BETTER LAWN

PUBLISHED PERIODICALLY BY THE NEWS BUREAU OF 

BETTER LAWN & TURF INSTITUTE

Harvests

SUITE 600 

 

1016 BALTIMORE BUILDING

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI 64105

Volume 11, No. 1

April. 1964

1964 ANNUAL MEETING ANNOUNCED FOR MAY 22

Dr. Schery met with Mr. Mangelsdorf in St. Louis, to plan for the Lawn Institute 
annual meeting. It has been scheduled for Friday, May 22, 9 A. M., at the 
Kansas City Club.

Mr. Mangelsdorf feels that with changing regional patterns in the quality lawn 
seed business, and considerable distances involved for some Board members, that 
separate Board and annual meetings are no longer appropriate.

Thus a single formal meeting will be held Friday, although those arriving in 
Kansas City the evening before may wish to enjoy an informal supper together.

A cordial invitation to attend the meeting is extended to all Institute members 
who desire to be present for the reports and the Board’s deliberations. Comment 
and counsel from members is welcome. It is expected that the meeting will 
terminate before mid-afternoon.

WINTERSEEDING IN THE SOUTHEAST

During the month of February, Director Schery took advantage of being in the South 
for a presentation, to visit numerous research centers where Lawn Institute seed 
had been entered into wintergrass testing for the winter of 1963-64.

Winterseeding results were very encouraging this year, and performance at several 
locations was the best ever achieved.

The "Lawn Institute mix" (combination of two fine fescues, two bluegrasses, and 
Highland bent) performed generally well. It is said to be a little slower than 
mixtures containing Poa trivialis, but of more attractive color.

Fine fescues have done especially well. Bluegrass is excellent in midwinter, and 
Highland bentgrass satisfactory in late winter.

Though the winter has been consistently cold, the severe lows of previous winters 
have not yet prevailed, and ryegrass has not been killed. However, ryegrass is 
still looked upon with some disfavor.

The Milwaukee Sewerage Commission test plots, in which the Lawn Institute mix 
constituted one of the eight test components, has received wide attention. 
Locations inspected showed good performance by all mixtures, with little to 
choose between them as far as density and putting quality was concerned.

However, all except the Lawn Institute mix contained Poa trivialis, which gave a 
yellowish cast; the darker green of the Lawn Institute mix is preferred by many.

The excellent performance of the Institute grasses this winter should lead to 
favorable publicity in the autumn of 1964.

Members interested in winterseeding may appreciate a few comments of specific 
nature.

At Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi, conferences were held 
with Bob Thompson, in charge of turfgrass research. On the research grounds, the 
Lawn Institute mix showed up excellently. Mississippi State University maintains 
test plots under lawn conditions, as well as under putting green conditions. 
Thompson agrees that the Lawn Institute mix is less susceptible to winterkill, and 
probably less injurious to spring return of the bermuda.

Test results indicate that middle and higher seeding rates give a more satisfactory 
performance than low seeding rates, and that establishment is good only when the 
permanent grass is mowed down to 1 inch.

The Institute grasses did not perform quite so well on the golf green, as on the 
lawn-type test plots.

It is interesting that some of the Kentucky bluegrass from last year’s winter- 
seeding survived the summer, and revived this winter in the zoysia. However, 
the Mississippi people are looking upon winterseeding as valuable chiefly for 
bermuda, not zoysia (zoysia is a slow grower, recovers poorly after mowing and 
thinning needed for good establishment of wintergrass).

Dr. Homer Wells was visited at the Southeastern Coastal Plain Experiment Station, 
Tifton, Georgia. Dr. Wells feels that centipede is still gaining favor as a 
permanent grass in this part of Georgia, and that winterseeding is not as approp- 
riate in centipede as in bermuda. The mixture sent him for trial on his own home 
lawn was not as satisfactory this year as last.

Visits were made through Pinellas County, Florida, with Gil Whitton, columnist, 
radio programmer and county agent. A 1/2-hour tape was prepared with Mr. Whitton 
for use on his weekly radio show over the St. Petersburg network. The interview 
related to the Lawn Institute, and included mention of Lawn Institute grasses 
for winterseeding as well as for inclusion in certain southern mixtures.

Dr. Evert Burt, at the Plantation Experiment Station, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 
has had good success with winterseeding. However, this region is a little far 
south for homeowner interest in winterseeding, and. chief interest is for over- 
seeding of golf greens for winter play. Dr. Burt especially liked the Lawn 
Institute mix because of its attractive darker green color.

Of all test locations visited, winterseeding was most attractive at the University 
of Florida, Gainesville. Dr. Granville Horn reported that all mixtures had come 
up quickly, never suffered disease, and had been outstandingly attractive all 
through winter. The plantings were made about a month earlier than last year, 
which may account for their greater attractiveness this year.

At Jekyll Island and Sea Island, Georgia, visits were with T. M. Baumgardner and 
Assistant Superintendent, Al Dunning. Because of tournament play, and having to 
be meticulous about the golf course’s reputation, Sea Island cannot risk "unknown" 
experimental mixtures. The 17th green has been reserved for testing, but the 
golf course in general receives occasional bolstering with ryegrass. This year 
fine fescue was included with the ryegrass. Here again, the darker green color 
of the Lawn Institute mix was preferred.

The Sea Island experiences are valuable chiefly because it is a "prestige" location 
and sets an example for others in the Southeast.

SPRING PRESS KIT

The familiar green folder containing the Lawn Institute press kit hit the mail 
(a little behind schedule) in late February. Its influence is expected to be 
noted in press clippings scheduled for late April and May.

The familiar pattern of past press kits was followed in general. But this time 
more stories, of shorter length, were prepared, since past experience has 
indicated newspapers favor shorter items. The very popular seven pages of short 
fillers (a single sentence or two) were included. If imitation is the best form 
of flattery, we are flattered to see Armstrong Nurseries now adopting this same 
technique in their spring kit.

As an economy measure, a photocopy was made of the photograph being offered on 
this occasion (a plug of Highland bentgrass), as a substitute for glossy prints. 
Glossy prints could be secured by the recipient, upon request. The usual support- 
ing battery of reprints and literature -  4000 all told - were included.

As in the past, approximately 1000 kits were mailed out to the select list of 
writers and editors which has been developed through the years.

NEW INSTITUTE MEMBER

We are pleased to announce application by Silverside Home Mart, Wilmington, 
Delaware, for membership in the Lawn Institute, and its approval by the Executive 
Committee. Silverside was especially interested in utilizing the Seal of Approval 
on its lawn seed mixture, and has completed all the formalities attendant thereto. 
The lawn seed blend which will carry the Seal of Approval is of excellent quality, 
above the minimum standards required.

We are delighted to welcome Silverside to the quality lawngrass family. Contact 
at Silverside is F. Roy Lutz, Lawn and Garden.

WEATHER UPSETS INSTITUTE PARTICIPATION IN CONFERENCE

Dr. Schery had been invited to present to the Rutgers University Turfgrass Course, 
a paper on "The Importance Of Quality Seed." All plans were set, until the 
weather interfered.

The big blizzard blew in the night of January 12, tying up all travel in Ohio on 
January 13, anticiapted travel day to the East. January 14 found the "big snow" 
in New York, causing cancellation of all flights into the airports there.

Thus, regretfully, Dr. Schery was forced to sit out this interesting conference 
in Ohio. However, a copy of the presentation, plus supplementary data sheets, 
were sent to Dr. Engel for incorporation in the Proceedings.

WINTER GIRD CONFERENCE

Previous Harvests mentioned that Dr. Schery had agreed to cooperate with the GIRD 
organization, both for suggesting a quality lawn seed formula, and for talking 
about it (and the reasons behind it) at the midwinter conference of the GIRD 
organization, held in Fort Lauderdale, February 16-20.

