PROCEEDINGS
of

1962 TURF CONFERENCE
Sponsored by the

and

PURDUE UNIVERSITY
LAFAYETTE, INDIANA
March 5-7, 1 9 6 2

PROCEEDINGS OF THE
1962
MIDWEST REGIONAL TURF CONFERENCE

The 42 articles included in these Proceedings are condensations of
talks by speakers before sections and divisions of the 1962 M . R . T . F .
Conference. We appreciated the willingness of the speakers to participate and
prepare material for your reading.
See Table of Contents next page.
Proceedings of each annual Conference since 1948 have been prepared.
A
limited number of 1959 and 1960 Proceedings are available at price below.
Copies of 1961 are exhausted.
A copy of these Proceedings were mailed to:
1.

The 590 attending the 1962 Midwest Regional Turf

Conference.

2.

One person of each Member Organization within the Midwest
Regional Turf Foundation not represented at the Conference.

3.

List of those in education a c t i v i t i e s .

Additional copies are available at $ 1 . 0 0 each from:
W . H . Daniel, Executive-Secretary
Midwest Regional Turf Foundation
Department of Agronomy, Purdue University
Lafayette, Indiana

Attendance divided by interest as
judged by registration card

Distribution by States

Golf Courses
Turf Materials & Supplies
Sod Nurseries & Landscape
Parks (most have golf courses)
Industrial Grounds
School Grounds
Cemeteries
Non-Profit & Educational

305
130
56
12
18
17
7
45

Illinois
Ohio
Indiana
Michigan
Wisconsin
Missouri
Kentucky
Outside Midwest
Purdue

189
135
106
44
27
22
18
26
_J_3

Total

590

Total

590

Cheek below for special a r t i c l e s suggested for f i r s t reference based on your
major interest

For Lawns f i r s t see
Fagee 4 — 1 B - 28 - 36 - 46 - 50 - 55 - 5? - 6 0 - 62 ~ 63 - 6 6 - 6 0 ~ 71 74 _ 75 - 76 - 78 ~ 83 - 00; - 01

For Sod Production f i r s t see
Pages

5 - 28 - 46 - 43= - 50 - 52 - 59 - 60 - 61 - 63 - 66 - 69 - 71 - 74 75 - 78 - 81

For Golf Courses - 29 out of 42 are of d e f i n i t e interest, but f i r s t
Pages

3 - 10: _ 12 - 15 - 19 - 2,0 - 24 - 25 - 27 - 28 - 32 - 33 - 35 - 37 42 - 46 - 42 - 55 - 56 - 59 - 60 - 62 - 6-3 - 66- - 69 - 74 - 75 - 78 91

For Turf Disease see f i r s t
Pages

see

10 - 19 - 20 - 28 - 37 - 48 - 78:

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
President' s Report
Executive Secretary's R e p o r t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Research Approach to the Turf M a r k e t . . . . . . . . . . .
The Trend in Golf T o d a y . . . .
Turf Within a State

..R.

Saving Money — W h y ? • • . . . . . . • • . • • . . . . . • . • . • . . . . •
Standards Worth Keeping.
Necessity for Budget and Cost Analysis
Uniform Parts of Golf Course Budget
Getting New Courses Started

Lindsteadt

. . . .W. E . Lyons

Insurance and Benefits for Workmen
Insurance & Fringe Benefits
How Much Did ?ou Put On?
Training Turf Managers
Training Turf Managers
The Role of The District G . C . S . A . . .
The Midwest Grounds Management A s s o c i a t i o n . . . . .

V . Mitchell
.M. H . Ferguson

3
3
4
8
10
12
15
19
20
24
25
27
28
32
33
35
36

. S . Frederiksen
The Turf Fungicide Business - A Review
Introducing a New Product
When A Salesman Stops By
Supplying Products to the User
. P . E . & J . R . Burdett
Merchandising Our Service & P r o d u c t s . . . . . . . . . . .
Service - How Much to Landscapers

37
42
46
48
50
52

Automatic Control As It Affects Turf Sprink.Sys .Design
Automatic Watering - We Have I t !
Ideas About Seed Quality
Seed Prices and Handling
Looking for Good Seed

H . M. Clark

55
56
59
60
62

Introducing a New Bluegrass into the North American M a r k e t . . . R . Crabb
. W . Lobenstein
Anticipating New Bluegrasses
Sod Product i o n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. W . H . Daniel
Prevent ing Crabgrass in 1962 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

63
66
69
71
74

Progress With Zoysia
Steps in Lawn Construction
Discounting Turf Disease Problems
Weed Control Practices in Sod P r o d u c t i o n . . . . . . .

75
76
78
81

A Campus Maint enance Program
Purdue Stadium Renovation
Managing A t h l e t i c Turfgrass Areas
What is Adequate Lawn Turf F e r t i l i z a t i o n

M. C .

Shurtleff

J . R . Watson, J r .
. . . . . J a R . Watson, J r .
J . Griesenauer

83
86
87
90
91

THE PRESIDENT'S REPORT
Ernie Schneider, S u p t . , Big Spring Country Club
L o u i s v i l l e , Kentucky

You who are present here today are taking part in an important milestone
of the Midwest Regional Turf Foundation - the 25th Anniversary.
From a group
of less than forty persons attending the first meeting, we have grown to our
present attendance of 6 0 0 .
Our 1961 Foundation membership of 384 is highly encouraging.
Of these
253 are golf courses, and about 131 are industrial, cemeteries, landscapers,
etc. We want to welcome our 53 new members most h e a r t i l y .
This organization has grown through the resources of Purdue University,
the great work of Dr. Daniel, his s t a f f , and the graduate students.
Those
who attend the Spring Conference and the Fall Field Days, see this work and
some of the experimentations, such as soil mixtures for putting greens, preemerge and selective grass controls, new g r a s s e s , e t c .
A l l their efforts take
much time and money. Membership in Midwest Turf supplies just a portion of
their financial needs.
Much support is in the form of grants, plus the
materials received free from industry.
You can read about this in detail in
Midwest Turf leaflet No. 2 5 , an annual report which has been mailed to members. We want to keep this a growing organization - it is up to everyone
here to help us accomplish t h i s .
It has been a real privilege and honor to serve as President of the
Midwest Regional Turf Foundation.
I want to thank our Executive Secretary,
D r . Daniel, his staff and the directors.

NOTES FROM THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY'S REPORT
W . H . Daniel, Dept. of Agronomy,
Purdue University

Each year the demand for ideas and facts concerning turf expand beyond that before. A l s o , it changes.
Just a few years ago most questions
were from turf managers, the consumer group.
During the last five years the
increase has been in industry jrepresentatives' questions - on research, development and sales - wanting facts and ideas for their proper presentation
to consumers. Accompanying t h i s , has been a real effort on the part of industry to better label and advise on product use.
It has been our aim to
assist through close coordination and achieve fast idea exchange.
Therefore,
items such as crabgrass preventers, strongly reflect our work, as well as
the efforts of many others.
The training of regular and graduate students continues to demand increased time. The end result as trained personnel has been gratifying. In
the future even more time w i l l be necessary for student work.

Purdue has a well-defined policy which encourages individual staff members to do limited consulting with industry.
This has provided opportunity
for me to work closely with the problems and practices in development and sales.
Consulting efforts, outside and extra to regular work, are quite demanding,
but to date have been a real p r i v i l e g e .
A word concerning the regional program.
Generally group matters may be
handled at a local, state, regional, national, or international l e v e l .
In
golf course superintendent work many of you have a local association (some
are almost state-wide), and the National. When Midwest Regional Turf Foundation started in 1945 it was truly regional, serving the same seven state area
in 1937 as in 1 9 5 2 . A natural outgrowth in turf interest is the individual
state organizations now in this a r e a .
The Ohio Turf Council, the Michigan
Turfgrass Foundation, the I l l i n o i s Turf Foundation, the S t . Louis Turf Research program, plus increased turf efforts in Wisconsin and Kentucky.
May
I suggest you always push your local organization, but remember the regional
group will continue to be of value.
Both need your interest, attendance and
enthusiasm.

A RESEARCH APPROACH TO THE TURF MARKET
Richard C. Lindsteadt, M g r . , Market Research D e p t . ,
Elanco Products Co. - D i v . of Eli L i l l y & Co.
Indianapolis, Indiana

This year the Elanco Products Company, a division of Eli L i l l y & Company, that has been prominent in the human medicinal f i e l d for 86 years, is
marketing a line of ten l a m and garden products under the GREENFIELD trade
name. These products are designed to help the American homeowner k i l l crabgrass, f e r t i l i z e turfgrasses properly, and eliminate diseases and insects in
Now, it is a long way from the physician's
his flowers and ornamentals.
o f f i c e , where L i l l y products are used, to the crabgrass infested lawn.
As
many people have asked us, "What on earth is a pharmaceutical house doing in
the lawn and garden business?" There are several reasons - but the one prime
factor that links the human pharmaceutical a c t i v i t i e s of Eli L i l l y and Company and the Elanco l a ™ and garden line of 1962 can be summed up in one word and that word is research.
More s p e c i f i c a l l y , the research on which the introduction of the
GREENFIELD line is based has been of two types.
The f i r s t of these is plant
science research aimed at the development of new and unique products for use
on, under and inside of plants wherever they may b e .
This work is done in
a 600 acre L i l l y Research Center at Greenfield, I n d i a n a .
The second type of
research is market research aimed at the determination of timely and effective marketing practices so that the products of plant science research can
be made available to the consumer.
For you to better understand the turf business - the theme of t h i s
y e a r ' s Conference - I ' d like to give you some of the highlights from our
"case history" to show how these two types of research have figured in the
development of the GREENFIELD program. Along the way w e ' l l discuss some

of the market survey and measurement activity that was a part of the planning.
As soon as the plant science research on crabgrass preventers began to show
promise, we began studying the market for such products.
Some questions that
obviously needed to be answered were:
How b i g i s the market?
What proportion is preventers?
Where geographically?
What outlets sell it?
What kinds of people buy i t ?
Relative importance of market areas?
To start with, we looked at the total lawn and garden market, and here
is how we sized it up at that time:
The Lawn and Garden Market, 1960 Estimates
F e r t i l i z e r (non-farm)
Herbicides and other chemicals

$ 200 million
150 million

Total market

$ 350 million

As most of you know, no really accurate data are available on a subject like
t h i s , so the estimate of $ 350 million is simply a summation of information
from the Census Department, the National Agricultural Chemicals Association,
trade publications, and other sources. And, although it may not be exactly
accurate, it was certainly large enough to be interesting and accurate
enough to seove the purpose of gross market evaluation. As you know, this
market has grown tremendously since these estimates were made some time ago.
Where is it sold? - 1960 Estimates

Garden specialty
Hardware and department stores
Food markets
Mail order
Other
Total

% of buyers*
53%
31%
5%
8%
3%
100%

^'Specifying outlet as major purchase point
The next question was what retail outlets handle the business in this
market.
The basis for this division of volume by type of outlet came from
surveys conducted by a number of publications in which consumers indicated
which type of outlet was the primary source of various products they buy for
lawn and garden care. You can see that the garden specialty shops and hardware stores, probably account for most of the business.
Lawn and Garden Market Easic Index
Assigned
Factor
i^eight
Owner occupied dwelling
Disposable income of consumer buying units
Number of consumer buying units having
income over $ 7 , 0 0 0 per year

607o

207o
207o

100%

The next question was: "Where is the market geographically?"
The answer
was that " i t is where people have lawns and gardens to care f o r . "
Here we
applied some statistical analysis to Census Bureau data, weighed it by two
measures of financial capability, and thus devised a weighed index of the relative importance of each state and each major metropolitan a r e a .
Market for Crabgrass Chemicals
$25 million @ retail (1959-60)
. . . about 75% pre-emergence items
25% post-emergence
Here is the way we sized up the market for crabgrass chemicals at that
time. The basis for this estimate was a survey conducted by a major business
publication which was cross-checked with data from other sources.
This mark e t , too, has grown since the estimate was made. Only back in 1956 the market was 99% post-emergence.
It will likely become almost 99% pre-emergence.
At this point in the investigation, plant science research indicated
our product worked extremely w e l l , and based on that labels were prepared.
We began distribution of our product in February, 1 9 6 1 . A number of wholesalers were selected in five midwestern markets, and they in turn distributed
to stores.
Our own sales force supplemented the wholesaler efforts by contacting retail dealers and assisting them in the promotion of the product.
AdvertisHowever, a l l sales were channeled through franchised wholesalers.
ing coverage included L i f e magazine and local newspapers and radio.
In order to measure our progress in these five markets, we engaged a
private market research agency to measure the retail sales level of our product against competitive products in over 100 stores in the test a r e a . This
was accomplished by a series of interviews with cooperating retailers in
which invoices for crabgrass k i l l e r s were tabulated, compared to an opening
and closing inventory, and the product movement thus calculated.
Here are
the results of that survey:
1961 Test Area Average Share of Market
GREENFIELD
Brand A
Brand B
Brand C
Brand D
A l l other brands

40%
49
4
2
2
3
100%

When the results we re in we were well pleased, as you might imagine.
You will note that the two leading brands accounted for 89% of a l l sales of
crabgrass preventers.
The share of the other brands drops rather drastically from the third-place product down. We hoped this meant that the market
would respond to a well-researched product.
One question that this information led to was:
"To what extent did
GREENFIELD convert sales from other brands?" Fortunately, a second series of
data was a v a i l a b l e .

GREENFIELD Purchasers by History
of Previous Practice
Never used
Used Brand
Used Brand
Used other

before
A last year
B last year
products last year

537o

28
13
6

1007o

Although a number of purchasers were converted from other brands to
GREENFIELD in 1961, more than half were newcomers. This particular market
is growing quite rapidly and our product showed a definite place in i t .
That was the record of our test market experience in 1961, and, as most of
you know, it led to expanded marketing a c t i v i t i e s with a line of 10 products
this year.
Three of the 1962 products are especially interesting in that
they reflect some of the things we've learned to date.
F i r s t , we think we've learned that people like products that do several jobs if they do each job w e l l .
GREENFIELD Triple-Action Crabgrass
K i l l e r this year contains a new and even more effective pre-emergent chemical ingredient formulated on a base of 10-5-5 f e r t i l i z e r .
It also incorporates a soil insecticide to control grubs and other pests.
Thus, one trip
across the lawn solves three problems. The pre-emergent chemical will also
be available as a liquid for those who want to spray for crabgrass prevention .
The second product, GREENFIELD Measured-Release L a ™ Food, a 20-10-5
light-weight lawn food, represents a real advance in controlled fertilization.
Part of the nitrogen is available for quick, green growth, while the
remainder is protected by a unique "pharmaceutical-type" coating to control
nitrogen release as the lawn needs it over an extended period of time.
It
is also available with a broadleaf weed k i l l e r component.
The third product, and one of the most interesting, is a systemic
action Rose and Ornamental Spray.
It reflects our conviction that people
want to improve traditional methods of coping with gardening problems.
This spray contains an insecticide which is absorbed into the plant and
translocated throughout i t s system in much the same way the human vascular system distributed medication to various parts of the body.
It
reaches into plant tissue and is deadly to sucking pests attacking plants
up to two weeks after application — and it won't wash o f f !
I t ' s inside
the plant, out of the rain!
These are some of the things that we have experienced in several
years of study, and in the i n i t i a l phases of the resulting marketing program. We are, of course, s t i l l learning — we expect to be doing that for
a long, long time.
Plant science research a c t i v i t i e s are continuing, and
again this year we are also conducting a number of market research investigations in the market p l a c e .
Once again, the objective is to measure "what
happens" so that groundwork for the future can be l a i d .
One thing we're learning in this area is something that a l l of you
know only too w e l l :
There is a lot of difference between the needs of the
homeowner who is caring for a lawn of a few thousand square f e e t , inhabited
by three k i d s , a dog and a "light-footed" cat, and the needs of the superintendent who maintains 150 acres or more, trampled by several hundred
-7-

"heavy-footed" g o l f e r s .
In recognition of these needs, research and development work is now being completed on several GREENFIELD products that w i l l be
especially suited to commercial u s e s .
One final observation I ' d like to share with you. We have learned from
our association with people who are interested in turf maintenance that this
industry has a large number of highly professional people l i k e yourselves who
practice the fundamentals of research as a routine approach to the solution
of problems.
It is probably because of t h i s that our i n i t i a l efforts in introducing a well-researched product line have met with such enthusiasm in the
market p l a c e .
It has certainl}?- been a pleasant experience for us to become
associated with others who understand the need for research and who appreciate the value the results can hold.

THE TREND III GOLF TODAY
Rex McMorris, National Golf Foundation,
804 Merchandist Mart, Chicago 5 4 , I l l i n o i s

Golf is the nation's greatest competitive outdoor participant sport
and it is growing at an increasingly rapid rate each year. The number of
golf courses increases each year a l s o , but let me hasten'to add the rate of
growth in new playing f a c i l i t i e s f a l l s far short of meeting the demand for
places to play g o l f .
The growth pattern in golf is an interesting one,
and I believe since it affects each of you either directly or indirectly,
that you will be interested in some of the trends we are able to report to
you.
Last year more new golf courses were opened for play in the United
States than in any previous year in the history of the National Golf Foundat i o n . This same statement has been made for each of the last ten years and
I am hopeful that we can continue to make the statement until such time as
the rate of building new courses and putting them into play catches up with
the demand. H e r e ' s the score for 1 9 6 1 :
Classification of Courses Opened for Play in 1961
Regulation Courses
Courses
Municipal
Semi-private
Private
Other

9-hole
14
72
60
14

18-hole & over
10
23
50
4

Total

Total holes

24
95
110
13
247

306
1062
1440
198
3006

13
19
36

117
160
342
72
691

Additions
Municipal
Semi-private
Private
Other

13
19
34
8

8

76

Par-3 Courses
Courses
Municipal
Semi-private
Private
Other

13-hole & over

9-hole
6
52
5
5

1
17

Total

Total holes
72
771
45
45

7
69
5
5

86
933
TOTAL HOLES 4630
A l l of this adds up to more than 400 new playing f a c i l i t i e s , open to
play for the n a t i o n ' s golfers during the year.
This required a minimum investment of more than 35 million dollars, not including clubhouse costs, and
provided space for over 250,000 more golfers to enjoy at least 3 , 5 0 0 , 0 0 0
rounds of g o l f .
Here's the score in the actual number of courses (standard courses,
par-3 courses and additions) for each of the years since 1956:
1955

1956

1957

1958

1959

1960

1961

108
19

124
31

133
27

148
30

173
29

190
35

247
76

127

155

160

178

202

225

323

8
135

19
174

23
183

33
216

38
240

51
276

86
409

Standard courses
Additions

Par-3 courses
Total f a c i l i t i e s

Without going do™ the l i s t of a l l the states, here are the states
that top the l i s t with the most courses put into play last year:
Under construction

Courses opened
State

No.

