BETTER LAWN - - HARVESTS

Published periodically by 
Better Lawn & Turf Institute

Volume 16, No. 2

I. ANNUAL MEETING

NEW TRUSTEES, OFFICERS ELECTED

Office of the Director 
Route 4, Kimberdale
Marysville, Ohio 43040

July, 1969

At the annual meeting held in Salem, Oregon, Friday, June 20, 1969 the 

following trustees were elected to the Board of the Better Lawn and Turf 
Institute:

James L. Carnes, Salem, Oregon
Roy Edwards, Jr., Kansas City, Missouri
Ted Freeman, Madras, Oregon
Amos Funrue, Silverton, Oregon 
Arden Jacklin, Dishman, Washington 
Howard Mader, Salem, Oregon 
Edward Mangelsdorf, St. Louis, Missouri 
Gordon Newton, Minneapolis, Minnesota 
Robert Russell, Jamaica, New York 
Edward Spears, Paris, Kentucky 
E. R. Townsend, Buffalo, New York 
Evart Vander Meulen, Salem, Oregon 
Gordon White, Salem, Oregon

In addition 2 board members are to be named by the Fine Fescue 
Commission and 1 by the Highland Bentgrass Commission, follow­
ing their respective annual meetings.

The Board of Trustees elected as its officers for the coming year,

Mr. J. L. Carnes, president; Mr. Amos Funrue, vice president; and Mr. Howard 
Mader, secretary-treasurer.

The annual meeting also amended the Articles of Incorporation to allow 

certain changes in the by-laws, whereby the Board of Trustees has been en­
larged to not less than 13 nor more than 25 members, and 4 classes of member­
ship established having variable dues structure. By-laws changes also out­
line a specific system for electing the Board of Trustees.

Mr. Scott Lamb, 4491 Liberty Road, Salem, Oregon 97302, has been assigned 

administrative duties in behalf of the officers and membership.

INSTITUTE ANNUAL MEETING, SALEM, OREGON, JUNE 20-21, 1969.

Members attending the annual meeting in Oregon this year enjoyed not 

only an enthusiastic business session showing good progress, but a pleasur­
able and informative tour of producing areas in the Willamette Valley. In 
addition to presentations by the officers and staff, the annual meeting was 
marked this year by noteworthy outside speakers, including a banquet presen­
tation featuring Bob Russell of the J & L Adikes Company, New York, and 
afternoon sessions by Dr. Gene Nutter, publisher of Turfgrass Times, Florida, 
and Arden Jacklin of Dishman, Washington.

INSTITUTE ANNUAL MEETING -- Continued.

Walter Leth, Director of Agriculture for Oregon, provided an excellent 
background for subsequent discussion, in his opening welcome that included a 
resume of the state. Jay Glatt, Chief of Market Development, Oregon Depart­
ment of Agriculture, gave a perceptive review of the export situation, es­
pecially with regard to Japan, as luncheon speaker June 20. Dr. Ritchie 
Cowan, head of the Farm Crops Department, Oregon State University told about 
the forthcoming International Grasslands Conference being held in Oregon 
June 23-27, 1971 (Saturday and Sunday will feature fine turf), and the county 
agents from the 3 counties through which the June 21 tour was routed provided 
detailed information relating to their particular areas.

The meeting opened with a call to order at 9 A.M., and the welcome from 
Mr. Leth. After approval of the minutes and treasurer’s report, representa­
tive of supporting organizations indicated plans for the year ahead. The 
secretary then reviewed proposed changed wording in the Articles of Incor­
poration, to permit later by-law amendment affecting classes of membership 
and means for electing trustees. The changes were voted unanimously. Direc­
tor Schery presented his review of the year, included for the record else­
where in this issue.

In the afternoon formal action was taken on revision of the by-laws.
After minor changes in wording and clarification by attorney John Horton, 
amendments to Articles III, IV and V were passed without dissent. These 
changes permit creation of 4 classes of membership, -- Grower, Contributing, 
Dealers-Brokers-Processors, and Supporting, -- with appropriate dues struc­
ture. Annual meeting time is clarified (May or June, at the call of the 
president) to conform with Pacific Northwest needs, and a scheme established 
whereby the board of trustees will appoint at least 7 trustees (including 
openings that are automatically accorded sponsoring commissions), while the 
membership at large will elect 6 additional trustees annually for infusion 
of new talent to the Board. Article V, as changed, now reads that there 
shall be not less than 13 nor more than 25 trustees, the number fixed by 
resolution of the Board; currently 16 trustees serve.

Afternoon business was rounded out with election of new trustees and 

officers (see separate item), Dr. Nutter’s talk on The Impact of Artificial 
Turf", Arden Jacklin’s talk on "The Future of Turf Sod", and review of the 
international turfgrass situation including the forthcoming trip by Dr. Schery 
to the First International Turfgrass Conference in England. The evening 
banquet presentation by Bob Russell is included in a separate item.

Members may be interested in a few highlights from the comments of the 
other speakers. Walter Leth reported that agriculture along with forestry 
is one of the two most important industries in Oregon, in one form or another 
employing about 4 out of each 10 residents. The value of the grass seed 
industry in the state is reckoned as nearly 35 million dollars annually. 
Agriculture in the state is exceedingly diversified, reflecting a climate 
that varies from 160 inches of rainfall to 5 inches in various sections.
The potential to produce is far from limiting, the bottleneck at present
being marketing; as marketing opportunities are created, agriculture in
Oregon can expand to fill all foreseeable needs. Since with mechanization
the farmers have become only about 5 percent of the total population, the
need for "explaining" agriculture to the urbanites who may never have seen a farm
is urgent. Oregon is particularly proud of the leadership shown in lawn seed
production.

ANNUAL MEETING — Continued

Reporting for sponsoring groups, Amos Funrue stressed the intense in­

terest growers have in the export market these days, what with restrictions 
on export seeming to be shaping up in Europe. The Fine Fescue Commission, 
along with other groups, is participating in maintaining a representative 
in Europe in order to be close to the situation. Gordon White, for the 
Pacific Northwest Bluegrass Association, spoke of plans for another vote 
for a Bluegrass Commission (the previous vote received a majority, but not 
the needed two-thirds), preceded by a greater educational campaign among 
the farmers. He noted the support his association lends the college and 
for field burning research, but indicated it will also meet its commitments 
to the Lawn Institute. Bob Humphrey, for the Highland Bentgrass Commission, 
reviewed some of the field sanitation problems and, of course, is highly 
interested in the export market. He thanked the Institute for technical 
assistance in preparation of brochures during the year. Arden Jacklin, for 
the Marion Association, favored an Oregon Bluegrass Commission and reconsidera­
tion of fine-leaf ryegrass participation. Reports from the Midwest, and by 
Mr. Habstreet of Minnesota indicated limited natural bluegrass production 
because of low prices. Mr. Carnes reported upon an expression of interest 
in the Institute by the bermudagrass growers.

Dr. Nutter, in a presentation accompanied by slides, emphasized that the 

turfgrass industry is expanding rapidly, and badly in need of leadership 
such as the Institute could provide. He expressed dismay that here in the 
heart of grassland seed production several athletic fields were turning to 
artificial turf.

Mr. Jacklin pointed out that change was rapidly being thrust upon the 
turfgrass seed industry, and that there was no escaping the demands levied 
by the purchaser, especially so in the sod industry. It is to be expected 
there will be increasing demand for sod-quality seed free of offending crop 
and weed seed (even in cases where trouble may be largely imaginary), and 
that sales will increasingly be based upon 25 gram samples. He foresees in 
the not too distant future varietal identification by such means as chemical 
and electronic testing, with assessment of inherent vigor and carry-through 
genetic quality as well.

ANNUAL MEETING FIELD TOUR.

The Institute is especially grateful for the fine field tour held in 

conjunction with the annual meeting, organized by a tour committee consist­
ing of Bob Humphrey, Amos Funrue, Gordon White, Clive Cook, Oscar Mikesell 
and Hollis Ottaway.

The tour began with examination of large equipment and custom-built 

devices on the farm of Norman and Neal Reiling. Fine fescue and bluegrass 
plantings were observed on the farms of Don and Ivan Hanson, Wally Zielinski, 
and Henry and Don Peters. most interesting stop was made at the commercial 
strawberry producing farm of Bob DeSantis. Following a brief stop to inspect 
Silver Creek Falls, the tour enjoyed the hospitality of Henry Hansen for a 
chicken barbecue inspecting fescue and Christmas tree plantings on Hansen’s 
farm, and after lunch Highland bentgrass plantings of Dave Doerfler and 
John Duersf.

Next came a thorough inspection of the Redeturf Sod operations in Al­
bany, courtesy of Richard Jenks. Beautiful Highland bent and Newport blue­
grass plantings were visited at the Smith Brothers, John Miller, and LeRoy

CONCLUDED ON PAGE 16

THE LAWN INSTITUTE 1968-69 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES BY THE DIRECTOR

The Better Lawn and Turf Institute continues, I feel quite success­
fully, its public relations program in behalf of the lawn seed industry, 
and particularly those top quality grass species which support it. I say
"public relations" advisedly, rather than "publicity" or “advertising"; 
good public relations has broader and deeper significance. To borrow from 
one of our supporters, Bob Stiffler of Borden, — "When boy meets girl, and 
tells her how lovely she is, that’s sales promotion. If somehow he im­
presses upon her how outstanding he is, that’s advertising. But if the 
girl seeks him out because she has heard what a splendid fellow he is, 
that’s public relations. " To an enviable degree the Lawn Institute has 
achieved this status, after long years of perseverance, supported by your 
respective organizations and others that have preceded you. By way of 
example, this year we were "sought out”, or at least accepted, for state­
ments, opinions, reviews and stories, by such well-known national media 
as Time Magazine, the National Observer, and Canadian Homes Magazine; by 
the National Garden Bureau, the National Lawn and Garden week steering 
committee, and the Roadside Short Course; by Parker Sweeper and Borden 
Chemical Company for nationally distributed press releases; by the Mid­
west Golf Course Superintendents Association, Commonwealth Edison, and 
syndicated columnist Goerge Abraham; even by Dan Clancy of the Columbus 
Dispatch for a featurette which appeared in that newspaper. These and 
other examples surely indicate some public relations success in spite of 
little sales promotion and advertising expenditures.

When such a program runs smoothly for a number of years it becomes 
taken-for-granted. Current participants sometimes forget the years of 
hard effort needed to gain public acceptance. Some don’t realize how 
costly it would be, starting from scratch, to achieve recognition and 
build the technical background unique with the Institute. A few lose 
sight of the big picture, becoming concerned, understandably, with their 
own limited interest. Because not everyone reads all of Harvests, I 
would like to put on record again the plea expressed "In Unify There is 
Strength” from the January issue:

"The 'share’ of attention given a particular interest is sometimes 
a consideration with participating groups. It is only human nature to 
react in favor of ones own interests, perhaps feel they are 'diluted' 
when other interests are accorded equal attention. But this is not so 
in a public relations effort such as the Institute attempts. In fact 
emphasizing a single grass or position at the expense of others would be 
a disservice, greatly weakening Its publicization. Here’s why.

"Were the Institute to stress a single grass, for example, its 

message would be ignored as prejudiced and unrealistic; press releases 
would not be picked up by newspapers, and stories not accepted by maga­
zines. The Institute would be marked as favoring a single selfish ob­
jective, not the greater objective of ’quality lawns’.

"While a particular species or variety is foremost in importance 

to its grower, recipients of Institute releases couldn’t care less.
The user’s interest is solely in the end result, good turf. Perform­
ance counts, but a particular grass only insofar as it augments perform­
ance. It is common knowledge that lawn performance comes from many kinds 
of grasses and varieties matching particular conditions, and they are 

ANNUAL REPORT -- Continued

usually used in blends. Just as a particular grass merits attention only 
as one component of a lawn program, so also maintenance matters (such as 
fertilization) must be considered to assure performance and the interest 
of the consumer.