The program at the conference included Ernest Wertheim, of San Francisco, an 
architect specializing in nursery and garden center design; Leonard Berry, of St. 
Louis, talking on credit and public relations; Thomas Butler, of Miami, discussing 
small business loans and financing; Dr. James Owen, American University, Washington, 
D. C., on communication; and other specialists in technical fields. In addition 
to Dr. Schery, speaking on "What Makes A Good Lawn Seed?". E. R. Townsend of 
Whitney Seed Company spoke on packaging the seed; N. A. Eddy, President of 
Habitant Fence, on his specialty; representatives of Federal Chemical Company on 
fertilizer; a group of telephone people on telephone sales technique; Charles Walter 
of New York on advertising; and members of the GIRD staff.

SEED TRADE NEWS CLARIFIES ITEM

We are grateful to the Seed Trade News for devoting a lengthy column, in clarific- 
ation of a previous news item that implied a significant association of Dr. Schery 
with the GIRD organization. As was made clear In the letter to members, such is 
not the case, and the association is of a minor consultative nature. We appreciate 
Seed Trade News printing Dr. Schery‘s explanation in almost its entirety.

SEED LOT STUDY

As part of the preparation for the Rutgers Turfgrass Short Course, the Lawn 
Institute investigated seed analyses on over 300 commercial lots, through the 
kindness of Seed Technology. It is hoped to eventually publish a summary. 
Meanwhile, members may be interested In the general conclusions.

By and large lawn seed entering commerce is not weedy; 43% the bluegrass, 50% 
of the fine fescue, and 56%of the bentgrass contained no weeds whatsoever. On 
the other hand, redtop was almost inevitably weedy (not a single lot was free of 
weeds), and almost every lot sontained serious crop (timothy) as well as weeds 
such as yarrow.

As might be expected, since weed definition is a hangover from agricultural 
terminology, "crop" rather than "weeds" in lawn seed entering commerce is 
likely to offer the homeowner the greater problem. Most weeds, and much crop

would, automatically disappear under the normal procedures of lawn care. But hay- 
grasses introduced in lawn seed are difficult to correct later.

LESS NEWS SPACE?

Our clipping service reports that many of the nation’s newspapers have narrowed 
their column widths by l/6th of an inch. This was a result of both the AP and 
UPI changing their automatic relaying equipment to this size. At the same time, 
to make their papers more readable, they adopted a new type face. However, only 
a few of the newspapers increased their pages from 8 to 9 columns to make up for 
the decrease in material in each column. As a result, one and two-thirds inch 
less of news can be printed on every page.

It is too soon to know the ultimate effect of this on publicity news, but the 
clipping bureau feels the result can’t be favorable.

STORIES PREPARED DURING QUARTER

Late winter may seem a "dormant season" in lawn activities, however it is anything 
but that when it comes to writing lawn stories, which usually must be on hand 
months before publication. The Marysville office has been especially busy this 
winter and spring, getting together manuscripts for:

"Florida’s Lawngrass Mix" - Tampa Tribune 
"A Nation Of Lawns" - Weeds & Turf Pest Control 
"What Lawn, Where" - American Nurseryman 
"Solution To Better Lawns" - Fertilizer Solutions 
"Turf Tips" - Flower Grower
"Lawn Thatch" - Flower & Garden 
"The Importance Of Quality Seed" - Seed World 
"How To Start A Good New Lawn" - Counselor 
"Lawns" - McCall’s
"Lawn Care" - Resort Management
"Good Lawns And Rose Splendor" - American Rose Annual

Other stories have been promised Popular Gardening, Modern Garden Center, Park 
Maintenance, Weeds & Turf, and perhaps one or more of the scientific journals. 
"Terrible Transition Zone" appeared in Golf Business this quarter, and a series 
of photos with captions was readied for Popular Gardening.

GRASS ROOTING DEPTH STUDIED IN COLORADO

A report in the winter issue of Ecology showed that several native grasses 
(including a fescue) had deeper and fuller root growth when not grazed, 
compared to when heavily grazed. Moderate grazing, as would be expected, was 
intermediate. This parallels findings with lawngrasses, in which close clipping 
impairs size and extent of the root system. In the Colorado study the main root 
mass was in the top foot of soil, although some roots extended six feet or more 
into the ground on the lightly grazed or ungrazed plots.

MAGAZINE ARTICLE BRINGS INQUIRY

Following appearance of "The Many Varieties Of Kentucky Bluegrass" in the 
November 1963 issue of Horticulture, Director Schery had several inquiries 
requesting information and literature on the care of lawns. Typical was a 
letter from a Dearborn Heights, Michigan homeowner wanting to know how to 
handle bluegrass there. As with other inquiries, "The Lawn Book" and "The 
Householder’s Guide - -" were recommended for details, and a miscellaneous 
assortment of reprints sent with a letter answering specific points.

INSTITUTE MOVIE STILL POPULAR

"Bluegrass Beauty" is still being shown rather widely, in spite of the necessity 
for withdrawing it from television showing and reducing publicity concerning it 
as an economy measure. Requests come to Modern from far and wide, and are honored 
when received. Mrs. Payne has selected certain representative showings of recent 
months, as indicative of the audience anxious to have access to an informative 
lawn movie:

Glenview Park Civic Club, Warminister, Penna.
Adult Education Class, Sturgis, South Dakota
Union Methodist Church, Trenton, New Jersey
Bedford Com. School, Bedford, Iowa
General Electric Co., Philadelphia, Penna.
Four Seasons Garden Club, Irvine, Kentucky
Men’s Garden Club of North Shore, Deerfield, I11.
Nicholls Co. Extension Service, Nelson, Nebraska
White Meadow Lk Garden Club, Rockaway, New Jersey
Muncie Trade School, Muncie, Indiana
Forest City Park Civic Association, Cleveland, Ohio
Iowa Garden Club, New Providence, Iowa
Veterans Agriculture Classes, East View, Kentucky
Agricultural & Home Economics, Extension Service, Clay Center, Kans. 
Fox Valley PTA, Wallingford, Kentucky 
Midland College, Fremont, Nebraska 
Rainbow Garden Club, Jackson, Ohio
Mount Airy Garden Study Club, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Farmers Class, Wilton Junction, Iowa
Dixon Co. Extension Service, Allen, Nebraska

PRESENTATION TO GIRD AFFILIATES

Dr. Schery’s talk before the GIRD educational conference in Fort Lauderdale, 
February 17, followed very much the lines of the article "The Importance Of 
Quality Seed," which appeared in the February l4 issue of Seed World. He stressed 
that the inclusion of each and every ingredient was not strictly a matter of 
chance, but based upon characteristics of the individual lawngrasses under the 
general circumstances where they are to be used. For example, Merion Kentucky 
bluegrass was included to take advantage of its outstanding performance when 
care and fertilization can be adequate; on the other hand, Kentucky-grown 
natural Kentucky bluegrass was chosen for its wide adaptability and the broad

genetic pool it represents; Park was chosen for its reputation as a quick- 
starting, high quality variety. Similarly, the fine fescues (two varieties) were 
included for their special attributes broadening the usefulness of the seed 
mixture, especially for shade and poor-dry sites.

Dr. Schery pointed out how all of these different components blend well in the 
lawn, responding to the same general kind of care. However, it was made clear 
that while this is an excellent general-use mixture in the northern two-thirds 
of the country, quite adaptable to sunny locations, that it becomes a shade- 
mixture only from Atlanta southward, and a winterseeding mixture in Florida.
With the use of any lawn product, where and how it is employed must be given 
overriding consideration.