IS-

California
Florida
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Texas
New York
North Carolina
Massachusetts

31
22
18
17
15
14
12
10

SÒ
30
20
29
21
34
19
15

Prospects
No.
134
63
86
78
53
95
30
40

A l l of this adds up to the fact that there are now better than 6600
golf courses (standard and par-3's) in play in the United States.
This surpassed the previous high total in 1 9 3 1 . Actually, at the end of World War I I
there were at least 1000 fewer courses than had been in play in the early
thirties.
Here, a g a i n , the figures f a i l to tell the whole story. The total/4448
private clubs in 1931 gradually dropped d o ™ to 2801 in 1956 and has been
steadily increasing since to where there are now 3 2 6 1 .
Percentage-wise,
there are s t i l l 25% fewer private clubs in the United States than there
were 30 years ago.
On the other hand, there has been almost a 250% increase in the total

number of semi-private courses, that i s , privately-owned, public used courses.
This number has grown from 700 in 1931 to 2062, and there has been a 65% increase in municipal courses.
Our golf courses today a r e used by between f i v e and six million
golfers.
It is estimated that close to 90 million rounds of golf were
played last y e a r .
Conservative estimates place the current value of a l l
golf f a c i l i t i e s in existence today at better than 1-1/2 billion d o l l a r s .
At least 6 5 0 , 0 0 0 acres are used for golfing f a c i l i t i e s in the United States
today.
It is estimated that at least 310 million dollars is spent annually
on maintenance materials, labor, new construction, remodeling, professional
services and player merchandise directly traceable to g o l f .
Currently 138
million dollars is spent annually to maintain the n a t i o n ' s golf courses and
grounds.
What part does the Foundation play in the development of new playing
facilities?
Just this!
The NATIONAL GOLF FOUNDATION was founded as a non-profit organization
in 1936 by the major manufacturers of golf playing equipment.
Its purpose:
" . . . t o broaden opportunities for a l l Americans to enjoy g o l f , 'The Game
Of A L i f e t i m e , ' by assisting in the development of more golf f a c i l i t i e s and
the promotion of golf a c t i v i t i e s of a l l types, wherever n e e d e d . "
I t s function:
. . t o gather and evaluate information in a l l areas of g o l f , from
every possible source, and to make this information available to anyone
needing i t . "
Thus, the Foundation operates as the national clearing-house
for golf information in America.
While much of the information gathered by the Foundation i s passed
on directly in answer to questions posed by individuals and groups faced
with some particular problem, a great deal of the information available from
the Foundation is distributed in printed form. The golf course development
phase of the N . G . F . operation is so important that Foundation sponsors
voted, in 1953, to establish a Field Service to more directly assist in
this work.
Today the N . G . F . has four representatives, or "general pract i t i o n e r s , " - one on the East Coast, on the West Coast, in the South, and
in the Mid-western areas of the country. The services of Foundation f i e l d
representatives are available to any individual or group seriously considering a nextf golf course. F i n a l l y , the NGF stands ready to assist any superintendent, or anyone for that matter, in the planning of a new golf course,
golf club, or golf playing f a c i l i t y . Ask for a Golf Aids order form and
call on us any time.

TURF WITHIN A STATE
Dr. H . W . Indyk, Extension Turf S p e c i a l i s t ,
Dept. of Farm Crops, Rutgers University,
New Brunswick, N . J .

What is the value of turf within a specific area?
If this question
were asked of a heterogeneous group of individuals, undoubtedly varied types
of replies would be received.
The nature of the r e p l i e s , most l i k e l y , would
be closely associated with each i n d i v i d u a l ' s specific interest in t u r f .

These interests or sense of value can be grouped into three major categories:
(1) Aesthetic, ( 2 ) Uses, and ( 3 ) Monetary. The monetary value of turf will
constitute the major portion of this discussion.
According to statistics of the recent census, New Jersey is the most
urban of the 50 states.
Eighty-nine percent of the s t a t e ' s population falls
into the urban category.
This means approximately 9 out of 10 residents are
l i v i n g in urban a r e a s .
Slightly .more than 6 million people reside in an area
of approximately 4-3/4 million a c r e s .
In comparison, Indiana has a population
of slightly more than 4-1/2 million people
inhabiting an area of about 22
million a c r e s .
In spite of the high degree of urbanization in New Jersey,
approximately 43% of the land area s t i l l remains in woodland.
These statistics are cited because they are of direct consequence to
the business of t u r f .
The intensification of residential, i n d u s t r i a l , highway, and recreational development, together with a greater appreciation and
desire for satisfactory t u r f , has been a stimulant to the turf industry.
Establishment and maintenance of turf rates as one of the most important agricultural enterprises in New Jersey. When we stop to consider that in 1953
the b i l l for maintenance of the turf areas in the state amounted to more than
95 million dollars, there is no question that turf occupies an important
position in the agricultural economy of New Jersey.
The status of turf becomes even more significant if one considers that it would cost over 340
million dollars to replace a l l of the s t a t e ' s turf acreage.
These figures seem astounding and perhaps unrealistic until one begins to analyze the different usages of turf, the various costs involved in
its establishment and those in its maintenance.
Statistics of this nature
are not readily a v a i l a b l e .
Perhaps one of the reasons is the d i f f i c u l t y involved in obtaining such data.
In cooperation with the New Jersey turf advisory council, the turf staff at Rutgers in 1958 conducted a survey to determine the monetary value of the turf in New Jersey.
The best known and
available sources of information were used in compiling these s t a t i s t i c s .
The turf within the state was c l a s s i f i e d in a number of categories,
The following table summarizes the acredepending upon its specific u s e .
age, maintenance cost and replacement cost within each of the categories.
Table I . Turf Survey Estimates for New Jersey.
Annual
Category
Acreage
Maintenance Cost
1,000
SI,000
Home lawns
114
'.'81,668
Airports
23
581
Roadsides
19
500
Cemeteies
15
3,000
Golf courses
10
5,658
Parks
9
1,070
Schools & Athletic Fields
7
1,460
Industrial lawns
6.1
1,217
Public properties
1
200
Churches
.4
105
207.5
Total *
95,459
^Military installations,

race-tracks,

Current
Replacement cost
SI,000,000
253
12
20
15
17
9
7
6
1
.4

sod farms not included

340.4

In accordance with these s t a t i s t i c s , the introductory statement on your
printed program "keeping grass green requires green dollars" seems very appropriate ,
The supporting p i l l a r s of this flourishing and rapidly expanding turf
enterprise in 1161/ Jersey is the turf research and extension program at the
Agricultural Experiment Station, assisted by encouragement and financial support
from golf associations and industry.
Presently, turf is b i g business within
the states, and according to present indications, it w i l l become even bigger
in the future. As New Jersey continues to develop residentially and industrially,
the turf enterprise will also continue to grow and develop as one of
the most important agricultural a c t i v i t i e s with an increased demand upon our
research, extension and educational f a c i l i t i e s .

SAVING MONEY
W . E . Lyons, S u p t . , Firestone C .
Akron, Ohio.

C.,

The subject "Saving Money" in the turf business w i l l have as many
varied aspects as there are people growing t u r f . Whether you are a golf
course owner, operator, or a superintendent, you have a basic philosophy,
or "sense of value" about money. Worth reading is a book entitled, "Have
Fun With Your Money." The author used the theory that money is only
usable for the things and ideas that w i l l satisfy the human emotion, " I
Wanta."
He would have one believe that money of i t s e l f is worthless after
one has satisfied a l l of his " I W a n t a s . "
Webster's definition of a golf course refers only to land traveled.
As you think of a golf course, think of a MODIFIED NATURAL AREA, MAINTAINED
OF GRASSES, TREES, WATER, SAND AND FLOWERS IN SUCH A MANNER THAT IT BECOMES
IRRESISTIBLE (UNRESISTIBLE) TO PEOPLE.
To create these conditions in a l l
their ramifications, let us look on money as a tool to use wisely to produce
the:
" X " factor of satisfaction - for the
" Y " type of golfer - for the
" Z " type of management.
As a golf course owner, operator, or superintendent, it is your job
to use the five (5) facets of nature to produce the " X " factor of satisfaction:
f i r s t , for the customer - be he a novice on a fee course, or a bank
president on a private club; and second, for pride in yourself and your
profession.
No matter whether yours is a public fee course, or a tournament quality country club, in each there has to be standards of maintenance
established and agreed upon by management and the superintendent.
It simply
b o i l s down to a set of figures called a budget.
There are a l l kinds of golf courses being b u i l t , and older ones
being revamped.
Some of the new ones are already bankrupt. Why? Did someone try to save money by building on cheap, rough land? Was there a golf

market? Was the layout a 1910 model with present day labor costs? Others may
f a i l because the promoter did not inform the investor of the tremendous amount
of water needed for greens and tees, to say nothing of fairways.
This
is one
area where short-sighted savings rray prove most expensive.
Many of you are operating older courses that were b u i l t using pipe
sizes that are too small.
"Scotty" Stewart has told us that we are paying for
the right sized pipe whether we install it or not due to the increased power
costs and lack of enough water when we need i t .
Much midnight oil has been
burned and a lot of cheese eaten at these annual meetings, discussing soil
structures in building or rebuilding greens and tees.
Honey spent wisely in
these areas is the f i r s t step in saving money for the private club, or in
making a " b u i l t in p r o f i t " for the fee course.
Mr. P . K . Wrigley coined the slogan, "Fast nickles are better than
slow d i m e s . " Many courses need a practical golf designer to study the layout for possible improvements to speed up p l a y .
Thus, speed up the number
of rounds possible on the course, and thereby increase the "cash flow" thru
the t i l l .
Perhaps design can't be altered to achieve the desired results.
What about maintenance? Are the golfers in our way, or are we in the way of
the golfers?
It is a matter of a t t i t u d e . W h a t ' s yours? We must give the
golfer his r i g h t s .
He is struggling with 14 different clubs.
T h a t ' s enough
trouble without having mowers, verti-cutters, a e r i f i e r s , topdressers, sprayers,
fertilizing machines, trucks, e t c . , distracting his attention and slowing down
play on the whole course.
If this is a problem on your course, THINK ABOUT I T !
Could it be that
you are one who should think about putting a night maintenance program into
effect? W i l l it please our customer,the golfer? W i l l it produce better turf?
W i l l it save money to get more work per man hour? Will more rounds of golf
get played? More cash flow?
Save money on labor.
This thought.las been kicked around ever since
golf wages went from 250 per hour to 300. The 12 to 18 year olds are finding it rough to get summertime work. More than that, and especially the
ever growing number of "drop-outs" from school, need to learn the responsib i l i t y that goes with a job.
That is a l l true — BUT — well-wishing legislators in our state (Ohio) have done much to deny the teenager job opportunity on golf courses. Thus, they are unknowingly a i d i n g juvenile delinquency.
Our (Ohio) law specifically states that noone under 18 years of age
be permitted to operate any powered equipment, not even a greensmower. Check
your state laws before hiring
Much thought and some action has been taken at private clubs to
close in l i t t l e used sand traps.
Want to save money on equipment? Look at
the good and not-so-good equipment dealers are o f f e r i n g .
These are often
priced at 1 / 5 to 1 / 7 the cost of new u n i t s .
To the fee course owner these
low prices for tax reasons can be attractive. Repairs put into same can be
expensed not taxable.
Joe and Claude Clingan, Pulaski, Pennsylvania, completed their own
9-hole course in November 1 9 6 1 .
Claude looked over a 7-gang, push-type,
hydro-lift fairway mowing u n i t , complete with lights about $ 6 , 5 0 0 . 0 0 .
After a short chat with the operator, Claude made this remark, " I can't
afford not to buy i t .
By mowing the fairways at night myself I ' l l save the
wages of one man, plus the other advantages of night mowing w i l l pay for
the unit in two y e a r s . "
-13-

Is the slow f i r e of rust destroying your maintenance machinery? At
most golf courses a separate f e r t i l i z e r storage building is needed.
Pole
type buildings are s t i l l the lowest cost b u i l d i n g s .
They are good units for
f e r t i l i z e r storage; machine storage; shops for repairing both summer and wint e r . With five poles one can make a very attractive shelter house.
Anyone
who can drive a nail and use a saw can put up a pole-type structure.
Maintaining- Poor Design
Pros argue that sand is one of the basic five facets of a golf
course.
Sure, it can be decorative - it can be a mental hazard to a d u f f e r .
As one architect says, " I t makes for strong pin p o s i t i o n s . " To a playing
pro sand is easier than 2 " g r a s s .
Where possible ponds on the property may be natural and have a low
maintenance cost.
This is another of the five facets of nature that can
enhance a property. Water is a more equal hazard to both pro and d u f f e r .
As an a s s e t , extra water can come in mighty handy to fight a f i r e , or to
combat drouth.
Well-placed trees make American golf courses interesting and beautif u l . Many of you should be cutting tree roots around greens and tee areas
annually.
However, trees can create problems.
They become old familiar
treasures.
Even though they are expensive to maintain, are robbng greens,
tees and fairways - s t i l l to cut unneeded ones down takes a lot of s e l l i n g .
Sometimes superintendents prefer to hire your a r e a ' s best tree authority.
Tell him what you want,and then let him shoulder the decisions. A superintendent was heard to remark that one-third of his labor cost is chargeable to trees.
The b i g leaf blowers are reducing leaf removal expense,
and extending the golf season.
These along with the portable leaf burners
are d e f i n i t e aids to the " Z " type of profitable management.
Many courses have l o s t , or are losing their elms to blights and
diseases.
From studies made at Firestone C . C . we learned we can replant
with 2 " to 7 " trees of more suitable varieties for the price of one y e a r ' s
treatment to try to save the 495 elms standing in the playing a r e a .
Sense of Values
In turf maintenance one must develop a "sense of v a l u e s . "
For example, one man walks to work; another rides a bicycle; a third may drive
his own automobile.
They a l l get where they are going "At a p r i c e . " Today's golf market caters to people of a l l classes.
On some of the fee
courses the 500 fee is over-paid because of the cow pasture f a c i l i t i e s
offered.
On another well-kept course a $ 5 . 0 0 fee is a bargain.
Nex^r Grasses on Old Courses
Many of the old grasses on the old courses are expensive to maintain.
Even on a new course Poa annua can be most expensive. A l l kinds of
excuses are heard when the Poa suddenly wilts and fades away as it did on
Saturday afternoon, August 5 , 1 9 6 1 .
Here is x^hat one bold course oxmer
decided to do a f t e r expensing Poa greens for 15 years.
He desodded a
green, smoothed the soil and sodded with a clean bent from his nursery.
The green was out of play not more than four days. After two years there
is no Poa showing.
Did he save money? Less fungicide, less syringing,
-14-

etc.

Truly this illustrates the
" X " factor of satisfaction — for the
" Y " type of (fee) golfer
— for the
" Z " type of (profitable) Management for Himself.

STANDARDS WORTH KEEPING
Bob C . Dunning, P . O . Box 4236
Tulsa, Oklahoma

My interpretation of "Standards Worth Keeping" would be to attain and
sustain the highest standards possible through understanding, a b i l i t y , and
the tools a v a i l a b l e .
In general there has been a decline in maintenance standards in the
past few years. Herb Graff is said that adjustments must be made to f i t into
the golf business of the future.
Harry J . Fawcett, veteran club manager,says
that automation has made great gains, and that automatic food machines wil^
serve a variety of menus superior to those now provided,at a profit to clubs.
Harold Moffett, former president of the PGA' was reluctant to say that unless
adjustments are made clubs may undertake to operate their own golf shops.
Bob Williams said that courses may run on a consultant b a s i s , with a foreman
in charge.
It is also my b e l i e f that superintendent, professional, and manager should cooperate to the fullest extent for the ultimate in management
of the c l u b ' s a f f a i r s in harmonious surroundings.
To define the problem and to find a solution, let us consider the
fiijowing:
With rising labor and material costs, more unproductive time,
increased play, and player-labor interference, it is necessary for a l l
courses, on a national b a s i s , to scrutinize operations closely if golf is to
continue to prosper as the favorite participant sport of the Americans.
Labor is 707o of "the national average budget, and watering is sometimes 25%*
T h i s , and inadequately constructed greens, have complicated problems to the
extent that many courses are finding it increasingly d i f f i c u l t to operate,
and even to maintain turf on greens.
My number one turf t i p would be to urge a wider acceptance of new
and proven ideas by club o f f i c i a l s and superintendents.
New introductions
and labor saving devices that have been introduced by research workers,
superintendents, manufacturers, distributors and others, w i l l allow the refinements that a l l golfers desire.
New construction methods, mechanization
and automation w i l l go much further in solving the problem than would trying
to reduce costs by rigorous economy, which often leads to disaster.
Also,
such w i l l enhance the superintendent's position when backed up by advance
planning, a system of cost analysis and budgeting. A budget i§7more than a
plan of operation.
We have said that nearly every golf course could reduce its overall
maintainance cost 307> to 407o, and be operated more economically and effi-

ciently thai a't present if currently available agronomic information, proven
methods and equipment are fully u t i l i z e d .
This saving will allow purchases
of other labor saving devices and have the refinements that make courses a
pleasure to play.
We also realize that course maintenance cost is not the greater part
of the members total expenditure at clubs. Many courses have consideration
for long range planning and capital improvements. The statement 30% to 407o
was augmented by:
1.

The authoritative acceptance of the sandy mixture for putting greens,
combined with proven construction methods, architectural design and the
elimination of built-in trouble.

2.

That semi and fully automatic sprinkling systems have moved from a dream
to a proven reality.
This combination will reduce cost and labor, resulting in better playing conditions, more disease resistant and wearfree greens, a l l of which w i l l result in more revenue at decreased cost.

