SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE MID-ATLANTIC ASSOCIATION OF GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS Under the Auspices of the Extension Service University of Maryland Lord Baltimore Hotel Baltimore; Maryland January 8 and 9, 1962 INDEX Call to Order - Geo. S. Langford Page 1 Welcome to Conference - L. R. Shields 1 Greetings from the President - George C. Gumm 2 The Golf Course Superintendents Place in Golf - Richard Essex 3 How the Manager and Superintendent May Help Each Other - A. E. Martin 4 The Architect in Remodeling - David YJ. Gordon 9 Fundamental Facts About Soil, Lime and Fertilizer for Turf Grasses J. R. Miller 10 Turf GrassïïeedControl - John E. Gallagher 11 Theory ofA, Herbicide, inand DryPractice Form - J. DeFrance Insecticide and Fungicide Applications 15 Golf Course Machinery and its Maintenance - Verne C. Fish 18 Thé Effect of Light on Plants - Albert A• Piringer 21 Concepts of Turfgrass Watering - James R« Watson, Jr. 22 The Pennsylvania Turfgrass Program - Jf C. Harper 28 Poa-Annua Control Program at Kennett Square Golf and Country Club Paul Weldin, Jr. 29 Ideas, Gadgets and Things - A. M. Radko 30 Accomplishments of 1961, (Panel Discussion) - Fred V. Grau, Moderator 34 Work at Chantilly - Sheldon Betterly 34 The New Course at Five Farms - Frank P. Dunlap What Happened to the Mat* and Thatch? - Harry J. McSloy 37 Nematodes and Their Control - Richard E. Valentine 38 The Management Challenge - Gene C. Nutter 39 SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS OF THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE MID-ATLANTIC ASSOCIATION OF GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS January 8 and 9. 1962 Call to Order Dr. George S. Langford University of Maryland College Park, Maryland Gentlemen, it gives me a great deal of pleasure to call this conference to order. Last evening I was especially gratified to see this conference being publicized and receiving proper recognition in one of the Nations great cities Baltimore. I hope all of you have observed the big sign on the Lord Baltimore Hotel welcoming each of you to the city as a golf course superintendent. This is a well-deserved and earned recognition. Your reception has often been less pretentious and as a result relatively few people in the city know that the Mid-Atlantic Golf Course Superintendents were holding a convention in their midst. But today, with the sign of Y/elcome, it is almost impossible for anyone passing along either Baltimore or Hanover Streets not to know you are here. This is not only good for the Golf Course Superintendents, but for golf as a whole. At this time I shall call upon Bob Shields, the chairman of your program committee, who is here to welcome you and tell you about the program. Welcome to Conference L. R. Shields, Program Chairman V/oodmont Country Club Rockville, Maryland As Program Chairman I would like to welcome you to the 32nd annual conference of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of Golf Course Superintendents. A special welcome to those from out of town, including the group from the Philadelphia area led by former National President, Marshall Farnham. The Program Committee has made every effort to assemble a program that will appeal to a great variety of interests. We start this morning with a man who was once a club Greenschairman and is now President of the Mid-Atlantic Golf Association, Mr. Richard Essex. Next will be Mr. A. E. Martin a club manager, thoroughly familiar with country club operation, telling us how we can best work with our manager. From Pennsylvania to tell us what to do when there is talk of remodeling the course comes golf course architect, Dave Gordon. This afternoon we get into the basics of creating conditions for good turf by startingy/ith Dr. Jim Miller of the University who talks on Soils. Then Dr. John Gallagher tells us how to get rid of the weeds, followed by Dr. Jesse DeFrance on Herbicides, Fungicides and Insecticides. Verne Fish of Toro closes the educational session for the day by explaining how to care for our maintenance and mowing equipment. Tonight a good time is in store for all when we meet here in this room for a Social Hour sponsored "by Bolgiano Co., G. L. Cornell Co., National Capital Toro and Baltimore Toro. Please he here promptly at six o'clock. At the "banquet tonight I know you will enjoy meeting some of the officials from the University of Maryland and hearing Dr. Albert Piringer talk on the Effects of Light on Plants.1 Tomorrow will bring together well-known turfgrass personalities like Dr. Jim Watson, Dr. Jack Harper, Charles Hallowell and A1 Radco. Of special interest will be a message from Dr. Gene Nutter on the Management Challenge. Dr. Nutter, who is the Director of the National Association, wants superintendents to educate themselves and pull themselves up. Donft miss his talk. We held the Superintendent speakers until last and asked our friend Dr„ Fred Grau to act as Moderator. We know you will want to hear every one of them. May I express my thanks to the 20 or 30 people who appear on the program, the members of the Program