"Combining the strengths of several quality positions provides a 
much more interesting and plausible image. Indeed, the only claim to 
consumer attention, 'quality lawns’, would be useless if fragmented 
into fits and snatches of special interest. But when these interests 
combine, and blend into an honest presentation of worth to the user, 
the message is heeded. While advertising exaggeration is discounted, 
essentially the same message well blended with others makes for 
creditability.”

The fiscal year began with a bang, all of us stimulated by the 

enthusiasm shown here in Oregon by the new officers and trustees, and 
the splendid program arranged for the annual meeting and tour. Greetings 
by Governor Tom McCall launched a day of profitable policy discussions: 
the field trip on the day following was indeed a highlight, the hos­
pitality shown by all sponsors and cooperators second to none. The 
Institute is indeed grateful to the Pacific Northwest Bluegrass Associa­
tion, the Oregon Fine Fescue Commission, the Highland Bentgrass Commis­
sion, Oregon State University and the Extension Service, and particularly 
to our hosts at the various stops throughout the day, such as Bill Rose,
Lud Hagen, Bill Tucker, Eddie King, Don Jaquet, the Smith Brothers, Paul 
Pugh, and Roy Bowers barbecue in the evening. With a send-off like that 
into the new fiscal year, your Institute just has to be assuming its ex­
pected place in the society of effective trade organizations. We are all 
most grateful.

I have described the operating routine of the Institute so many times 
in the past, that I hate again to take the time of veteran trustees. These 
activities are reported in Harvests, mostly item by item as they occur. I 
will summarize the record quickly, and assume it is creditable that our 
routine operations go smoothly enough nowadays, to need not pester the 
officers with more than the usual problems and decisions.

Press Kits. -- Press kits are issued each spring and autumn, one 
massive mailing each time (rather than the perhaps preferable, but more 
costly, breakdown into several smaller mailings). Twice during the year 
we photocopied representative clippings from these mailings, and included 
them in Harvests; so you have seen the end results. Until a couple of 
years ago we monitored these clippings nationally, and found we were 
gaining in the neighborhood of 10,000 column inches of newspaper space 
(verified by the clipping service; undoubtedly equally as much was missed). 
Purchased as advertising, this space would have cost more than the entire 
Institute budget for the year. We can assume that such acceptance con­
tinues, even though hiring of a national verification has now become too 
costly and involved. Keep in mind, too, that these stories have a secon­
dary influence, inspiring similar releases by county agents, columnists 
and garden writers, who sometimes even adopt the very wording of our 
releases. Many times the backup reprints which lend authority to the 
press kits are used or quoted directly. Although all of this is rather 
routine, covered in a paragraph or two of this report, it remains one of 

ANNUAL REPORT -- Continued

the more important services of the Institute and one of the two most de­
manding of our activities in terms of time, talent and recognition. I 
have asked Mrs. Rush, our able office manager, to outline in Table I the 
steps she undertakes and the responsibilities involved in seeing that 
these press kits are properly issued, on time to the select list of ad­
dresses which she maintains:

TABLE I

I.  Maintain and update the 900 plus mailing list and labels. Un­

less the mailing list is maintained and updated, the entire venture would 
be useless. This is accomplished by notes from editors, various other 
mailing lists (viz. Garden Writer’s Association, etc.).

II.  Preparation of articles. Dr. Schery first dictates a wide variety 

of articles for possible use In the upcoming press kit; after rough copy, 
these are again "weeded" and revised several times, then final typing for 
the printer.

III.  Select appropriate reprints. After all the articles are ready, 

we then select appropriate backup reprints to accompany the articles, 
usually 3.

IV.  Folders. Make certain we have enough folders as it has been 

customary for many years to mail the press kits in the familiar black/green 
folders, thus when an editor sees it, he will immediately associate it 
with "The Lawn Institute”.

V.  Final things. The above things, along with the familiar envelopes, 

are sent to the printer. After printing, we examine sample copy, then 
follow through, making sure the original deadline is met.

Stories and Reprints. -- Perhaps less routine, because we are less 

in control, but equally far-reaching in influence, are the stories provided 
magazines, generally later reprinted for further circulation. During the 
year the stories enumerated in Table II have appeared in the magazines in­
dicated. Column inch calculations are rather meaningless here, for we are 
talking about an influence upon which a price cannot be put. Equivalent 
advertising space in these magazines would, of course, run to hundreds 
of thousands of dollars annually, especially with periodicals such as 
Better Homes and Gardens and American Home having circulations in the 
millions. As I have indicated on previous occasions, when a story appears 
in these magazines, under the sponsorship of the magazine and its editor, 
its impact on the reader is more convincing than would be an advertisement. 
Another routine Institute activity, yes! But if the Institute did nothing 
else through the year, your interest and sponsorship would be more than 
merited. Keep in mind that the influence of these stories does not end 
with their appearance in the magazine. When reprinted, they are offered 
to members for distribution, are sent to various influential correspondents 
such as teachers and extension agents, are handed out at public appearances 
and conventions, and are used as envelope stuffers in correspondence. A 
single story can initiate a chain reaction of influence extending all the 
way to the homeowner (who probably does not subscribe to the magazine), and 
over a period of many years following first publication. This has been our

TABLE II

Better Homes and Gardens

"Modern Lawngrasses Offer Choices" (in press).

Better Crops With Plant Food

"Turfgrass, America’s Growingest Crop”

Better Turf and Garden

"Favorite Lawngrasses"
“Lawn Disease”
“Famous Weeds: Three from the 'Least Wanted’ List"
Weeds -- Hit ’em Hard in Autumn” (in press)
"New Grass For Home Green"
“Dynamic Dwarf Bluegrass for Fine Lawns & Fairways" (in press)

Buildings

“Prepare Now for Spring Lawn Care"
Building Maintenance and Modernisation 

“Modern Lawn Maintenance"
Catholic Building & Maintenance

“Lawn Care in Autumn & Winter”

Catholic Institutional Management 

“Good Seed Makes Good Sod"

Floral Magazine

“Season to Seed, Feed & Weed" (in press)
“Autumn Lawns, Up, Up & Away"

Flower and Garden Magazine 

“A Stitch in Time”
“Summer Suggestions for Lawns"
“In Praise of Unpampered Turf"

Golf Superintendent

“Bluegrass/Bentgrass Checks Poa"

Grounds Maintenance

"Top Turfgrasses"
"Turfgrass Today”

Home & Garden Supply Merchandiser

“New Lawn Seeds Ready to Sprout Profits"

Horticulture

“Winter-Feeding of Lawns"
“Summer Care of Lawns"
“Label’s the Clue to Lawn Seed"
“Lawn Thatch — What it’s All About” (in press)

Lawn, Garden and Outdoor Living 

“Turfgrass Today”

Missouri Botanical Garden

“The Migration of a Plant” — 2nd reprinting

“Evaluation of Turfgrasses for Roadsides”

Ohio Short Course

Seedsmen’s Digest

“Winterseeding: Are Seedsmen Missing a Bet?"

Seed Trade News — Several Short Items.
Seed World -- Several Items.
Southern Turf Newsletter

“Overseeding for Winter" (in press)

Weeds, Trees & Turf

“Low But Not Lightweight”
“Promising for Close-Mowed Lawns”
“Mechanical Renovation"

ANNUAL REPORT -- Continued

most economical means of spreading "the good word", costing the Institute 
nothing for typesetting or layout, only the modest cost of office overhead 
and the reprinting itself. Mrs. Rush makes the original paste-up at the 
office for sending to the printer. During the fiscal year approximately 
20,000 reprints have been ordered and distributed.

Other Activities.

SCREENING LITERATURE. -- The Institute subscribes to many of the 

technical journals, and its director attends some of the research confer­
ences. Through summarizations in Harvests members are kept informed of 
pertinent reports. Discussions have been held with president Carnes as to 
whether such items are "lost" amidst the plethora of pages of Harvests, 
and whether an occasional special issue might better be held for technical 
subject matter?

TRIAL GROUNDS. — If the Institute is to speak with authority, it is 
imperative that the staff be acquainted with the major grass cultivars and 
products for tending them. Such acquaintanceship is obtained from trial 
grounds at the Institute administrative office, incidentally, maintained 
with little expense to the Institute because of donations of grounds, equip­
ment, products and a grant from the Borden Chemical Company. We are es­
pecially indebted to the Toro Manufacturing Company for smaller mowing 
equipment, and the automatic irrigation system that keeps a portion of the 
test area presentable regardless of the weather. For three years John Deere 
furnished a mowing tractor, but has not done so in 1969; the Institute can 
expect to assume greater responsibility for equipment and grounds than it 
has in the past, a matter worthy of attention by trustees.

CORRESPONDENCE. — Another of the routine, but time-consuming, acti­
vities of the Institute is the answering of correspondence. This is ad­
vantageous, because it keeps us in touch with the product user. Also, 
advantage can be taken of the exchange of correspondence to include re­
prints and other exhortative materials. A portion of the consumer corres­
pondence results from Dr. Schery acting as "lawn answer man" for Better 
Turf and Garden Magazine, a sponsored publication that invites inquiry.
There is also considerable correspondence resulting from incoming tele­
phone calls, often from firms undertaking market surveys or wanting special 
information concerning the lawn-tending field. Many requests are for 
reprints.

SCIENTIFIC CONTACTS. — The director attempts to maintain liaison 
with the research and other technical people, through attendance at con­
ventions (such as the Agronomy and AIBS meetings), and through appearances 
at public gatherings (such as turf conferences and the Ohio Roadside Short 
Course). It is especially gratifying that this year the officers and 
sponsoring organizations have seen fit to send the director to the First 
International Turfgrass Conference at Harrogate, England, and upon the 
subsequent tour of research facilities in northern Europe, the latter part 
of July. Leading turf research people from the United States and Europe 
will attend. Dr. Schery will discuss lawn seed production in the USA as 
part of the conference program. The Marysville office solicits from any 
of you information that will reflect creditably upon domestic lawn seed 
production. The Institute makes several mailings annually to its board 

ANNUAL REPORT -- Continued

of advisors, including top research personnel at most of the state univer­
sities in the United States. We call upon these people for assistance, such 
as in preparation of the review on roadside seeding given at the Ohio Short 
Course last October.

SEAL OF APPROVAL. — The Institute continues to offer and maintain 
records on the Seal of Approval for packaged seed blends. Eight member 
firms currently utilize this service. The Wetsel Seed Company of Harrison- 
burg, Virginia, adopted the Seal during the fiscal year. Royalties of1/2 
cent per lb. are returnable on a matching basis for local advertising. 

Trustees may want to reaffirm operating rules, consider ways in which this 
service can be embelished or made more useful. Possibly an identification 
seal of some sort could be made available to any member wishing to mark 
a product (or correspondence about it) of exceptional quality?

WINTERSEEDING. — The Institute continues to encourage the seeding 

of fine-textured grasses in the South, for winter cover, especially on 
bermudagrass golf greens. In an attempt to encourage this market, a story 
was prepared for the Seedsmen's Digest last autumn. Another has been 
prepared for Ray Jensen’s Southern Turf Newsletter, due out later this 
summer. Dr. Schery has inspected winterseeding research plantings in 
Georgia and Florida, reporting upon these (and upon released reports) in 
Harvests. We feel that considerable interest has been aroused in this 
use of quality lawn seed, as far north as the Carolinas.

REFERENCE BOOKS. — Dr. Schery’s contribution to various gardening 

encyclopedias, lawn and crop books, Encyclopedias Brittanica and Americana, 
and the World Book, continue to put the Institiute on record as an authorita­
tive source of information. The college text Plant Science, published in 
May, 1963 was co-authored with Drs. Janick (Purdue), Wood (Duke) and Ruttan 
(Minnesota): the lawn seed industry is reviewed in chapter 7, and In­
stitute photos used to illustrate seed production in Oregon. McCall’s 
Garden Book, edited by Gretchen Harshbarger finally appeared during the 
fiscal year. The Institute was responsible for the chapters on lawns and 
soils, A review of this book by Robert L. Baker states: " -- If a begin­
ning gardener were limited to one book, this should be it; a better choice 
would be difficult to find."