Elmer & Elmer, father and son team of superintendents, make this
statement:
"Some of the advantages of sandy greens over the old construction
are:
1 . A i r circulation, interexchange of s o i l , air and atmospheric gases.
2.
Drainage; surface, internal and lateral.
These are important items, especially in hot weather. There is no scald on the new greens, but the old
greens have considerable scald, especially when heavy rains are encountered,
ovelr which we have no control.
The new greens do not have to be syringed
nearly as much as the old greens. They are mowed much sooner after rains,
and can be played without damage to soil, or grasses, much quicker.
Naturally all of these advantages have considerable bearing on cost of maintenance in favor of the sandy greens, and when our construction is finished
this will have a direct bearing on the availability of course for play.
This was further emphasized in the summer of 1961, the worst year in
Kansas City history.
Rainfall nearly 70 inches, temperatures over 9 0 ° , and 100%
relative humidity. Many old greens were severely damaged and almost a complete loss was experienced on some. Without exception the properly constructed sandy greens came through in excellent condition, and have never had to
be closed because they were too wet.
G. C . Reed, Superintendent of Parks and Golf Courses, Tucson, Arizona
stated that they had a saving of 43% on water with 20% increased usage. On
370 acres watered there is a saving of $ 4 3 , 0 0 0 . 0 0 on water and § 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 . 0 0
saving on labor, for a total yearly savings of $ 1 4 3 , 0 0 0 . 0 0 .
On two 18 hole
golf courses, one manually watered and the other automatically, the appearance is as different as that of night and day. Further, with a regular fert i l i z i n g program, turf withstood t r a f f i c , crabgrass was eliminated, which
indicates healthier and more vigorous turfgrass, and areas were never too
wet to use.
Labor costs are drastically reduced.
He stressed the elevation of the superintendent's position by having
full responsibility of watering.
This will do much to solve the golf cart
problem. Earl Yesberger of Cleveland area was one of the first to u t i l i z e
fully automatic sprinkling for greens.
This is understandable for Earl pays
his own b i l l s and his decisions are f i n a l . Any adequately designed manual
sprinkling system can be converted to an automatic system at very low cost.

It is said that the club membership, through its green committee and
chairman, is responsible for the overall program for operational standards.
But we say - how can they program what they do not know I
Club o f f i c i a l s need
additional information by attending meetings l i k e t h i s , when possible, and
closer liaison with their superintendents.
Quality of turf does not stand s t i l l .
I t usually improves, or deteriorates.
Now, to discuss 13 labor and time saving devices that are not bong generally practiced, but are as sure to be achieved as was John Glenn's orbiting
the earth:
1.

Application of f e r t i l i z e r s , insecticides, herbicides and fungicides in conjunction with automatic sprinkling systems.
I believe that plant pathologists agree that frequent even d a i l y applications even of fungicides at
minute rates would be more effective than the customary method of application .

2.

Chemical mowing - the use of Maleic hydrazide will develop a place and has
been proven for certain areas,although not generally accepted, for around
trees, along fence rows and inaccessible a r e a s .
Companies have many chemicals that can be used for very specific purposes.

3.

Chemicals , such as Boron and Novon, can be used for edging and elimination of undesirable vegetation in traps where tree roots do not exist
without danger from spreading or being washed down to lower a r e a s .

4.

There are also mechanical edgers that will save labor and time.
These
same tools w i l l reduce the encroachment of Bermuda grass into bentgrass
greens.
Chet Mendenhall has reduced labor cost by establishing Meyer
Zoysia to produce sharp edges on his traps.
Choice of grasses are important for other areas a l s o .

5.

There are tractor-drawn kurbdressers.

6.

Mallinckrodt, Cleary, DuPont, Upjohn and others have improved fungicides that are time and labor saving because they prevent the loss of turf.

7.

Phygon XL, sodiumarsenite and other chemicals have their place in
eliminating aquatic growth, including algae in lakes.

8.

Pre-emergent chemicals are just coming into their own.
Chlordane has
completely eliminated the silver crabgrass, or goosegrass (Eleusine
indica) problem in widely separated regions in bentgrass putting greens.

9.

Many more need to eliminate tree roots from greens, tees and edges of
fairways.
Trenchers and the Haines Root Cutter w i l l do much to eliminate this problem.

10.

Many golf courses s t i l l have shrubbery in line of play and some are even
planting i t .

11.

Golf courses are s t i l l being b u i l t without approved specifications, advance technique in design, and without taking advantage of agronomic f a c t s .

12.

The Workmaster Utility Cart equipped with a three point hydraulic l i f t , or
otherwise, and Terra tires can perform many green maintenance functiohs
which have not been suggested by the manufacturer, including a e r i f i c a t i o n ,

verti-cutting, disc spiking, dew removal, applying topdressing and working it
i n , much of which could be a one man operation. Topdressing and whirlwind type
f e r t i l i z e r distributors are also available for this purpose.
Golf courses
could use several of these carts, including a one man operated high capacity
g . p . m . power sprayer equipped with boom for spraying greens. You, no doubt,
can think of more operations. A l i t t l e inspiration is a l l that is needed.
13.

Tractors equipped with 7-gang hydraulic frame, such as Parkmaster, which
can mow through narrow areas and then fan out to a full 15 feet swath,
have been reported to cut mowing time up to 5 0 7 o , or be capable of mowing
50 to 60 acres or more a day, or the entire fairways of an 18-hole golf
course.
This same tractor equipped with the Roadmaster hydraulic frame
can easily handle both rough and fairways by changing to Roughmaster
mowers.
It may also be equipped with power take-off for handling the
8 0 " Whirlwind mower for rough mowing and leaf lumching.
Excessive speed
is not the Parkmaster's answer to high acreage mowing.
Rather it is its
maneuverability, the power to accelerate out of low places up steep
grades without changing gears, or slowing down.
Only a few golf courses
are u t i l i z i n g this labor and time-saving device.
One man and one tractor
can mow fairways two or three times a week. Also take care of the rough
and tees if you so desire with a tractor primarily designed for mowing,
and will handle snow brushes for winter u s e .

For the young man just getting started in the business some hard and
fast rules and standards in the art and science of greenskeeping are necessary.
In these we stress the importance of knowing the degree of soil moisture
of greens in relation to the condition of grass at the time of mowing, turgid
or turgidity, the state of plasmolysis,and the effect that mowing w i l l have
on the grass in varying degrees from an optimum condition, or a state of
rigidity of plant p a r t s .
Recently a f t e r a national tournament a member, a lawyer, said to the
green chairman, "Wouldn't it be wonderful if the course could be in this condition a l l of the t i m e . "
The chairman started to explain why it could not,
then stopped and said, "You would not understand - anyway you are a l a w y e r . "
I do not think the chairman was right.
It is possible by taking advantage
of agronomic f i n d i n g s , time and labor saving devices.
The superintendent,
salesmanship, management, routing and advance planning, a l l must play their
part.
Quality begets q u a l i t y .
There is one more thing which is not primarily the problem of the
golf course superintendent, but is the problem of everyone connected with
g o l f , and that is to speed up play.
This would help solve many of the headaches that face golf today and should be the by-word of everyone connected
with golf in any way.
Slow play is driving golfers away and cutting down on
revenue.

THE NECESSITY FOR BUDGETAAND COST ANALYSIS
Everett L . Queen, S u p t . , Wichita
Wichita,
Kansas

C.C.,

A budget is the way to the successful operation of a l l going concerns.
A home, farmer, small one-rran business, large corporation, and even our governing bodies are compelled to operate from a budget for continued success.
A
golf course is b i g business, therefore needs good budget procedures.
By using accurate records of the cost of past operations, I set up a
budget, projecting the cost of each operation that could normally happen on
the golf course.
By using my projected costs, I can t e l l what type of course
can be provided with the money allocated to my budget.
You are probably wondering how I got these records of past operations,
so I will show you one easy method of doing t h i s .
This small black note book
in my hand is used while out on the course to keep a record of needed repairs,
or if any suggestions are made by my committee, I jot them down to be sure I
won't forget them. After l i s t i n g the needed repairs, I pick out the ones
most urgent and assign a man to do them.
Each man in my employ keeps a time card, hand-written, to show how
long it took to perform each job each day.
Thus, it is relatively easy to
find the cost of each operation over a very short, or long time.
I also
keep a time book for my help to use in making payroll and for a permanent
record.
I have found that
ring, loose-leaf notebook
purchases of supplies and
the proper department, or

the best way to preserve my records are in a threewith index tabs.
I keep an accurate record of all
equipment, and the cost of each item is charged to
category of work.

I might also add that a diary is very helpful in projecting a budget because it should have a l l the work done for any given year in i t .
It
takes only a short periodic review to ascertain a l l the necessary, or unnecessary work that w i l l have to be done in the future.
Now, I would l i k e to illustrate some records. We have a yearly plan
chart . . . . a proposed budget . . . . l i s t of equipment showing the number, year
purchased, cost, and present value . . . . and a monthly balance sheet.
This
is received each month from the club accounting o f f i c e and is used to check
my records against the a c t u a l .
The balance sheet also helps to set up the
next y e a r ' s budget.
Capital improvements, or equipment, are in a separate
budget for accounting purposes.
It may seem amazing, but after this system is set up it takes only
about one-half hour per day to keep it going.
It takes good records, good
planning, and good judgment to prepare an annual budget, but I am sure that
it will in the end make a turf superintendent a golf course manager.
In
closing I hope you received a few ideas that you can u s e .
No set formula
ha¥ffeeen devised for a l l golf courses, but it is my hope that some day we
w i l l have a uniform basic system.

UNIFORM PARTS OF THE GOLF COURSE BUDGET
Marvin H . Ferguson, Mid-Continent Director,
National Research Cordinator, USGfi. Green Section

The most obvious reason for a golf course superintendent to keep records
is that of enabling him to account to the members of his club for their money
which he has expended in the process of maintaining their golf course.
This
alone is reason enough for adequate records.
The members have a right to know
how their money was spent and what was accomplished through its expenditure.
There are many additional dividends to be gained from the keeping of
adequate records.
Good records help the superintendent to gauge the effectiveness of his operations, to accurately estimate costs of future work, to prepare
a sound budget, to be able to predict machinery and equipment replacement needs,
evaluate the performance of men and equipment, and to compare maintenance
costs with others (on a valid b a s i s ) .
Measuring the Effectiveness of Work Done
The turf around trees, near tees and alongside fairways has been nicely
trimmed and provides a pleasing appearance.
Most club members l i k e it that way
and usually no questions are asked.
But, suppose an economy-minded member inquires about the cost of this trimming. What is your factual answer? Can you
give him the answer about costs on grub control, clipping removal, or Poa
annua controls? Memories alone are often sufficiently faulty as to be unrel i a b l e to r e c a l l .
Only a written record, which can be referred to during a
less busy season, makes an adequate basis for an analysis of the effectiveness
of operations.
To Estimate Costs of Future Work
Records of labor and material requirements for routine operations permit precise estimates of costs of performing t h i s , or similar work in the
future.
Suppose, for instance, that a club wishes to establish a different
grass on fairways.
It may be possible to maintain bluegrass satisfactorily
with two mowingsper week; whereas, bermudagrass, xvhich requires closer cutting
and which grows during the summer months, may require four mowings per week.
How much more time w i l l be required? W i l l presently owned mowing equipment
be sufficient to take care of the problem? Will a new tractor be needed?
It may be decided that fairways should be a e r i f i e d more frequently,
that flagstick positions be changed twice daily, that sand traps be raked
more frequently, that divots in tees be repaired and topdressed daily, or
that new towels on ball washers be replaced more frequently.
Conversely, it
may be proposed that only the putting green should be sprayed with fungicide,
and that "fringe areas be skipped in order to save money.
The superintendent
with adequate facts can answer such proposals i n t e l l i g e n t l y .
When the
committee members consider the increased costs, or savings, they may wish to
a l t e r their aims and funds.
Budget

Planning

It is virtually
impossible to intelligently and accurately plan a
budget for a future y e a r ' s operations unless records of former operations
are a v a i l a b l e .
Former labor requirements by hours, multiplied by current,
-20-

or forseeable labor costs w i l l provide an accurate prediction for budget purposes. Adjustments to include proposed standards and equipment efficiency
changes can be predicted.
The depreciation rates of equipment and items for equipment replacement
should be inserted annually so that major items of capital expense are spread
over a number of years rather than being shown on a single y e a r ' s budget.
It
is distressing to f i n d that some clubs not only f a i l to provide for depreciation,
but do net have an up-to-date inventory which shows the remaining useful l i f e
and estimated value of equipment used.
The total costs of supplies can be estimated with f a i r accuracy by
studying the invoices of purchase orders from past years.
In the case of fungicides and insecticides it is well to maintain an adequate supply of materials .
More accurate estimates of material needs may be made by referring to records
of weather conditions, disease incidence, severity of insect attacks, e t c .
Comparing Costs
It has been said frequently that comparisons between golf courses cannot be made. Regardless of the validity of the statement, comparisons w i l l
continue to be made.
Several comparisons are possible and may be helpful if
the unit basis is standard.
Because of a need for better cost accounting methods, a USGA Green
Section subcommittee under the chairmanship of Mr. Allen Brown was established
for the purpose of studying "Uniform Terminology and Accounting."
The
committee first undertook to define the various areas of a golf course with
respect to their maintenance requirements. A l i s t of these definitions
follows :
^9

Golf Courses.
The whole area on which the game of golf is played, including practice area and a l l club property, except the grounds immediately .around the club house and that used for private residences, or for
other recreational purposes.

2.

Tee.
The tee is the starting place for the h o l e , consisting of either
an elevated, or level flat area, maintained at a short heighth of cut.
The exact position of a golfer teeing area should be indicated by two
movable markers for which the following color code is recommended:
Distance
Back
Middle
Front
Women's

Course
Blue
White
Red
Yellow

3.
Tee Slopes.
If the tee is elevated, the banks around the tee shall be
known as the tee slopes and shall be considered a separate part of the
course.
Fairway. - That part of a golf hole between the tee and green on which
the turf is groomed to provide an improved l i e .
5.

Rough that part of a golf hole generally maintained by cutting or mowing at heights in excess of the height of the fairway.

6.

Woodland - Any area occupied by trees, saplings, bushes, e t c . , which requires hand-labor and cannot be maintained by gang-mowers.
Swampland or Bog - Any low area containing an excessive amount of water
which cannot be maintained by the customary golf course quipment.

8

-

9.

Nursery area - Any area which has been set aside specifically for nursery
purposes, such as cultivation of sod, trees, flowers, bushes, etc.
Putting Green a l l the ground of the golf hole which is especially prepared
for putting, not including collars or aprons.
Collars - The area immediately adjacent to the putting surface that is
maintained at an intermediate height of cut between the putting green and
the fairway.

H*

Apron - The approach or area immediately in front of and around the putting
surface, bet\\reen the collar and the fairway, or rough, which i s usually
maintained at an intermediate height of cut between the collar and the fairway.

12.

Hazards Water - A water hazard is any lake, pond, river, ditch, surface, drainage ditch, or other open water course (regardless of whether or not it
contains water), and anything of a similar nature. A l l ground, or
water within the margin of a water hazard, whether or not it be covered
with any growing substance, is part of the water hazard.
Bunker (Sand) - A bunker is an area of bare ground, often a depression
which is covered with sand, but not including the turfed banks, or
slopes immediately surrounding the Bunker.
These should be considered
part of the fairway, or rough.
Bunker (Grass) - Same as sand Bunker, except the area is covered xtfith
grass instead of sand.

In order for maintenance costs to be meaningful, they must be based upon
some standard unit of measurement.
Only by determination of " u n i t costs" may
we evaluate efficiency and economy in maintenance.
The following units of
measurement are recommended:
1.

Man Hours - To provide a common denominator, it is suggested that "man
hours" of labor be used to determine the amount of work required on any
part of the course. This can then be related to dollars, according to
the hourly rate prevailing in any given a r e a , or on any course.
One Acre to be used for measuring the unit cost of maintaining
rough, and larger a r e a s .

fairways,

1 / 0 0 0 Square Feet to be used for measuring the unit cost to maintain
putting greens, collars, aprons, tees, traps or bunkers, nursery and
smaller a r e a s .
(Some courses keep records of road, tree and other special maintenance accounts).

Kinds of Records
Records systems may be simple, or complicated, and they may consume l i t t l e
or much time.
The distaste for keeping a complicated, time-consuming system
has deterred many from keeping anything like complete records.
The simplest
and most desirable record is a daily d i a r y .
I f routine operations, as well as
special jobs, are recorded and weather conditions noted, this diary, together
with payroll records and invoices for materials purchased, will provide the
basic information needed for budget development.
Some of the types of information that w i l l provide a complete and detailed history of the y e a r ' s operations on any golf course are as follows:
Form 1 - INDIVIDUAL WORKMAN'S D M L Y TIME CARD. Each workman should record
daily the time spent on each area of the golf course, or explain under other
heading.
Form 2 - A SUMMARY SHEET - either daily or weekly - to develop a progressive
record of the total hours spent on each maintenance a r e a .
Form 2a - A WEEKLY PAYROLL FORM, either individual or group, on which each
workman's time for each working day is recorded.
This orovides a record
of the total hours of labor for each man,, his rate of pay, his total earnings, net pay and the totals of these items for the entire crew.
Form 3 - A BASIC DATA SHEET which will serve as a descrption of the course
irLth respect to the areas subject to various categories of maintenance.
Units of maintenance w i l l be derived from this information. We have
found that enlarged aerial photos made to scale (obtainable from prints
at nearly a l l local Soil Conservation Service Offices) are extremely useful for determining a r e a s .
A planimeter can be used to obtain fast and
accurate measurements of area from these photos.
Form 4 - A SUMMARY SHEET SHOWING SUPPLIES PURCHASED. This information should
be drawn from invoices, or purchase orders. These data, together with year
end inventories, will provide figures on supplies used and their value.
Form 5 - A SUMMARY SHEET OF EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE COSTS. I f the club maintains a "repair parts" inventory, this must be considered in determining
the cost of repair parts used.
Form 6 - AN INVENTORY OF EQUIPMENT.
This should show each item of equipment
owned by the club, an identifying number, its estimated value, its estimated
useful remaining l i f e , and the annual rate of depreciation.
Small items, such as hand tools, should be placed on a separate inventory.
A budget item usually takes care of replacement needs of such "expendable"
items.
Form 7 - AN EQUIPMENT OPERATION RECORD. This should show the item of equipment,
an identifying number, and a record of its operation.
It w i l l be helpful in
establishing "expected useful l i f e " of equipment.
Complete records do require a considerable amount of time.
Those who
have kept such records feel that they are well worth the trouble.
They

subject operations to a constant, critical analysis; weaknesses; and predict
next y e a r ' s costs. With these the superintendent can defend important maintenance tasks; the elimination of costly but important course features; and
f i n a l l y demonstrate his responsibility to the club by showing his membership
exactly what he has done for them with their money.

GETTING NEW COURSES STARTED
A . A . Linkogel, L i n k ' s Nursery,
Inc.,
11500 Conway Road, S t . Louis,
Missouri.

