UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION A MID-WESTERN DISTRICT R O OM 2 4 1, L A S A L LE H O T EL C H I C A GO 2, I L L I N O IS T E L E P H O N E: S T A TE 2 - 7 4 85 SOUTHWESTERN DISTRICT T E X AS A & M C O L L E GE C O L L E GE S T A T I O N, T E X AS T E L E P H O N E: V I C T OR 6 - 5 2 10 M i d - C o n t i n e nt T u r f l e t t er No. h August - 1961 DR. MARVIN H. FERGUSON M I D - C O N T I N E NT D I R E C T OR N A T I O N AL R E S E A R CH C O O R D I N A T OR JAMES L. HOLMES M I D - W E S T E RN A G R O N O M I ST W. WAYNE A L L EN S O U T H W E S T E RN A G R O N O M I ST SEEDS - the 1961 Yearbook of Agriculture Because all golf course superintendents are concerned with seeds, the Yearbook of Agriculture for 1961 will be of special interest. It treats all facets of the seed business and is both entertaining and instructive. The book may be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents, Washington 25, D. C., at a price of $2.00. However, most congressmen have copies for free distribution and in many cases a request addressed to your congressman will be honored. The book is a rare bargain even if you have to buy it. KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS SEED CROP FORECAST According to Seed World magazine, the production of Kentucky bluegrass in Kentucky and the North Central States will be much lower this year. The Crop Reporting Board of the USDA estimates a production of 15,1*00,000 lbs. of cured seed. This is only 26 per cent of last year's production of 60,320,000 lbs. The recovery of clean seed is also expected to be lower so that on the basis of clean seed it is estimated that this year's crop will amount to 5>900,000 lbs. compared to last year's total of 29,1*00,000 lbs. These estimates do not include the production of bluegrass in the far Western states nor does it include production of Merion, Park, Newport, Delta, or other named strains. Mr. Kuhn1s Lazy Susan The job of transporting sprinkler heads so that they do not become bettered up and so that they are easily accessible to the water man is one which has taxed the ingenuity of a great many superintendents. Mr. Kuhn, of the Boulder Country Club, has built a novel rack that works very well. Cn the cut-away back of an old automobile, he has mounted a large rotating wooden table in which holes are bored and in which the sprinkler head stems are held. Separated and racked in this manner, different types and sizes of sprinklers are easily and quickly identifiable. Because the table rotates in "lazy-susan" fashion, the water man can easily and quickly reach any type of sprinkler he may choose. CALIFORNIA RESEARCH The July-August; 1961 issue of the Agronomy Journal contained three papers report- ing results of research conducted at the Uhiversity of California; Los Angeles. Summaries are reprinted "below: Accelerated Wear Tests on Turfgrasses - V. B. Youngner An accelerated wear machine was developed for testing turfgrasses for resistance to wear from foot traffic. Two types of wear elements were used; scuffing corrugated feet and spike-covered rollers. Zoysia, bermudagrasses; and Alta fescue were the most wear resistant varieties studied. All grasses were damaged more rapidly by the spiked rollers. Warm season stoloniferous grasses recovered most rapidly and completely. Comparisons of bermudagrass varieties showed Sunturf and U-3 to be most wear resistant. All varieties withstood more wear when cut at one inch than when cut at one-quarter inch. worn by the spiked rollers. Recovery was more rapid in areas worn by the scuffing feet than in those Salinity Tolerance of Five Turfgrass Varieties - 0. R. Lunt; V. B. Youngner; The salinity tolerance of several turfgrasses was examined. The salinity tolerance of Puccinellia distans was very high. It survived relatively well when grown with concentrations of 330 me. per liter of soluble salts in sub- strate. Seaside bentgrass survived relatively well at concentrations of 19*4- me. per liter of soluble salts, alta fescue at 13*4-; and Kentucky bluegrass and highland bent survived relatively well at 7*1- me. per liter of soluble salts. Alta fescue and seaside bent germinated better than Kentucky blue or highland bent under moderately saline field conditions. and J. J. Oertli Boron Toxicity in Several Turfgrass Species - J. J. Oertli; 0. R. Lunt; and Vo B. Youngner Five grass species clipped at frequent -intervals showed little decline in vigor because of high boron supplies. In another experiment with six grass species boron was observed to accumulate in tip areas where injuries were observed first, Species with rapid boron accumulation showed injury first. Because of the accumulation of boron in tips, most of the boron in grasses; when levels are high; would be removed periodically through the practice of mowing. Difficulties are meant to arouse; not discourage; the human spirit grows strong by conflict. - Channing TRAFFIC BARRIERS To say that golfers use the Denver Municipal Golf Course intensively is a gross understatement. During this summer, the writer learned that on one morning, 78 players had started before 7-00 a.m. Such play with the accompanying two-wheeled bag carts produces a tremendous amount of wear in the areas where traffic is concentrated. Charles Christiansen and the four superintendents who are responsible for the City Courses in Denver have concluded that pulling carts across tees contributes greatly to the wear on those areas. Consequently they have placed rails or stakes and ropes around tees in such a way that the golfer can slip through the barrier but he cannot easily pull his cart through. Thus by keeping the carts off tees a degree of traffic control is achieved. The practice appears to be helping tee turf in Denver. CCMING EVENTS September 1*1—15 September 20-21 September 26 October 5-6 October 9-10 Midwest Field Days Purdue University Lafayette, Indiana Missouri Second Lawn and Turf Conference University of Missouri Columbia, Missouri St. Louis Field Day Westwood Country Club Clayton, Missouri Rocky Mountain Turfgrass Conference Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado New Mexico Turfgrass Conference New Mexico State University University Park, New Mexico * 4 H H H H H H H H ( H H H H H H H H H H Hf Don1t get discouraged; it's usually the last key in the bunch that opens the lock» Continent Turf letter USGA GREEN SECTION BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE P A ID Col lege Station, Texas Permit No. 80 A1 M* Radko Northeastern Direct.USGA Liprngn Hall,Rutgers Univ, Nw Brunswick, N. J.