LAWN AND GARDEN WEEK. -- Dr. Schery was appointed to the steering 

committee for development of this first national "week” devoted to environ­
mental improvement and beautification. The USDA assumes responsibility 
for the clerical needs and mailings regarding the "week". Several committee 
sessions were attended in Washington, D. C., and Institute literature 
offered. The week has been pronounced a success, and plans laid for its 
continuance and enlargement.

SOD INDUSTRY. -- Realizing the special demand of the sod industry 
for seed of high quality, the Institute has continued liaison with the 
Sod Growers Association. Dr. Schery visited the (then) president Ben 
Warren in Chicago last autumn. The Institute continues to furnish informa­
tion about seed for sod upon inquiry and offers informational reprints.

COOPERATIVE ACTIVITIES. -- Multiple press kits and other informa­
tional items are furnished the Extension Service in 3 states, and many 

ANNUAL REPORT -- Continued

county agents receive mailings individually. West Virginia was added 
to the mailing list during the fiscal year. Lawn booklets issued by 
Cornell University and the University of Wyoming utilized Institute photos. 
Critical reviews of stories for their publications were undertaken for 
the National Plant Food Institute, the Sulphur Institute, and several 
other national organizations. Dr. Schery is a member of the Garden Writer’s 
Association, and serves on its awards committee. Literature and information 
have been supplied numerous educational and military institutions (grounds 
maintenance departments) including Duke University, Kentucky, Yale, Okla­
homa State University, Ohio State University, the University of Maryland, 
West Virginia University, etc. Several libraries regularly receive In­
stitute literature.

HIGHWAY SEEDINGS. -- The Institute encourages experimentation with 

fine-textured grasses for highway berms, especially in urbanized areas. 
Several highway departments, including that of Ohio, now lean towards 
fine-textured plantings for “show” areas. We are pleased to have had 
fine-textured plantings displayed on several berms for the Short Course 
tour. The roadside rest areas of the new highway near Marysville were 
seeded to a blend of 50 percent Pennlawn fescue, 40 percent Kentucky 
bluegrass and 10 percent Highland bentgrass. Reprints of the presenta­
tion given by Dr. Schery to the 27th Short Course on Roadside Development 
have been sent to members, and were mailed nationally to advisors and 
other interested parties. Reprints offered at the short course not only 
went to all attendees, but have been widely requested by others.

PHOTOGRAPHY. -- A photographic library about lawns is maintained in 
Marysville, mainly for illustrating magazine stories, but also available 
to garden writers and editors. Color transparencies are increasingly 
used by magazines; colored pictures from the Institute were used by Flower 
and Garden Magazine, Better Turf and Garden Magazine, and Floral Magazine. 
Kodachrome slides record seasonal happenings, and are used by Dr. Schery 
in personal presentations. Other photos document performance of grass 
cultivars of interest to members. A picture of a fescue roof, picked up 
(with permission) from Weibulls, Sweden, was included with the spring 
press kit, emphasizing how tenacious are the fine-leafed fescues.

HARVESTS. -- The mechanics of issuing Harvests, our quarterly 

newsletter, fails the lot of Mrs. Rush, who does some of the composition, 
all of the preparation, mimeographing and mailing. I have asked Mrs. Rush 
to provide a few thoughts on this operation: —

Dr. Schery is constantly alert to articles, research and technical 
information that will be of interest to members; he dictates the 
item, it is then "roughed out” and placed in a folder marked "Har- 
vest Items”. About a week before you expect to receive your news­
letter, articles are grouped, then stencilled. Approximately 125 
copies of each page are cranked out on our hand-operated Gestetner, 
pages assembled, stapled, put into envelopes which have had the 
address labels applied, weighed, stamped, and in a day or three, 
you are brought up-to-date with the happenings, etc., from the 
Marysville office via "Harvests".

MISCELLANEOUS. -- Major donors such as Borden, Deere and Toro have 

already been acknowledged. There are also many donors of pesticides, 

ANNUAL REPORT -- Continued

fertilizers and various other products. We were especially pleased to 
receive from Mead Paper Company a large shipment of fragmented bark mulch 
(Paygro). Without such aid the day-to-day running of the Institute could 
be a lot more expensive. We are also grateful to several members and 
affiliates for keeping us in touch with industry activities. President 
Carnes kindly took time to call on the Marysville office and discuss 
plans. Dr. Schery was guest of Northrup-King, inspecting the research 
grounds in Minneapolis. He also addressed the sales staff at the annual 
meeting of the Smith-Douglass Division of Borden. Jacklin Seed and W. R. 
Grace companies have lent help and encouragement during the year; they 
have furnished seed of new and outstanding varieties not only for the In­
stitute grounds, but for important public display on the grounds of the 
new headquarters building of the Men’s Garden Clubs of America, Des Moines.

One could go on at length describing the minutae of Institute activi­

ties. None of this, however, would be possible without the unceasing 
sponsorship of the organizations represented on this board. I feel that 
new life is being breathed into the Institute through the fine efforts 
by the new Oregon officers, and that the Institute may now have "bottomed 
out” from its retrenchment into a stage of modest growth that will enable 
it to meet its responsibilities more adequately. There are many neglected 
opportunities for the Institute, in recent years bypassed for lack of 
budget. Mr. Carnes may want to call to your attention projects for the 
future, such as increasing membership, changes in the by-laws, expanded 
mailings, tailored communications with members, enlargement of contacts 
(as through purchased mailing lists and other hired services), and even 
(hopefully) some day a new sponsored movie. The new fiscal year can be 
approached with greater confidence, I believe, than has been possible 
for some time. I thank you for the privilege of having served as the 
Institute’s director for another year. Robert W. Schery.

ANNUAL MEETING BANQUET ADDRESS

We are privileged to reproduce here (except for abridgement of some 

jokes) Bob Russell’s fine talk to the Institute at the recent annual meet­
ing in Salem, Oregon, thus honoring requests for copies of The Big Pic­
ture in Turfgrass”.

"Your president, Jim Carnes, gave me a free hand for ray topic to­

night so please bear with me if I jump around a bit.

"What is our goal? Aim? Desire? Take away all of the fancy talk, 

and it boils down to one subject, profit. This indirectly is also of 
interest to our government friends who are with us tonight. A strong 
healthy industry is the key to improvement and interest in research and 
development which is their main field of endeavor. Not only this but 
when profit is squeezed we are bound to find firms who will begin to cut 
corners. They will look for the off grade lots. Make varietal substitu­
tions to their price advantage. A healthy profitable industry doesn’t 
have to concern itself with making money this way. This in itself achieves 
the goal of our Control people, our Extension folks, and the reputable 
seed firms who want the buyer to get what he is paying for.

BANQUET ADDRESS — Continued

"How do we go about this profit business. It’s simple, it’s easy, it’s 
basic and it applies to any endeavor. Bring the right product, to the 
right person, at the right time, at the right place, at the right price 
and in the right quantity. I’ve used the word "right" many times in the 
last sentence. The important thing to remember is that it is not the 
Federal Government, not the Certification people, not the Extension Ser­
vices, not the growers, not the producers, the wholesalers, the food chains, 
the department stores, the hardware stores, nor the garden centers who 
decide what is "right” but it is the eventual purchaser who makes this 
final determination.

"Let me take an example that I think a good many of you will be familiar 
with. NK-100 Perennial Ryegrass. NK-100 didn’t happen by accident. This 
didn’t happen because someone wanted to sell it, or a farmer wanted to 
grow it, or because we spent a tremendous amount of money advertising it.
To us, it was a lot of money, but compared to what others have spent pro­
moting items in our field, it was a drop in the bucket. This grass just 
happened to hit all of the 'rights ’ that I mentioned "right" on the nose. 
Homeowners were unhappy about the story that a good lawn, sown with good 
seed takes longer to germinate and didn't establish itself, because 9 out 
of 10 of them had washouts, didn’t water properly or for some other reason 
didn’t get the results that they thought they had paid for. With a fine- 
textured permanent ryegrass or "nursegrass”, if I may use a word that 
seems to be dropping out of our seed vocabulary, they got a fast stand 
of a grass that could in itself make a good lawn or would protect and allow 
a grass such as Merion to establish itself without nature’s usual hazards 
taking their toll. And let’s not forget that it was priced within the 
means of all. Fortunately we just happened to be the ones who made use 
of this potential.

"The key to the whole thing as far as we were concerned was that we could 
sustain this program with our method of marketing and be more or less 
assured that someone wasn’t going to come in and cut our prices. Whether 
this occurred because of our relationship with others in the seed business 
or whether it occurred because we didn’t sell KN-100 as a straight grass 
I can’t say. But I can say that we as a firm would not have poured the 
money into marketing NK-100 if we had felt that in two or three years 
someone else would be selling it in our back yard. Look at the chain of 
events that is occurring. We have Pelo, Manhattan, and even an interest 
in Norlea a grass that had been around for 20 years, plus a tremendous 
interest in the development of new varieties of all kinds. We know that 
the laws governing this part of our industry are presently in a state of 
change. However, even this will in my opinion not encourage the use or 
promotion by firms on our level of private varieties which are widely 
distributed from the breeders or growers level unless the grass itself is 
a great deal better than anything else on the market.

"Each of us must sit back and take stock and decide what we want if 

we have a good new variety and we are the breeder or grower we must be 
prepared to gamble a bundle and I mean a bundle into promoting the variety 
ourselves and let the chips fail where they may as far as profit on sales 
to the eventual user are concerned. Profits can not be controlled on the 
marketing level when wide distribution is involved. There are too many 
gimmicks that can be used to circumvent recommended pricing schedules. And 

BANQUET ADDRESS -- Continued

of course you always have the possibility of government action if you are 
successful in controlled pricing of sales of a variety. I'm no lawyer and 
I don’t want to suggest what can or can’t be done legally on this matter.

"It might be feasible to maintain a price on the growers or producers 

level but with this we are forgetting one of the cardinal rules of the 
merchandiser of seed to the public and that is that firms like ourselves 
are putting all of our money, all of our effort into establishing a brand 
name the public will come back and ask for again and again. I don’t have 
to tell you who is the prime example of this in our industry. When a price 
protected variety is put into a mixture its pricing level technically is 
lost as the mixer can establish almost any profit level or cost on the 
other ingredients in the mixture and sell it for what he wants. What in­
centive is there for us to promote this mixture when we know that the 
eventual and definitely forgone conclusion is that if it becomes a success 
the firm across the river or in the next town is going to match our formula 
and sell a package with the same ingredients for less money.

"Years ago, we, and I feel certain others decided that we should dis­
courage the sale of straight grasses. These sales butted us head to head 
against our competition and price became the important factor in every 
sale. We weren’t building a thing, we sank to the point of comparing a 
gemination, weed or crop content of one lot against another. I don’t 
have to remind you of what headaches that creates for you western folks 
or for us; this, as you know, is still going on.

"If a variety is distributed to individual firms regionally or to a 

single national firm and the crop is controlled so that excesses don’t 
exist, I see no reason why an orderly profitable marketing system cannot 
be established. Other industries are doing it and have been doing it for 
years. Don’t waste your time if you haven’t got the ’right",. & I put 
quotes around that word, "right", variety. There are many right varieties 
coming along. Varieties with a story to tell, a story to sell. Depending 
on what variety protection raws we finally come up with should help you 
to decide what to do, whether you produce it or wholesale it.