Committee, the University of Maryland and Program Director, Dr. George Langford. * * * * * * * * * * * * Greetings from the President George C. Gumm, President Mid-Atlantic Assrn# of Golf Course Superintendents Berlin, Maryland It is a pleasure to extend Greetings to you on behalf of myself and our Board of Directors, and I wish to thank our Program Committee and the University of Maryland for their work in presenting us with such a fine educational program. All of our speakers have been asked to leave a copy of their speech with Dr. Langford so that a brochure of the Conference can be printed and forwarded to those who registered. Tonight at 6 p. m. we will have our cocktail hour in this room, and I want to thank the F. W. Bolgiano Co., G. L. Cornell Co., Gustin's Baltimore Toro, Inc. and National Capital Toro, Inc. There will be a little special entertainment at this affair. We have asked that all room gatherings be stopped during this cocktail hour. Following the cocktail hour we will have our annual dinner and Dr. Cory, Dr. Langford and Charles Hallowell will be presented with their honorary membership certificate, and Dr. Felix Juska with a complimentary membership certificate. I thank you for attending again this year and I am sure we will all enjoy a fine two-day session. The Golf Course Superintendent's Place in Golf Richard Essex, President Mid-Atlantic Golf Association Chevy Chase, Md. The increased importance of the Superintendent in Golf over the years can be pointed out by the fact that it was not too many years ago when you men were known as "Greenskeepers". Many of you can recall Y/hen the job was just about what the name implied. That was the day of the hand greens mower and the horse drawn fairway units. Add some kind of make-shift spray "unit, hand tools, such as scythes, etc, and the ordinary equipment found on farms of the time, spreaders and hay-rakes, etc, and horse drawn and it is easy to see the job required a farmer with a knowledge of the grasses in the area. Today the Course Superintendent is required to have a knowledge of automotive equipment (tractors, trucks, loaders) power tools of all descriptions, fungicides, herbicides, fertilizer of all kinds, principles of labor management, budget management and .golf course architecture. Several universities offer courses in the profession -ós it is now recognized. As the popularity of the game has grown more and more money has been invested to provide facilities to play the game and each year the cost of maintaining these facilities increased. As the amount of money spent annually rises, so does the importance of the men charged with the economical application of these funds. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal on the difficulties of Golf Club operation stated that the cause of most failures is mismanagement. While the article referred to the operation as a whole, we know the course budget is one of the largest items on any Clubfs annual statement. In order to be a part of a successful operation, a great deal depends on the ability of the Superintendent to produce the most from the dollars allotted him. To do this requires organization and planning. Any operation that moves from day to day, week to week or even month to month is far more costly than one that is intelligently planned for longer periods, such as seasons or even a full year or more. The largest part of any budget is labor. It is very easy to let the same men perform the same jobs year in and year out if you are fortunate enough to have men who are skilled and dependable. However, the cost of labor rises continually. New machinery is introduced to the field constantly. New maintenance methods are devised by the Superintendents and demonstrated and discussed at your monthly meetings. The proper use of new machinery and new methods can greatly reduce labor costs. To accomplish the savings available necessitates the training of the crew in new machinery and ne?/ methods. Unless this is done the so-called labor saving machine is mothing more than another item to be paid for and maintained, and is therefore a waste of money. It might do the job a bit better and make the crev/man!s job easier but it is still a waste of money. A point to be kept in mind. As hourly rates rise in industry, our rates must also rise if we are to maintain a crew. It is imperative that we make full use of the newest equipment with fev/er and better trained men who can perform many different jobs. The superintendent who follows this principle of training and labor reduction will have little trouble convincing his chairman he needs a piece of equip= ment. The one who buys the equipment and still has rising labor costs can expect to be called for an accounting sooner or later. It is difficult to reduce a force of loyal, faithful men, but the days of the man who can use only hand tools are numbered. The proper, most economical management of labor is an extremely vital part of being a valuable man in the operation of a golf plant. The average club member has very little knowledge of the real function of the Course Superintendent and what it takes to