In my 26 years as a golf course superintendent, I often wondered why
there were so few golf courses in Missouri and Southern I l l i n o i s , and those
that were around having only sand greens.
During the last few years through
checking with several o f f i c i a l s from some of the smaller towns, I found that
their information on golf course construction and maintenance costs were not
accurate. The prices quoted for the cost of construction were far beyond their
a b i l i t y to pay, and the salary required to employ a capable superintendent much
too high for them to pay. After carefully studying, I came upon the plan to
help the people in these towns to promote a golf course.
This is how I came
to go into the building business for myself.
My method to get a new course started is to locate someone in the area
who is very interested in promoting a golf course.
The f i r s t thing I try to
f i n d is how much money they can raise to b u i l d a course, or in the case of
sand greens, to convert to the bentgrass greens.
If there is no course, then
it is necessary for the local contact to select several pieces of property
that could be purchased, or leased, for a reasonable p r i c e .
Then, based on
how much money they can r a i s e , I will sketch a golf course plan, showing
them what they can do with those properties and that amount of money.
Such
planning will create a lot of argument pro and con, but also a lot of interest.
Several meetings are held to permit questions, and discussion before
the final decision to go ahead.
As an example, I have a certain course in mind in Southern Missouri.
This town had a private nine hole sand green course with a closed membership.
Now,a certain small group of businessmen in this town wanted a course, so they
called me in to find how to go about i t , and how much it would cost.
I
suggested they l i n e out as many pieces of property as they could. When I went
down I was informed that they had only $ 1 1 , 0 0 0 to spend.
One of the many
pieces of property was a dairy farm which they could lease if they could promise the owner a yearly job on the course.
Now, this was not the best piece
of property for a golf course.
It -was a dairy farm, a l l in pasture with a
pretty good t u r f .
I made a sketch of the proposed course layout, including
a lake for water supply.
I might mention that these members had the idea they could not have bentgrass greens that far south.
The nine hole, private club sand green course
already there had tried out a grass green several years before, and not knowing how to maintain i t , lost it the fiist year.
I assured them they could have
bentgrass greens.
They asked for local volunteers to work evenings and week-

ends to try and b u i l d the course under my supervision. On my next t r i p down
they had about 100 men offering to h e l p .
I staked out the greens and tees, a
local contractor permitted them to use his equipment to dig the lake.
The
greens were planted in September, and the golf course opened in May of the
following year.
I laid out their maintenance program and made v i s i t s to help as problems developed.
I have been advising and supplying material to this group for
seven years, helping them prevent, or solve problems, and have seen only one
bad green in that period.
The group is tickled pink with their new course,
and they built it for only $ 1 1 , 0 0 0 . 0 0 .
Through the information passed on to
others in the area by members of this course, there have been four other
courses b u i l t within a forty mile radius.
In laying out these courses,
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

I am very careful of six things:

To spot the greens in areas where there is good a i r movement.
To be sure of good surface drainage.
To use a good soil mixture
To fan out the collars around greens for ease of cutting with fairway
mowers.
To have a large enough water system so as to cover the complete green
with one setting of sprinklers
To use the proper pressure plastic pipe which almost anyone can i n s t a l l .
(I might add that this pipe has worked out wonderfully for u s ) .

I also inform them to try and hire some local young man interested in learning
this type of work and have him on the job during construction.
I might say
some of these men have gone on to better jobs and are doing an outstanding
job.
•
Some of the courses I design are not a l l holes offering the best
golf shots, but they do give the people what they want - an acceptable golf
course.
This is what they have been waiting for and they are happy.
In
the past seven years, 1956-61, I have promoted twenty-one 9-hole courses,
and one 18-hole course within 100 miles of S t . Louis. At present I am working on plans for three more in 1962 . Giving the people a golf course for the
dollars they have to spend so they can have the enjoyment of playing golf is
my aim.
I t ' s like wanting a Cadillac and settling for a Compact.

INSURANCE AND BENEFITS FOR WORKMEN
Al Johnson, S u p t . , Park Ridge C .
Park Ridge, I l l i n o i s

C.,

Many of you have read employment ads of companies and industry in
different papers where they have l i s t e d benefits for prospective employees,
such a s : forty hour week, insurance program, sick leave, hospitalization,
paid vacation, and pension plan.
I f you were to read a similar ad for employment at a golf course it would l i s t benefits such a s :
clean environment, 7
day week, minimum insurance program, below average wage scale, possible paid

vacation, no pension plan,

etc.

Seriously, a program of benefits as sorae incentive for workmen is desired.
A large percentage of country club and semi-private clubs have l i t t l e
or no program of benefits for employees, other than workmen's compensation, or
l i a b i l i t y insurance. A small percentage of country clubs have a group l i f e ,
sickness and accident policy usually written in individual clubs by a member of
that club that is in the insurance business with the premium paid by the individual employee.
Others have one thousand dollar l i f e insurance policy, and in
a few clubs staff employees are covered by a five thousand dollar l i f e insurance
policy, and other regular employees are covered by a one thousand dollar l i f e
insurance policy - in a few cases paid by the country club of which they are
employed.
Many of the private country club have a Christmas bonus which is given
to the employees, usually based on the amount of money donated by the membership to such a fund, and alloted to the employee on the basis of his position
with the club, the number of years of service, etc.
In some private clubs
the Christmas bonus is based, if money is available, on 5% of base salary;
others have a system of so much per year for each y e a r ' s employment; s t i l l
others have no bonus system at a l l .
After a l l , a Christmas bonus is a g i f t ,
no matter how small or large, and should be considered so unless it is considered part of your salary.
In many cases a Superintendent may take it upon
himself to do small things as an incentive for better workmanship.
Other benefits as far as the Superintendent is concerned, may come
from expenses paid to National Turf Conferences, Local Turf Conferences, of
which there is usually three or more, and monthly educational meetings.
In
a few cases a l l expenses are p a i d , but it appears that Superintendents pay
about 75% of the expense for the year.
Vacation benefits are based on the
individual private, or semi-private golf club, and range from no vacation to
a paid vacation of two weeks after a y e a r ' s service, three weeks a i t er five
years service, one month a f t e r ten years service.
Two of the more desirable programs of benefits for employees that I
was able to get information on are:
a semi-private club with a new program
of l i f e , hospitalization, sickness and d i s a b i l i t y policy paid by the employee
at present, but with the p o s s i b i l i t y of the club paying up to 50% of the premium in the future.
It has a five thousand dollar l i f e insurance for staff
employees, two thousand dollars for regular employees, a twenty-five dollar
dedmet'ible on hospital and operations, of which f u l l payment is made up to
five hundred dollars, and then 80% by the company and 20% by the i n d i v i d u a l .
A sick benefit of so much per week over and above workmen's compensation, or
any other insurance carried by the individual.
It can be taken by the individual at the same premium if he leaves the employment of the club.
The same
semi-private club has a 100 per hour Christmas bonus fund if the employee
stays the complete year.
Notice this is a real step towards a d e f i n i t e program.
The other more desirable and definite program is one of I l l i n o i s Municipal Employees of which most city and park golf clubs of the state of I l l i n o i s
are members. They have a good insurance plan, a 30 day sick leave, if necessary,
a pension plan that is based on the high five years of employment. The hourly
rate of pay for workmen is usually above most private country clubs, or semiprivate.
Most of the information I was able to receive from private,
-26-

semi-

private, and public courses was taken in the Chicago and surrounding area, and
does not necessarily hold true of other areas in the Midwest.
In the large
percentage of contacts made, there was no definite program of b e n e f i t s , or incentives for workmen to have the desire to do a job in his work.
It is my hope that our National G . C . S . A . , as well as our local Associations, w i l l spend a greater part of our dues towards securing a decent pension,
or annuity program for those Superintendents and employees of a l l golf courses
in the future.

INSURANCE AND FRINGE BENEFITS FOR WORKMEN
Vertus Mitchell, S u p t . , Forest Park Golf Course,
S t . Louis, Missouri

As already discussed by the previous speakers, the necessity of work
standards, budgets, record-keeping, and cost analysis plays a large part in
the modern-day operation of golf courses.
The City of S t . Louis requires a
budget that lines out the various items of expenditures based on the program
of maintenance, improvements, and purchase of new equipment in each department
for the coming year.
There are certain differences between private operation
and the S t . Louis Municipal in that certain administration and maintenance
functions are performed within a framework of a large Department of Parks,
Recreation and Forestry.
The City of S t . Louis has a standard Civil Service setup which provides for the recruitment of new employees for a l l departments.
This is outside the personal attention of the Golf Course Superintendent,and the broad
Classifications as applied to employees doing like work sometimes are not
too good for they may not have previous experience on a golf course.
If the
employee shows interest and willingness in his work, we then train them for
the different jobs required on a golf course.
This requires a more intensive
training program for a l l employees.
The City of S t . Louis has benefits, such as Social Security coverage,
and pension rights for a l l employees.
Civil Service procedures provide a
fixed program for increasing wages annually for the first f i v e years, and
allows for promotions.
Increases in wages after the five year period must
come from a general increase for the entire c i t y , or as a result of promotion to a higher job c l a s s i f i c a t i o n .
While the pay scale is competitive with other industries throughout
the metropolitan area, it is not generally possible to start a wellq u a l i f i e d laborer at an advanced salary over the general pay scale.
He
must start at the general pay scale and work up. After a man is on the job
for a year or so, he may be reclassified and promoted to a different job.
The Civil Service system allows for prescribed sick leaves, 3 weeks vacation,
time off (up to 6 days per year) for sickness, or death in the immediate
family, and 13 paid holidays per year.

On April 1 , 1960 a retirement system was established for employees of
the City of S t . Louis; this is in addition to his Social Security.
The normal
retirement date of an employee is the f i r s t day of the month following his
65th birthday. A l l employees shall be retired as of the f i r s t day of the month
following his 70th b i r t h d a y .
The amount of pension an employee receives is his
number of years of service multiplied by the sum of a percentage of his annual
compensation.
The retirement system provides for the following:
Early Service
Retirement, D i s a b i l i t y Retirement, and Death B e n e f i t s .
Considered by the employees as a real benefit is our compensatory time
arrangement, pay for a 40 hour work week, regardless of the number of hours
over 40 he has put i n .
These hours, or days, accumulate,and he gets time off
at a later date, with his pay check continuing at the 40 hour rate. The b i g
advantage l i e s in the fact that it is possible for a man to have a couple of
months o f f , including his vacation, for a more extended vacation.
There are
some disadvantages to this program, but a l l things considered, the advantages
far outweigh the bad points, proven by the fact that seldom does anyone, after
working with the City for any length of time, leave.

HOW MUCH DID YOU PUT ON?
Marvin H . Ferguson, Mid-Continent Director,
National Research Coordinator, USGA Green Section

The Green Section agronomist v i s i t i n g with a golf course superintendent
asked, "How much fungicide did you put on this green?" The answer came immed i a t e l y , "Two ounces per 1 , 0 0 0 s q . f t . "
The agronomist expressed surprise, but
then asked, "How much area is in this putting green?" The answer was, " I
don't know." Obviously, careful measurement and careful application can be
wasted.
If one is to know "how much was put o n " , he must measure the material
to be applied, m.easure the area to be treated, and then treat the "Measured
a r e a " with the "measured m a t e r i a l . "
Measure Material to be Applied
The sellers of golf course supplies are doing a good job of packaging
materials in convenient sizes for use without the necessity of measuring.
However, some materials must be measured. The f i r s t rule is to use standard measurements.
For solids, such as powdered or crystalline materials, use ounces
and pounds. For l i q u i d s , use liquid ounces, pints, quarts and gallons.
The
cost of graduates and scales are not p r o h i b i t i v e . When one uses coke bottles,
bar glasses, beer cans, or other such containers, he is permitting a chance
for error that is not necessary.
We put a l i t t l e more on the larger ones and a l i t t l e l e s s on the small
ones.
It is a fortunate thing that grasses tolerate some error, and that manufacturers of turf chemicals usually allow for some deviation from their printed
instructions.
It is small wonder that hit or miss methods do not cause more
trouble than they d o . We know the competent turf managers are very conscientious about proper measurements, and they carefully control the amount of
material applied.

One of the problems of measurement of pesticides, or f e r t i l i z e r , arises
from the fact that we must deal with varying concentrations. How much 40%
l i q u i d sodium arsenite must be used if the recommendation calls for 3 l b s . of
sodium arsenite per acre? Because 1 gallon of 407> liquid sodium arsenite
weighs approximately 10 l b s . , we can determine easily that there are 4 l b s . of
active material per gallon, or 1 l b . of active material per quart.
Therefore,
3 quarts of solution per acre w i l l provide the desired amount.
This is a relatively simple example, however, and some problems become considerably/ more complicated.
Usually l i q u i d formulations are prescribed in terms of l i q u i d measure
When this is not the case, then one must determine the weight of the l i q u i d , the
percentage of active ingredient calculated in terms of weight per gallon, and
the measurement made accordingly.
In the example above, 1 gallon weighs 10 l b s .
and the concentration is 407o. Therefore, .40 x 10 = 4 l b s . active ingredient.
Another helpful b i t of information furnished by some manufacturers shows the
weight of the active ingredient per g a l l o n .
The container w i l l carry a label
saying, "Contains 2 l b s . per gallon of Product A . "
F e r t i l i z e r rates also require some calculation.
Such calculations, however, are not d i f f i c u l t if one will remember a brief formula.
It i s :
Desired rate of nutrient x 100 -j % concentration =
Rate of application.
The formula may be written:
E
%

2
L22
nutrient

=

Rate of Application

I f we assume we wish to apply 60 l b s . of nitrogen per a c r e , and we are using a
12-12-12 f e r t i l i z e r , we can substitute figures in the formula as follows:
Desired rate (60 l b s . ) x 100
Rate of Application
5 x 100
1

^

percent N (12)

=

= 500 lbt'. of 12-12-12 per acre

This formula may be applied to any particular n u t r i e n t .
In the above example,
it may be readily seen that equivalent amounts of phosphorus and potash were
applied.
Measure the Area to be Treated
Measurements of area on a golf course are usually expressed in terms of
acres ( 4 3 , 5 6 0 s q . f t . ) , or in 1 , 0 0 0 s q . f t . u n i t s .
These are convenient units,
and we can convert acres to 1 , 0 0 0 s q . f t . by multiplying by the factor 4 3 . 5 6 .
There are several acceptable methods of measuring a r e a s . Aerial photos, made
to a known scale, are one of "the very convenient tools. Any well-equipped
civil engineer's o f f i c e can quickly measure any given area with a planimeter.
Very accurate approximations may be obtained by overlaying a clear plastic grid
on the area to be measured, provided the area covered by each square in the
grid is known. Another method used with a map, or photo, is to divide irregular areas into more or less regular shaped parts, measure the parts with a
scale ruler, and add them a l l up to provide a total for the area.

wheel.

On the ground measurements may be made with a tape, or a measuring
If irregularly shaped areas are to be measured, it may be necessary

to divide the area into more regularly shaped parts.
If you have an inclination to estimate the size of areas, it may be wise to check yourself frequently
Estimates can sometimes miss the mark by virtue of faulty reasoning.
The
following is one example:
Superintendent A has a green that is oval shaped, 110 f t . long, and
He
75 f t . wide.
He multiplies 110 x 75 and finds that this is 8 , 2 5 0 s q . f t .
estimates that the rounded-off corners probably amount to about 500 sq. f t . ,
and he considers the green to be 7 , 7 5 0 s q . f t .
(see F i g . 1 ) .

7-1/2'-— * —

35' — - -

:

V

-37-1 /2 ' - pi

FigTT
When the green is measured, it is divided so that part B is a rectangle with the dimensions 35' x 7 5 ' .
Its area then is 2 , 6 2 5 s q . f t .
Parts
A and C, if placed together, would form a circle with a diameter of 75' . The
formula for finding the area of a circle is pi ( 3 . 1 4 1 6 ) times 1 / 2 the diameter
s-quared.
It is written
3.1416 x ( 3 7 . 5 ) 2

= 4 , 4 1 7 + square feet

Adding these values, we find that 4 , 4 1 7 + 2 , 6 2 5
= 7,042 sq.ft.
estimate is off by more than 700 s q . f t . , or 10%.

Thus,

the

One of. the most common occurrences of faulty estimates comes from the
treating of fringes • of greens.
The green may be circular and 80 f t . in diameter.
The superintendent wishes to apply 3 ounces of fungicide per 1 , 0 0 0
sq.ft.
We may calculate the area by the formula
pi ( 3 . 1 4 1 6 ) x 1 / 2 diameter
squared.
3.1416 x 40 x 40 = 5,026

sq. feet

Therefore, 15 ounces of fungicide w i l l be required.
But, because the superintendent wishes to spray a strip about 1 0 ' wide around the collar of the green
he decides to put in a l i t t l e additional fungicide, so he allows enough for
another 1 , 0 0 0 s q . f t . (3 ounces more).
Now, how much fungicide is he applying?
The radius of the area to be treated is now 50' instead of 4 0 ' .
3.1416 x 50 x 50 = 7 , 3 5 4 square feet
Now, we have applied 18 ounces to 7 , 8 5 4 s q . f t .
This amounts to a l i t t l e more
than 2-1/4 ounces per 1 , 0 0 0 s q . f t .
Thus, the estimate was seriously in error.
Treat the "Measured A r e a " with the "Measured Material"
Calibration of spreaders, or sprayers, is one of the most important
steps in the application of any material.
In the case of sprayers, the rate

of output will remain constant so long as pressures and o r i f i c e sizes are constant.
Therefore, the procedure is to measure the rate of discharge, and from
this information, together with the known width of the swath covered by the
sprayer, calculate the distance to be traveled in order to apply the given
amount of material.
L e t ' s consider one example. We wish to apply 50 gallons of a spray
material per a c r e . We have determined that the sprayer discharges 2 gallons
of solution per minute.
Thus, l / 2 5 t h of the required amount is discharged in
one minute. Another way of saying this is that l / 2 5 t h of an acre must be
covered in one minute.
One twenty-fifth of an acre is 1 , 7 4 2 square feet
(43,560
25).
Then i f we know that the sprayer covers a strip 12 feet wide,
we may calculate that the r i g must travel 145 f t . ( 1 , 7 4 2 ^ 12) in order to
cover this a r e a .
By converting feet per minute to miles per hour, we can determine correct tractor speed.
(A speed indicator on the tractor is a very
useful " e x t r a " in turf maintenance w o r k ) . A rate of 145 f t . per minute is
equivalent to 8 , 7 0 0 f t . per hour, or 1 . 6 5 miles per hour ( 8 , 7 0 0 - 5 , 2 8 0 ) .
A f e r t i l i z e r distributor must be handled d i f f e r e n t l y .
The conventional distributor w i l l vary in i t s discharge rate with variations in speed,
fullness of the hopper, and roughness of the t e r r a i n .
Usually the best way
to measure rate of discharge is to fasten a pan to the underside of the distributor, operate the machine over a measured area, and weigh the f e r t i l i z e r
discharged into the p a n .
Openings in the spreader may be adjusted to provide
the desired rate of output.
One p i t f a l l in the application of spray materials that are suspended in
water rather than dissolved is the danger of settling out.
Unless thorough and
constant agitation accompanies the spraying operation, the concentration of the
solution may vary.
There have beeri cases in which excellent fungicides f a i l e d
to provide disease control.
Subsequent examination of the sprayer disclosed a
" p a s t e " of fungicide material in the bottom of the tank.
Use Good Clean Equipment
The last step in any operation involving sprayers or spreaders is to
thoroughly clean the equipment, service i t , andstore it in such condition that
it is ready for u s e .
However, i t is always a good idea to check over equipment again just prior to use. These precautions are not only a part of good
housekeeping and a way to forestall rust and corrosion of metal parts, but they
may also save one from disaster.
There is one case on record where a club
k i l l e d nine bluegrass fairx-jays by failure to use clean equipment.
The club
borrowed a large sprayer, placed 2,4-D solution in it and sprayed the fairways.
The XAiorkman f a i l e d to check the tank prior to f i l l i n g . ' Had he done so, he
would have found that i t xjas partially f i l l e d with a solution of a powerful
soil s t e r i l a n t .
The previous user had f a i l e d to empty the tank.
The chemical materials that have become an important part of turfgrass management have had a revolutionary effect upon the profession.
One
would be hard pressed to maintain turf without them.
Because of their
effectiveness, and because of their costs, they must be used in accordance
with thoroughly tested procedures and rates.
The superintendent who uses
them is obliged to be ever alert to make certain that he is using the
correct material and the correct amount on the known area to be treated.
Accorded this attention, turfgrass chemicals can be a tremendously effective maintenance t o o l .

