UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION GREEN SECTION M i d - C o n t i n e nt T u r f l e t t er No. 3 June - 1958 D R. M A R V IN H. F E R G U S ON MID-CONTINENT DIRECTOR NATIONAL RESEARCH COORDINATOR J A M ES L. H O L M ES MID-WESTERN AGRONOMIST J A M ES B. M O N C R I EF SOUTHWESTERN AGRONOMIST M I D - W E S T E RN D I S T R I CT ROOM 241, LASALLE HOTEL CHICAGO 2, ILLINOIS T E L E P H O N E: STATE 2 - 7 4 85 S O U T H W E S T E RN D I S T R I CT TEXAS A SE M COLLEGE COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS T E L E P H O N E: V I C T OR 6 - 5 2 10 WINTERKILL OF BERMUDAGRASS During the last winter and early spring a great deal of bermudagrass died. Those growers along the northern edge of the bermudagrass zone of adaptation found their losses to be considerable. Fortunately, there seem to be some live sprigs left in most areas and these will enable the turf to become re-established in a relatively short time. There seemed to be two primary causes of the winterkill. First was desiccation or drying out. This cause of winterkill was treated rather fully in a discussion which appeared in the UPGA Journal of November, 1953. Two paragraphs from that article are quoted herewith: "When soils are cold, plant roots are relatively inactive and water is taken up very slowly. Many times soils remain cold when the air temperature becomes warmer. Thus we have transpiration, or water loss, occurring from the leaves without any accompanying water uptake by the roots. The inevitable result is 'wiltingf< or desiccation. Cold affects desiccation in another wgy. When grass is subjected to freezing temperatures, the water contained in the living plant cells is drawn out of the cells and is frozen in intercellular spaces. When the ice crystals thaw, the water does not go back into the plant cells. The living part of the grassJias lost water during the freez- ing process and because the roots are not "functioning normally in the cold soil, water is not being taken up for replenishment of the supply in the cells." The second cause of loss was disease. On almost all areas where winterkill occurred, large spots or lesions caused by fungal activity were found on the bermudagrass rhizomes. There is very little information available on this type of disease activ- ity which occurs below ground. Therefore it is not possible to say whether disease alone could have caused loss of turf. There is little doubt that it contributed to that loss. This is an area of investigation that is virtually untouched and much research is needed to determine the degree of damage and the possibilities of successful control. POISON INFORMATION CENTERS When workmen handle pesticidal materials such as those commonly used on golf courses, there is always the chance that one of them may become ill from exposure to these materials. Because of the complexity of the chemical nature of economic poisons, physicians may not have treatment procedures immediately at hand. As an aid to the prompt treatment of poisoning victims, a number of POISON CONTROL CENTERS have been set up throughout the country. A partial list for your area is printed below. KEEP THIS LIST WHERE YOU CAN FIND IT! with pesticides, give your doctor the name of the material and give him this list of Poison Information Centers. Illinois of your men becomes ill after working Springfield, State Department of Public Health, State Office Building, 400 South Spring Street; Roland R. Cross, M. D., Director of Public Health* Attention: Norman J. Rose, M. D., Assistant Deputy Director, Springfield 6611 Division of Preventive Medicine. Chicago, Mercy Hospital, 2537 South Prairie Avenue, Chicago 16; Joseph Christian, M. D., Director Victory 2-4700 Indiana Indianapolis, Poison Control Center, 401 East 34th Street, Indianapolis 5; Irving Rosenbaum, M. D., Director Walnut 5-1677 Iowa " State Department of Health, State Office Building, Des Moines 19; Edmund G. Zimmerer, M. D., State Commissioner of Health* Attention: Madelene Donnelly, M. D., Director, Division of Maternal and Child Health. Kansas Topeka, Stormont-Vail Hospital, 10th and Washburn Streets; William H. Crouch, M. D., Director Topeka 5-2361 x 218 Kentucky Louisville, Louisville General Hospital, 323 East Chestnut Street; Louisville 2, Wm. Curtis Adams, M. D., Coordinator Juniper 2-1831 Michigan Detroit, Herman Kiefer Hospital, 1151 Taylor Avenue, Detroit 2; Paul T. Salchow, M. D., William G. Frederick, Sc. D., Co-Directors Trinity 2-3334 Grand Rapids, Butterworth Hospital, 300 Bostwick N. E., Grand Rapids 3; Mark W. Dick, M. D., Director Glendale 1-3591 ^Cooperating Agency Minnesota Minneapolis, Minnesota State Department of Health, University Campus Warren Lawson, M. D., Director Federal 9-7751 Missouri Kansas City, Kansas City General Hospital #1, 2400 Cherry; Beryl I. Burns, M. D., Director St. Louis, St. Louis City Hospital, 1515 Lafayette Street; Virginia Peden, M. D., Director Harrison 1-8060 Central 1-7300 Nebraska Cmaha, Childrenfs Memorial Hospital, 44th and Dewey Streets, Cmaha 5; Director, Poison Control Center Glendale 5400 Ohio Cincinnati, The Kettering Laboratory, College of Medicine, Eden Avenue CA 1414 and Bethesda, Cincinnati 19; Mitchell R. Zavon, M.D., Dir. Cleveland, Cleveland Academy of Medicine, 2009 Adelbert Road, Cleveland 6; George Bedder, M. D., Medical Director, Irving Sunshine, PhD., Technical Director Cedar 1-3500 Columbus, The Children's Hospital, 17th Street at Livingston Park, Columbus 5; Warren E. Wheeler, M. D., Director Clearbrook 8-9783 Oklahoma Oklahoma City, Oklahoma University Medical Center, 800 Northeast 13th St., Oklahoma City 4; H. A. Shoemaker, Ph.D., Director RE 6-1511, x 358 Texas Houston, Baylor University College of Medicine, Texas Medical Center; Harold L. Dobson, M. D., Chairman, Poison Control Organization Comm. Wisconsin Milwaukee, Poison Control Committee, 1513 East Capital Drive, Milwaukee 11; F. J. Mellenkamp, M. D., Chairman x xxx x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x COMING EVENTS June 12-14 - U. S. Open Championship, Southern Hills Country Club,Tulsa, Okla, July 14 - Oklahoma Turfgrass Association Field Day, Stillwater, Okla. Dr. Wayne Huffine July 16 - Texas Turfgrass Association Field Day, College Station, Texas Dr. Ethan Holt August 4-8 - American Society of Agronomy Meetings, Purdue University. September 30 - St. Louis Field Day, Clayton, Mo. Leo Bauman. , . . < Mid-Continent Turf letter USGA GREEN SECTION Sec. 34.66 P.L.&R. U. S. POSTAGE 1 V ii PAID College Station, Texas Permit No. 80 Dr«TJ# R* Watson, Jr* Chief Agronoriist Tore Mfg# Corporation Minneapolis 6, Minn»