provide him with a perfect layout at all times. He seldom has the opportunity of observing the superintendent in action and may not realize the work is planned so it will not interfere with his enjoyment of the course. This doesn't prevent him from complaining when he sees something he feels should be done. General Floyd Parks made a remark to me when I was appointed Greens Chairman at Columbia about ten years ago. He said "Remember, you maintain a golf course not for the members, but in spite of the members." In other words "Don't fight it." Many things can be done in general practice to keep down the complaints. One of the most annoying things to a player is an untidy course. We know the player contributes to making a course untidy, but there again, we can't fight it too hard. Many clubs provide trash receptacles at every tee and this helps but doesn't cure. A regular clean-up program is necessary and should be followed faithfully. First impressions are very important. When a player comes out on the first tee and sees a clean, pleasant area, his game has started in an atmosphere he can enjoy at least until he hits his first shot. The Club House area should be given special attention as more members see this part of the course whether they play or not. A golf course is much easier to keep up than it is to get in shape. Routine, planned maintenance practices can make the job of preparing for a special event an easy one and goes a long way to please the members who play the couse day in and day out. The greenskeeper of past years has moved ahead as golf has moved ahead and is now an agronomist, a labor manager, a landscape expert, a financial wizard in many cases of short budgets, a diplomat in his relations with his chairman, and in more and more situations, a golf architect. His contribution to golf is seldom recognized by many people. Nevertheless, the people close to the operation of the facility realize his importance and appreciate his place in golf. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * How the Manager and Superintendent May Help Each Other A. E. Martin, Manager Congressional Country Club Washington, D. C. When Mr. James Thomas called me and invited me to appear at your conference I was most appreciative, yet wondered just where I might fit into the picture. I so expressed myself to Mr. Thomas, and he jokingly said, "Well - you?good friend Col. Dick Daley says you know a little something about budgets." So - I accepted. When my wife learned of this she said, "How can you contribute anything? You don't know anything about their complicated job of growing grass". That didn't help ray ego, but in hunting for an answer I remembered that as a youngster in school, being too small to play football, I had helped my team win through efforts exerted as a Yell Leader. Thought I, maybe I could be your Yell Leader. Finally, I confided in a fellow country club manager that I had accepted this invitation atid asked him what he thought I should say to the Gentlemen of the Greens. He jumped at the chance, "Tell them/1 he said, "to make the first and last holes EASY pars and put drain-board grooves in all the greens slanting toward the cups. The steaks taste better that way," A facetious statement, to be sure, but applied seriously...though not literally ...it bespeaks volumes. (Repeat* "Tell them to make the first and last greens SURE pars and slant all greens toward* the cups—-the steaks taste better that way." Without realizing it, my friend had cutely phrased a rule which you and I recognize as a basis one for all organizations..in one word..cooperation. Applied to our situation it means that, where our professions meet, we as Greens Superintendents and Managers must cooperate one with the other, if our goal is to be attained. Now this is not a new or startling observation. We have all heard and know it to be true. However, being human, we .sometimes forget this And where we do remember, where does this cooperation start — with the with the Greens Superintendent? This is like the question "Which comes chicken or the egg?" I answer with another question, namely ,. Does it matter? it before fact in life. Manager, or first, the really True in some organizations the Greens Superintendent reports to a General Manager and in others reports direct to the Greens Chairman or to the Governing Board. I have heard the point of which is the better arrangement discussed long and honestly on the floor of the Club Managers1 conference. To the argument that, if there is to be unity and progress, there can be only one staff head in a country club - with no division of authority between Greens Superintendent, Pro & Manager, I contended then, and contend now, that the point is of no particular significance if the attitudes of the three men concerned are correct ones. As an individual, I have been privileged to work under both arrangements. I choose not between them. I know to my own satisfaction that, if the attitudes of the three men towards their jobs and associates are ones of cooperation, the desired result will be forthcoming, regardless of which policy is in effect. Conversely, if