The mechanical quality factors of a good lawn seed mixture were touched upon, 
but main discussion left for Mr. Townsend, who covered well such criteria as 
weed content, crop, and other considerations in the packaging of lawn seed.
Dr. Schery brought along a number of slides for projection, showing charts and 
tables that reflect quality in lawn seed, and scenes of production fields pointing 
out the care and elaborateness needed within the industry to produce a high 
quality product.

ILLINOIS TURFGRASS CONFERENCE

Through the courtesy of President Mangelsdorf, the Institute office has received 
a copy of the December 1963 Illinois Turfgrass Conference Proceedings. This 
seems an improved effort at publicizing the conference papers, but is not yet 
quite so polished or well rounded as the Proceedings from conferences in certain 
other states.

An interesting resume of primeval vegetation in Illinois (prairie) was among 
opening papers, then routine coverage on stripe smut, soil amendments, Poa 
annua, etc. Novel attempts at measuring Kentucky bluegrass (below ground parts 
as well as leaf growth), and creeping bentgrass (leaves per square inch; stems 
per square inch; leaves per stem; leaf width) were reported. A study designed 
to show differential bluegrass growth in response to various formulations of 
fertilizer ended up more a comparison of Newport and Merion varieties than a 
fertilizer study; adequate fertilization gave generally good performance with 
all grasses. Granular fertilizer mixed into the soil did not rate highly in 
some of the initial tests, but after a year seemed to give the best turf.

Three new weed control chemicals were reviewed, and chemical control of melting 
out disease (which, if the table is correct, is relatively meaningless because 
the check showed no serious disadvantage compared to the treatments). Dr. Engel, 
a guest speaker, gave a down-to-earth discussion of "Recent Developments In 
Turfgrass Production," cautioning that we still know too little about the after- 
effects of many of our procedures (especially herbicide use). Care should be 
taken not to jump unquestioningly on such bandwagons as weed control, slow-release 
nitrogen fertilizer, annual bluegrass elimination, etc.

USDA STEPS UP TURFGRASS BULLETINS

In the USDA list of available literature, publications relating to lawns and 
turfgrass are increasingly listed. Two revisions of late 1963 include Bulletin 
No. 79 ("Controlling Lawn Weeds With Herbicides"), and Bulletin 61 ("Lawn 
Diseases").

The former updates by chemical name the more recent recommendations for controlling 
crabgrass, bermudagrass, broadleaf weeds, and soil fumigation. There are ten 
excellent drawings covering nearly as many pages picturing weeds (nimblewill, 
smooth crabgrass, large crabgrass, bermudagrass, goosegrass, ground ivy, henbit, 
common chickweed, mouse-ear chickweed, and yellow wood sorrel). The final page 
is a chart indicating treatment, with the weeds listed alphabetically.

"Lawn Diseases" is an attractive booklet with a color cover and twelve colored 
photos carried internally. Fungicide treatments are listed for various diseases 
in chart form.

The authors (Kreitlow and Juska) favor mixtures: "Pure stands of Kentucky 
bluegrass favor development of the disease; mixtures of several recommended 
species usually retard development because most mixtures contain naturally 
resistant species." They also plug for higher mowing, something the Lawn 
Institute has long espoused: "Mow upright-growing grasses to a height of 
1 3/4 to 3 inches rather than 1/2 to 1 inch. "When discussing rust, the authors 
also advocate mixtures, viz.: "Damage is less severe if Merion Kentucky bluegrass 
is mixed with common Kentucky bluegrass or with red fescue. Recommended mixtures 
are 50% Merion and 50% common Kentucky bluegrass; 50% Merion Kentucky bluegrass 
and 50% red fescue; or 50% Merion, 25% common Kentucky bluegrass, and 25% red 
fescue."

Members may also be interested in some of the asides, in the section "Other 
Causes of Poor Turf":

"Short-lived perennials like redtop and ryegrass or weedy annuals - - do not 
make a desirable lawn - - leave brown or bare areas that may be mistaken for 
disease injury."

"Bermudagrass and zoysiagrasses turn straw-colored - - when these species are 
grown in a sod composed mainly of cool-season grasses, mottled brown and 
green lawn often results - - this may resemble disease injury."

The authors also advocate concentrated but infrequent watering: "Do not water 
grass until it begins to wilt, then soak the soil to a depth of six inches 
or more."

TALL FESCUE IN LAWNS

The January Issue of Midwest Turf News and Research (Purdue University) supported 
the position long maintained by the Lawn Institute about tall fescue. Namely, 
that this is a severe pest where unwanted in finer-textured lawn mixtures. Here 
are a few quotes from the bulletin:

"The Turf Research Office at Purdue University gets more samples of tall fescue 
to identify than any other plant. - - Some people may think it is crabgrass, - -."

"Since 1960 it is being used only in the cheap, or rough seed mixtures. Even in 
these, bluegrass should always be included so it can fill around the fescue 
clumps."

The bulletin then suggests several alternatives, where tall fescue occurs. One 
may live with it; remove it (by digging or resodding); weaken it (by physical 
abuse or vertical mowing); kill it chemically (no completely satisfactory 
method, since such chemicals are not selective); and to avoid new infestation 
thru poor lawn seed.

SWEEPER FOR BLUEGRASS THATCH CONTROL?

Recently Mr. Phil F. Jenkins, President of Jenkins Equipment Company, manu- 
facturers of the "Sweepster" rotary brooms, offered to furnish the Institute 
a rotary broom for mounting on the Cub tractor, to test its de-thatching 
ability.

This is an interesting idea for large acreage. Such brooms are well-known in 
the bluegrass curing yards of the Midwest, for gathering the final seed which 
sifts into the sod. Though the sweeping there is doubtless more vigorous than 
would be recommended for de-thatching, it nonetheless seems to result in no 
permanent damage to the bluegrass sod. And certainly everything is swept clean 
out of the sod.

Because of lack of help at the Lawn Institute grounds, we had to decline 
Jenkins’ good offer, though the idea does seem of some interest. Concern 
about thatch seems to be sweeping the country at this time, with several 
manufacturers developing de-thatching equipment.

Tests on the Institute grounds suggest that thatch is not so serious a problem 
as is currently being suggested, at least on natural Kentucky bluegrass and 
fine fescues. For about five years the thatch has been removed from a single 
area, without any notable advantage to the grass. Tests on the Highland bent- 
grass plots are only in the second year, but here, too, no definite advantage 
to "de-thatching" has so far been noted.

Because of the intense interest nationally we continue to observe and experiment 
with thatch removal. If nothing else, its discussion offers a fine vehicle for 
mention of the good lawngrasses represented by the Lawn Institute.

NEMATODE DAMAGE TO BENTGRASS

Illinois research, as reported in the December 1963 Proceedings of the Turf 
Conference, indicates that some bentgrasses are quite susceptible to root knot 
nematode damage, while with other bentgrasses the roots seem not to be 
damaged. Among the latter type is Highland bentgrass.

ABOUT "TERRIBLE TRANSITION ZONE" (AS IT APPEARED IN GOLF BUSINESS)

"Your article on the transition zone was interesting - and more important, 
helpful." - course superintendent

"HAVE A TOP NOTCH LAWN" STILL POPULAR

Some time ago a series of slides from Dr. Schery’s collection was duplicated, 
and a recitation explaining them mimeographed, for dispersal by the Lawn 
Institute and the Oregon Fine Fescue Commission. The series was entitled 
"Have A Top Notch Lawn." Interestingly, this same series of slides is in 
continuing demand. As a matter of fact, there seems to be a current surge of 
interest in such visuals. Within the last few weeks slide sets have been sent 
to:

Fairview Garden Shop, Janesville, Wisconsin
John B. Lower, Extension Horticulture, Independence, Missouri 
Redwood Nurseries, Salt Lake City, Utah

FLOWER GROWER PRINTS "TURF TIPS" IN APRIL ISSUE

A novel approach for presenting lawn information was adopted by Flower Grower 
Magazine this spring, that of a "lexicon" of turfgrass terminology, which 
Dr. Schery prepared for the magazine. Reprints of this have recently been 
circulated to the Lawn Institute membership.