"Those of us who have been in the business for a long number of years, 

old timers, if I may, and I think that I can begin to put myself in that 
category with 22 years under my belt, have got to face up to facts. Our 
business has changed. Prior to this, any variety that was sold was avail­
able to everyone who sold seed and all that you had to do was to have a 
lower price and you walked away with the order, or offered a grower a 
higher price for his crop and you made a buy. There are going to be 
people who will offer farmers higher prices over contract for certain 
varieties because they are not in the marketing channels for this parti­
cular variety. Don’t be misled or upset by this. It is a false market
created only by the fact that this seed is not available to them and they
are willing to pay most any price for it so that they can get in and upset 
and undercut the marketing program that has been laid out by the owner or 
promoter of the variety. Once they get in and upset the picture the firm
that is dealing with the seed producer has no choice but to reduce the
contract price and we are all right back to where we started on this profit 
picture. This situation is changing and you might as well face facts. It 
is going to change more so in years ahead. We sit back and bemoan the fact 

BANQUET ADDRESS -- Continued

that we can't make a decent profit on what we are selling. When we look at 
it, who fouled things up, who made it this way. We ourselves did it. No 
one else. I don’t care what level of our business you want to look at, 
whether it be the grower, the producers, the wholesalers or the retailers.
The farmer planted that seed of his own free will or someone contracted 
for his acreage and caused a surplus crop and everyone else along the line 
shaved his price so he'd be assured of the order. I’ve done it myself many 
times. Everybody is doing the same thing and it ends up that no one makes 
anything on the deal.

"There’s a buck to be had in our business if we only know where to look 
for it. If we all got off our duffs and put our efforts into improving 
some phase of our operation, whether it be the variety, the mixture, the 
package or our merchandising. When I was a kid I read the funnies, one of 
which was Flash Gordon, and while intrigued, I used to laugh at some of his 
exploits. Next month we’ll land a man on the moon. Somehow from this, I 
get the feeling that the impossible is always within reach if we’ll only 
put enough effort into it. If we’re in research, we can put our efforts 
toward a grass that is distasteful or harmful to insects and continue our 
search for grasses immune to diseases or ones that will tolerate heavy 
shade. Ones that are slow growing so that the homeowner can enjoy his lawn 
and still play golf or go boating and not have to give up every Saturday 
to his lawn mower. Grasses that don’t require burning off to attain their 
full yield potential or a chemical that will give the plant the same 
physiological shock as burning. These directions are intriguing and 
interesting and I don’t believe unattainable.

"If we were a grower we could work on our fields and our crop so that 

we wouldn’t have any coarse grasses such as orchardgrass, tall fescue, 
ryegrass in our fine fescues or that infinitesimal amount of bentgrass in 
our final harvest. How many of you have seen what can happen to a beauti­
ful Merion lawn over a period of years that was seeded with only a minute 
amount of bentgrass in the original seeding. Those of you interested in 
bentgrass may say that this is good, but it Is not what the homeowner 
wanted when he bought the seed nor is he prepared to take care of it properly 
when the bentgrass finally does take over his lawn. Many of us damned the 
trend that was taken on Poa annua but now that it has shaken Itself out, 
we know that we can make a profit or at least not have to sink to the 
lowest pricing level if we can provide seed that is free of Poa annua. In 
addition we are all aware of what has happened to the European production.

"If we are on the merchandising level, we have many channels open to 

us if we put some thought to it. A word of caution. Give a lot of thought 
to any gimmick or sales idea that may come to you. I’ve talked about this 
before to other groups and I’ll continue to talk about it. Follow your 
idea ahead. Think about it five years from now and assume that you’ve 
come up with a world beater. What is your competition going to do about 
it? Can he follow suit, can he copy exactly what you are doing so that 
he cuts your edge out from under you? And then what happens? You’ve 
lost that sales edge that you worked so hard to gain and spent so much 
money promoting so that he could jump onto your band wagon without all 
the initial promotional cost. All of a sudden you find yourself with a 
gigantic noose around your neck, squirming trying to find out how to get 
out from under. It isn’t easy and you finally lose a lot of customers 

BANQUET ADDRESS — Continued

when you decide to make the big decision. Meanwhile your competitor, who 
was a little slow following you into your program, is also a little slow 
following you out of it and he picks up the edge that you had originally.
So where does it ail put you? The taking back of seed is a classic example. 
We are in the midst of another one right now with an unconditional guarantee 
of results to the homeowner regardless of why he doesn’t get a good lawn 
with our product.

"One of our good friends, a firm that has done more good for our in­
dustry than all the rest of us combined is currently running this type of 
promotion...

(Two letters read wanting refund because of rain washout.)

"Naturally we sent them each a refund or replaced their seed, delivered 

by the way, by one of our own salesmen for that personal touch, added 
mileage out of our friends advertising that they can't possibly give 
because of their wide coverage. Think a promotion through all the way.
Don’t be satisfied with your first reaction, with the first results.

"Another such situation which has been discussed a number of times 

that really upsets me is the promotion of small packages of lawn seed 
mixtures that are certified. Anyone who packages seed can do this. If 
it should become a factor, where do we end up? Please follow it through 
and think about all the additional costs that are going to be added on 
somewhere. Arid what for? So that in rare cases the homeowner is going 
to be assured of getting Pennlawn instead of regular creeping red. Really 
is this worth the expense involved? We're not talking about saving a 
life. Please don't get me wrong. I'm not against certification. I am 
all for it for the man who must be positive of what he is getting, for 
the man who must put his large purchases out on bid, for the man who feels 
that he has to buy on price. If anything I feel our efforts should be 
in the direction of research toward positively identifying these varieties 
if we are worried about our competition getting the edge on us by using it 
as a sales gimmick. Why legitimize the bastards. Let us stand on our own 
name and reputation and make him do the same. Look at the meat industry. 
There has been government inspection and grading of that for years. Has 
it stopped the sale of inferior meats. Absolutely not. It only opens up 
another field of endeavor for the chiseler to work on. We are badly mis­
leading the public by the use of certified small packages. Purposely 
just to see if my thoughts were right, about three weeks ago I had one of 
my men ask this question of ten homeowners at a large garden center.
"What does this seal and the word certified mean to you on this package?"
One man out of the ten said "Nothing, I know the type of seed I've had 
good luck with and that's what I buy." The other nine without exception 
said comments like: "That it is government approved, government recom­
mended, that it's the best grade of seed." Now we all know that this 
couldn’t be further from the truth. That mixture could have very well 
contained any number of certified varieties that are not adapted to the 
making of a good lawn. If the change being discussed on certification 
becomes fact and it becomes a standard of genetic purity only without 
relation to weed, crop or germination then this misleading aspect becomes 
even stronger.

BANQUET ADDRESS -- Continued

"We are all concerned about the increasing cost of operation both for 

ourselves and for the cost of government. We know that taxes have to continue 
to increase. Government consists of people, and these people, like ourselves, 
need and want a continually rising income. Schools need more money, housing 
needs more money, roads need more money. These are important things that 
require increases in taxes. Now why start something that we know is going 
to add substantially, in relation to value received, to this already over­
burdened picture. The only possible way we can improve ourselves and our 
industry, and after all that has to be our goal or we wouldn’t be wasting 
our time and our money being here tonight, is to run a profitable operation. 
Anything that drains from this potential without a substantial monetary re­
turn has to be looked at twice. If we make more money we can spend more 
money. We can pool our resources as an industry or we can go off individually 
or in groups but however we do it, it has to be done.

"Research toward improvement should be our goal. Without this we are 

stagnant. Forget it. Sell your assets, whether it be a farm, a mill, a 
packaging plant, or a warehouse and invest that money soundly and I can 
guarantee you one thing. You’ll have less headaches and ulcers and you’ll 
probably come out ahead financially in the long run. We have right here the 
ideal vehicle for a program of uplifting our industry. The Lawn Institute.
I know that that is its goal but you can’t do what you would like to do 
without money. We must tread lightly but somewhere along the line tied 
into perhaps the promotion and the use of the Institute Seal with a profit 
schedule that would be tied back into diverting a percentage of these profits 
into research sponsored by the Institute might prove interesting. Rather 
than the indiscriminate use of the Seal on any good mixture at any price 
level. It’s food for thought.

"Out of all this we can determine that one thing is certain. We 

shouldn’t be wasting our time fighting each other over price and other such 
things. All of our spare efforts as a unified group should be spent com­
bating the golf bag, the sail boat and the tennis racket. These are the 
leisure time things that are growing by leaps and bounds and are taking the 
consumers spendable dollar and spare time. Our goal should be to make the 
job of lawn making and lawn tending as easy and enjoyable as possible, 
leaving the homeowner not with the knowledge that he is fighting a losing 
battle with nature but with the knowledge that he can keep his lawn beauti­
ful and get the desired results with a minimum amount of effort, time and 
money.” (slides).

ANNUAL MEETING FIELD TOUR -- Continued from page 3

Nicewood farms in Linn County. The tour ended with inspections of Penncross 
bent and a wheel system of irrigation at the Plagmann Farms, and a delight­
ful evening barbecue there.

These informative tours organized by the Oregon sponsors and officers 

in conjunction with the last two annual meetings have certainly been a real 
treat. Eastern members who have not visited the Willamette seed producing 
area in production season should certainly plan to attend next year’s 
annual meeting.

II. POTPOURRI

ASTA ANNUAL MEETING

James Carnes, president, and Dr. Schery, Director were privileged to 

attend the American Seed Trade Association annual convention in Denver June 
15-18. Much of the activity of this convention centers on trading and behind- 
the-scene conferences, but some of the formal programs will be of interest to 
the members.

The opening general sessions were largely devoted to a review of accom­

plishments and national or international problems facing the seed industry as 
a whole. Harry Kinder was elected the new second vice president, with Richard 
McKenna elevated to the presidency (succeeding Harold Loden), and D. D. Walker 
to the first vice presidency.

Monday afternoon was devoted to divisional programs. The lawn seed 

division disposed of various business matters, that included $800 sponsorship 
of the newspaper supplement for which the Institute has prepared the lawn 
stories in the past years.

President James Jenks reviewed the problem of field burning in the 

northwestern production areas, necessary for economical seed production (con­
trols pests, makes herbicides more effective, provides "physiological shock”). 
Because burning causes air pollution, restriction is bound to occur! There 
will be increased costs that must be passed along as various other means of 
field sanitation substitute for it.

Numerous committee reports were accepted. Bill Herron, for the Legis­
lative Committee, noted that 29 states are in the process of revising seed 
laws. There is increasing recognition of fine-leaf ryegrasses, and increas­
ing restrictions against Poa annua. Several states are initiating licensing 
of out-of-state seed firms, a trend to be opposed. Doyle Jacklin, for the 
Statistics Committee, commended the authorities for improved methodology in 
obtaining data. A previous resolution relating to opposition of certifica­
tion of seed mixtures was rescinded, upon the intelligence that this matter 
was being more effectively handled by other means. Arden Jacklin noted that 
apomictic bluegrasses are still covered by the Plant Patent Act rather than 
the proposed new "Breeder’s Rights” legislation pending.

Featured speaker was Dr. Gene Nutter, Editor-Publisher of Turfgrass 
Times, who gave an enthusiastic review of opportunities and growth in the 
turfgrass field. Among the opportunities Dr. Nutter stressed was the winter­
seeding of southern golf greens, for which he felt the new perennial rye­
grasses showed much promise. Many states spend 100-200 million dollars 
annually on turfgrass maintenance, and estimates range from 4.3-10 billion 
national expenditure. There are 11,000 golf courses, over 11 million golfers, 
900 cultivated sod producers (having 160,000 acres of sod worth 100 million 
wholesale). Nutter emphasized that Poa annua was an increasingly serious 
pest in the South, and visualized continuing loss of market to artificial 
turf unless more serviceable athletic field sods can be developed.

New officers of the Lawn Seed Division are Alan Mock, president; Peter 

Loft, vice president, and Doyle Jacklin secretary-treasurer.

Speaker for the American Seed Research Foundation was Dr. Lowell Wood- 
stock of the USDA, Beltsville, Maryland. Dr. Woodstock feels that varietal

ASTA ANNUAL MEETING -- Continued 

identification by means of electrophoresis (protein identification) is al­
most ready for practical utilization. He mentioned that in England fungi 
specific to certain varieties are being used for identification. He re­
viewed some of the research underway within ARS, with mass germination along 
joint gradients of moisture and temperature. He gave an interesting example 
with Newport bluegrass, which showed practically no germination in the dark 
at 20° C, but near perfect germination with 10 hours of light, yet little 
again when kept in continuous light. Much biochemical interest is shaping 
up in seed research, with measurement of respiration and other physiological 
functions. The researchers are concerned not only with the intensity of 
vigor (adequacy of germination and seedling growth), but also with range 
of adaptability (how well seed germination fits environmental extremes).