the attitude of any of these three men is warped, biased and sneaky, the final results cannot possibly be of the best. Now - with attitudes correct, how can I help my associate,, ,iiie Greens Superintendent, do his job well and perhaps with more ease? (1) I can act as voluntary liaison between him, the Officers and the Members, to keep him informed of situations with which he possibly has not had the opportunity to become familiar. For example, if I hear more than the usual amount of ,!0rc.b "crabbing" among the Members about the way the rough is being cut (and to me a reasonable amount of expression is healthy, because it indicates interest), I think it is both my privilege and duty to inform our Greens Superintendent of same. If I hear repeated criticism about the lack of cleanliness of the shelter wash room on the back side of the course, I can and should inform Mr. Superintendent of the trend of comment. Maybe he will want to change the time schedule of that employee whose job it is to keep the wash room clean. If I hear complimentary remarks day after day about the beauty of his greens, this too, I think I should relate to him...and maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't object, if in this case, I told the Greens Chairman about it also. (2) I can take a personal interest in the men of his crew, as I do with my own staff - this with his due approval, of course, and strictly in line with his operating policy. Often the Manager, by the nature of his job, finds himself in a position to speak or act to the advantage of the greens crew separately or in conjunction with an over-all plan« Example—It was with just as much concern for the greens crew as for the house and other sports crews that, in 1948, I successfully convinced the Congressional Officials that the Club should make available for the employees Group Hospitalization and Death Insurance. And, by way of side comment, I would be less than honest if I did not admit that I felt a sense of satisfaction just this last week when I called in our Greens Superintendent, Mr. John Henley, and handed him a check for $1,000 to be presented to a fine elderly lady, who, early in Decern ber, lost her husband through death after a long illness. The husband was our oldest employee, a greensman who had helped turn the ground for the Congressional building in 1923. Superintendent John was gracious enough to ask if I didn't want to present the much-needed check. I thanked him and told him "no" - I had had the privilege of presenting to the widow Uncle Ed's Christmas bonus and I felt he should have the pleasure of presenting the insurance check. To elaborate further by example of advantage to the Greens Dept. thru Management's effort in the over-all, I cite another recent action of our Governing Board. After a number of years of study and weighing the possibilities of the Club being able to carry the cost, an employees1 pension plan was brought into being, at no cost to.the employee except application of his or her loyalty and effort converted into a reasonable term of service. As Manager, I take credit for bringing about consideration' of such action by our Powers-that-Be. I also take credit for encouraging them to include all employees and not just the top echelon. Further, I assumed a measure of responsibility, as manager, for maintaining operations at a level which will permit continuance of the plan. True, given the same contacts and background knowledge, our Greens Superintendent might have done as good or better job than I, but the boundaries of his position do not include or require that he gather in this particular knowledge.or maintain those particular contacts. However, notwithstanding the fact that he contributed no direct effort toward the establishment of the pension plan, he and his crew will benefit just as much from its establishment as well as the house and the other sports crews. I figure I extended our Superintendent a helping hand. (3) I can on occasions act as arbitrator between Greens Chairman and Greens Superintendent. I recall once that shortly after one of our annual meetings the new Greens Chairman came to me and said, "Look, I cannot possibly work v/ith that impossible so-and-so we have out there as Greens Superintendent. "He«11 have to go." And he meant it. What the new Chairman didn't know was that the Greens Superintendent had come to me the day before and said (in effect), "Look, that so-and-so doesn't know the first thing about maintaining a golf course and I'm not about to put up witl him." A timely word of restraint to each of them, with a suggestion that they simmer down and each give the other an opportunity to prove himself, brought a pleasing result. After two years of working together they had joined the mutual admiration club and each was often heard extolling the virtues of the other. (4) From the direct material standpoint, I can see to it that orders are placed and purchase orders issued promptly for supplies, repair parts, etc. requisitioned by the Superintendent; that the weekly pay checks are ready on time so that his men do not become disgruntled because of delays. When