SPRING LAWN STORIES

We feel that the Lawn Institute has had an influence on lawn stories, even when 
not under the direct authorship of Dr. Schery. Frequently stories appearing 
in gardening magazines are by Institute advisors, who regularly receive Institute 
reprints and mailings. In other instances, garden writers draw upon information 
from the Institute, and from Dr. Schery’s books. And finally, Institute photos 
often support stories, whether borrowed by request or picked up from past press 
kits.

Two lawn coverages were featured this spring, in Flower and Garden and Popular 
Gardening. The former, "What You Need To Know About Mowing Your Lawn," by 
Charles Drags, Institute advisor in Colorado, summarized the essentials of lawn 
keeping nicely. The Institute has always seen nearly eye-to-eye with the 
Colorado people concerning lawn matters. At least two of the photos used by 
Mr. Drage were of Lawn Institute origin.

Another fairly complete coverage on lawns was by Paul Frese, under the title 
"Lawn Making Made Easy." Frese says about seeding: "Choose seed mixtures 
specifically for the purpose for which the lawn will be used. Fine bluegrasses 
make prize turf." As to sodding, Frese mentions: " - - Merion Kentucky blue­
grass, bluegrass blends, creeping bentgrass and Meyer zoysia -

Several photos used with the article were from the Lawn Institute.

READER'S DIGEST MAY INTRODUCE GARDENING BOOK

The Lawn Institute received inquiry from Reader’s Digest, about the possibility 
of Dr. Schery revising the lawn chapter of an extensive gardening encyclopedia 
originally developed in Great Britain. If the plan is carried through for an 
American edition, general editorship will be with Thomas H. Everett of the New 
York Botanical Garden. Dr. Everett has suggested that Dr. Schery and the Lawn 
Institute make the necessary revisions concerning lawns and turfgrass.

IN SUPPORT OF TRADE ASSOCIATION SEAL

The January 31 Kiplinger Washington letter reported an increase in high-pressure 
advertising in the home gardening field. It advised consumers to note whether 
a trade association seal is displayed. Of course this is the sort of thing the 
Lawn Institute Seal of Approval has been designed to do for the quality lawn 
seed industry.

INSTITUTE INFORMATION ADAPTED BY SEED WORLD

We are gratified that information issued in Lawn Institute press kits is often 
picked up by the press generally. It is especially good to note usage of such 
materials by the trade press, one instance of which was the October 1963 issue 
of Seed World. We are appreciative of Lawn Institute mention there, in the text 
of discussion on fertilization.

SCHOOL INTEREST IN LAWNS

The following note was received from a Massachusetts school girl: "I am doing 
an experiment in school on growing different grades of grass seed. - - could 
you please send me any information you may have on soil and grass seed, - - 
Thank you very much for all your trouble." - Maureen Rae, Needham, Massachusetts. 
Needless to say, an envelope of reprints went quickly to Miss Rae.

EXTENSION SERVICE DEVELOPS RECREATION DIRECTORY

We were pleased to receive from the Department of Resource Development, Michigan 
State University, a request to submit Lawn Institute literature and services for 
a forthcoming "Directory Of Assistance Available For Public And Private Recreation 
Development In Michigan." This has been done. There seems to be increasing 
attention to grass plantings in outdoor recreation areas.

EXTENSION SERVICE REQUESTS BLUEGRASS STORY

"The March issue of our Home and Garden News is to be devoted solely to turf. 
We would like very much, to have permission to reproduce your story ’The Sage 
Of Kentucky Bluegrass,’ - - Ira Caplan, Ass’t. Co. Agric. Agent, Rockland 
City, New City, New York

KIND WORDS FROM ASTA

Bill Heckendorn did us the honor of including the following paragraph to a 
letter of inquiry:

"In a way you are fortunate in living so close to one of the most qualified men 
that I know of in the Lawn and Turf grass Industry. The offices of the Lawn 
Institute are located at Kimberdale in Marysville, Ohio. I would suggest that 
you visit with Dr. Robert Schery as he would be able to give you more direct 
information than you will be able to develop out of literature."

MAGAZINES CIRCULARIZED

To gain fullest possible mileage from Lawn Institute stories, the editors of many 
magazines in specialized fields were circularized with the offer of a custom 
story. We are pleased that as a result several new avenues of contact were opened.

GOLF BUSINESS INAUGURAL ISSUE

This new magazine, for which Dr. Schery wrote "The Terrible Transition Zone" in 
the first issue, came out with a terrific bang in January. The "bang" was 
achieved through splendid use of color photographs. A magazine of about 100 pages, 
the first issue was built around a Buyer’s Guide theme.

The format is designed to allow two pages of "teasers" about the contents. That 
having to do with "The Terrible Transition Zone" is given here, as a resume of 
this story for which reprints have been secured.

"This zone, which passes right through the middle of the country, is a kind of 
never-never land with problems peculiar to itself - problems which are a curious 
blend of those encountered only in the South and those most often met with in 
the North. In this article, Robert W. Schery, Director of the Lawn Institute, 
tells you how to guard against the problems that turn up, and spells out the 
precautions every wise superintendent should take to avoid being caught napping."

CRABGRASS PRESS KIT

An impressive series of short stories, with four excellent photographs, was 
issued by Diamond Alkali in March. While the commercial interest was of course 
the promotion of Dacthal as a pre-emergence crabgrass preventer, we were pleased 
to see mention of good seed and good turf practices as well as the use of chemical 
prevention. The following sentences are taken from the third in a series of 
stories, under the heading of "Proper Seeding."

"When seeding or reseeding use a good-quality seed mixture. The extra money you 
spend will be more than saved by better germination and a healthier turf.

You can be reasonably certain that where crabgrass develops in a new lawn, and a 
good seed mixture was used, it came from seed which was in the soil at the time 
of planting. Since crabgrass germinates in the spring, fall-seeded lawns get a 
head start on this weed grass and will become more solidly established before the 
crabgrass can interfere with it."

If this sort of information can be supplied by chemical and gertilizer manu- 
facturers, it certainly extends and supplements the informational program being 
undertaken by the Lawn Institute.

SUMMER A "WEAK" SEASON FOR GRASS

It is well recognized that northern lawngrasses tend to suffer more loss in 
summer than at other times of the year. The Lawn Institute constantly advises 
mowing Kentucky bluegrass lawns tall, especially in hot weather, to aid survival 
at such critical seasons. A study on recovery of rangegrasses adds to the 
evidence of potential damage from close clipping in summer.

Pearson, in Idaho, investigating two Poas (as well as other plants) showed that 
if the grass was mowed (or grazed) between boot stage and seed production it was 
far more seriously injured than if treated equivalently either before or after 
this period. With the Poas, close clipping from late May into early July had 
severe consequences; before late May, or from July on, recovery was relatively 
excellent.

IN DEFENSE OF ARSENIC

P. J. Ehman of Ansul Chemical presented an interesting paper at the Southern 
Weed Conference, hoping to clarify the generally "bad name" that any arsenical 
compound has. He of course recognized the poisonous nature of arsenic itself, 
but went on to point out that in various compounds it is no more toxic than 
other generally accepted pesticides. As a matter of fact, there seems to be 
increasing evidence that in light dosages arsenic is not cumulative in the 
human body, but is eliminated through normal excretion.