MORE "GREEN THUMB” ATTENTION

The Institute continues to furnish Doc Abraham information about lawns, 

for his Green Thumb column syndicated in many newspapers throughout the 
country. Not only does this help us get sound information to the public, 
but it is usually a treat to have Doc’s letters, full of humor and variety. 
Even though there may be some flattery involved, we are gratified to have 
Doc say, "For my money, you’ve got more common sense about lawns in your 
little finger than most of them have in their whole skeletins.”

REQUEST FOR LITERATURE FROM ITALY

The International "reputation" of the Institute is confirmed by a 

recent request from Alfredo Ansaloni (Florsilva Ansaloni), Bologna, Italy, 
who wrote to the Marysville office in search of references and literature 
in the field of turfgrass. A large batch of reprints and a copy of The 
Householder’s Guide to Outdoor Beauty were dispatched to Mr. Ansaloni by 
surface mail.

NEWS RELEASE OUT

Under the title Lawn Institute Tests Prove Weed and Feed Products 

Work Best in Fall, Borden Chemical Company issued a national news release 
mentioning Institute activity and quality grasses. ("even in warm weather, 
a good weed-and-feed is unlikely to bother bluegrass or fine fescue used 
at double strength. In the cool of autumn there is hardly any danger. And 
this is the time of year bluegrasses and fescues gain greatest advantage
----’). We look for widespread pickup of this news release by the press
nationally.

IN HOME AND GARDEN SUPPLY MERCHANDISER

The Institute is quoted in the July issue of the Home and Garden 
Supply Merchandiser. The first paragraph reads, "The problems brought 
on by thatch come in a wide range, from almost no problems in Kentucky 
bluegrass lawns maintained under average care, to complete smothering 
and death of the grass in heavily thatched creeping bents, zoysias and 
Bermudas, according to Dr. R. W. Schery, Director, Lawn Institute."

PRESIDENT CARNES VISITS

In late April president Carnes had chance to spend parts of two days 

with the Institute staff at the Marysville office. Since becoming president 
last June, this was the first opportunity Mr. Carnes had to become acquainted 
with the physical facilities of the Institute. In addition to inspecting 
operations, the visit provided opportunity to discuss plans for the upcoming 
annual meeting, and to discuss possible new approaches for enlarging the 
scope of Institute activities. A visit of this sort is invaluable for im- 
proved communications. Staff capabilities are necessarily linked to fa­
cilities, and opportunities for maximum employment of Institute talent 
become clearer when officers have firsthand familiarity with staff opera­
tions .

INTERNATIONAL TURFGRASS CONFERENCE

President Carnes announced after special meetings with sponsoring In­

stitute groups that appropriations had been secured for Dr. Schery to attend 
the First International Turfgrass Conference being held in London in mid-July, 
followed by a brief tour of turfgrass research centers in northern Europe.
Dr. Schery has been invited to offer one of the keynote presentations at 
the conference, and expects to review domestic lawn seed production in the 
United States. In that the plan of the conference is to distribute mimeo­
graphed copies of all presentations beforehand, and have the speaker not 
repeat the "paper" but rather enlarge upon it, there is still opportunity 
to assemble data that may be useful in the presentation. It would be most 
helpful if any members having new research information which can help point 
up the effectiveness and quality-consciousness of the domestic lawn seed 
industry would inform Dr. Schery at the Marysville office of the particular 
points of interest.

BOOK APPEARS

Plant Science, by Janick, Schery, Woods and Ruttan, now has been pub­
lished by Freeman. The Lawn Institute is mentioned on the dust jacket as
"Dr. Schery’s occupation”, (Dr. Janick is at Purdue University, Dr. Woods 
at Duke University and Dr. Ruttan at the University of Minnesota). The 
book is designed for undergraduate college instruction in agriculture, 
horticulture, botany and related disciplines. As such it is a general re­
view of many phases of crop science. Grasses sponsoring the Institute 
are reviewed under forages, and again under Ornamental and Horticultural 
Specialty Crops. Institute photographs of bluegrass and fine fescue pro­
duction are utilized (the latter furnished by the Union Pacific Railroad 
through the good offices of the Fine Fescue Commission), and an illustration 
entitled "Combining Highland bentgrass in Oregon for lawn seed" is courtesy 
of the Highland Bentgrass Commission. The Lawn Seed Industry is specifically 
discussed on pages 532-534, and the Garden Seed Industry on subsequent 
pages.

LAWN MOVIE

Noted listed as an "Award Winner" in the American Horticultural Film 

Festival for 1968, was The Lawns of America sponsored by the National Council 
of State Garden Clubs, 4401 Magnolia Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63110.
The staff has not had opportunity to see this film, and would welcome the 
impression of any members who have.

NEW LAWN HANDBOOK.

The Agricultural Extension Service, of the University of Wyoming, is 
to be congratulated on the new bulletin 495 of March, 1969, Wyoming Lawn 
Handbook. The Institute cooperated in furnishing several illustrations for 
this attractive publication, and we believe was instrumental (through its 
issuances) in development of much of the text. For a state with relatively 
low population and little urbanization, this is indeed a commendable effort. 
The 24 page book is attractive, well edited, containing sound advice.

Lawn grasses are discussed on the very first page. The three favorites 

for Wyoming are the Kentucky bluegrasses, the fine fescues, and the bent­
grasses. E. Blair Adams, author, has this to say in indtoducing each: 
"Kentucky bluegrass Is the most popular lawngrass in Wyoming’’,  [fine fescue]  
ranks next to Kentucky bluegrass as the most popular lawngrass in the north­
ern United States.", "Highland bentgrass is the best bentgrass variety for 
home lawns in Wyoming. "

The composite photograph showing individual grass plants and seeds of 

fine-textured and coarse-kind grasses appears as figure 4, on page 5. A 
complete page is devoted to "Characteristics and Uses of Lawngrasses",
(viz. table 1, page 14). Examples of good and poor seed purchases are dia­
grammed on page 16.

ARTIFICIAL TURF REVIEW

The June issue of Grounds Maintenance carried the story Synthetic Turf 

is Here to Stay, one of the more informative recent exposes on artificial 
turf. This is one of the few cases run across in which the construction of 
an artificial turf layout is explicitly given. Installation is complicated, 
massive, and essentially irreversible (back to living grass). One type uses 
12 inches of compacted soil as a base, on top of which is laid about 6 inches 
of gravel or crushed rock, followed by 1 inch of asphaltic concrete, then 
another inch of asphaltic concrete of finer texture, then 1/2 inch of cushion­
ing, and finally inch of synthetic grass surfacing. Another type uses 
anchoring studs that appear much like foundation footings, surrounded by 
crushed rock, drainage tile and topped by a layer of asphalt, resilient pad, 
and finally nylon turf. No wonder these installations are so expensive!

MORE FOR THE GREEN THUMB

Inquiry picked up this spring quarter, from homeowners having lawn 
questions. Doc Abraham, whose syndicated Green Thumb column appears in 
scores of northeastern newspapers, again called upon the Institute for fram­
ing reply. It’s not always easy to judge the cause of a problem, but a 
pretty good answer is to plant stalwart fine fescues and Kentucky bluegrass 
where lesser species have failed. George usually has our answers printed 
in his column, as well as answering the inquiry directly.

REQUESTS CONTINUE

Over a year ago, the reprint "Seed and Feed to Hex the Weed" was dis­
tributed to members. We just had another request from the Oliger Seed Com­
pany for additional copies, as they supply their retail dealers, who in turn 
make the reprint available to their customers. We are always glad to have 
requests 1ike this.

HELP FROM TORO

We were pleased to have Dick Danielson and Charles Watson, representatives 

of the Moist O’Matic Division of the Toro Corporation, visit the Institute in 
mid-May and help with installation of a new, expanded irrigation setup for the 
demonstration and trial grounds. Toro has been most generous in furnishing 
equipment through the years, and we are grateful for this additional technical 
help and expansion. In the months ahead it will be possible to maintain plant­
ings of the many new turfgrass varieties green and attractive, such as would 
not be the case if they were forced to endure summer drought.

ROADSIDE BULLETINS SENT ADVISORS

Institute advisors at Michigan State University, the University of 

Nebraska, University of California at Davis, Mississippi State University, 
and the University of North Carolina, were all sent complimentary copies of 
the 180 page report on the "27th Short Course on Roadside Development”. 
Institute advisors at these universities had kindly sent voluminous data to 
Dr. Schery for a presentation at the Short Course the previous year, and are 
cited by name and location in the report published in this volume under the 
title "Evaluation of Turfgrasses for Roadsides’'.

MISSOURI REQUESTS

"Several members of our department have read the reprints you sent 
Dr. Hemphill earlier this month, and would like to have copies for their 
files and use. We would like to get five copies of each of these reprints 
listed in your letter as Reprints 143-152. Drs. Dunn and Lobenstein are the 
other members that have requested copies.

"Since I handle horticultural news releases, I would like to receive 
this material when it is made available. If possible, please add my name 
to the mailing list."

R. R. Rothenberger, Extension Horticulturist 
University of Missouri

NEW PEST CONTROL GUIDE

The Extension Division of Virginia Polytechnic Institute has reissued 
control series 76 under the date of January, 1969, Guide for the Chemical 
Control of Turfgrass Diseases and Turfgrass Weeds. Recommendations are made 
in tabular form, listed alphabetically according to disease and turfgrass 
(weeds). The 10 page circular is a handy reminder of the increasingly com­
plex series of chemicals used for pest control in the lawn, and gives rates 
and recommendations for each product.

INQUIRY FROM MEXICO

A letter from the Quimica Industrial y Domestica, S. A., Guadalajara, 

Jal., Mexico was received in April, asking for information on suitable (low 
maintenance) grasses for the Guadalajara area. It adds spice to the day’s 
mail to have a letter in Spanish, and to feel the Institute is being heard 
of in places so distant as Guadalajara. Quimica Industrial y Domestica is 
engaged in the growing and marketing of sod, and seems bothered with rising 
labor costs for turf maintenance the same as in the United States.

REQUEST FROM WASHINGTON

A letter from the Bureau of Design, Engineering and Research Department 
of Highways and Traffic, Washington, D. C., asks for the Institute reprints 
distributed by Dr. Schery at time of his presentation to the 1963 Ohio Short 
Course. We are pleased to send these, and several other reprints, to Bernard 
Grace, Landscape Architect with the Bureau. As important as federal money is 
to the highway program, it is nice to have Institute literature recognized in 
Washington, D. C.

NEW PUBLICATION

Brantwood publications has acquired the former Landscape Design And 
Construction magazine, and is now issuing it attractively under the title 
Landscape Industry. This newly launched venture has the services of several 
well-known editors and consultants, and promises to be an important influence 
in landscaping and related fields. News of the industry as well as features 
is included. Slanted as it is to "design", "construction" and "maintenance”, 
there should be opportunity for occasional features having to do with lawns 
and turfgrass management.

REPRINTS SENT IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY

We were pleased to send Dr. Robbins, who teaches an introductory hor­

ticulture course, a series of reprints for possible classroom use. Dr. 
Robbins had inquired about availability of a "single concept film loop" 
which might be useful for teaching purposes, not available from the In­
stitute.

Dr. Robbins later requested 30 copies each of several of the reprints 

for distribution in horticultural classes at Iowa State University. The 
additional supplies were sent immediately.

PRESS MAILING PLANNED

Borden Chemical Company plans to issue a press mailing this autumn 

detailing Institute experiments with weed-and-feed on bluegrass. Findings 
indicated that a late autumn application (October) gave nearly perfect weed 
control the following spring, better than earlier (September) treatments. 
Heavy rates are suggested at that season.

UNIVERSITY REQUESTS REPRINTS

During the latter part of May, Dr. Macha from the Murray State Univer­
sity, Murray, Kentucky, requested 20 different reprints. We were happy to 
send each of these, with the offer to send more should he have need of them.