TRAINING TURF MANAGERS
Mal McLaren, S u p t . , Oakwood Club
Cleveland, Ohio

To become a good superintendent today you must be an agronomist, engineer, chemist, e l e c t r i c i a n , mechanic and bookkeeper a l l rolled into one. Go
to school and learn everything about these subjects you can. Y o u ' l l need
every bit of i t .
Regardless of a l l this schooling you will f i n d that experience on the job is what w i l l eventually make you a good turf manager. You
will be dealing with Mother Nature at all times, and she can pull some pretty
slick tricks on you; no two seasons are the same; you cannot use the rule
book in this business.
Our good,friend, Carl Bretzlaff (a confirmed bachelor),
jokingly said h e ' s been "married to the golf c o u r s e . " You have to learn to
live with it night and day to be successful.
Every superintendent has different ideas on how to train men for this
profession.
When we f i n d a man who is sincere about wanting to l e a r n , we like
to start him in by learning to operate machinery on a l l types of j o b s .
I f you
know how to perform these operations, you are better q u a l i f i e d to tell your
men how to do the job r i g h t .
Next in importance is keeping records.
F e r t i l i z e r and fungicide applications are very important.
Explain the rates, time of application, and reason for applying; assign him to do these jobs and follow by checking results
with him. Along with this have him apply new materials on an experimental
b a s i s , encourage him to try some ideas of his own. Machinery inventory and
repair records are also good things for him to l e a r n . An inventory on machinery of when it was purchased, cost, estimated l i f e , and cost of repairs
is a must on a l l courses because it helps you when you ask your club to replace worn out equipment. When purchasing equipment have him in on the deal,
explaining why you think the type of equipment is more adaptable to your
course.
Labor Supervision
An assistant manager's most important training comes after he has gained
experience in handling a l l types of work.
Start out by having him supervise
jobs with one, two or three men, such as fungicide spraying, f e r t i l i z e r applications, small construction projects, e t c . , gradually working him up to where
he is able to submit a l l work orders for the entire crew. At the end of the
day review the results of the work done and discuss the program for the next
day.
It is very important that a l l your employees are informed of his
authority, and that he is in complete charge in your absence. We like to have
him sit in on certain green committee meetings, taking notes of reports and
business transacted, such as budgets, progress reports, and improvement programs for the course, after which he is requested to submit his report for
the chairman and myself.
Encourage him to attend educational programs, such as this Turf Conference, as well as those put on by local chapters of the G . C . S . A .
Here
a g a i n , have him submit a report of his f i n d i n g s .
During the summer have him
visit other courses to see how they are maintaining their course, look over
their equipment and maintenance barns, and discuss things with other superintendents.
Permit him to play g o l f , and if possible, have the club assist him

with payment of dues in the G . C . S . A .
When you outline this program on paper it sounds l i k e an awful lot of
duties to load on one person.
Remember this — you cannot expect him to be
driving a tractor a l l day and s t i l l perform these extra d u t i e s .
You are to be
the judge of how much he can take, so plan this program the same as you plan
your other work.
Keep your program interesting.
He will have to work extra
hours to keep up at times. After a l l , he is going steady with a golf course
now, and if he is to be any good, he will want to become married to a course,
the same as Carl B r e t z l a f f .

TRAINING TURF MANAGERS
Warren Bidwell, S u p t . , Olympia Fields
Olympia F i e l d s , I l l i n o i s

C.C.,

The Challenge
My cooperation with various Land Grant Colleges in training turf
managers during the past fifteen years has certainly been both interesting
and challenging.
The progressive steps in the evolution of the student from
the classroom to a full-time golf course manager are important ones for the
student, the college and to the superintendent.
Mistakes that could embarrass
anyone of the threesome are to be avoided if a continuing program to train
young men for positions in the turf f i e l d is to be a success story.
Usually a student, who is engaged in a Turf Management course, is
there because he has found the turf f i e l d to be a challenge to him prior to
being enrolled in the course.
In most cases he has not come into the course
"blind".
He has found his challenge and expects to pursue i t .
He is looking
for helping hands both in the classroom and during an apprenticeship under the
guidance of a leading superintendent.
The Orientation Program
I do not attempt to lay before a Turf Management student a r i g i d
type of classroom-like proceedure during his orientation program. He has had
enough of that in classes and l a b s .
He is now ready to experience the unfolding of an entire operational program where player satisfaction, along with
growth requirements for living plant l i f e , are the prime considerations.
One of the early lessons which the future Turf Manager should observe
is that you are seldom, if ever, " a l l s e t " in your dealings with Nature. There
should be an allowance for a reasonable amount of f l e x i b i l i t y in job planning.
The forces that are at work in our natural environment are changeable, and one
must adapt his program to meet the conditions which are at hand.
Leadership
It is my belief that the future Turf Manager must develop Leadership
by f i r s t knowing how to do the j o b .
This is best done by having personal
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experience.
Thus, it is my procedure that the trainee be given as many varieties
of work as may be practical for him to cover.
Once he has first-hand knowledge,
then he can teach or supervise others and have self-confidence, which is so important to him at this stage in his training.
Without self-confidence he can
flounder and make embarrassing mistakes, sometimes costly to the club.
It is
here that he begins to associate classroom fundamentals with p r a c t i c a l , personal
experience that w i l l eventually qualify him as leader of men.
I have noticed that the age differential is sometimes a problem when the
young trainee Turf Manager has under him men who have been on the job for some
time and are older.
The worst thing he can possibly do is to try to impress
these men with the amount of schooling he has under his b e l t .
Once he has
assumed limited leadership of a crew, he should make mental notes in a day-today study of the good, as well as the bad points of each member of his crew.
An application of "horse sense" psychology .will keep the mental outlook of
those inclined to be sensitive about the age difference well in his favor. In
recognizing this problem, Dr. F . Snider, Dean of Short Courses at Pennsylvania
State University, has introduced Personnel Management into the Winter Turf program for future Turf Managers. While it is not expected to cover a l l situations,
the course w i l l be highly beneficial in many ways.
Accountability
Very early in his new career the trainee Turf Manager must learn that
we are accountable for many things.
Turf production and the growing of ornamental plant material calls for special s k i l l s .
Turf is a specialized crop,
grown for specific purposes and must be managed if the b i l l of specifications
are to be f u l f i l l e d for both Nature and mankind.
Nature is a good teacher if
we will but take time to "read the lessons. When we overdo things the resulting lesson is there for q u a l i f i e d people to interpret.
It may be too much fert i l i z e r , or water.
Once it has been applied, over-stimulation, or weakness may
result.
Budgeting is another area where we are responsible and accountable for
the spending of vast sums of money belonging to others. We must spend it wisely
to achieve the results desired.
Before we spend there must be a plan that will
substantiate the wisdom of our proposed spending.
The Relationship Medium
The training of a Turf Manager cannot be considered thorough unless some
time has been spent on his relationships with his fellowman; mostly his fellow
department heads and those to whom he is responsible.
In this f i e l d where the
best is expected from everyone, mistakes can be kept to a minimum when simple,
applied psychology and consideration for the other fellow is practiced.
While
some of these principles are to be found in the textbooks, we will concede that
a greater number of the lessons are to be experienced in day-to-day l i v i n g .
Many occasions warrant our practicing the principle that cooperation is a twoway street.
I f we wish the spirit of give and take from others, then we, too,
must practice i t .
Professional

Status

The attainment of a position as Turf Manager carries its own built-in
responsibility.
It requires that we conduct ourselves and our business relations with others on the highest plane, that the standards and ethics of our
profession be promoted at a l l times.

THE ROLE OF THE DISTRICT G . C . S . A .
Harold W . Glissmann, 930 South 43th Street,
Omaha, Nebraska

What does the local G . C . S . A . groups do for you and me? They provide information, fellowship, leadership, and a means to get together and discuss your
local problems.
There are many things that the local groups can do to help you
and your community:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Be a source of reliable information about local turf problems.
Be a community leader in any way that you can serve - and there are many
and the rewards are b i g .
As individuals attend your local meeting and work in any capacity you can.
By helping your local group you will be helping yourself.
The local G . C . S . A . should try to have a project, or goal to work towards.

Sponsor a young man to further h i s education.
You and I are the source of future
supply of capable superintendents and future members of G . C . S . A . I could think of
no better way to help a young man to become interested in turf than to have the
privilege of attending this Conference.
Your local G . C . S . A . can do this by encouraging, and even sponsoring him.
It would cost only a few d o l l a r s .
And, who
know what may become of i t ? What better roll could your local G . C . S . A . play
than to have that satisfaction?
We must do our part along this l i n e .
You don't see many that already
helped us in years p a s t .
They have served their time, and now others must f i l l
their places.
I f you are a part of your local G . C . S . A . you can feel the satisfaction of belonging, and that is what everybody wants and needs in day-to-day
living.
We must a l l pull ourselves up by our own boot straps.
You w i l l get as
much out of your local as you put in i t , and your local w i l l be as b i g as it
has its sights s e t .
It is not always the largest membership of any organization that gets
the most done, or the most satisfaction from what has been done.
So, the basic
role of the local G . C . S . A . is to help provide a better way of l i f e for people
through helping to provide means for pleasure, profit and satisfaction, through
grass care, service and application.
Support your local group; your local
group should not only support our National Association, but Conferences of this
type and anything at a l l that w i l l help to do a better j o b .
It is not my intention to try and tell you a l l there is to the subject that has been assigned to me, nor do I care too much if you don't agree
with me.
If I can make you think a l i t t l e b i t more about the subject than
you did before coming into this meeting I will be s a t i s f i e d and will be well
repaid for my e f f o r t s .

THE MIDWEST GROUNDS MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
Frank Smith, George A . Davis C o . ,
Chicago, I l l i n o i s

What do you suppose Dr. D a n i e l ' s reason was for wanting someone to talk
about the Midwest Grounds Management Association this morning? T h a t ' s what I
wondered two mcrths ago.
The realization f i n a l l y came to me that the men attending this particular session could represent a dozen or more embryonic turf associations that could be formed with the incentive of a common interest. You are the
ones who have to worry about keeping football fields in shape, God and your
grounds budget permitting, but this is only part of the story.
You are responsible for a l l turf around the school.
No one can find much fault in the way the
inside of the school is kept up, but they can sure make a fuss over a few dandelions, or a l i t t l e crabgrass.
How about your trees and shrubs? Somehow more often than not you men
are expected to do an expert job in caring for them too.
Our good friend, the
average taxpayer, can certainly be critical at times. Where school grounds are
concerned, an increase in your budget is not necessarily the sole answer to the
improvements you want to make. With or without an increase in funds, you must
know how to get full value for every dollar you spend. We learn a lot from personal experience on a job, and when we have the opportunity, it is a good thing
to take advantage of someone e l s e ' s experience.
Perhaps that is the main reason for an Association.
It gives us an opportunity to know other fellows with
the same interests and share experiences with them.
Here is one way to get an Association of your own started.
It is the
way the Midwest Grounds Management Association was formed five years ago Each one of you can think of someone who gets around to the various
schools in your area and knows other men with jobs like yours.
He might be the
salesman who sells floor wax, boiler compound, f e r t i l i z e r , grass seed, or
mowers. Ask him if there a r e n ' t six or more men in the area who would make up
an organizational committee to form a new a s s o c i a t i o n .
Consider expanding the
f i e l d by including other people interested in grounds, such as men from industrial plants, landscapers, nurserymen, suppliers and perhaps local cemetery and
park superintendents.
At the organizational meeting start by discussing what could be gained
by forming an Association. As soon as possible choose a chairman of your organizational committee. The chairman will choose men for the essential
committees such a s :
(1) membership; (2) p u b l i c i t y ; (3) nominating; ( 4 ) constitution; (5) program. A l s o , their definite job should be understood.
Set a date for your f i r s t regular meeting.
Decide on the place, time,
and program.
Do everything possible to attract a good turnout at the f i r s t
meeting.
Let Dr. Daniel know what you are doing and arrange for him to speak.
Chances are y o u ' l l draw a good crowd and t h e y ' l l go home with the intention to
attend future meetings.
Help the men get acquainted with one another by providing them with lapel cards showing their name and where they are from.
Here is an outline of a typical meeting of the Midwest Grounds Management Association:
We meet at 1 1 : 0 0 A . M . at a school in our area, and our host, a fellow
-36-

member, conducts us on a tour of the building and grounds.
Lunch at noon at a
nearby restaurant. We usually have a separate room reserved for u s .
After
lunch a brief R e e l i n g , and then we turn our meeting over to the program chairman who introduces our speaker. We have always made it a point to have a guest
speaker who could talk on his subject with authority.
Since we have only six
meetings a year, we must have six good meetings.
During each of the past five years Dr. Daniel has been the speaker at
our February meeting.
Mr. Wilson of the Milwaukee Sewerage Commission, and
Dr. Watson of Toro Manufacturing have also cooperated greatly by speaking at
a number of meetings during those years.
Other speakers have been local lands c a p e s , nurserymen and a r b o r i s t s .
Through membership in our Association, the
school men in our area have f i n a l l y become acquainted with one another.
The
information gained at meetings has made their work and money more effective,
and their school grounds looking better.
In closing, it is interesting to note that many of the members of the
Midwest Grounds Management Association have been given increased allowances
for their grounds. When a man makes improvements in his grounds with a
limited budget, school boards and administrators are encouraged to provide more
funds for further improvement.

THE TURF FUNGICIDE BUSINESS - A REVIEW
Stan Frederiksen, Mallinckrodt Chemical Works,
S t . Louis, Missouri

On a certain day in A u g u s t , 1 9 2 1 , about 40 years ago, George Smith,
greenskeeper, went out with his greens chairman to look at Mo. 5 putting green.
I t had looked f a i r l y good only the day before - b u t ! !
In various sized spots,
the beautiful green had given way to ugly browns and grays, and the spots were
rapidly growing l a r g e r .
What was it? What was happening?
George checked
over his maintenance a c t i v i t i e s - watering, mowing, topdressing, raking, fert i l i z i n g - a l l had been carried out.
Y e t , George's gorgeous grass was dying.
The spots he saw on his putting green were no novelty - George had
seen them before - had lost grass b e f o r e .
In fact, it was not unusual to have
greens entirely without grass.
George wondered how much disease could really
be controlled.
He had used lime, on occasion, with some e f f e c t .
He had
tried Bordeaux mixture, and noticed that it did seem to control the " d i s e a s e "
some, but the residual copper component damaged and thinned his good grass.
Now we jump a span of 40 years to August, 1961,
Larry maintains an
Larry Johnson, golf course manager.
out.
I t is always one of the best manicured courses in
day every putting green is in excellent condition - a l l
beautiful color, and with not a sign of "turf d i s e a s e . "

and b r i e f l y visit with
excellent 18-hole layhis a r e a .
Day after
of excellent texture,

Now - what had happened during the intervening 40 years? Many turf
products were developed, but, the real answer to disease-free putting greens

l i e s in the growth and development of excellent turf fungicides by that segment
This
of industry which we are calling today "the turf fungicide b u s i n e s s . "
business is just another example of our "American way" in which free enterprise
industry always finds the answers to problems, whenever those problems become
known to industry's leaders.

been,

L e t ' s scan this "turf fungicide business" concerning ( I ) where we have
( I I ) where we are now, and ( I I I ) where do we go from here?
I . Background of the Turf Fungicide Business - Where have we been?