holidays play tricks with the regular work routine, I can encourage the payroll clerk to hurry along her calculations and maybe' pay a day ahead of time. This extra bit of effort on the part of the office crew may buy goodwill for the Superintendent that will stand him in good stead at some critical time. To continue to enumerate possibilities in this category would bring about an endless list. Suffice to say it is well for me to remember the little things that through thoughtfulness spell cooperation. (5) BUDGETS. Here I am sure I can lend real assistance to the Superintendents. What is "budgeting? It is simply the projection into the future of past experience (usually in terms of dollars), tempered to allow for known and anticipated upcoming situations. It goes without saying therefore that to he of any real value, the experience figures that go to form the foundation of the projected budget must be correctly and honestly accumulated. Mr. Superintendent must be sure that his daily records are kept accurately and in Sufficient detail to make them of future value as well as current value. The summarizing of those daily figures into monthly and yearly records can be a chore if the daily records are numerous. The Superintendent can save himself a great deal of time where dollar records are involved if hub will accept the summary figures of the Club bookkeeper, or at least use the Club's summary figures with which to compare and verify or disprove the correctness of his own calculations. Acceptance of this assistance from the Manager and/or his bookkeeper is a natural and non-compromising procedure. Good budgets are prepared from more than one year's experience, granting that the records are available. However, caution must be exercised to see that out-dated figures are not included. For example, wage rates of ten years ago were much, much lower than they are today. ..than they were last year... and from all indications lower than they will be next year, To include payroll expense figures of ten years ago would serve only to lend misrepresentation to the averages which we seek for the purpose of projecting next year's budget. On the other hand there may be some reason to consider long term records where division of the budget into operating and capital expenditure parts is concerned - where rates of depreciation and obsolescence are concerned - and where insurance valuations are concerned. In my opinion fairest determination here can be effected by Superintendent and Manager working together in cooperation with the corporation's comptroller or bookkeeper - each thus helping the other. and above all (if I may issue a warning), please don't any Superintendent put too much stock in the old adage "I'm a greenskeeper - not a bookkeeper". Remember, you are now Greens Superintendents, not just Greenskeepers. I cast no reflection on the latter, but the word "superintendent" infers at least greater responsibility... and today, this responsibility you must carry. If you don't believe this is important, I refer you to and suggest that you go back and re-read the front page article v/hich appeared in Wall Street Journal under the recent date line of December 28, 1961: "Ailing Country Clubs...Costs, Mismanagement, Overzealous Promotion." True we need not be pushed into panic by this article, but it might be well if both Managers and Superintendents consider the contents of the same soberly. (6) There is an intangible way in which I think I can help our Superintendent-,, too. I can encourage him to associate himself with other men of his profession such as you..... and right here I would like to personally compliment you as an association, on the tremendous progress you have made, particularly in recent years. We of the Club Managers Association , and the Golf Professionals Association too, I am sure, recognize the fact that you carry well your responsibility as the ranking society of your profession. I can encourage our Superintendent to be well read, professionally - read the "Reporter", your official publication, for example. He doesn't have to agree with everything that he reads, but certainly he cannot read same without stimulatinf his thinking. ....Now I could take offense at that "crack" about cost of the Club House operation, but I won't, because Mr. Boyd is at least partially correct in his statement - and besides, while I don't believe that I ever had the pleasure of meeting the gentleman, apparently he was born just 30 miles south of where I was born... and one of my dear friends was, for a number of years Manager of Camargo. Besides, I do like the way Mr. Boyd forcibly states some pertinent facts. And right here I think it not inappropriate that I mention that both the Superintendent and the Manager will find their mutual operating problems minimized if they are fortunate enough to have a Greens Chairman who understands operational finance particularly as same relates to budgets. Currently we at Congressional are in a fortunate cycle. Our Greens Chairman is a very successful energetic contracting builder with an engineering degree, who fully understands this phase of his