COMMUNITY ACTION ORGANIZATION

The Institute lent its support to the tri-county Community Action Organi­
zation (federally sponsored low-income program), when Dr. Schery spoke to the 
group in the local school auditorium. Each attendee was given a copy of The 
Householder's Guide to Outdoor Beauty, and an outline on the steps for lawn 
establishment and lawn care. These were the basis for a 2 hour discussion on 
how to improve the home surroundings economically yet effectively.

KOREAN ORPHANAGE REQUEST

A recent foreign request reads: "I am very happy to have an golden

opportunity to find your name and address in a list. -- We have been trying 
to get the seeds of Lawn, but it is difficult for us to find out a way to 
get the seeds of the lawn. -- send me a copy of your magazines, so I would 
be much appreciated for it.”

The Institute sent information and hopes Mrs. Yen (superintendent of 

the orphanage) can receive a bit of seed sent to Korea from Oregon. Thought 
you’d be interested in this piquant communication from a foreign land.

IN "GREEN THUMB” COLUMN

George Abraham, for whom the Institute services lawn inquiries from 
time to time, mentioned the Institute in his syndicated column appearing 
about June 1. Chief topic of column discussion was lawn thatch.

USDA REQUEST

Richard H. Drullinger, USDA, stationed at East Lansing, Michigan, 

requested roadside seeding reprints offered at the last Ohio Short Course.

TELEPHONE REQUEST

Mr. John Bartley of the Seaboard Seed Company, telephoned the Marys­
ville office the first part of June, requesting a number of the reprint, 
"Winterseeding: Are Seedsmen Missing a Bet?”. This article originally 
appeared in the Seedsmen’s Digest. A dozen or so copies were sent the 
same morning requested.

EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL REQUESTED

Sister M. Ann Rosaire, from Our Lady of Angels College, recently re­
quested material to aid her in a course on "Use of Instructional Media". 
Sample press kits, numerous reprints, and a complimentary copy of The 
Householder’s Guide to Outdoor Beauty were sent immediately.

LIBRARY REQUEST

The Applied Sciences and Technology Library of Murray State University, 

Murray, Kentucky requested literature for use there. Approximately 250 
reprints were mailed to them on May Day.

SUNSET MAGAZINE

The editorial department of Sunset Magazine for the Pacific Northwest 

sent proof to the Institute for comment and technical review of a short item 
dealing with autumn lawn seeding. We were pleased to offer certain sugges­
tions which, if adopted, should make a stronger case for quality lawn seed 
and their autumn planting.

MOVIE REQUEST

The following request was received from the University of the State of 
New York, West Nyack: "We would very much appreciate your sending us horti­
cultural films for use in our classroom here at the Center of Occupational 
Education.” This is another instance of the steady demand we experience for 
vocational materials.

PURDUE CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

III. TECHNICAL SECTION

The Turf Conference Proceedings for the March, 1969 conference of the 
Midwest Regional Turf Foundation at Purdue University was issued in early 
June. The nearly 60 papers presented are summarized in the Proceedings 
with varying degrees of completeness. Among the more interesting papers 
were a series on specific bluegrass varieties, of which Doyle Jacklin 
provided a unique and well-organized discussion showing that launching 
of a new cultivar these days requires more than just a good strain of 
grass -- but additionally a lot of planning, organization and integrated 
publicity.

The opening papers in the Proceedings included several that dealt with 
the fundamentals of soil, water movement in the soil, and the production of 
synthetic soils for golf greens. Almost unavoidably such presentations are 
technical and pedestrian to read, although good to have on file for the re­
cord. Another section of papers having limited interest dealt with promot­
ing golf, and management of country clubs.

Mascaro went into some detail on mineral content of guttated water, 

theorizing that those grasses exuding most were generally more susceptible 
to disease (bent and bermudagrasses high, bluegrasses medium, fescues low).
He gave a list of 7 practices to undertake "during periods of stress”, ty­
ing in vaguely with the theory presented earlier. Watson, Wilkie, Dunlap 
and others discussed irrigation. With all the automation and peripheral 
controls used today, golf course turf irrigation has become more an engineer­
ing matter than an agricultural one.

Jacklin reviewed the planned development of the Fylking program, point­
ing up the reasons for beginning with the sod industry and eventually moving 
into the larger and more varied consumer sales. Florence reviewed Windsor 
bluegrass briefly, mentioning  "-- tomorrow we may have a replacement for 
Windsor!” Daniel noted the slow growth and lack of early aggressiveness of 
Sodco, an intentional attribute, and appeared to recommend nursegrass in­
clusions. He suggests Sodco for use in the shade, and where reduced mowing 
is a requirement. Warren indicates that his merchandising will center largely 
on the A-20 selection, propagated vegetatively. Long discussed the response 
of bluegrass to low clipping, indicating that this can be tolerated if pains 
are taken to properly adjust other maintenance practices. Purdue research 
with bluegrass is taking a new tack, with more study of individual selections 
made in the past rather than continued screening for new selections.

Daniel plugged for maintaining a proper level of arsenic in the soil, 
for control of Poa annua, toxic to this species but not to bentgrasses and 
perennial bluegrasses (indeed a touchy matter for the non-professional!).
His explanations are not entirely lucid, but those interested will gain a 
general idea of what is recommended from the chart on page SO that relates 
strength of treatment to soil phosphorus tests, percentage of Poa annua, 
and soil texture. Evans gave one of the more neatly rounded papers on 
Herbicides For Turf, summarizing what chemicals are used these days for what 
types of weed problems. About the only new suggestion is the use of bromo- 
xynil (Brominal) for broadleaf weed control in seedling turfgrasses.

Morgan reported at some length upon research in California relating to 
the "safety” of athletic turf, and had data indicating that proper choice of 
grass plus proper maintenance can reduce injuries 50 percent or more. Data

(Continued on next page)

PURDUE CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS - Continued.

collected by Monsanto is cited, naturally favoring the safety of Astroturf, 
although all of these evaluations are very subjective and comparisons hardly 
possible.

There is an involved review of how the turf on the Purdue football sta­

dium was established and is handled; a review of soil heating in the 3 stadia 
where it has been used in the United States (there seem to have been some 
monumental failures in St. Louis, and 3 or 4 switches in kind of grass used). 
Scott presented background information on turf disease and transmission, but 
perhaps more interesting was Shurtleff‘s discussion of What's New With Bent­
grass Diseases. He mentions the stimulation of fungi by guttation fluids, 
particularly with brown patch, dollarspot and pythium; both stripe smut and 
flag smut (practically indistinguishable visually) are becoming prevalent on 
Midwestern bentgrasses; Benlate (a systemic) is encouraging, useful against 
dollarspot, brown patch, rust, smut and snowmold, promising combined with 
other fungicides for control of all important bentgrass diseases; no good 
control for pythium, although Dexon, Terrazole and Demosan have been useful 
for mild attacks. The final 2 or 3 papers dealt with manpower.

ARIZONA REPORT

Report 250, "Turfgrass Research” for 1967-68 was recently received from 
the University of Arizona. The presentation is less comprehensive than some 
of the past reports have been. Several of the papers dealt with control of 
weeds or insect pests of concern in Arizona, but not commonplace generally. 
Of interest to Institute members may be the ratings of new bermudagrass 
varieties, and the usefulness of phosphorus on Arizona bermudagrass.

Of the prevailing available varieties, Tiflawn was outstanding under 

severe moisture stress. However 2 coded selections (one of them may be 
identical with Tiflawn) rated slightly better in maintaining green cover 
in spite of drought. In the fertilization study, bermudagrass responded 
as would be expected to nitrogen, but was neither helped nor injured by 
a series of differing phosphorus rates. The observations are to continue 
at least an additional year, to see if there is any long term advantage or 
disadvantage to lack of, or an abundance of, phosphorus.

GUIDE TO LAWN CARE

The Nassau County Agricultural News (Long Island) devoted its April 

issue to "A Guide to Lawn Care". The text was comprehensive and conventional. 
Compiled by Herb Kastl, obviously much of the information was drawn from Cor­
nell University publications, including almost all of the black-white photos 
(adapted from the excellent color series Issued by Cornell). The information 
given is sound, and popularly expressed.

The tone of this publication, however, is negative rather than positive. 

Almost the entire discussion relates to "problems”, not "successes”. From 
a public relations standpoint the reverse might have encouraged people more 
with their lawn efforts rather than pointing out how many things can go wrong. 
The opening page is a series of "Management Problems”, followed by "Weeds” 
and "Disease and Insect Problems”. Being nicely illustrated, the 12 page 
brochure should prove quite educational to homeowners in the New York area.

COMPLETE ROADSIDE MANUAL

The Institute received a complimentary copy of bulletin 822, Highway 

Vegetation, from author Dr. Robert W. Duell, research specialist at Rutgers 
University, New Jersey. This 30 page bulletin is one of the nicest summaries 
concerning the seeding and maintenance of roadsides for the northeastern 
quarter of the country thathas come to our attention. Although directed 
toward New Jersey specifically, Dr. Duell draws upon publications relating 
to many states, and includes a bibliography of 121 titles. Following general 
introductory materials Duell examines the roadside environment, soils, climate, 
wildlife, lime, fertilizers, roadside grasses, roadside legumes, seed mix­
tures, seeding, mulching, growth regulators, and salt injury.

In reference to roadside grasses, the bulletin advises, "-- the most 

practical roadside cover - -. Kentucky bluegrass is the most widespread
grass in the northeastern United States. On the poorer soils of mowed road­
sides in northern New Jersey, red fescue is more persistent." Duell reports 
a curious incident, "Blaser found that a mixture of Kentucky bluegrass and 
redtop sown in August will produce a sod primarily of redtop, but the same 
mixture sown in September will be primarily bluegrass. Also, "Iurka
and. Blaser both state that the use of annual grasses is generally not de­
sirable, for the residual effect of their excessive competition on the peren­
nial species outweighs the initial better soil coverage.” Shotgun or 
complex mixtures are sometimes justified where the area being sown is very 
heterogeneous, and it would be impractical to accommodate the differing 
environments with specific seed mixtures. In these instances we realize 
that the seed of some species will be wasted in certain sites, but that in 
all sites some species will be sufficiently adapted to provide plant coverage.”

Duell recognizes changing trends, "Recently an awareness of the needs 

for special grasses for highways has developed, and grass breeders have begun 
the quest for superior varieties for roadside use. Already experimental 
selections show promise of marked reductions in need for mowing, -- although 
seed of specifically tailored plant material will be more expensive initially, 
the savings in maintenance and the value of superior performance would soon 
compensate.”

SEED LEAGUE PROCEEDINGS

The Proceedings of the 28th annual meeting of the Oregon Seed Growers 
League, held last December, appeared in May. The diverse series of papers, 
en toto, give a pretty good resume of "the state of the art” in growing seed 
in the Pacific Northwest. The Institute was fortunate to have had its program 
discussed, and this appears in the Proceedings under the title The Better Lawn 
and Turf Program, beginning page 57.

Many excellent presentations were offered by representatives of Oregon 
State University, on the technical side, and by representatives of the Seed 
Industry, pointing up the problems and inevitable changes coming in the North- 
west. Rex Warren reported on an extensive trip through the southern states, 
in which he examined the ways in which Oregon seed is used; especially pertin­
ent to Institute interest is his review of the winterseeding market. All told 
a review of this 114 page booklet provides excellent background on conditions 
in the leading lawn seed producing states, and might be suggested for out-of- 
staters attending the Institute annual meeting.

ROADSIDE REPORT OUT

The 180 page report on the 27th Short Course on Roadside Development,

Ohio Department of Highways and Ohio State University, was received in April. 
This is a compilation of the presentations and activities from the annual 
short course the preceding October. The Lawn Institute participated through 
Dr. Schery’s  "Evaluation of Turfgrasses for Roadsides", and by furnishing 
reprints which were handed out to attendees. This annual short course in 
Ohio serves as the national gathering for highway landscape architects.