Mr. Ehman pointed out the fact that arsenic is found everywhere, even when 
arsenical compounds are not used. For example, it is present in cigarette 
smoke, sea water, most foods and air. Vacuum cleaner house dust in New York 
City showed from 12 to 140 ppm of arsenic.

Perhaps it is fortunate that some of the more recent arsenical herbicides bear 
such names as cacodylic acid (rather than arsinic acid), this being a less 
frightening name to the average consumer. In any event such organic arsenical 
compounds, and even the pentavalent inorganic forms, are relatively non-toxic 
compared to metallic arsenic or even the trivalent forms such as arsenite.

GRASS GRADUALLY GIVES WAY IN MICHIGAN

A study reported in Ecology, followed an abandoned pasture in southeastern 
Michigan from 1928 to the present. Grazing (by deer) may have been instrumental 
in maintaining this much like a pasture, but in any event change has been very 
slow, with little invasion by trees. However, the pasture flora, approximately 
90% grass originally, has now changed to approximately 50% grass - 50% forbs 
(broadleafed herbs). Relating this long-term succession to lawns, the need for 
control of broadleaf weeds (as with 2,4-D) becomes apparent. Possibly occasional 
bolster seeding would be helpful, too, for maintaining thick stands of grass.

WEED RESEARCH

Members interested in pursuing winterseeding in the South, may be interested in 
the 17th Annual Southern Weed Conference Research Report, January 1964. Recommend- 
ed weed controls not only for turf, but for agricultural plantings, are contained. 
The report is obtainable at the price of $1, from Henry Andrews, Secretary- 
Treasurer, Southern Weed Conference, Department of Agronomy, University of 
Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37916.

INSTITUTE PHOTOS REQUESTED FOR MAGAZINE COVER

Jack Kiesner, Managing Editor of Home and Garden Supply Merchandiser, wrote 
recently asking if the Lawn Institute could supply photographs suitable for 
the magazine cover. They would be used only with credit. While unused photos 
are not so distributed, a selection of several which have appeared with various 
articles through the years were offered to Home and Garden Supply Merchandiser. 
From among these two were chosen to appear on future covers.

INSTITUTE STORIES APPRECIATED

"Dear Mr. Schery: Thank you so much for the Lawn Institute stories. This 
material will be most helpful in connection with the ‘Lawn Clinic’ which we 
hold each year at the Garden Center and some of these articles may be used in 
our monthly publication which is sent out to membership. If this is done we 
will give credit to the Institute and send you a copy of the publication." - 
Ashley C. Norcross, Director, The Garden Center of Greater Cleveland

WINTER LAWN ITEMS

Les Satterlee, Home & Garden Editor of the Dispatch papers (Missouri), is 
always most kind in sending clippings to the Kansas City office, representing 
use of or adaptations from materials included in the press kits. Knowing Mr. 
Satterlee's adeptness, it was not surprising to have in mid-January tear clips 
representing about 24 column inches that appeared in the Dispatch papers. The 
stories represented activities that really need no season, such as late mowing, 
fertilization, bolstering and attention to weeds. Sample quote: "Bluegrass 
and most other lawngrasses make their best root growth while soil temperatures 
are still cool if a ready supply of nutrients has been provided."

LAWN ADVICE FROM ELANCO

Whether the Eli Lilly lawn products people have been influenced by Lawn 
Institute releases or not, we don't know. But we are gratified that spring 
news releases from Elanco coincide very nicely with the Lawn Institute position 
concerning grasses. By way of example, the following paragraph is from an 
item sent garden writers in early March:

"The first line of defense against weeds is a thick, vigorous stand of grass. 
Keeping turf free of disease and insect damage, proper feeding, and watering 
deeply all help form a dense carpet that crowds out weeds. Proper mowing helps,

too! University teste have shown that mowing Kentucky bluegrass at two inches 
provides shade that prevents many weed seeds from germinating properly."

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE

The Proceedings of the annual Turfgrass Conference in Florida continue to get 
bigger and more inclusive. It is good to be kept up to date on the fast- 
developing changes concerning turfgrass in the South.

The Proceedings for the 11th annual conference include a number of excellent 
papers, most of them specialized for the very special area that Florida is. 
There is the usual complete review of chinchbugs and other insects, with 
current control recommendations. Quite a bit on diseases, thatch, and other 
related areas of interest. The particular work the Lawn Institute is 
interested in, on winterseeding, was presented by Charles Wilson in "Latest 
Look At Overseeding." A few quotes from this might be of interest.

"Graham, reporting from Sarasota in December, found the heaviest seeding 
mixture containing Kentucky bluegrass was best, with the individual bluegrasses 
filling in surprisingly well. For many years, a few Florida superintendents 
have included Kentucky bluegrass in their overseeding mixtures. These tests 
show they were right in doing so."

"Pennlawn fescue and Poa trivialis were starting to show some injury from 
traffic and this could be considered yet another reason why mixtures containing 
Kentucky bluegrass are worthy of consideration."

" - - East Lake ranked Poa trivialis very good, which put it ahead of all 
other individual grasses. However, only the mixture of trivialis, bent and 
fescue - or this same group with Kentucky bluegrass - ranked excellent."

"I would suggest the following per M:

Poa trivialis 4 lbs. 
Kentucky bluegrass 3 lbs. 
Creeping red fescue 10 lbs. 
Seaside bent 1 lb.

Undoubtedly, many of you would be justified in alterating this for local 
conditions. As an example, Kentucky bluegrass seems more important as one 
travels south. Since the basic mixture "hedges bets" for both early and late 
in the season, Highland might be substituted for Seaside, as Seaside is both 
scarce and high in price --."

Chan Baker touts seeded grasses very nicely, in his "A Comparison Of Seeded 
Grasses." We are grateful that he has accepted the Lawn Institute suggestions 
for a winterseeding mixture, as illustrated by this conclusion in his summary: 
"Red fescue, Highland bentgrass and bluegrass are gradually replacing ryegrass 
for this purpose. These desirable temporary grasses are becoming increasingly 
more popular for winter overseeding of dormant lawns and have been known to 
reactivate again in the fall after summer dormancy.

Collectively, seeded grasses meet today’s demand for improved lawns and there 
are varieties and combinations to provide lawngrass for practically every need."

ROCKY MOUNTAIN TURFGRASS CONFERENCE

Institute advisor, Chuck Drags, kindly sent the Proceedings of the 10th Annual 
Rocky Mountain Turfgrass Conference, held at Colorado State University last 
autumn. It’s a dandy. The title given the conference was "Fertilizers In 
Turf Management," but subject matter ranges widely.

Early papers, most of them by outside experts, were fairly routine. When the 
Colorado State University staff reported, more specific meat appeared. 
Pleasingly, the reports were most of them well written without a lot of 
technical jargon.

Trace elements are often a problem in alkaline soils such as occur commonly 
in Colorado. Not much is known about them for turfgrass, but there is 
considerable background that can be extrapolated from agriculture. This was 
done under the heading "Trace Elements And Chelation In Fertilizers," with 
general suggestions as to rates needed. The effectiveness of differing types 
of chelates was mentioned (viz. EDTA or Sequestrene is not very effective on 
calcareous soils, while EDDHA is).

There was good review of the mysterious interrelationships of fertility and 
lower organisms. One such discussion was "Nitrogen In Relation To Turf 
Diseases." Lengthy discussion of various diseases related the Colorado 
situation to national experience. Because bluegrass is the main turfgrass in 
Colorado, findings apply especially to Kentucky bluegrass. As expected, heavy 
nitrogen in summer (anything that produces succulent growth), contributes to 
the seriousness of such diseases as foot rot (Helminthosporium).