chairmanship. If we of the staff had become a little lax in our detail record keeping of Greens and Grounds costs, he most certainly has corrected same. There are few detail financial questions that can be asked about our Greens operations today Y/hich cannot be answered quickly by reference to the record files. Our Greens Superintendent and his crew hold the man in great respect and from all indications the entire personnel of the department enjoy their Y/ork. As Manager, I am exceedingly pleased because this helps me in the overall administration of Club affairs, and helps keep tension and stress at a minimum in the overall organization. While pointing out some ways in which I think a Manager can be of assistance to the Greens Superintendent, I have in the process indicated in some instances how the Superintendent can assist the Manager. Further, I think the Superintendent can help the Manger by accepting gracefully the Manager!s efforts to assist him, and vice versa. It is not difficult to misinterpret good intentions. Mr. Superintendent can help also by cooperating closely with the Pro and Manager (as Mr. Boyd said) by giving due notice in advance. for example, if a part of the course is to be closed to play at some specified time for some specified reason. Materially, he can help by keeping the property roads and parking lots cleared of snow in the winter time without the Manager having to push to get it done. He can grant without grumbling the loan of the field truck in an emergency to move in the fashion show platforms from winter storage, or to haul clay for the tennis courts. He can keep the fireplace wood bin at the Club house filled in the v/inter without waiting for the Manager to call for or beg for the wood. He can get his requisitions for materials into the office before the need becomes an emergency. He can get his payroll time book in to the office without the paymaster having to call for it. He can see to it that he doesn't put some one to Y/ork until that some one has provided his social security number, or in the case of a minor, until that minor has provided the necessary Y/ork permit. He can report immediately an accident involving his employees and/or the Club's equipment. He can approve his department's invoices quickly to permit the Club to take advantage of cash discounts, and to save the office clerk the time and annoyance of having to chase down this or that invoice. He can encourage courtesy and friendliness on the part of his employees in their contacts with employees of other departments. Yes, by remembering to do the many little things of this nature, while being duly concerned with the big ones, Mr. Superintendent can make my life as a Club Manager just that much more livable. To summarize: If you and I and the Pro will Y/ork amiably together and grant each other the same amount of tolerance that we grant to the employees within our individual domains, we will "go happy - be happy" and at the same time do a better job for our employers. The Architect in Remodeling David \7, Gordon Golf Course Architect Doylestown, Pyuria, Needs for remodeling A, Improvements for actual playing of game. 1, Eliminate outmoded hunkers. 2, Readjust distances for longer game today. 3» Realign fairy/ays as well as reduce their widths to ¿fi to 50 yds. 4t Redesign greens to fit present play. 5. Eliminate trees which have grown to interfere with play. B. Improvements for better maintenance. 1. Eliminate sharp slopes on greens, tees and bunkers. 2. Redesign greens. a. For more cupping space b. For better topsoil conditions. c. Change to better strains of grass, 3. Eliminate v/ater pockets and sharp ridges in fairways 4. Enlarge tees to give more teeing surface 5. Eliminate sharp mounds used to bury stone, etc. 6. Thin out trees to allow for air circulation, and eliminate competition for light and soil nutrients. C, To solve problems created by encroachment. 1. Highways. 2. Clubhouse expans ion. 3. Need for practice area, pool, etc, D. Add additional nine or eighteen holes to golf course. Benefits of retaining an architect: A. All changes are contained in one package. 1. May be in letter after a survey of course. 2. May be in plans and specifications where extensive changes are to be made, 3. Includes visits and exhibits to help sell membership. B. Ability to program and budget work, 1. Not to interfere with golf 2. Ease problems for maintenance crew. C. Makes use of established theories of golf design rather than whims of green chairman or green superintendent, 1, Eliminates abortions. 2. Eliminates continual renovation due to dissatisfaction with prior changes« D. Relieves the green chairman and green superintendent of the responsibility of individual changes. 1, Architect must justify changes if they are questioned. III. Problems that may be encountered: A. Selection of golf course architect. 1. An architect in your area whose work you are familiar with. 2. An architect whose name appears on the American Society of Golf Course Architects1 membership list. B. Attempting to undertake too much construction in a given period. 