Back in George Smith's day, Bordeaux mixture was really the only turf
fungicide worthy of the name. Then, in the early 1 9 2 0 ' s , came the f i r s t "breakthrough" on turf disease control.
During these years, Dr. John Monteith, then
of the USDA and USGA, did considerable work with the inorganic mercury s a l t s ,
and concluded that combinations of mercuric and mercurous chlorides gave control
of some turf diseases. Actual work on fungicidal control dates back over 3 , 0 0 0
years. As early as 1000 B . C . , the Greek poet Homer, spoke of "the pest-averting
sulfur".
In the year 60 A . D . , Pliny recommended soaking wheat seed in wine,
plus bruised cypress leaves, to control " m i l d e w . " Throughout the centuries
since then, work has been done with various fungicides.
Bordeaux mixture had
first been recognized as a fungicide around 1 8 0 0 .
In these early 1 9 2 0 ' s Mallinckrodt Chemical Works, then already 60
years old, pioneered the commercial aspects of the mercurial turf fungicide,
launching the famous Calomel-corrosive sublimate mixture.
The original CaloClor was heavy - did not stay in suspension, and was used in dry form, with
sand, and broadcast over the t u r f .
"SUSPENSION CALO-CLOR^/developed shortly
a f t e r , containing a special suspension agent.
During the late 2 0 ' s and throughout the 3 0 ' s , the mercurials were the best known of a l l turf fungicides.
During the 3 0 ' s DuPont and other companies worked on the activity of
the dithiocarbamate compounds. This work actually marks the beginning of the
modern scramble for organic fungicides.
Their tetra-methyl-thiram-disulfide,
which you know as Tersan, did a good disease control job throughout the war
years, and has continued to be a factor in turf disease control ever s i n c e .
Of course, DuPont also developed its own organic mercurial, hydroxymercurichlorophenol, which you know as Semesan, about the same time.
Around the mid-40's the Cleary Corp. helped pioneer the advance of
phenyl mercuric acetate, both as a fungicide and a crabgrass control.
Their
PMAS has gained in popularity over the years.
Then in about 1948, the Upjohn Company helped pioneer the new concept of anti-biotic control with their
cyclohexamide, an organic compound which Upjohn offered commercially as "Actid i o n e . " The ferrated and " R Z " types were later offered.
About 1950 Rhode I s l a n d ' s Department of Plant Pathology, under Dr.
Frank Howard, determined that Cadmium compounds offered excellent control of
the then serious disease, dollarspot.
So effective have they become, that
the standard phrase is "When the cadmium compounds came i n , dollarspot went
out."
Disease identification is d i f f i c u l t even among the experts. A fungicide was needed that could be sprayed without too much d i f f i c u l t y , and which
would readily control several diseases.
Thus, the concept of the brcadspectrum turf fungicide was born, Mallinckrodt pioneering in this f i e l d with

broad-spectrum Krorrad. Shortly thereafter, DuPont marketed Tersan-OM, combining
Thiram and organic mercury, and Cleary marketed Thimer, also combining Thiram
with the organic mercurial PMAS. Soon Upjohn also was in the f i e l d with ActiDione Thiram. More recently Vineland, Chemagro, California Chem. C o . , and
others have entered the turf fungicide business.
A l l these steps illustrate how the turf fungicide industry has come
about and has groxm, f i l l i n g a need, and solving much of the turf disease problem.
So far as the f i n e putting green turf market is concerned, the fungicide
industry is not huge.
But, y o u ' l l agree it occupies a significant place in
modern turf maintenance.
I I . The Turf Fungicide Industry Today
Now, just a few words about what these turf fungicide companies do.
What goes on, and within firms, that eventually results in the marketing of an
acceptable, effective turf fungicide?
In general, the sequence is something
like this:
^•

A Turf Disease Problem Must E x i s t .
There i s n ' t a turf fungicide on the
market today that d i d n ' t result from a disease problem of some k i n d .
It
is such problems that stimulate the manufacturer to start work, especially
if he can see two end results:
(a) a really tangible service to solve a
problem; and (b) the reasonable anticipation of a profit for himself.
The Problem Must be Recognized by the Proper People - Especially the Turf
Fungicide Manufacturer.
So long as a turf manager keeps it to himself
there w i l l be no solution.

3.

The Problem Must Be Significant Enough to Warrant. Action by the
Manufacturer.
The problem must be b i g enough for him to spend time,
money, and other wherewithal, in an effort at solution.

4.

The Manufacturer Must Learn Everything Possible About thp TViseasp
Problem.
By direct contact, attending Conferences, studying environments, etc.
The research staff must study the disease organism, its
habits, conditions under which it attacks grasses, what kinds or classes
of substances are l i k e l y candidates for i t s control, etc.
The Manufacturer Must " S c r e e n " Compounds. Sometimes he must check
through many thousands of potential compounds.
He may reconsider products previously found unsuitable for other purposes.

6.

From Among These He Must Select Some Candidates For:
a.
Laboratory testing - the products w i l l have to be actually tested
against the fungus N organism.<.
r' , / ' ^
b.
Greenhouse testing.
Next it must be tested against the disease organism actually attacking turfgrass.
c. F i e l d testing - out in the f i e l d in the hands of superintendents.
You will be asked to help and make observations for this was origina l l y your problem that the manufacturer has spent much time and
money on. Meanwhile, the manufacturer has been collecting a l l data.
By this time he has a stack of material perhaps a foot t h i c k .

^*

D e v e l ° P Complete Information and Submit to U . S . D . A .
- Having found, perhaps, a single fungicide that will work, and after having calculated reasonable costs, selling p r i c e s , e t c . , the manufacturer must propose what he

thinks is satisfactory l a b e l i n g , and submit his compiled data to the USDA
for its approval- Only if facts have been properly gathered and presented, and a satisfactory product has been developed, w i l l the USDA
approve.
.

8,

Manufacturer Must Develop Production Processes 1 - PILOT PLANT - usually to make small quantities of the fungicide,
this small plant being used to test f a c i l i t i e s , provides your test
materials and gets the "bugs' 7 out of the production cycle.
2 - FULL SCALE MANUFACTURING PROCESS - to produce the quantity of the
product surveys have indicated w i l l be needed for the market to be
covered.
Advertising and Marketing Program Plans - These w i l l next have to be developed since the manufacturer's plant f u l l of completed material will do
no good unless it i s sold.

10-

Marketing- and S e l l i n g - A l l the mechanics of marketing the product to the
ultimate consumer must now be invoked.
Only when used by you to get
successful disease control is the manufacturer's job complete.
Foilow-Through - The reputable manufacturer wants to know that you are
a
s a t i s f i e d customer.
His follow-through includes:
a.

HE MUST BACK UP HIS PRODUCT - He must be constantly on the alert
He must correct any d e f i c i e n c i e s ,
for any problems or questions.
find the reasons for the potential non-success of a product under
any given circumstance, etc.
Sometimes this is merely the result
of not following the label instructions, knowing the s i z e of his
greens, or putting on overdosages, or underdosages, etc.

b.

HE MUST SUPPORT TURF ASSOCIATIONS, NATIONAL AND REGIONAL - Most of
you are members of the GCSA, and your own district turf associations. Y o u ' l l f i n d good firms ready to work with your groups in any
way possible.

c.

HE MUST GIVE OUT HONEST INFORMATION - This means, essentially,
that he must advertise with honesty and integrity, giving out only
those facts about his products which are r e a l i s t i c , and which will
be honest and h e l p f u l .

d.

HE MUST WORK THROUGH GOOD DISTRIBUTORS - He knows that the middleman, or distributor, can be abolished, but the d i s t r i b u t o r ' s function, and the cost of that function, must be performed by someone.
III.

What's The Future For Turf

Fungicides?

What w i l l be the next b i g break-through? Many projects are rapidly
being pushed, and others w i l l come.
Some of the present aims include:
1.

Preventive Spraying - Any plant pathologist will tell you " i f you see i t ,
i t ' s too l a t e . "
They w i l l tell you "you cannot really cure a turf disease,
you must prevent i t . "
Manufacturers w i l l continue to point out the many
advantages of a routine preventive spray program.

2.

Fairway Fungicides - Members are demanding the same quality of turf on
tees and fairways as on greens.
Manufacturers, of course, w i l l cooperate,
by seeking better and better fairway fungicides, and at low costs.
Some
superintendents already are using PMA 10% solution at one quart per a c r e .
Others are using Cadminate at one-half ounce per 1 , 0 0 0 s q . f t . every six
weeks.
These and other fungicides are giving good fairway control of
diseases.

3.

Combinations - Kromad, Tersan-OM, Thimer, Acti-Dione Thiram are now availa b l e , yet broader combinations are in prospect.
Some firms are seeking to
combine fungicides with herbicides with soluble f e r t i l i z e r s , or with insecticides .

4.

Bu"lt-in Fungicides - Some turf and business interests are seeking a soil
ad .tive which is fungicidal, and which, when mixed with s o i l s , used as
seedbeds, w i l l prevent fungus attacks for extended periods.

5.

Fungicides to Control Previously "Uncontrollable" Diseases - Most major
turf diseases may now be controlled by existing good turf f u n g i c i d e s .
Of course, some may be more effective, safe, or economical than others.
However, some fungi are persistent rascals; others are controlled only
at great expense, and with great d i f f i c u l t y .
For instance, prior to this
year for pythium there has been no sure control, except sudden cold, dry
weather.
Now several experimental formulations are showing promise.
Dr.
Homer Wells at Tifton, Georgia, has gotten promising results for pythium
control on turf in greenhouse tests with Dexon.
Certainly another "uncontrollable" disease thus far has been "Spring Dead Spot" of Bermudagrass fairways.

6.

Systemic Turf Fungicides - applied to the soil with root absorption and
the active ingredients which would supply long term internal plant protection througrfi ^ f e n ? o § ? r ^ ^ f M s f W e S n 5 f § W t o d a y .
Several soil drenches
are already on the market and are successful to a degree.

7.

Anti-Organism Control - One of the "way-out" projects being considered
are turf organisms antagonistic - to fungi perhaps; actually feeding on
and eliminating harmful f u n g i .
The future for this idea is highly
nebulous.

8.

Synthetic Putting Greens - Possibly in the form of a l l weather " r u g s " ,
or "carpets" that can be l a i d down over a prepared base, and removed,
repaired and re-laid - or possibly in some other form not yet even
visualized.
This may be impractical, expensive and only slowly acceptable to g o l f e r s . A l s o , "synthetic greens won't repair themselves;"
while grass recovers well from ball marks, mower and spike shoe damage,
etc.

T h i s , then, is the turf fungicide business - where it has been, where it
is now, and where it might go in the f u t u r e . You can help move it forward.
F i r s t , you can make sure the industry knows of your turf disease problems, so
that they can set to work to solve them. Secondly, you can purchase the fungicides of the manufacturers who are pushing their research for you. Y o u ' l l enjoy the outstanding services of your distributor, and provide just a b i t for
research dedicated to solving your problems.

INTRODUCING A NEW PRODUCT
W o o d r o w A . J a f f e e , Oil-Dri Corporation
Chicago 1 1 , I l l i n o i s
The lspeakers preceding me have presented aspects of turf improvement
from the standpoint of the salesman and the d i s t r i b u t o r .
My purpose here is
to relate to you some of the problems, experiences, and lessons that my Company met with in marketing a new product, a calcined clay aggregate, in the
turf f i e l d .
Clays are found and mined in many states from bentonites in Wyoming,
which are poured down the shafts of oil wells as d r i l l i n g mud, to the kaolins
of South Carolina used to put a glossy f i n i s h on paper materials, to attapulgites of Southern Georgia used for refining of o i l s , to the firebrick clays
of Ohio.
Clays vary with regard to their density, color, porosity, placticity,
the .temperatures at which they glaze or v i t r i f y , absorption rates, and in many
other respects.
The word " C l a y " is encountered frequently in the f i e l d of soil science
where the reference is to that important fraction or part of the soil made up
of particles which are less than .002 mm in diamter.
This clay fraction is
often called the "colloidal m a t e r i a l . " Three of the main clay groups a r e :
the i l l i t e s , the montmorillonites and the kaolins.
We are concerned w i t h , i n
particular, the montmorillonite group.
However, the smallest aggregates in
our "calcined clay" is at least 500 times the size of the largest particle in
the natural "clay f r a c t i o n " of the s o i l .
About six or more years ago, various people began to be interested in
the application of calcined clays to golf course putting greens.
Purdue University began testing calcined clays in 1 9 5 4 . Within the costly and d i f f i c u l t
problems of compaction and drainage of putting greens, and building of golf
courses, an excellent potential exists for calcined clay.
The development of this market is involved.
F i r s t , there was the matter
of investment of time by our administrative staff in contacting people in the
Department of Agriculture, turf f i e l d , universities, and others to determine
where we should s t a r t .
Then came the matter of financial grants and contribution of clay materials to help studies already underway. We joined our good
competitors in supporting the turf research directed by Dr. B i l l Daniel, and
he is to be complimented for his diplomatic talents in getting manufacturers
with conflicting personal interests to cooperate communally in such studies.
Perhaps we were a b i t more conservative, or perhaps we were less far-sighted,
but in any case we held off marketing TERRA-GREEN soil conditioner until about
two years ago.
I n i t i a l l y we had only hazy ideas of which clay types would be b e s t .
Because we had absorbent clays readily available from mills in Tennessee, Mississippi and Georgia, we did submit clays from a l l of these mills for Purdue
test.
It turned out that highly calcined, or highly baked clays, performed
the b e s t .
Some of the clay samples we submitted were not highly calcined,
and were found unsuitable.
We then selected the Mississippi montmorillonite
as evidently best.
I do wish to emphasize that TERRA-GREEN soil conditioner
is not merely one of our industrial absorbent clays with a new h a t .
The raw
material is identical, but the mesh size and temperature during the drying
and calcining procedure, which is most important, is carefully controlled to
achieve maximum s t a b i l i t y .

Let us share some ideas about mining of clays and calcining of clays.
In a typical strip mined clay pit we remove 5 to 1 5 ' of overburden, then mine
the underlying clay layer which runs from 10 to 30 feet in depth.
Inside the
mill we crush the b i g lumps down to 1 / 2 " , 1 / 4 " and 1 / 8 " size particles in
stages.
Meantime, we give the clay an i n i t i a l drying that removes a l l but
about 1 / 1 0 to 1% of water moisture of the original 40% moisture content, as
it Gomes from the p i t .
The kilns are 6 0 ' long, 6 ' in diameter, and rotate
about their longitudinal a x i s .
The high temperatures come from the gasfired burner at the lower end of the k i l n , toward which the clay tumbles as
the kiln rotates.
The temperature gradient, the maximum temperature, and the
size of the clay particles a l l affect the calcination index of the c l a y .
We have considered the p o s s i b i l i t y of producing highly calcined clays at
our Georgia mill for the turf f i e l d .
The Georgia clays are somewhat bulkier
and more absorbent.
However, we believe, at this time that the Mississippi
montmorillonite can be calcined and hardened to a greater degree with greater
resulting s t a b i l i t y .
S t a b i l i t y is the characteristic that we are emphasizing
in our production thinking.
It appears that the 2 - 1 plate structure of the
montmorillonites offer a possibly higher base-ion exchange rate with better
f e r t i l i z e r holding and release characteristics than the fibrous Georgia attapulgite.
These are matters yet to be concluded, and, until they a r e , I can
only offer the prayer of the Iowa farmer, "Dear Lord, make my words today
sweet because tomorrow I may have to eat them."
Another possibility is a change in the color of the calcined clay. Not
through the use of dyes, but rather through control of oxygen supply in the
kiln.
This again is a delicate matter requiring more time and t r i a l s .
Let us look now at sales of the product.
Because our Company has always emphasized sales through distributors, we looked around for the best
distributors.
Our products are bulky and require warehousing, truck delivery,
salesmen contacting golf courses, and, if possible, a respectable line of credit.
Because we believe in the sales and distributing efficiency of the turf
supplier who is already contacting golf courses, we made no effort to bring
our very large l i s t of OIL-DRI absorbent distributors into the p i c t u r e .
It is interesting to consider the i n i t i a l reaction of the companies
that we contacted as prospective distributors.
There are many problems in
turf management, and many excellent products used, but also some unsatisfactory products which just d i d n ' t work. As a result we found the turf equipment
distributor to be extremely cautious and conservative in taking on a new product.
He is mightily concerned about keeping the goodwill and confidence of
his customers.
Even as we called on distributor prospects, we also commenced
calling on the golf courses.
These calls were made by our own sales force of
some 25 full-time men. When distributors were established, these men continued
their sales calls in the form of missionary f i e l d work, along with and supplementary to, the f i e l d calls of our distributors' salesmen.
Our men have continually received training so that they could be as efficient and well-informed
as p o s s i b l e .
In bringing a new product to the turf f i e l d , we were hard pressed for
performance data.
For example, how could we prove that our calcined clays
wouldn't " l a y e r " in five years, or lose their stability in twenty years when
no one had watched them for such periods.
However, we had had many years of
experience with calcined absorbent clays and the presentation of absorption
rates and hardness of granule was something we could and did show with actual
samples and a small demonstration k i t .
This kit consisted of several test

tubes with wire mesh bottoms with which we could demonstrate the water absorption of our TERRA-GREEN, and a comparison of the way that soil samples xvould
compact without and with calcined clay. We also had analyses of TERRA-GREEN
showing absorption rates, chemical composition, density, pH, analysis of particules according to mesh s i z e , etc. As quickly as University and f i e l d
studies were completed, the usable data and information was passed onto our
f i e l d force.
Displays and demonstrations at meetings are also h e l p f u l .
This year at
the Turfgrass Conference in Miami Beach we used a lucite box showing a profile
section of a golf course putting green with t i l e l i n e , pea gravel, coarse sand,
and top mix depth as recommended by the USGA. We modified the top mix by adding calcined clay as an i l l u s t r a t i o n .
This display drew a gratifying and
amazing amount of a t t e n t i o n . We also used a soil sample compacting unit, designed originally by Leon Howard, with which we showed that more compaction
developed in soil samples not containing calcined clay.
T h i s , too, was an interesting e x h i b i t .
The selling of a new product in a new f i e l d was, of course, very costly.
Our men had to find their way to new addresses, take time away from other products, and learn many new things.
In making golf course c a l l s , one frequently
finds that the Superintendent is at the tenth green supervising work there.
As a result, the number of sales calls per day are far fewer than in industrial s e l l i n g .
It is quite different from calling on gasoline stations on
Main Street in Middletown.
On the other hand, the amount of calcined clay to
be sold may d i f f e r considerably from even the annual purchases of a f i l l i n g
station.
The reaction of the golf course superintendent has been similar to that
of the distributor, conservative, but interested and frequently w i l l i n g to
try.
We believe that the calcined clays do offer a good solution to the problem of compaction and drainage.
I would like to comment on what, to me, is
a rather distinguishing characteristic of the golf course superintendents.
It
is the regularity and emphasis that they place on attending association meetings, conferences, seminars, and f i e l d days with educational programs.
We feel fortunate that in developing our TERRA-GREEN program we were
able to have retained a consultant, an experienced Turf S p e c i a l i s t , to advise
us on technical questions, possible avenues of further research, accurate labell
ing of packages, preparation of f i e l d manuals, and other areas.
Such a i d improved the quality of our service in a new f i e l d .
It became clear before we had gone very far that there was a need for a
technical manual describing calcined clays, performance characteristics,
methods of application, and other available information. Although I do have a
Master of Science degree from the University of Chicago, it was not in Agronomy
and my background in soil science was very t h i n .
However, I read a good b i t ,
talked with many helpful superintendents, picked some of the best brains availa b l e , and with editing by our consultant, we were able to publish a creditable
f i e l d manual for which we are s t i l l receiving requests.
This w i l l be revised
and upgraded as new studies are completed and new information from the m i l l ,
the laboratory and the f i e l d become a v a i l a b l e .
Manuals l i k e this are most
valuable in making it easier for both distributors and consumers to learn about
your product in an organized and convenient fashion.
I might add here that the preparation of the manual was only another