Of interest to Highland bentgrass was the finding that Pythium susceptibility 
increased under low soil moisture conditions. So did dollar spot on Kentucky 
bluegrass. The point is, that an indirect influence, not attributable to 
direct attack by the pathogen, is controlling. Plant nutrition in relation 
to disease certainly is of this pattern. All environmental influences interact.

Too many conclusions are advanced to be summarized easily. Each disease 
and each grass shows its own especial response, in some cases extra nitrogen 
benefiting, and in other cases being detrimental. Perhaps the best conclusion 
is to maintain an adequate but not extravagant balance of nutrients.

SEED MIXTURE STORY FOR FLORIDA

As reported elsewhere, Bert Livingston, of the Tampa Tribune (perhaps the most 
influential west Florida newspaper), asked the Lawn Institute to prepare a 
feature story for the garden page of his paper. This was done under the 
tentative title "Florida’s Lawngrass Mix," sent along with eight pictures. The 
intent was to encourage lawngrass seeding in Florida, where much planting has 
been vegetative in the past. The story was being done in conjunction with Chan 
Baker, who will back up its release in the St. Petersburg area with a television 
appearance. A few quotes from the story as sent to Mr. Livingston may be of 
interest.

"Several grasses, mixed in a lawn, can gain from the strong points of each - - 
the situation is very much akin to Kentucky bluegrass in the North - - .

Incidentally, Kentucky bluegrass along with such other northern favorites as the 
fine fescues (Chewings, Illahee, Pennlawn) and Highland bentgrass, are gaining 
favor in mixtures for the South. - - make excellent initial cover in autumn- 
planted seed mixtures that will eventually turn to southern grasses as hot 
weather comes."

"Seeding of lawns should have a place in Florida, because it’s an economical and 
easy way to get turf. Moreover, a lot of migrants moving into Florida are 
accustomed to seeding lawns. - - regular bolster seeding, even twice per year, 
is an inexpensive way to maintain a thick turf."

"These days of improved seeding techniques, mixtures based upon fine fescue, 
Kentucky bluegrass and some of the bentgrasses are suggested instead of ryegrass 
for winterseeding - - an indication of this is its increasing disfavor for 
winterseeding golf greens."

"We’re back again to thinking of seed mixtures based primarily upon bahiagrass 
varieties, adaptable, with few troubles, a sort of friendly ‘average man’s’ type 
lawn. - - the composition of the seed mixture can well be left in the skilled 
hands of the seed packager, - - it requires the least amount of effort to main- 
tain and plant in this area of any familiar Florida grass types. The chief 
component can be beefed up with northern species to provide winter cover. Well- 
known standby names also worthy of inclusion with bahia may be bermuda, zoysia, 
even centipede or carpet for special locations."

QUOTABLES ON WINTERSEEDING

Members interested in the winterseeding use of quality northern grasses, may 
find "authoritative outside" opinion from the remarks of Dr. Louis N. Wise, 
as presented at the Lawn and Turfgrass Division meetings during the ASTA 1963 
annual meeting. These are officially reported in the 1963 Yearbook. Dr. Wise 
is Dean of the School of Agriculture, Mississippi State University. Following 
are a few extracts with a special pertinency to grasses represented by the 
Lawn Institute.

"As I have indicated, the ryegrass is very definitely the number one grass for 
overseeding for all purposes. However, recently there has been a great deal 
of interest in the use of other cool season grasses for this purpose and I 
think, of course, that is the reason why your Program Committee in developing 
this program asked me to talk on it because, certainly, it does offer here in 
the South an opportunity for use of some of the other cool season grasses in 
addition to ryegrass for this overseeding purpose.

Further, as to proportion of permanent to percentage of persons that overseed, 
that is still rather small. I don’t think you will see many folks involved 
here and, therefore, we have here a very large potential market."

" - - ryegrass, as a result, looks a little coarse when we start putting it on 
there and trying to blend it with the fine-leaf grasses. I think, however, that 
possibly the worst characteristic of ryegrass is the fact that the grass grows 
vigorously - it establishes rapidly, grows very vigorously throughout the 
season, particularly in the late spring and, as a result, is very competitive 
with the grass upon which you have seeded it and then, all of a sudden, it goes 
out - it just almost drops from sight. - -"

"Before leaving the ryegrass, I would like to mention the fact that our golf 
team had rated creeping red fescue seriously. They did this, of course, on 
quality of the putting surface. However, we likewise rate it high on its 
earliness. I mentioned that it is about two weeks or so later than ryegrass 
which, as you know, is not bad. It has a very fine texture, even finer than 
the grass on which we are overseeding and because it tends to hold on late 
in the spring this is likewise an added advantage."

BLUEGRASS IN ANTARCTIC

Roy Edwards passes along this note, from the Christian Science Monitor, which 
might be an interest-catcher for company news sheets.

McMurdo Station, Antarctica - "A few hardy blades of Kentucky bluegrass last 
month became the first grass ever to grow in the open below the Antarctic Circle.

It grew to a height of 1 1/2 inches at Cape Hallet Station, 420 miles inside the 
South frigid zone and about 1,200 miles from the South Pole.

Dr. E. D. Rudolph, assistant professor of botany at Ohio State University - - 
brought word - - after three months' field work.

- - The botanists destroyed - - surviving plants before they left to prevent 
the uncontrolled introduction of new species into the continent."

ENTHUSIASM FROM WEEDS AND TURF MAGAZINE

"Thanks very much for your wonderful letter of February 27! We really do 
enjoy your communications, since they always seem to hold so much promise for 
our readers. Your latest series of suggestions is exciting indeed, and I 
look forward to building a thrilling series of articles in WEEDS AND TURF out 
of the things which you have offered to supply." - Charles D. Webb, Editor, 
Weeds and Turf Pest Control

SOUTHERN EXPERT TALKS ABOUT WINTERGRASS

Dr. D. G. Sturkie, of Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, has not been doing 
any specific wintergrass testing of recent years. But he speaks from a 
wealth of experience. Contacted this winter, Dr. Sturkie, Institute advisor, 
had this to say:

"If you will recall, we conducted research a number of times in the past and 
have always come to the same conclusion and that is all of the grasses have to 
have the summer grass removed down to the soil so that the seed can come in 
contact with the soil if you expect to get a stand. We have had very satisfactory 
results with a number of strains of bluegrass, fescues, and bents. - - It is 
more or less a personal choice as to which one to plant. Some years one 
appears superior and other years another will appear superior."

TURFGRASS RESEARCH REPORTED

Two papers of interest to lawnsmen appeared in the October 1963 issue of the 
Agronomy Journal, both co-authored by Institute advisors. John Madison, of 
California, discussed a method for assessing turfgrass response by the 
chlorophyll it produced. This is a technical matter, but an outgrowth of the 
study showed that greatest fertilizer response was from urea, and least response 
from nitrate, contrary to the generally accepted understanding as to which is 
the more usable form of nitrogen. There was also a restrictive effect from 
potassium, that could not be explained. Tests were principally upon Highland 
bentgrass, and Seaside bent.

Dr. Eliot Roberts, Iowa, continued with some of his well-known culture solution 
tests. Results were reported for Kentucky bluegrass, "the principal lawngrass 
in the cool, humid regions of the United States." Synopsis of the article 
reads: "Turf grown on low nitrogen was more resistant to high temperatures than 
that on high nitrogen. Neither phosphorus or potassium affected this resistance 
high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus gave less-resistant plants than high 
nitrogen and low phosphorus. The reverse was true with nitrogen and 
potassium."