The Institute presentation has been reprinted and distributed to mem­
bers. This provides a useful enclosure for inquiries and discussion relat­
ing to roadside seeding. It points out that a subtle interrelationship of 
environmental factors governs what will succeed on the roadside as well as 
in nature. There is more sophistication in roadside seeding these days, and 
the new wide assortment of turfgrasses (as well as improved care) permits 
lawn-like plantings that are lower growing and save maintenance costs (even 
though seed may sell at a slight premium).

Dr. Schery noted that in Ohio there had been practicing "roadside 

ecologists" even before the roadside was accorded much status by the engineers. 
" -- Loy Stevely has accomplished — with an all fine-textured seeding that 
he dreamed up himself over a dozen years ago, before there were many turf 
'experts’ around --- the permanence of turf from basically a Kentucky blue­
grass - fine fescue seeding blend; and Loy tells me that there is a definite 
saving in mowing as well as a more modern appearance to these lower-growing, 
fine-textured species .”

Reports received from the Institute’s board of advisors (experts at 
experiment stations around the country) were quoted to give a bird’s eye 
view of roadside planting nationally, and the final page discussed by name 
the many new turfgrass varieties becoming available, and the particular 
adaptations which they fit.

TURFGRASSES IN SHADE

Glenn Wood, Institute advisor, Vermont, reports upon Evaluating Turf­
grasses for Shade Tolerance, in the May Agronomy Journal. Tests were both 
in a growth chamber and In the field, but respective rankings were not always 
identical. It is questionable that such tests are too indicative of genetically 
induced shade tolerance, since many other factors bear on the problem, and 
differ with differing lots of the same cultivar. Moreover, measurement of 
root and topgrowth weight over a short span is not as meaningful as is per­
sistence of the grass through the years in natural habitat. Wood’s study 
does confirm that the fine fescues are in general more shade-tolerant than 
the Kentucky bluegrasses, but apparently different fine fescues rank differ­
ently at varying light intensities. At the lowest light intensities Golf- 
rood outranked all other cultivars, and Wood concludes Golfrood red fescue 
was the outstanding cultivar and demonstrated superior shade tolerance in 
both the growth chamber and field". The tables of data, however, do not 
seem to indicate any great degree of difference between many of the varieties 
entered in the test. Another conclusion of Wood’s is, "Pennlawn, an improved 
red fescue commonly recommended for all situations in the Northeast and some 
other areas, was significantly poorer in shade tolerance in this test than 
Golfrood, Ruby, Common and N-88 red fescues."

WINTERKILL OF SOD

An article in the June Weeds, Trees and Turf, entitled Sod Winterkill 

Extensive, predicts a sod shortage until 1971 in the Great Lakes Region. 
Apparently commercial sod growers in Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan have 
lost up to 30 percent of their crop ready for market. The article was not 
entirely clear as to causes, although Dr. Beard theorized that sudden freezes 
in March after winter dormancy had been broken were responsible in some areas. 
It is difficult to imagine this being bothersome on established bluegrasses, 
although possibly with heavily forced, young grass, this might have been the 
situation. Our own experience on the Institute grounds indicates that winter­
kill is more apt to be due to heaving and desiccation of young turf than be­
cause of temperature changes.

In any event it seems as though problems are shaping up in the sod in­

dustry, with troubles in some places being due to build up of disease, in 
others, due to flooding, and in other areas to desiccation. With a
predicted shortage of sod in this important marketing area, wholesale prices 
are estimated to nearly double. There could develop greater interest on the 
part of the homeowner in seeding his own lawn rather than buying a ready­
made one. The current situation indicates that even with professional grow­
ing sod is not without its problems, and is one argument for direct seeding 
of lawns.

POTASSIUM INFLUENCE

In recent years there has been a barrage of publicity about the advantage 
of ample potassium for turfgrasses, giving them more "muscle", better disease 
resistance, winter hardiness, etc. A report by Holt and Hilst on the Carbo- 
hydrate Content of Selected Forage Crops, in the March issue of the Agronomy 
Journal, notes that certain findings are contrary to the general belief (assum­
ing carbohydrate reserves to contribute to the well-being of the grass.): 
"Alfalfa and bluegrass grown under low potassium nutrition had significantly 
higher water soluble carbohydrate percentages than those grown under high 
potassium nutrition.” It would appear that the two supposedly advantageous 
effects, high carbohydrate reserves and abundant potassium, are antagonistic?

BOON FOR GOOD GRASS

A report by H. D. Kerr, Missouri, on Selective Grass Control With Siduron, 

appeared in the April Weed Science. Dr. Kerr documents that siduron (Tuper- 
san) does a remarkably effective job in "separating the sheep from the goats”. 
Annual grasses, especially pests like Crabgrass and barnyardgrass, were 
generally killed without injury to the major turfgrasses. Seed of tolerant 
grasses is uninjured, when mixed with siduron and stored for 12 months, (but 
Crabgrass and barnyardgrass seed then died as it sprouted). It would appear 
as if there is some value to siduron as a seed coating! Herbicidal action 
appeared to be localized in the roots. Weed grass control was most satis­
factory if the roots contacted the siduron soon after germination. It is 
interesting to note that nimblewill is highly susceptible to siduron; this 
suggests a means for reducing this lawn pest of the Midwest, for which there 
has been no selective control since Dow withdrew Zytron.

MORE ABOUT POA ANNUA

Dr. James Beard, Michigan, Institute advisor, discussed response of Poa 
annua to temperature and other factors, In the USGA Green Section Record, re­
printed in California Turfgrass Culture (January). We have noted previously 
that Poa annua is the foremost golf course weed, yet must often be coddled 
because it so dominates the greens.

The Michigan research notes that the best temperature for Poa annua top- 
growth is between 60 and 70 degrees F., rootgrowth between 55 and 65. Under 
higher temperatures roots increasingly die, weakening the grass, and there is 
decline in shoot growth. This stress under high temperature is believed to 
result from a decline in protein, its production inhibited when temperatures 
rise to 100 degrees and above. Poa annua has its own air-cooling system 
through transpiration, and it can be kept cooler by mid-day syringing and 
encouraging air movement over the green.

Poa annua is also more susceptible than most grasses to damage by low 

temperature. "Research at Michigan State University shows that annual blue­
grass --- is relatively susceptible to low temperature kill compared to others,
such as creeping bentgrass and Kentucky bluegrass.’’ Lush, watery growth 
stimulated by abundant nitrogen with little potassium encourages winterkill. 
Damage is usually about time of spring thaw, when the grass is most sus­
ceptible. Light ice or snow cover is generally not harmful, but standing 
water may be.

MORE ON POTASSIUM FERTILIZATION OF TURFGRASSES

Rhode Island researchers, reporting in the March Agronomy Journal, in­

vestigated The Effects of Nitrogen-Potassium Levels on the Growth and Chemical 
Composition of Kentucky Bluegrass. This research casts some doubt upon the 
usefulness of high potassium levels, although (as is well known) some potassium 
is needed. With moderate levels of nitrogen, high levels of potassium were 
actually detrimental. In general the higher the nitrogen level, the greater 
the advantage from Increased potassium, although at levels above 400 ppm 
potassium generally resulted in reduced growth regardless of nitrogen. It 
was interesting that potassium increased the blade width of bluegrass; we 
tend to think of genetic factors, and to a lesser extent density of planting, 
controlling texture!

MORE ON GRASS FOOD RESERVES

A group of the University of Massachusetts researchers reported in the 

March Agronomy Journal on Factors Affecting Carbohydrate Reserves of Cool 
Season Turfgrasses. The researchers regard reserves of carbohydrate to be 
advantageous, enabling the grass to withstand adversity. This is the con­
ventional assumption, but as reported in the last Harvests has been challenged 
to some extent in other research. In any event carbohydrate reserves were 
the focal point of this study, and their level corresponded closely to soil 
temperature (reserves low when temperature is high), and with nitrogen fertili­
zation (low under high nitrogen fertility). There is nothing very new about 
these conclusions, but it is good to have some experimental documentation.
It may be of interest that Merion Kentucky bluegrass contained higher total 
percentage of carbohydrate than a Colonial, creeping or velvet bentgrass all 
through the season.

POA ANNUA TOLERANT

Juska and Hanson reported in the May Agronomy Journal on Nutritional 
Requirements of Poa annua. Poa annua responded generally to fertility and 
growth conditions the same as Kentucky bluegrass, but seemed more tolerant 
of the extremes (such as acid condition of soils and poor ion exchange 
capacity). It is theorized that Poa annua does well under certain extremes 
not because it prefers these conditions, but because competition from 
Kentucky bluegrass or other turfgrasses is then so much less. That is, Poa 
annua is somewhat more tolerant of poor growing conditions including low 
fertility and low pH.

WINTERSEEDING IN ARIZONA

A research report by Kneebone and Major appeared in March-April Crop 
Science, concerned with differential survival of wintergrasses in Arizona, 
seeded to differing selections of bermudagrass. While no toxic substance 
could be isolated that influenced establishment of wintergrass, there was 
greater failure to survive when the overseeding was planted to certain ber­
mudas (such as Ormond and Tifgreen) than to Arizona seeded (common). This 
was especially noticeable with ryegrass, and a mixture that included High­
land bentgrass Kentucky bluegrass -- Pennlawn fescue. Incidentally, it 
is interesting to note that this mixture of three quality species is re­
cognized as a winterseeding blend for Arizona, where ryegrass has so dominated 
winter plantings. Just what substance toxic to overseeding (or greater 
amounts of it) occurs in certain strains of bermudagrass as compared to 
others, still remains a mystery.

BLUEGRASS SEED SET

Researchers at Washington State University report upon the influence 
of temperature during flowering, upon seed set of Kentucky bluegrass, in 
March-April Crop Science. High temperatures (above 90° F.) reduced seed 
weight, pollen viability and seed set. The degree of damage increased 
gradually as temperature was increased to 110° F. However, high temperatures 
during flowering had no effect upon germination of the seed.

NITROGEN SOURCES

A study in North Carolina reported in the May-June Agronomy Journal 
shows that crop response to nitrogen is disappointing from slow-release 
fertilizers, in comparison to urea or a urea-wax material being tested ex­
perimentally. Nitrogen recovery from ureaform and cottonseed meal was 
generally less than 50 percent; it was considerably higher from urea or 
urea-wax. Dr. McCants suggests that fast-growing vegetation generally makes 
full use of fast-release nitrogen.

PERMANENT PASTURES

There is still some use of lawngrass species for pasture, and perhaps 
there should be more. A report by Decker and colleagues, Maryland, in the 
March Agronomy Journal, shows how Kentucky bluegrass pastures can be made 
more productive, more economically (than by fertilizer application), by 
inter-seeding crown vetch or birdsfoot trefoil into slits made into the 
bluegrass sod.

IV, FROM THE FIRING LINE

FOR BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS

It is good to have an Institute assignment for a story to appear in 

Better Homes and Gardens, circulation over 7 million The story deals with 
alternative types of lawns, for which there are many choices today among 
the array of fine lawngrass varieties. Although Better Homes and Gardens 
has a tradition of staff rewriting and condensation, it is hoped that the 
numerous mentions of grass names can be retained, to better acquaint the 
buying public with what is available today in quality turfgrass types.

STORY IN EDISON GARDEN NEWS

George Jecmen, editor, sent us complimentary copies of the Edison 

Garden News, issued by the Commonwealth Edison Employee Garden Club. From 
time to time he has used Institute material, and writes: " -- I have availed 
myself of releases which you had so kindly made available for this purpose". 
Bentgrass growers will be interested in the item appearing on page 12 of the 
February issue, viz. :

The Virtues of Bentgrass

"Few lawn grasses are so elegant as is bentgrass. Bentgrasses are 
inevitably chosen for golf greens and luxury lawns. But did you realize 
that they are utilitarian too?

"A test in Ohio indicates that a Highland bentgrass blend best protected 

soil on a steep slope at a highway cloverleaf. Both Highland and creeping 
bentgrass (Penncross) make an almost impervious mat along damp water channels. 
Rooting at the stem joints, bentgrasses build a dense mat second to none for 
closely clothing the soil and protecting its surface from rain wash."