item in the long l i s t of things to be done in bringing a new product to market.
Market research, production, changes, laboratory studies, packaging,
advertising, establishment of distributors, and consumer calls are v i t a l , and
also costly, time-consuming, and demarding of intelligence and organization.
Let us consider now the question of future research.
We are considering
other ways to evaluate stability besides freeze and thaw t e s t s .
We are curious
as to whether tiny particles of clay that are eventually detached may not simply
pass downward through the soil p r o f i l e .
There is a question as to what is the
critical size of p a r t i c l e s .
The fixation of chemicals, degree of heaving under
seasonal change, and the change of pH have been studied and w i l l be studied
further.
It is my b e l i e f that the USGA would be interested in seeing porosity
and permeability indices of TERRA-GREEN when mixed with various local sands,
soils and peats, and we are
engaged in preparing such values r which should
give s t a t i s t i c a l l y reliable predictions and satisfactory assurances.
An example of cooperation and participation by manufacturers, and several of the local country clubs is the recently installed experimental putting
green of the S t . Louis Turf Research Association at Westwood Country Club.
Based on Leon Howard's testing he suggested a
50
30
10
10

sand
calcined clay
soil
peat mix

During the f i r s t watering of the experimental green, water started standing on
" s o i l only" f i r s t , and on the "standard mix" next, but not on the USGA mix,
or the calcined clay mix.
I would l i k e to close this talk with a few indications of other things
that may l i e ahead.
F i r s t , there is the question of developing the use of
calcined clays in new construction and rebuilding of putting greens.
While
an interesting amount of new construction has involved the use of calcined
clays, it has not been a widespread occurrence.
The major use of calcined
clays to date has been for topdressing after a e r i f y i n g .
The determination
of further performance indices to the satisfaction of the USGA, golf course
architects, and others is vitally needed.
To some persons the costs of calclined clays look high in the construction budget, but to others it is mainly
a matter of the long range stability and decrease in other maintenance costs.
Second, there is the p o s s i b i l i t y of applications of calcined clays to
athletic f i e l d s .
Purdue University pioneered this idea when in May, 1961
they installed approximately 50 tons each of TERRA-GREEN and Turface into
their then compacted football f i e l d . A hopper attached to a sub-soiler
f i l l e d s l i t s with moisture absorbing clay.
The idea is to create fast water
removal at a l l times. A l s o , aerifying and surface applications are being
used together.
Ohio State University is also rebuilding their football f i e l d u t i l i z i n g
TERRA-GREEN.
Thirdly, there is the possibility of applications of TERRAGREEN to various commercially grown crops and p l a n t s .
Growers of mushrooms,
poinsettias, orchids, tobacco, and others have shown varying degrees of favorable interest.
Fourthly, there is the p o s s i b i l i t y of the use of calcined clay in the
-45-

installation of shrubs and trees along our many new Interstate Highways.
These trees and shrubs are expensive to acquire, costly to i n s t a l l , and frequently the soils are far from good.
Oftentimes there is no development of
the root system and the tree or shrub is l o s t .
We believe that at comparatively small cost calcined clays can save many of these trees and shrubs by
improving the rootzone a r e a .
F i f t h l y , our Company has just presented to the market a new product
called ROOT ZONE soil conditioner which is aimed not at the golf course, but
at the homeowner.
It incorporates the benefits of calcined clay with the
nutrient and soil conditioning properties of a 307o organic component. Finally,
w e ' r e happy in this new f i e l d , but introducing a new product, we assure you,
is most demanding - even for a good one.

WHEN A .SALESMAN STOPS BY (PUT HIM TO WORK FOR YOU)
Frank Smith, George A . Davis Co.
Chicago, I l l i n o i s

As you've noticed in your program, both B i l l Smith and myself are listed
for this t a l k .
B i l l had been selling to the golf courses for seventeen years
when I started out in 1946 . So to explain why I ' m up here alone, B i l l doubted
he could confine 35 years of experience to a 25 minute t a l k .
Those who know
him would agree.
By coincidence, I ' v e known B i l l longer than anyone else here
today - we happen to be brothers.
Our theme this afternoon is "The Business of Turf Improvement."
Salesmen are vitally interested and involved, and I can't think of anyone more
helpful to the salesman in furthering these improvements than D r . Daniel and
others like him. Here are five reasons why we lean so heavily on Purdue and
other schools doing research in t u r f :
1.
To quote a speaker at the Purdue Conference a few years ago, he
s a i d , "Year after year, the questions asked by you men are pretty much the
same, but through the years the answers have changed many t i m e s . "
Because
the answers keep changing, it would be impossible for the salesman to stay
up-to-date without the help and information we get from Purdue, I l l i n o i s and
other schools.
2 . Aside from the education of the salesman himself, the information
gained at Conferences and meetings by our customers makes our job easier and
more pleasant.
For example, consider the extensive work done at Purdue with
crabgrass control materials.
A salesman wants to sell the best chemical for
the job, but he cannot possibly test and evaluate every product on the market
himself.
Moreover, he c a n ' t ask a customer to spend money and try everything
either.
Knowing results of tests at Purdue, both can choose intelligently the
best product for the money and tirae spent on the specific problem.
3.
Usually the one obstacle in the path of an improvement is a lack of
money, and t h a t ' s a high hurdle to get over, but at other times there may be

adequate funds available and only a reluctance to spend them.
If the Superintendent can't convince his board members of the merit of those improvements,
he might persuade members of his board to outline the problem in a letter to
an unbiased authority, such as D r . Daniel, and they w i l l usually so along with
his recommendations, which is what the Superintendent had been wanting a l l
along. An example of this could be a small park d i s t r i c t with very poor turf
areas.
The beard allowed a f e r t i l i z a t i o n program to get under way_k solely on
the basis of recommendations made by Purdue after their lawn soils were tested.
4.
The extension work done by fellows l i k e Dr. Daniel is of great help,
both to the customer and the salesman.
They often travel many miles to present
a talk to a meeting of one of our Associations.
5.
Have you ever noticed that salesmen seem to make a practice of encouraging their customers to attend these and other Conferences? This could
be another category with five or more reasons given.
Find the newcomer who
is attending his first Conference here, and ask him what his impressions a r e .
H e ' l l probably say he never suspected so much time and work, money and talent
was devoted to studying grass and improving i t .
He discovers good turf management is not a haphazard a r t .
It is an art bolstered and made possible by a
working knowledge of fundamentals he can learn and practice. With that attitude, he w i l l become more progressive in manging h i s turf and, therefore, a
better user of more and better products.
It is almost essential for a man to have a constructive attitude toward
If the salesman and other commerhis work in order to do the job properly.
cial people in this room were to raise their hands now you'd see we make up a
good percentage of the attendance. A lot of these fellows have been calling
on you for many years and you welcome them as friends with a common interest,
an interest in growing good t u r f .
Our attitude towards our work is that it
is worthwhile and that we can serve the Superintendent in many ways. We can
l i s t these ways b r i e f l y :
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Be "honest in representing products.
Acquaint customer with good new products.
Anticipate b i s future requirements.
Help him j u s t i f y purchases of new equipment, or added expenses for
improvements.
Know where to get help and advice from others, i f needed.
Attend meetings of his Association and work to support i t .
If equipment needs repair, service it promptly.
Be considerate of his time.
Make calls profitable to the customer.
Provide liaison with manufactuerers.

Another man in this picture who exerts a great influence on the way a
salesman handles his job is the salesman's boss - the fellow who sets Company
policy and instructs his salesman accordingly.
He is the one who determines
the character of a company, and it seems the owners of the various supply
companies in this f i e l d are determined to run their business honestly and require their salesmen to do l i k e w i s e .
It is an inescapable fact that a Superintendent has to spend money to
maintain his golf course, park, cemetery, or school turf a r e a s .
The salesman
must help provide information that insures full value for every dollar spent,
and equally important, call attention to other ways in which the purchase of

a new item could result in more e f f i c i e n t work, or added turf improvement.
More
often than not he may only be reminding you of something you thought of before
and had been waiting for an opportunity to discuss seriously.
Since you are in
a position to spend money, you are entitled to know what the various salesmen
have to offer and with that information you can be more sure of getting f u l l
val ue.
Most turf managers have a characteristic that makes my selling job very
satisfying.
A good salesman has a talenr?cretting you involved to the extent
you seem to have a casual partnership with him. The price per bag of seed,
or ton of f e r t i l i z e r , is irrelevant.
The only important thing is deciding
with him what is the best seed, or f e r t i l i z e r , for the job to be done.
He
w i l l consider you to be responsible for a working knowledge of your products,
and how to get the best performance from them.
Now to look at the salesman from your point of view as Superintendents
and customers. Allow the salesman time to talk business, and where differences
of opinion exist, discuss them and resolve them. Remember that, through your
purchases from his company, you are helping to pay his wages. This makes him
partly an employee of yours, and so you are entitled to any help he can give
you.
Let him feel the time you spend with him is worthwhile.
In closing, we are glad to be salesman in a f i e l d where we can take part
in the good work of beautifying the landscape, working with and for our customers, and that we can call our customers " f r i e n d s " and mean i t .

SUPPLYING PRODUCTS TO THE USER
Paul E . & James R . Burdett
Lombard, I l l i n o i s

Supplying Products to the User is getting more and more complex.
Each
year, actually each day, our customers are confronted with new and better products to make their jobs easier and their results better u n t i l , like the continued use of gas savers in the Model T , it has become necessary to siphon
some of the gas off occasionally.
It is hardly possible that every product
introduced offers a l l the advantages, but your supplier cannot f a i l to examine
every product presented as carefully as possible, and to encourage someone to
try at least a l i t t l e to see what happens.
Look over the catalog of a short decade ago; compare it with today's
catalog. Almost every product presented in the old book has been refined and
improved, and, in most every case, i t ' s relative cost has been lowered. There
are many cases in point — the miracle weed k i l l e r 2,4-D is working just as
effectively as it did when it was introduced about 1 9 4 5 .
Today additional
materials with a far greater range of weeds can be destroyed without harm to
the t u r f .
For example, there is a new form of the Dalapon grasskiller available with a wax carrier so that you are now able to wipe some of the wax off
on the grass around the trees, posts and fences on your grounds, and the grass
w i l l die so you w i l l not have to use the trim mower twice a week around the
trees to preserve the neatness of the club grounds.

Our suburban areas are getting croxtfded and the ponds that once were clean
and a source of fish and entertainment for the kids and a pleasure to behold,
now seem to get overgrown with weeds and scum during the summer.
However,
f i n a l l y a material was used that removed the weeds and the scum, and the pond
became cleaner than it had been in years.
The f i s h with which i t had been
stocked were s t i l l a l i v e , and when caught, tasted w e l l .
This last decade has brought a whole new vocabulary in the control of
diseases in t u r f .
One of the n e w K x d s is helminthosporium, and some of us believe that in this disease we have the answer to the mysterious disappearance
P ° a annua. The controlof this diñase and other similar diseases can greatly
reduce the pain and f a i l u r e of Poa annua during the trying summer days.
Sometimes it has happened that a product has become obsolete and then
has recovered its former prominence. Aresenate of lead was the only recognized
control for white grubs and angle worms for many years, and lost out to a newcomer, Chlordane, x\rhich would control not only the grubs and worms, but ants to
boot.
It was a true boom to the Superintendent until attention was called to
the effects of arsenate toxicity on Poa annua and crabgrass, and with this impetus the sales of arsenic reached new heights.
And, of course, sometimes
arsenic has been used xrithout caution with d i r e results following, but it is
s t i l l an excellent tool.
Now, just what has a l l this got to do with our t i t l e , "Supplying Products
to the User?"
It is an old adage that a salesman must know his product, and
it is reasonable to expect that if we propose to sell you something new, that
we should be able to advise you exactly how this product is going to benefit
you.
So that when our f e r t i l i z e r manufacturer got the story that the new,
pelleted f e r t i l i z e r stayed on top of the grass of the greens and was picked
up with the clippings, they r e c t i f i e d this condition by producing a pellet
small enough to disappear into the thick, green t u r f , and hard enough to be
applied to the turf with a syphon without danger of burn to the turf even when
the grass was wet. lie s t i l l had to try it and know that what we thought was
true was actually true, and for two years we applied f e r t i l i z e r , s u p p l i e d by
our manufacturer without cost, to selected greens in the area to the end that
we could say with the conviction of experience that this f e r t i l i z e r , applied
in this manner, w i l l give a satisfactory growth and x^ill not hurt the t u r f .
Sometimes it is not possible to spend two years of our time to get to
know the true value of a product, but because of the importance of the possible
reaction of that product on t u r f , we have to know what it w i l l do. Under these
conditions, we try to have samples made available to men on courses — men
"thru whose eyes we can s e e "
men who we know are keen observers of nature
and xtfho w i l l report with great accuracy exactly how test product react, and we
rely on their experience.
We rarely try to s e l l , or to push a product that
has not stood up under our o\m and our customer's tests.
Of course, sometimes
our failure to push a product irritates some of our suppliers, and they
threaten us with withdrawal of their materials.
Our attitude is that if it
would do i t s job w e l l , we wouldn't have to push that product more than enough
to introduce it tq|Our customers; that they would buy i t .
The physical job of getting products to the user is simple.
I know that
many of the people who permit us to serve them think often that when we get an
order we set it up on the table and watch it for a week or two to see if it will
grow into a bigger one, and when we are f i n a l l y satisfied we have gotten a l l
the groxrth possible out of i t , we f i n a l l y load the truck and get it to them.
We try to get the goods into the hands of the customer as soon as possible.
-49-

We feel that you have a right to know from us just what to expect from
Frankly, we do not dare to run
those things you permit us to supply to you.
around with a closed mind - some guy might come in tomorrow with the easy control to the Dutch elm disease - what a bunch of fools we would be to close
the door on that guy!

MERCHANDISING OUR SERVICE AND PRODUCTS
John Z . Duling, Duling Tree Expert Company,
Muncie, Indiana

Inc.

I appreciate Dr. D a n i e l ' s invitation to share with you some of my ideas
of merchandising a service business.
I believe that many of our merchandising practices have close parallels to a turf business.
Our aims to help in
the beaut ification and maintenance of grounds are very similar.
I feel this
topic can best be discussed after I have b r i e f l y explained the services that
we sell and the related products which we handle and d i s t r i b u t e .
He operate a tree service business in the northern half of Indiana;
our principal o f f i c e being in Muncie, with branch offices and representatives in Fort Wayne and Lafay±te.
From these offices we. service considerable a r e a s .
Tree moving, or the transplanting of specimen trees in a range
of sizes and varieties, is one of our services that is widely used. A few
years ago I made a 16 mm color movie that tells a story of moving large
trees.
This covers the job from the selection of the trees, through the
steps of preparation and transportation,to the completed planting.
This has
proven a useful aid in the merchandising of our tree moving service.
In several cases each year we install lightning arresting equipment in
trees.
These are usually large, valuable, single specimen trees # or groups
of large trees near houses.
Our Company holds a franchise for using the I r i s h Areo-Fertil Process
of f e r t i l i z i n g trees and shrubs.
This is a process which uses a i r in a
special gun that is inserted into the ground in the root a r e a s .
The a i r
pressure is released, and. a l i f t i n g or fracturing action results into which
f e r t i l i z e r is blown; thus, permitting a better distribution of the f e r t i l i z e r ,
which is followed with the blowing of an agregate material to hold the soil
apart for better movement of a i r and water.
This method of tree f e r t i l i z i n g
has proven very beneficial in the areas where hard, tight soils make it difficult for trees to stay in a healthy condition.
We have used this process on
industrial grounds where t i g h t , packed soils have been a problem.
In addition to this tree service we are distributors of several grades
of turf and plant f e r t i l i z e r s , a f u l l range of grass see^s, and some chemicals.
We sell these products to dealers, landscape contractors, nurseries, industrial
and institutional buyers, cemeteries, and golf courses. We do not operate a
retail store, or outlet, for these materials.
Now as to the merchandising of
these services, I can truthfully tell you that I have been s e l l i n g , or merchandising tree services since 1935 which was about one year after I first started
working with trees.

Merchandising of a service business requires a more thorough knowledge
Our
of what we are selling than where a tangible product can be shown.
greatest asset is the a b i l i t y to impart that knowledge to a client in such a
manner that we gain their respect and confidence.
"Do it r i g h t , or not at
a l l " was the slogan by which we were taught to do the tree work assigned to us.
Every man is always expected to report in uniform, clean shaven, and ready to
do a full days work. Our training included proper conduct on the job, and a
high respect for the c l i e n t ' s property and wishes.
We have l i s t i n g s of our business in several telephone directory yellow
pages, so people can call for service they w i s h . We have used many forms of
advertising, such a s newspapers, radio, and TV. We send, or give calendars,
p e n c i l s , cigarette l i g h t e r s , and various items to keep our name in front of
the p u b l i c . When the business was started a trade mark was designed to be
different and eye-catching. We have used this trade mark on a l l of our equipment.
It appears on a l l of our printed forms and envelopes.
Each month we
send out several hundred copies of the "Shade Tree Digest" to regular and
prospective customer.
For many years we have sent a letter to customers about our spraying
services.
In this letter we explain the need of the service, and sometimes
send along new or special bulletins about a specific insect, or disease.
We
follow a policy of giving each customer a copy of the order, outlining the
service we are to do and the p r i c e , or approximate cost of the service. When
the service is completed, the foreman leaves a copy of the daily time report.
With our spraying service a copy of the spray report is l e f t with the customer.
An invoice outlining the charges for the service is sent as soon as possible
after completion. We try to answer any complaints promprly with courtesy and
understanding.
As to the products we d i s t r i b u t e , we try to carry adequate supplies for
prompt delivery to the dealers or users at a l l times. We do f i n d it very important to keep well-informed about the products we handle, as well as competitive products.
Our many contacts with customers of our tree services, and the
dealers and buyers of our turf products have provided us many opportunities to
help with turf problems. We are often a b l e to a d v i s e , or help with the improvement, or maintenance of turf areas by use of information we have learned
through attending turf meetings.
Since we do not do landscape or lawn service,
we try to refer t h i s business to a r e l i a b l e , well-informed operator, whom we
feel will do a satisfactory job.
At one time we considered contracting the maintenance of an industrial
s i t e , which included large turf a r e a s .
Had we entered into the contract we
would have been a b l e to provide a turf school graduate with a good j o b .
In
many cases we are expected to know and advise the customer about his t u r f .
I feel that we shall a l l see improved methods, better products, and equipment
as results of the work in turf research that is carried out here at Purdue
and other u n i v e r s i t i e s .
We a l l b e n e f i t from these results when they are presented at meetings such as we have had here this week.
In the "Business of Turf we may a l l do well to apply these well-known
selling rules to the merchandising of our services:
1.
2.
3.