TURF ROOTING DEPTH

It is well known that clipping height of turf controls rooting depth (the 
shorter the clipping, the less the root system). And it would be supposed 
that golf greens would not be so universally aerified (punching holes in the 
soil), were there not some beneficial effects on rooting depth. However, 
direct experimental evidence on the latter point is seldom seen. Experiment­
ation relating to this was reported in the February 1964 issue of Golf Course 
Reporter, by four California researchers.

Primarily the evidence is as follows: In growth experiments where oxygen is 
excluded in varying degree from the root systems, it is proven that adequate 
oxygen is needed for root penetration. Then a series of actual soils (golf 
greens) have the oxygen content measured at several depths, without aerifying 
treatment, and with different size holes punched to a 10 inch depth. Near the 
surface all soils are adequate for root growth, but at the 10 inch depth 
insufficient oxygen is present without aerifying procedures. The oxygen 
condition at the 10 inch depth is greatly improved where holes are punched 
to the 10 inch depth.

KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS MANAGEMENT

An interesting article, by Juska and Hanson, appeared in late 1963, in Park 
Maintenance magazine. It was entitled "The Management Of Kentucky Bluegrass 
On Extensive Turfgrass Areas." Drs. Juska and Hanson have recently distributed 
reprints of this publication. It is an interesting case of superior performance 
by improved bluegrass selections initially, giving way in some instances to 
poorer performance later, resulting (in final conclusion) in the advocacy of 
mixtures and use of natural Kentucky bluegrass where less intensive management 
is possible: "It seems reasonable to conclude, therefore, that with the 
adoption of proper management practices, common bluegrass could be more

satisfactory than Marion or Newport for use in extensive turfgrass areas where 
maintenance is minimal."

The article opens with the sort of statement we like to hear: "Kentucky blue- 
grass is an ideal grass for use on extensive turf areas - -." The article 
then cites some of the difficulties inherent in maintaining density and quality. 
The research was undertaken to note what might be the best management of three 
selections of bluegrass, and which of these might perform best under simplified 
managing. The three bluegrasses tested were Merion, Newport (C-1) and common 
(natural). Tests were at Beltsville, Maryland, beginning in 1958.

Merion Kentucky bluegrass generally had the best ratings in the tables presented, 
relating to density, disease resistance, and so on. But it was interesting to 
note that on the average, natural Kentucky bluegrass seemed to deteriorate 
through the years less than did named varieties. For example, in comparing 
the year 1961 and 1960, the Merion rating fell off nearly two points, Newport 
a point, while natural Kentucky bluegrass gained almost a point. Thus, though 
natural Kentucky bluegrass was "way behind" in 1960, it was the equal of the 
other varieties in 1961!

Juska and Hanson have this to say by way of possible explanation: "In any 
event, these data illustrate the ability of common to recover and develop 
satisfactory turf under a wide range of management treatments." And again,
"It Is recognized, however, that common has a broad range of climatic 
adaptation and includes numerous biotypes that provide a basis for natural 
selection on specific sites."

Of course the authors recognize the superiority of varieties for features 
for which the varieties are selected. Regarding Merion: "When properly 
managed and maintained, Merion was a superior variety of bluegrass in this 
trial." As to Newport: "For the first three years of the trial, Newport was 
intermediate in turf performance when compared with Merion and common. - - 
Newport turf deteriorated rapidly in the fourth year, and none of the
management variables tested were completely successful in checking its decline."

WHY FEWER CLIPPING QUOTES

Members may be wondering why in this issue of Harvests, compared to previous 
issues, there are fewer direct quotes of Lawn Institute releases and where 
they have been used. The explanation is quite simple. Because of budget 
stringencies, we have had to cancel out the regular clipping service previously 
scheduled year-around. Under present arrangements, clippings will be collected 
by the bureau only for April-May, and September, somewhat after appearance of 
the seasonal press kits. As this issue of Harvests is being prepared, of 
course no clippings have been received during the previous quarter.

EXTENSION CENTER REQUESTS REPRINTS

”In an address given at a Lawn and Turf Conference at the University of 
Missouri last September you said reprints were available from the Lawn 
Institute discussing Kentucky bluegrass cultivara, the fine fescues and
the lawn type Highland bentgrass. Would you please send me these reprints - -." 
Bill Bader. Director, Extension Center, LaClede County, Lebanon, Missouri.

The Institute is always glad to cooperate with Extension Services, and an 
assortment of reprints was immediately sent to Mr. Rader.

ADDITIONAL WINTERSEEDING INTEREST

The February 1964 issue of The Golf Course Reporter, picked up portions of the 
Lawn Institute article on winterseeding that had appeared in Weeds and Turf.
The editor’s note reads as follows:

"Following are excerpts of an article - - in which Dr. Robert W. Schery,
Director of the Lawn Institute - - commented on winterseeding experiments being 
conducted in the Southeastern United States."

Some of the statements reprinted included: " - - where ryegrass has winterkilled 
the last two years, the question is not so much whether to plant ryegrass, as 
what to substitute for it. Many cool-weather species are candidates, especially 
the quality ones - - (fine fescues, Kentucky bluegrass and the bentgrasses), and 
Poa trivialis (rough bleugrass). There have been successes with each. All 
appear to give better spring transition than does ryegrass - -."

TEACHING AIDS REQUESTED

Jack McDuff, Instructor, Horticulture and Landscaping, Petit Jean Vocational- 
Technical School, Morrilton, Arkansas, wrote the Institute, requesting inform- 
ation on publications, films and materials to be used as teaching aids in the 
Ornamental Horticulture and Landscaping course.

An assortment of reprints was sent to Mr. McDuff, along with a flyer on 
"Bluegrass Beauty" and the mimeographed text "Have A Top Notch Lawn," which 
accompanies the Kodachrome slide sequence offered to garden clubs. A sample 
copy of "The Householder's Guide To Outdoor Beauty" was also included, and for, 
more detailed information on lawns, Mr. McDuff was referred to "The Lawn Book."

SLIDES FOR EXTENSION WORK

Mr. V. L. Carothers, County Extension Director, Clay County, Missouri, wrote 
requesting loan or duplicates for purchase, of slides relating to lawngrasses 
and lawn care. Mr. Carothers was offered the "Have A Top Notch Lawn" series, 
produced for garden club and other general usage.

John B. Lower, Extension Horticulture Agent, Jackson County, Missouri, purchased 
a set of the slides for use in a pilot short course for dealers in lawn and 
garden supplies.

GIRD SESSIONS, CHICAGO, WELL ATTENDED

Dr. Schery discussed "good lawn seed" and allied horticultural topics for the 
midwestern group of GIRD affiliates, in Chicago, March 17-18. This was the best 
attended of the GIRD training conferences, reflecting considerable interest among 
garden center people in the Midwest. Attendees were from Iowa, Wisconsin, 
Michigan and Ohio, as well as Illinois-Indiana.

MANY REPRINTS DISTRIBUTED

The demand for authoritative lawn information seems unending. Even during the 
inactive winter months reprints of Lawn Institute-sponsored stories are much 
in demand, for public presentations, in press kit, as envelope stuffers, for 
distribution through members, and for answering inquiries. During the past 
winter it is estimated that 10 M or more reprints were distributed.

COUNSELOR MAGAZINE

Murray Franklin (Gardening Institute) is publishing a seasonal magazine, the 
Counselor, for distribution through GIRD affiliates only. This is a step to 
help make garden centers the authoritative source of local gardening information. 
Dr. Schery was asked to prepare copy about lawns. Fine fescue-Kentucky bluegrass 
seed mixtures are suggested, and appropriate early season care is discussed. As 
of this writing, the first issue has not been seen; if not soon released, some 
of the early-season recommendations will be out-dated.