1. Inability to finish work in specified time may jeopardize remainder of program. C. Skimping on construction specifications to save money. 1. Be sure required fills are made, especially in slopes. 2. Be sure finest quality materials are used even though something cheaper may be available. * * * * * * * * Fundamental Facts About Soil, Lime and Fertilizer for Turf Grasses Dr. J, R. Miller University of Maryland College Park, Maryland Lime and fertilizer are very important in the establishment and maintenance of turf grasses in the Mid-Atlantic States. To use lime and fertilizer to best advantage on turf grasses one must consider some of the basic fundamentals regarding soils. Soils are composed of air, water, minerals and organic matter. The mineral fraction of the soil consists of various size particles (gravel, stones, sand, silt, and clay) and through the action of weathering many of these particles release plant food for use by growing crops. However, the quantity of plant food supplied in this E&nner is not sufficient to meet the needs of turf grasses and additional nutrients must be supplied from commercial fertilizers or other sources. The nutrients added to soils and those released in the weathering process are held primarily by the clay particles and the fine organic matter in the soil. The clay particles are very small in size (less than 0.00008 of an inch and have a negative charge. As a result of this negative charge, the clay has the ability to attract plant nutrients that have a positive charge (such as calcium and magnesium in lime and the potassium found in turf fertilizers) thus reducing their loss by leaching. On the other hand, plant food elements which possess a negative charge such as nitrate nitrogen are not strongly attracted by the soil and can be easily leached. Since nitrogen in this form is easily leached from soils and relatively large quantities of nitrogen are contained in grasses, this plant food element is usually recommended for turf grasses at higher rates of application than phosphate or potash. In addition to nitrate nitrogen, the phosphates also have a negative charge. However, this plant food element does not react like nitrate nitrogen as it forms insoluble chemical compounds when added to the soil. As a result very little phosphorus is lost by leaching and there can be a buildup of this nutrient in the soil when large amounts of fertilizer are used. A good example of this is the very high level of phosphorus often found in soils from greens. The organic matter portion of the soil is also very important because of the many useful effects it produces. Some of these are as follows: 1. Increases waterholding capacity. 2. Improves aeration (especially on heavy clay soils). 3. Promotes good tilth. 4. Helps to hold plant food in soil. Many of the soils of the Mid-Atlantic States are quite acid and need lime for the satisfactory growth of turf grasses. Most of the grasses recommended for lawns and golf courses grow best in soils that have a pH of about 6.5* A recent summary of more than 1000 soil samples from established lawns showed that 59 per lucent of the soils were below pH 6.1 and needed an application of lime. It was en couraging to find that only 16 per cent of the soils from greens v/ere in this category. In the case of fairways the acidity problem was more serious with 49 per cent of the soils below pH 6.1. In addition to correcting the soil acidity, lime is also important for the groYrth of turf grasses because it — 1. Supplies calcium - also magnesium in some cases. 2. Causes phosphorus and other plant food elements to become more available. 3. Stimulates bacterial activity. 4. Indirectly improves structure of heavy soils. Turf Grass Weed Control John E. Gallagher, Agronomist Amchem Products, Inc., Ambler, Pa. In the effort to provide top quality turf under present day player demands, weed control can play an important part. It has often been suggested that a vigorous turf is the best weed control practice. No one seriously disagrees with this statement. The problem seems to lie in the establishment and maintenance of this vigorous stand of turf. Any injury and subsequent weakening of the turf opens the way to weed problems. If costs more to maintain weeds than to control them. By using weed control practices all other management practices such as mowing, fertilizing, watering and aerification go into the management of turf. This year turf people had to be weed conscious;. The Eastern half of the country had what will probably be remembered as the worst crabgrass year in a long time. A cold, wet spring followed by a warm, wet summer delayed germination and then went on to produce a magnificient crop of crabgrass. Weeds in general grew well and all turf herbicides have been put to a severe test. Many of the standard materials were not up to their best results. From a research outlook considerable emphasis has been placed on pre-emergence crabgrass control. With the continued improvement in the type of herbicides available it is hoped that we will soon truly lick the crabgrass problem. A second direction in which research is moving is that which is providing turf tolerance information. This is a very encouraging trend. We are getting new grass strains almost as fast as we are getting new chemicals and it is time we in research agreed that tolerance to herbicides is vital in the establishment of these new strains. Why Weeds Since we know that maintaining a strong vigorous turf is difficult, we might look into some of the preventable man-made causes of turf weaknesses. 