R. W. Schery, The Lawn Institute.

PICTURE STORY SCHEDULED

A selection of photographs and text (emphasizing quality lawn species), 
has been turned over to Mort Waters, editor for Family Handyman, for a story 
that is to be lavishly illustrated in the September-October issue. Story 
deals with repairing and starting lawns from seed. In the text prepared by 
Dr. Schery an offer was made in the final paragraph, to furnish a reprint on 
modern lawn varieties, to anyone wishing to send a self-addressed, stamped 
envelope, to the Marysville office.

IN GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS REPORTER

The Institute is acknowledged by Charlie Calhoun, in the June issue of 

the Iowa Golf Course Superintendents Reporter. Exerpts: " - -mentions seeds 
and seed mixtures. Bob says that weed-free, crop-free seed is available if 
the purchaser is willing to pay a fair price for the care needed to produce 
this type of seed" -- "Incidentally, as to whether bluegrass or fine fescue 
takes over, my experience suggests that much relates to chance. -- but cer­
tainly high fertility favors the bluegrasses (especially elite strains such 
as Fylking and Merion), —Calhoun mentions that several reprints were 
received and adds: " -- several papers -- about turf seeds -- pertinent 
points in this very worthwhile material will be provided in future issues. 
Plan to watch for these and build up your knowledge for the August meeting 
when the theme of the month will be 'All About Seed and Seeding’. Then you 
can go home and do it right."

FLATTERING REVIEW

The book review section of the American Horticultural Magazine, winter, 
1969, discussed McCalls Garden Book, edited and largely authored by Gretchen 
Harshbarger. The Institute handled discussions of lawns and soils for Mrs. 
Harshbarger, for which the reviewer gives credit, "Dr. Robert Schery con­
tributed material on lawns, soils and plant foods; The reviewer con­
cludes with the flattering comment, "If a beginning gardener were limited 
to one book, this should be it; a better choice would be difficult to find."

LAWN MAINTENANCE STORY

We were very pleased to have the Institute story, Modern Lawn Maintenance, 

appear in the April issue of Building Maintenance and Modernization magazine. 
This reaches a readership not necessarily covered by the press kits and stories 
in the popular gardening field. Discussion of today’s lawn tending equipment 
was the vehicle for mentioning the better grasses and their care.

Sample mentions: "Choice of equipment will be guided by needs of the 
turf. Kentucky bluegrass, for example, has somewhat different requirements 
than Highland bentgrass, and fine fescues can actually suffer from excessive 
care." Under the heading "Kentucky Bluegrass--Fine Fescue Turf", one reads: 
"Lawns blended of fine fescues and natural bluegrasses such as Kenblue, Park 
and Arboretum require relatively little care. More luxurious bluegrass 
varieties such as FyIking, Merion and Pennstar merit somewhat greater atten­
tion. Fine fescues are especially well adapted to shade, drought and poor 
soil; familiar varieties include Chewings, Highlight, Illahee, and Pennlawn."
-- "Creeping bents such as Penncross (much used for golf greens) require 
more intense, professionalized maintenance than Colonial bents such as 
Highland, Exeter, Astoria and Holfior, which get along with somewhat less 
attention. All should be mowed rather frequently, close (less than 1/2 inch 
for creeping bents, up to 1 inch for Colonials such as Highland) at least 
twice weekly during the growing season."

WINTERSEEDING REVIEW

In his "Turf Tidbits" column in the April Turfgrass Times, Holman 

Griffin discussed some of the newer varieties contemplated for winterseed­
ing bermudagrass greens in the South. Griffin mentions the increasing use 
of fine-textured grasses in place of conventional ryegrass, but thinks that 
the named varieties of perennial ryegrass may now regain some of the lost 
ground for ryegrass. He quotes Dr. Funk in describing Manhattan, Norlea, 
NK-100 and Pelo, thinks that these show promise and should be watched for 
future developments.

IN SEED WORLD

The March 23 issue of Seed World carried the item "Spring Lawn Require­
ments”, with by-line for the Institute. Sample exerpts: "There is a lot of 
excitement these days about special grasses. You may have heard your golf 
pro talk about Penncross creeping bentgrass -- Kentucky bluegrass and fine 
fescue varieties are much used, and for low-mowed lawns in moist climates 
perhaps Colonial bentgrasses such as Highland and Exeter. ---"

AUTUMN STORIES ACCEPTED

Lawn stories have been submitted and accepted for autumn appearance in 

Better Homes and Gardens, Better Turf and Garden, Floral Magazine, Horti­
culture and Southern Turfgrass Newsletter. The story in Better Homes and 
Gardens is a review of current type grasses with a little about how they 
should be managed, the Better Turf and Garden story on the application of 
weed-and-feed products to bluegrass lawns in autumn, the Floral magazine 
story on autumn seeding-feeding-weeding, the Horticulture story depicting 
the way different lawngrasses thatch, and the Southern Turfgrass item on 
winterseeding. A color photograph taken at the Institute grounds will 
accompany the Floral magazine presentation, and we are hopeful that copies 
will prove sufficiently economical so that we may distribute reprints with 
the color enhancement. Three color photos taken on the Institute grounds 
will accompany the Better Turf and Garden story.

INSTITUTE QUOTED

The May issue of the Avant Gardener, semi-monthly publication of the 
Horticultural Data Processors, New York, carried mention of the Institute. 
The items begins, "Are pruning and mowing with chemicals feasible? For 
lawns the idea is generally vetoed by experts, such as Dr. Robert W. Schery, 
Director, The Lawn Institute (Route 4, Marysville, Ohio 43040). Dr. Schery 
says that -----".

IN FORESTRY MAGAZINE

The following excerpted letter was printed in the May issue of American 
Forests, following our questioning of an insert in the December issue about 
the ecological lessons to be learned from letting weeds reconquer the lawn. 
"There is nothing novel about the box on page 46 of your December issue in 
which Professor Bates extolls crabgrass, dandelions, et al. What you fail 
to note is that there is just as much of an ecological lesson in a tended 
lawn as in an untended one -- perhaps even more, since it better reflects 
reality. The interplay between species is marked, and the result far more 
quickly readable under managed conditions than with nature's drawn-out natural 
selection.... I don’t think you need to turn the lawns into natural areas 
as you suggest -- which will not be done in any event -- to teach the kids 
ecology. In fact, mowing, too, can be therepeautic, in this age of in­
sufficient chores for the kids..." R. W. Schery, The Lawn Institute.

BETTER CROPS

We were pleased to note that the American Potash Institute magazine, 

Better Crops With Plant Food, continues to publicize non-agricultural subject 
matter as well as the major food crops. In the first 1969 issue the magazine 
carried the staff story Can Your Turf (Lawn) Take it This Year? As might 
be expected emphasis was on fertility, but it is good to have mention of the 
important lawngrasses.

MENTIONED IN GOLF REPORTER

Charlie Calhoun, editor of the Iowa Golf Course Superintendent Reporter, 
picked up information concerning Fylking and other Kentucky bluegrasses from 
Institute release materials, and featured it on the back cover of the May 
issue of his Reporter. The Institute is credited with name and address.

IN INSTITUTIONAL MANAGEMENT

The magazine, Catholic Institutional Management (formerly Catholic 
Building and Maintenance) again made good use of an Institute press kit, 
compounding several items into a credited story in the March-April issue.
The item was entitled "Good Seed Makes Good Sod”, and contained such state­
ments as the following: "-- at average price, a purchaser of good lawn 
seed gets more than 10,000 vigorous seeds for a penny -- you can afford top 
quality seed because it is really the most economical.” " -- for the quality 
demanded of a modern lawn, the grass must be fertilized. Bentgrasses should 
be fed liberally -- bluegrasses perform well on only half this much, and 
fine fescues on only a fourth.”

INSTITUTE QUOTED

The April 15 issue of the Avant Gardener, published by-monthly from 

New York, quotes the Institute at length on pages 99 and 100 regarding the 
threat of thatch. Mentioned, - "In looser-growing turf like bluegrass-fine 
fescue, it may or may not build up sufficiently to be detrimental.”

SEED WORLD INFORMS

We were very pleased to have the Lawn Institute represented in the 
April 11 issue of Seed World, not only with a cover photograph, but with 
authorship of the "Bulletin Board Suggestion” of the week. The latter was 
entitled Bluegrass Breeding Shows, and contained such statements as these: 
"Only a generation ago Kentucky bluegrasses and fine fescues were rude 
pasture species --. Came America’s migration to the suburbs, and all of
this changed within a few years. Merion Kentucky bluegrass — was the 
first elite bluegrass heralded for fine turf only. Classical examples 
among other species are Chewings fine fescue from New Zealand, and High­
land bentgrass from the Silverton Hills of Oregon.”

”WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: ----”

"Thank you very much for the reprints entitled 'Improving an Old Lawn’.
I appreciate the prompt handling and courtesy you have shown in filling 
my request. The reprints will come in handy as a source of information 
in our Grounds Maintenance program. Once again, thank you for your atten­
tion in this matter.”

Leo P. Boucher, Yale University

"We will look forward to hearing from you any time you have news or sub­
jects of importance that you would like us to consider for publication in 
LANDSCAPE INDUSTRY Magazine.”

R. W. Morey, Publisher.

"If available, we could use a nice supply of your reprint 'Seed and Feed 
to Hex the Weed’. We supply these to our retail dealers who in turn make 
them available to their customers.

Robert C. Oliger, Oliger Seed Company.

"We follow your stories and releases with interest — keep up the good work!”

Dr. K. T. Payne 
Michigan State University.

“WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ---” (Continued) 

"I have recently read your article on Modern Lawn Maintenance in the April 
issue of Buildings Maintenance and Modernisation -- We have a new hospital 
here in Atlantic, Iowa, and we are just starting our lawn maintenance. We 
would appreciate any and all literature or assistance in this matter."

Harold C. Parks, Administrator,
Cass County Memorial Hospital

"We cordially invite you to participate in the dedication of our new $1 
million addition to Williams Hall on the OARDC campus -- with the ribbon 
cutting at -- 11:45 -- We are extremely hopeful that you can attend the 
dedication of this new facility."

Roy M. Kottman, Director, Ohio Agricultural 
Research and Development Center.

"May we express our continuing pride in having you as a contributor. Our 
contributors are the foundation on which the authoritativeness of The World 
Book Encyclopedia rests."

Robert O. Zeleny, Sr. Vice-President 
Field Enterprises Educational Corporation.

" -- your contribution of four points about Highland is exactly what is 
needed. We will make excellent use of this and can do so without making 
changes. We would prefer to have this printed under your by-line and will 
do so unless you object.”

Wally Hunter,
Oregon Highland Bentgrass Commission.

"Thank you very much for the information you recently sent Acknowledg­
ment of your contribution is included in our list of source materials, and 
we want you to know we appreciate your efforts on our behalf.”

Mrs. Winifred H. Estes, Market Research 
Analyst, Henderson Advertising Agency, Inc.

"I had read your very fine article ’Evaluation of Turfgrasses for Roadsides’ 
in the 27th Ohio Short Course publication and meant to ask for copies of the 
three articles you listed there, namely 'Turfgrass, America’s Growingest Crop’, 
'Lest Hunger Haunt Your Lawn', 'In Praise of Unpampered Turf’.”

Dr. Robert W. Duell 
Rutgers University

"Yours is a very important subject which treats with every homeowner’s 
needs, .. and permit me to add that the material included is very scholarly, 
so that the reader is getting both timely and valuable information about a 
subject he indeed should be keenly interested in. Thank you for past cour­
tesies, and I shall be looking forward to more such invaluable copy for in­
clusion.”

George C. Jecmen, Editor 
Edison Garden News

"Thank you for your letter of May 15 and the accompanying article on 'Over­
seeding for Winter’. I am very pleased with this article, and I am sure we 
can use it in our Newsletter. I think the time to release would be in August. 
Most overseeding is done between September 15 and December 15.”

E. Ray Jensen 
Southern Turf Nurseries