RESEARCH DIRECTOR INFORMS

The Lawn Institute is always delighted to have information from its members. 
This is especially true when we hear from authorities such as Dr. Robert 
Kalton, Research Director for the Rudy-Patrick group. We take the liberty here 
of quoting a few pertinent thoughts from a recent letter received from Bob 
Kalton.

"We obtained considerable observational data both in 1962 and 1963 in our 
varietal plots at Princeton, Illinois and at Ames and Fort Dodge, Iowa. The 
long dry spells both summers had their effects on stands. In our 4-year old 
planting at Ames, Natural (Common) Kentucky bluegrass and Park had the best 
and most weed free turf and stand this fall of all entries. Such things as 
Merion, Newport, Pullman, and Holland strains just have not stayed in there 
under all the stresses of ordinary treatment (mowing and one shot of fertilizer 
per year) over the last 4 years. At Princeton also, Natural Kentucky bluegrass 
has stayed in there, not always the best at any one time, but always looking 
quite acceptable. Arboretum also looks good usually as does Park, but both 
seem to be harder hit by leaf blight than Common at various times. - -"

MCCALL'S MAGAZINE UNDERTAKES POPULAR GARDENING BOOK

Under the able editorship of Gretchen Harshbarger, McCall’s has contracted for 
a simply-understood book for gardening ladies. The emphasis, if we understand 
it correctly, is to tell the ladies very understandably what needs to be done, 
so that they in turn can instruct their husbands to carry it out. Mrs. 
Harshbarger has asked Dr. Schery to complete the sections on lawns, weeds and 
soils. This project is well under way, although publication date is some 
time off.

REPRINTS MOST USED

Institute members regularly receive reprints of major stories appearing in the 
gardening press under Lawn Institute sponsorship. Members are invited to 
request extra copies for such use as they can make of them. Likewise these 
reprints are offered rather generally, and are sometimes in turn requested 
by others.

We suspect that the item done for Parker Sweeper, "Thatch And Your Lawn," has 
probably received widest dispersal within the last several months, since the 
company has offered this through its distributors and dealers, and has utilized 
it as a give-away at various trade exhibitions. The first printing was in 
itself larger than the Lawn Institute ordinarily undertakes - some 12 M.

But among Lawn Institute stories reprinted and issued directly through the 
Marysville office, it seems as though "The Many Varieties Of Kentucky Bluegrass" 
(Horticulture, November 1963) has shown greatest disappearance in recent months. 
Not far behind are "Business Opportunities In Turf Reseeding" (Weeds and Turf 
Pest Control, September 1963) and "The Curious Case of Highland Bentgrass"
(The Garden Journal, September-October 1963).

SERIES OF STORIES FOB WEEDS AND TURF PEST CONTROL

The Lawn Institute has promised to furnish Weeds and Turf Pest Control Magazine 
with a series of nine one-page stories on nine different grasses or grass 
mixtures. The series is expected to start in late summer, opening with 
successive discussion of Kentucky bluegrasses, fine fescues and bentgrasses, 
as the season appropriate for their planting approaches. These same grasses 
will be mentioned (in mixture) for winterseeding in the South. The series 
will be rounded out with discussion of southern grasses into the spring months.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT THE INSTITUTE AND ITS RELEASES

"Yours was definitely the most extraordinary 'Christmas card' ('The Householder’s 
Guide,’ from Lawn Institute) - - I read the greater part - - it is excellent - - 
your very clear definition of which grasses will or will not do in a specific 
locality is tops." - Edgar W. Denison, Kirkwood, Missouri

"Dear Bob: Thanks for getting the lawn photos to me so promptly. I am sure 
that we can get just what we need from the photos and caption material you 
supplied - -." - Mary O’Brien, Editor, Popular Gardening & Living Outdoors

"Received your manuscript, 'Solutions To Better Lawns' this morning, and the 
best expression I can use is - well done. I am sure this will be of real interest 
to the readers - Thanks again for putting together such a good story for us.'
-  Ronald Waldron, Business Manager, Fertilizer Solutions

"Dear Dr. Schery: I'm preparing articles on lawn building and lawn maintenance -
-  for Factory and School Management. Each magazine is interested in your map 
showing which varieties of grass do well - - I wonder if I may have - - permission 
to use them to illustrate the two articles. Naturally, credit would be given." - 
Amos Landman, Vice President, Ruder & Finn Incorporated, New York, New York

"I appreciate very much your fine cooperation in supplying us with this article 
and photographs. Any time we can he helpful to you in any way, please call 
upon us. And we’re always happy to receive information or articles you believe 
might be helpful to our readers." - P. M. Stelle, Editor, Seed World

"Could you get me a custom article on our area for what to do with this terrific 
drought we are having - -." - Les Satterlee, The Dispatch Newspapers, Kansas City, 
Missouri

"I have read with much interest some of your many articles published in the 
various seed and garden journals so I hope you will be able to take a little 
while from your busy schedule to answer a few questions for me." - Marvin H. Fox, 
Toledo, Washington

"We are overwhelmed! Your letter of February 3rd, with its accompanying article, 
contains some of the best background information on the general knowledge of 
grass types that we have seen. Certainly when this is published in our April 
issue it will be very useful - -."- Charles D. Webb, Editor, Weeds and Turf
Pest Control

"Personally, I do not know whether he will be successful in developing a Seaside 
bent lawn in the area of Columbus or not. I knew of no one better qualified to 
give him the answer than you, and that is the reason that I am passing the buck." 
- William Heckendorn, Executive Secretary, American Seed Trade Association

"We wish to acknowledge with gratitude your most interesting and helpful letter 
of February 27th. We found the enclosed material informative, and appreciate 
very much your courtesy and co-operation in sending it to us." - Public 
Relations, People In Places, New York

"Thank you very much for the information concerning turf, - - (it) was very 
informative and helpful - -."- J. A. Gobolys, Wyandotte Chemicals Corporation,
Wyandotte, Michigan

"Many thanks for sending me your latest copies of Harvests. - - it certainly 
contained a lot of diversified information. I don’t find time to do much 
reading, so such a digest is very welcome. - -."- Dr. Robert Kalton, Research
Director, Rudy-Patrick Seed Company, Ames, Iowa

PRESS QUOTES

"The cool weather grasses generally grow rapidly. Ryegrass is a quick and easy 
example, but it has a number of faults. - - finer textured grasses hold promise 
for the future, such as Kentucky bluegrass, the fine fescues (Creeping red, 
Chewings - -) and the lawn-type bentgrasses." - Boca Baton, Florida NEWS

"There is a tremendous difference in lawn seed. Two boxes of seed may weigh 
the same and seem alike, but there may be 10 times the amount of seed in one 
package than another. Bluegrass seeds add up to about two million seeds to a 
pound - -. - - Since bluegrass is the preferred seed for most sunny lawns, you
will find it dominant in most mixtures. - - Merion bluegrass is outstanding. 
Other bluegrasses, fescues and similar permanent grasses make excellent 
combinations." - Ann Arbor, Michigan NEWS

"LONG GREEN. Kentucky bluegrass, and. its fine fescue companions of better lawn 
mixtures, may stay green until after Christmas. The severity of winter is 
determining, but in mild winters of latitudes approximating St. Louis, 
bluegrass lawns may retain a touch of green all through the colder months." - 
Greenwich, New York JOURNAL

"BOLSTER SEED. A light seeding in autumn should have merit, says the Lawn 
Institute. Put good seed in the lawn, as insurance against thin or bare 
spots which might develop. If bluegrass and fine fescue seeds aren’t at 
hand, surely there will be weeds instead." - Zanesville, Ohio TIMES RECORDER