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 M I D - W E S T E RN D I S T R I CT ROOM 241, L A S A L LE H O T EL CHICAGO 2, ILLINOIS TELEPHONES STATE 2-7485 S O U T H W E S T E RN D I S T R I CT TEXAS A fit M C O L L E GE C O L L E GE STATION, TEXAS T E L E P H O N E: VICTOR 6-5210 No. 6 December - 1961 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 A G R O N O M I ST C H A R L ES E. C R O L EY A G R O N O M I ST AGRONOMISTS VIEW ST. LOUIS TURF RESEARCH A feature of the Agronomy Society meetings held in St. Louis in November was a tour of turf plots where the St. Louis Turf Research group is conducting turf studies. The golf course superintendents of the St. Louis area and their clubs are unique in that they sponsor organized research locally. Ray Freeborg is in charge of the studies. The turfgrass agronomists present on the tour were quite impressed with the work being done. The people responsible for St. Louis Turf Research are to be commended for their work. MOWING TRIALS IN NEW ZEALAND Results of mowing studies were published in the New Zealand Institute of Turf Culture Newsletter for October i960. The following notes are reprinted from that report: (l) A strip was mown on every occasion that the field was considered to require mowing. (2) The second strip was mown at every second mowing of the field. (3) The third strip was mown at every fourth mowing of the field. After six months of such treatment there were very wide differences in the quality of the turf. In the case of that mown every time the field was mown, fine grasses predominated in a well knit turf; where mowing was restricted to every second cutting of the field the turf began to open up and a number of coarser grasses, clovers, and weeds started to appear; and where this mowing was restricted to every fourth cutting of the field there was a marked deterioration with much of the finer turf disappearing, clover becoming very strong, and coarse grasses and weeds dominating much of the area. COMING EVENTS January 26 January 29-February 2 .USGA Green Section Educational Meeting Biltmore Hotel, New York, N. Y. GCSAA International Conference and Show Deauville Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida NOW WHERE DID I PUT THOSE PRUNING TOOLS? With winter coming on and turf maintenance activities slowing down, itfs time to be thinking of those pruning jobs that were put off till more time was available in the winter» Here are some pruning points to think about» Why? Pruning should be done only when there is a reason for it. Here, in order of importance, are some of those reasons: (l) To remove dead wood or winter- killed growth. (2) To balance the amount of top or branch growth on a plant with the amount of root system at the time of transplanting. (3) To remove parts of plants that are injured seriously by diseases or insects, injuries to the plant by weather conditions, such as storms, (5) To rejuvenate older plants by removing older stems and branches to encourage vigorous new young stems to take their place, (6) To maintain or develop a desired size or form. (7) To produce more or better flowers and fruit, (4.) To repair Incorrect and Correct Pruning Methods DECAY SPLIT LIMB NOT PRUNED RESULTS IN DECAY IMPROPERLY PRUNED LIMB RESULTS IN DECAY FINAL CUT ALONG DOTTED LINE PRELIMINARY CUT CUT TO RE- MOVE LIMB START CUT PRELIMINARY CUT BEFORE REMOVING STUMP PROPER PROCEDURE IN PRUNING A LARGE LIMB REMOVAL OF VERY LARGE LIMB SAFETY RULES FOR PRUNERS 1. Know the type of wood in the tree. Be especially cautious when pruning trees with weak, brittle wood such as silver maple, willow, poplar and tulip. Oak, hickory, pecan, elm and plane trees have strong, flexible wood. 2. Check your pruning tools often for safety and efficiency. 3. Study and decide on the general condi- tions of the tree. Greater care must be taken in old or weakened trees than in sound ones. 4. If possible, prune when the weather is warm and the trees are dry. When temperatures are low and the trees are wet, the job of pruning is always dangerous. When electric wires run through or near the tree, the danger of electrical shock is increased in wet weather. 5. Never allow tools to come in contact with wires, even though they are supposed to be in- sulated. 7. When pruning 6. Bark peeling and fungus growths are signs of dying and dead branches. Never depend for support on limbs that show these symptoms. remember that any branch, no matter how sound in appear- ance, may give way under the weight of the pruner. Always have a safety rope properly attached. large trees, The information on pruning was taken from the Texas Agricultural Extension Bulletin "Modern Pruning Methods" by A. F. DeWerth. Recommended Reading Material Modern Pruning Methods The Pruning Manual... r The Home Book of Trees and Shrubs •» Pruning is Simple A. F. DeWerth, Texas Agricultural Extension Service Bulletin B-977* E. P. Christopher, The MacMillan Co., 1954. r J* J. Levison, Alfred A. Knopr, 19^9* S ; Frank McCaffrey, Publishers, 1948. ••••John & Carol Grant Maintenance of Shade and Ornamental Trees P. P. Pirone Oxford University Press, 1941. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The Green Section Staff would like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 4