in the previous summer and 
fall, 132 pounds per acre on the areas grazed through until April and 50 pounds 
per acre on the ungrazed field.

Potash and phosphorus levels were kept at a high level. The best nitrogen 
treatment was 30 pounds per acre in December and again in March, Second 
best nitrogen treatment was 66 pounds in March. He recommends, however,
30 pounds of nitrogen per acre in the spring if only one application can be given, 
because too much nitrogen tends to make the bluegrass lodge and reduce yields." 

(December, 1958 issue of Crops & Soils)

"Good grasses like bluegrass, bent, fescue have small seeds — Ryegrass has 
only 300, 000 seeds per pound... "

(E. F. Steffek, Editor, Popular Gardening, page 67, March, 1959 issue)