1* Water misuse. Too much water can occasionally "be attributed to natural causes, but I am sure that the acreage of good turf ruined by the man behind the sprinkler would far outnumber that caused by flooding from natural causes. Water movement through surface) and subsurface drainage can determine the type of plant material which will survive. 2. Fertilizer misuse. Without proper fertilization we cannot provide the growth rate needed to maintain turf vigor. Too little is as much a problem as too much. 3. Insect and disease injury. Unless we anticipate this type of injury by preventative action, particularly when through past experience we know it will occur, we have weak turf and subsequent weed invasion. 4* Mechanical injury. Regardless of how accomplished we have weak spots open for weeds. 5. Mowing practices. Any mowing practice which permits a build-up of clipping to develop a thatch or actually allow a pile of clippings to lay on the surface of the sod results in injury leading to weed problems. 6. Misuse of chemicals. Turf herbicides must be used within the limits specified if they are to do their job safely. With chemicals, as with many other operations, "When all else fails, read the directions." Misuse of plant material. Don't force a grass to do a job when other plant material will do it better for less. Poor design. Under present day use demands, it pays to "Think Big". Make the area involved large enough to distribute the wear: 9. Miscellaneous. This covers the unexpected - animal damage, delinquents, etc. You should have anticipated it. If you did not, then repair the damage before weeds come in. Weed Control Recommendations Turf weed control is actually a relatively stable program. The confusion of a multitude of nexi chemicals for specific weed problems rarely actually reaches the level of the user. This is quite evident when I compare talks on weed control a few years ago with this one today. I will add only a few herbicides today that were not in use two years ago, and they are mostly in the field of pre-emergence crabgrass. Broadleaf Weeds. For broadleaf weeds we still use phenoxy compounds. To them we have added Simazine, Endothal and Neburon. (Phenoxy Compounds) The phenoxy compounds control most of the common broad leaf weed problems. Certain cautions must be observed when using these materials. Spray to avoid drift to desirable ornamentals; use half rates when treating bents, St. Augustine and new grass strains of which the tolerance has not been established. Phenoxy compounds are most efficiently applied with low volume, 10-20 gpa, and low pressure, 40 psi for turf weed control. Phenoxy compounds are available as amines, or emulsifiable acids esters and formulated for spraying or spreading. If possible use separate equipment for turf weed control. If the same equipment must be used for other purposes, thoroughly clean before and after using flushing out the entire system. 2.4-D Susceptible Weeds, Weeds easily controlled at rates of 1/2 to 1-1/2lbs. acid equivalent per acre. Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), narrow leaf plantain (Plantago lanceolata), broadleaf plantain (Plantago major), self-heal (Prunella vulgaris), curled dock (Rumex crispus), Florida pussley (Richardia scabra), and many other broadleaf weeds. Weeds hard to control - require specific formulations or repeat treatments. Wild garlic and onion - 2,4-D ester formulations. Eradication covers a twothree year period. Knotweed (Polygonum aviculare) treat in two leaf stage« Wild carrot may require a repeat treatment in 3 weeks, English daisy (Bellis perennis) emulsifiable acid 2 lb/A repeat treatment. 2?4t5~T» Weeds easily controlled at rates of 1/2 - 1 lb/Acre. Most clover species - white dutch (Trifolium repens), hop clover (Trifolium procumbena) and black medic (Medicago lupulina) and creeping beggarweed (Meibomia cana) in Centipede turf. Weeds hard to kill require repeat treatments - Oxalis (Osalis stricta) 2,4.5-T Prcx>ionic. Weeds easily controlled at 1-1/2 lb/Acre. Common chickweec1 (Stellaria med.ia). field chickweed (Cerastium arvense) . spotted spurge (Euphorbia supina); Oxalis (Osalis stricta). clover species and Henbit (Lamauin amplaxicaule). Weeds hard to control require at least two treatments at the 1- 1-1/2 lb/A zate. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), mouse-ear chickweed (Cerastium vulgatum). ground ivy (Nepeta hederacea). For weeds other than spotted spurge make applications during the cooler part of the year. 4(2,¿-DB). 2,4-D Butyric - Post-emergent application to seeding broadleaf weeds. Rates of 2 4 2 lb/Active per acre appears tolerant to many turfgrass species. Simazine. Research work conducted by Dr0 Evert Burt (l) has established the