We should acquaint people with our q u a l i f i c a t i o n s .
Estimate how many customers there are that we can serve effectively.
Know where they l i v e .

4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Decide how best to communicate with them.
Decide how to best serve them and influence them to buy.
Offer periodic examinations and preventive maintenance.
To deliver the best service and goods for the consumers dollars i s
necessary to hold the customer.
Offer that extra interest and thoughtfulness which w i l l cause the
customer to prefer your service.
S a t i s f i e d customers are your best advertisement.

I sincerely hope that I have presented some new, or reviewed some old
ideas in merchandising service and products which you may f i n d h e l p f u l .

SERVICE - HOI J MUCH TO LANDSCAPERS?
V . R . Keigley, Red Hen Turf Farm
Berrien Springs, Michigan

May I review our progress in service to the landscaper?
A.

First method of service to the lands caper.
1.
Small truck and t r a i l e r .
a.
Limited to approximately 300 yard load which was too small for
a pay load and requires too many t r i p s .
2.
Loading in f i e l d by hand.
a.
Very slow laborious work, especially loading high dump trucks.
b.
Laborious work also reduces the efficiency of men after a few
hours.
c.
Too much time wasted by us as well as the landscaper in unloading .
d . A l s o , too much time wasted by landscaper in carrying sod to
place of i n s t a l l a t i o n .

B.

First improvement of delivery service to landscaper.
1.
Larger trucks to haul pay load and eliminate delay to landscaper.
a.
S t i l l too much time involved loading S unloading trucksyhand.

C.

Second improvement was the f i e l d elevator for loading trucks.
1.
Speeded up loading £ cut down on landscaper's waiting time at farm.
a.
Men could x^ork at steady pace without becoming exhausted.
Reduced costs and rest periods.
b.
The conveyor s t i l l wasn't the answer because i t took 3 men on
truck £ 4 or 5 men on ground to load fast and most e f f i c i e n t l y .
c.
It d i d n ' t help unload, reduce the unloading time, nor carrying
the sod.
d.
After close observation of other businesses that handle heavy
bulk products, it wasn't d i f f i c u l t to see that palletization of
sod was the answer.
The cement block, b r i c k , lumber, f e r t i l i z e r ,
fruit farmers and many other industries are p a l l e t i z i n g their
products, and unloading and handling their products for the customer with the a i d of the fork l i f t .
Each tailored their pallets
and fork l i f t service to f i t their particular needs.

e.

Convinced that p a l l e t i z i n g sod was the answer, we proceeded to
tailor the pallet-forklift service to our business.
T h i s , we
thought, would be no problem.

After experimenting with several different size pallets, we found that
the 4 7 " square pallet was the answer.
This pallet
a.
b.
c.
d.

Allowed the proper number of yards per pallet without wasting space.
Permitted an easy method of loading, and yet keep the pallet of sod in
tact while being transported and handled.
Would not stick out beyond the 8 foot width limits of the law when loaded
on the truck.
Also allowed us to place the proper number of pallets on the limited truck
bed area and s t i l l haul a pay l o a d .

We learned that the pallet must be made of hard wood to withstand the abuse and
carry the weight of the sod.
After inquiring about restrictions of the overall length of a tractortrailer-trailer combination, it was necessary to u t i l i z e every inch of space.
a.

In order to conserve truck-bed space, it was necessary to:
1.
Use cab-over tractors.
2.
Tailor-make the stub tag-along t r a i l e r s .
3.
Use tricycle-type tractor with fork l i f t to allow close hookup of
tag-along t r a i l e r , permitting short turns without hitting the front
wheels of the tractor-fork-lift.
4.
Make alterations on the fork l i f t i t s e l f to allow tines to be folded
back during transit, thus conserving 2-|- f t .

By accomplishing a l l the aforementioned tasks, a pay load of 700 yard, plus the
fork l i f t , can be hauled.
This does require bigger truck tractors and more
power to do the j o b .
Now that we have tailor-made the pallet-fork-lift service to our customers' business and to our business, how does it f u l f i l l the requirements presented e a r l i e r . 1.

How does it load trucks faster with half as many men?
a.
It took 3 men on the truck and 5 men on the ground to load efficiently
with the conveyor.
b.
By having 4 men rolling sod and 4 men loading sod on the p a l l e t s , the
2 jobs are done simultaneously.
c.
By having ample pallets on hand at the farm, r o l l i n g and loadinglabor can work steadily a l l day and with no limiting factors.

2.

How does pallet service reduce the landscapers time and cost of installation, and eliminate the laborious task of unloading and lugging sod to the
place of installation?
a . When the fork l i f t has dropped the first pallet of sod in the spot
desired by the landscaper, the men begin laying sod immediately.
This eliminates the men required to carry the sod, eliminates unloading, and saves time and cost of installation.

3.

How does palletization permit us to load landscaper's trucks, and our
trucks without the trucks being at the farm?
-53-

a.

The pallets are the truck-bed and can be loaded with or without trucks
being around.
One of the advantages of this is that sod can be delivered on the job,
late in the day, in the absence of the landscaper.
It also permits the truck to be loaded l a t e in the day for delivery
the following morning, and without keeping the loading-labor around to
load the truck.
The man driving the truck can load the truck in a
matter of minutes and be ready for d e l i v e r y .
The pallet system also permits us to load the landscaper's truck in a
matter of minutes and reduces loading time as well as confusion.

b.
c.

d.

Another item of service to the
services is promptness with d e l i v e r i e s ,
ing out their trucks. Advertising and
struction sheets for his customers are

landscaper that rates high on our l i s t of
as well as promptness at the farm in loadselling a i d s for the landscaper, and inimportant services to the landscaper.

The following are a number of services that are very important for the
benefit of the landscaper and the sod grower:
a.

Making sure there is the proper amount of moisture in the soil before
cutting.
Irrigate when dry.
Mow the grass just before cutting so that the grass has good appeal
when it is rolled out on the job.
During hot, dry weather, moisten the sod on the truck before it leaves;
also canvas the load to keep sod from drying out in t r a n s i t .
We are
considering individual pallet cover for f i e l d and truck u s e .

b.
c.

E d i t o r ' s note:
In the future sod handlers could consider:
1.

Vertical thinning and manicuring of sod
a.
b.
c.
d.

To
To
To
To

reduce water demand of new sod.
remove old and dead grass blades
provide greener turf on new s i t e .
improve uniform water penetration of newly l a i d sod.

2.

Fungicidal sprays prior to cutting to
a.
Protect from and reduce disease incubation
b.
Improve early vigor on turf s i t e .
c.
Reduce sometime sod failures observed.

3.

Wilt reduction coatings on leaves
a.
To reduce sprinkling needs.
b.
To hold fungicide on l e a f .
c.
To provide more safety in sod handling.

AUTOMATIC CONTROL AS I T AFFECTS TURF SPRINKLER SYSTEM DESIGN
H . M. Clark, Product Engineer, Buckner Mfg.Co.
Fresno 8, California

First we must analyze why automation is desirable in connection with turf
sprinkling systems, and in fact with any sprinkling system.
In this day and
age any saving in labor is an important factor, not only for the cost of labor,
but when we completely eliminate labor for the operation of the sprinkling system, we definitely eliminate some factors of unreliability and inefficiency.
An
automatic system is r e l i a b l e , does not get tired and miss sets, even on a 24 hour
day, and no overtime is involved.
So much for labor - we are prone to give this the f i r s t consideration in
favor of automatic control, but there are other reasons for automation that are
even more important.
The automatic system has complete control of water usage.
When the amount of irrigation desired is computed accurately, the clock can be
depended on to shut the system off at exactly the time interval specified so that
no sets w i l l be operated longer than necessary.
Very definite watering schedules
can be set up for any hours, or a l l of the hours in a 24 hour day, and short sets
with recycling can be used to accomplish any degree of slow penetration.
The automatic system uses control valves that may be operated from a remote controller.
The valves are hydraulic, either diaphragm or piston-type,
and are opened and closed either by hydraulic tubing, usually 5 / 1 6 " p l a s t i c ,
or with direct burial wire from 18 gauge, or 14 gauge connected to 24 volt actuating solenoid valves which in turn are connected directly to each hydraulic
valve.
This type of system is as simple to wire as a doorbell c i r c u i t .
The automatic sprinkler system controllers handle from 6 to 1 0 , o r more
c i r c u i t s , each of which can be adjusted for various time i n t e r v a l s .
Several
hydraulic valves can be operated on each circuit either with hydraulic tubing
from a single rotary solenoid valve where the controller has the hydraulic control system, or from a stepper switch on the controllers that use the 24 volt
wiring control system. ||Che number of valves to be connected to each circuit on
the controller will depend, of course, on the water supply, volume and the valve
locations.
The automation of sprinkler systems has greatly affected the design of
sprinkling systems by reducing overall pipe costs when any degree of scheduling
desired can be accomplished.
The automation also reduces total water requirements to some degree which a f f e c t s the overall cost of water and the operating
cost of the pump when using less water more e f f i c i e n t l y for more hours per day,
resulting in sufficient and even penetration to allow the maximum interval between i r r i g a t i o n s .
In summary, we know from our experience in design of the automatic systems in the last few years that the additional cost of the automatic valves,
control lines and controllers can be offset to a considerable degree in the reduction of pipe sizes and water supply costs. Along with this we have to consider the considerable saving accomplished in eliminating labor and a l l of the
problems that go along with this factor. A l s o , watering of areas quickly during non-use periods should be maximum. Last but not least, is the consideration of the complete control of water application with regards to infiltration
rate of soil and turf requirements.

Now, how do we design for a l l of these efficiencies? First we use longrange Rotary Pop-Up Sprinklers for maximum triangular spacings. When the total
sprinkler locations have been computed, we divide the total number of sprinklers into as many small groups as possible, or practical, rather than try to
run the full capacity of the required water supply into some one section a l l at
one time.
The circuits from the controller, or controllers, are then scheduled
to operate several valves at scattered locations at one time. This is gauged by
the_limits of time allowed for irrigation, or by the water supply capacity.
It
is then a matter of setting up the proper schedule and cycling arrangement to
accomplish the ideal slow and adequate penetration.

E d i t o r ' s note:
(On fairways, or non-putting green turf areas in the humid,
rainy Midwest areas, the inclusion of moisture sensing blocks and automatic
controls based on them, as well as just time blocks, should be considered also.)

AUTOMATIC WATERING - WE HAVE IT?
Thomas E . Topp, S u p t . , Bellevue C .
Syracuse, New York

C.,

Your have already heard from Mr. Clark many of the benefits derived from
automatic watering.
From the personal experience gained from the installation
and use of an electronically operated irrigation system for greens, tees, and
fairways, I shall endeavor to add my first hand information to what Mr. Clark
has already told you.
Y e s , Bellevue C. C . , Syracuse, N . Y . now has complete automatic watering,
and we l i k e it very much.
The ground was broken for this project in September
1960.
It was completed in June 1961, with the exception of a few small d e t a i l s .
The complete installation uses approximately 9 miles of PVC plastic pipe which
ranged from 6 " down to 1 " . A l l pipe and fittings were put together with plastic cement and solvent.
We used approximately 16 miles of No. 14 gauge underground electrical cable. This regulates 46 controlled valves, operating a total
of 405 "pop-up" sprinklers.
Included in the system are 14 gate valves, 6 , 4 , or
3 " which can close off sections of mains in case of trouble.
For draining purposes there are 135 manual drain valves.
A l l control
and drain valves are opened in the f a l l , and during this operation an a i r compressor is used to force out maximum amount of water. We made up boxes and
covers for the control valves and drain valves.
This required 1600 board feet
of l-l/4"hemlock, treated with decay preventive.
The l i f e expectancy of this
material underground is over f i f t y years.
A 20 horse-power motor with an output of 300 gallons per unit against a
discharge head of 120 PSI is used. There are three electrical control stations,
built in banks of 16 each, which regulates 46 control valves.
To cover the pipe 2 , 0 0 0 yards of topsoil,

750 l b s . of seed, and 4 tons of

f e r t i l i z e r was used.
The equipment u t i l i z e d included 3 trenchers, 2 dump trucks,
1 back hoe, 2 front end loaders, 1 cable dolly tractor, and a two-way radio system.
During the operation there were from 7 to 46 men working.
Using city
Personally I feel that this is a carefully designed system.
water, which we are limited to, it w i l l produce a percipitation rate of approximately 1 / 3 " per hour. At the present time we are able to cover 35 acres of
fairways, a l l greens, c o l l a r s , tees, with 1 " of water per week (6 days), operating 8 hours a night, with no interference to play.
This is quite a change
from the old method we had of hose and portable sprinklers for greens, collars,
and t e e s .
Creepers were used for fairways.
Water pressure at the time was from
12 PSI to 50 PSI because of the very inadequate piping system to carry our water
supply.
The Club will celebrate its 50th Anniversary in 1 9 6 4 .
You can just
imagine the size of pipe that was placed undergound at that time, and the number
of feet that was added throughout the y e a r s .
The unique part of t h i s Automatic System is that you have finger-tip control at the pump house, where the controller stations are located.
Each station
has 16 toggles, each controlling 46 valves on the golf course.
By pushing this
forward, it is on automatic.
Pulling it a l l the way back it can be operated
manually.
Setting it in center position it is omitted completely. Another hand
dial a t the station regulated the time control 1 / 2 hour, 1 hour, 2 hours. A
unit set within this controller is an electric timeolock for time on and time
o f f , which you set to the desired time to start system and shut system o f f .
There is no need for readjustment unless something unforeseen happens.
The versatility of a system l i k e this is very helpful for fine Turf Management, because you have very efficient water control.
Each valve serves a section containing from 7 to 12 Pop Ups. We are
limited in operation to a maximum of 30 at one time (and it is specifically
stated by the City Fathers that 90% of our watering shall be done between 12
midnight and 6 A . M . )
So far we have been going along fine - we have better
equalization of water d i s t r i b u t i o n .
Assuming that tjtie timeclocks are set to start the system at 9 : 0 0 PM.:
Automatically station/valve 1 is opened at 9 : 0 0 P . M . , followed by pump starter
relay starting the pump. Thirty seconds later Station 2 , valve 1 is opened,
and thirty seconds later Station 3 valve 1 is opened.
Now the system has up to
30 Pop-Ups operating.
These automatically run for 30 minutes and shut o f f ,
followed by opening valve #2 at each Station, then valve 3 , until the entire
cycle has gone through the control stations, then the pump automatically shuts
off.
The clock moves on to the next day and repeats the same performance unless changes are made.
Perhaps there is a time when you feel that you need a l i t t l e more moisture on some high areas which have a tendency to dry up very f a s t . A l l you
have to do is to move that particular toggle switch which controls that section
and start pump by manual switch.
Let it run for desired time, 5 minutes to one
hour, or as long as desired, and then shut off pump; reset toggle to automatic
and you are set for another n i g h t ' s watering.
Suppose you would l i k e to syringe
a green, tee or fairway when you felt it was needed.
To protect golfers, send
a man out with a two-way portable radio. You station yourself at the pump
house, also with a two-way portable radio.
Call out your signal and await an
answer from the man sent out.
You already know the location of your man.
F l i p the toggle on manual, start the pump, time yourself for a minute or two,
and you have syringed a fairway, green, or t e e .
You can do as many as three

sections, greens or tees at one time, but this would drastically interfere with
the golfers present.
The following are some helpful hints I wish I had known when I was asked
and told to assume the responsibility of the installation of this system.
To my
knowledge it was the f i r s t of its kind in the Northeast.
Since then I believe
there have been a number started.
Layouts always look good on paper, but it is surprising how many of these
obstacles you run up a g a i n s t . You need an excellent topographic map badly, with
exact measurements and properly "marked locations of a l l existing pipe, drains,
trees, shrubs, etc. Also it requires a very competent man out in the f i e l d
staking it out, with respect to the blueprint.
Trenching can b e and sometimes is a great problem, depending also on the
experience of the operator and type of machine being used, terrain of l a n d , and
condition of a r e a .
Make sure to have an iron-clad contract with the contractor.
Penalty clauses should be included in contract so that your men a r e n ' t left idle
because of neglect on their part, as time is of the greatest essence during the
project.
It is also important to keep in mind elimination of as much turf damage
as possible, restricting unnecessary travel with heavy vehicles.
When using P . V . C . pipe, which we have, a good way to speed installation is
by pre-fabricating some of your pipe before it is taken out to location.
Ask
for the necessary information from the Engineering Dept. with regard to the
amount of couplers, tees, e l l s , bushings, etc. needed.
Pre-fab work can be done
immediately after your golf course or grounds are staked out for trenching.
Another important point to remember, if you are using P . V . C . pipe, make sure to
use female adapters on your riser d e t a i l , with a brass or steel nipple between
your pipe and Pop-Up. Male adapters are very weak and easily broken. We found
out the hard way and have to live with it now.
Carefully select the proper sprinkler head (Pop-Up).
To my surprise, after
the particular heads were recommended and in use, we found the cams were wearing
out too f a s t , creating more unnecessary work for u s . After some very serious
corresponding with the manufacturer, we were sent stainless steel cams to replace
the brass, which created extra labor, cost and golf interference.
Then to top
t h a t , I attended the National G . C . S . A . Turf Conference in Miami this year and
spoke to the representative about our problem, only to be informed that they are
no longer going to manufacture that particular head.
Splicing electrical joints we used Krimp-on couplers, covering that with
scotch f i l l tape, extending the f i l l beyond the bare wires to make a tight seal,
covering that with #88 scotch electrical plastic tape.
This worked out very
w e l l , and so f a r we have had no problem with moisture grounding it out.
One problem we had to cope with was to hand b a c k f i l l our trenches.
Any
stone larger than 2 " in diameter had to be set aside and not placed on top of
the plastic pipe, until there was between 6 to 8 " of good material covering
the p i p e .
In spite of the numerous problems we have had during the time of installation, we had only one bad joint on a 3 " feeder l i n e , and one broken w i r e .

IDEAS ABOUT SEED QUALITY
A . S . Carter, Director of Seed Control
Purdue University

The problems of seed quality are:
1.
to understand what seed quality
i s , and second to understand how to obtain highest quality at a price that can
be afforded.
Seed quality involves many factors, but most of these are described on the seed tag, or l a b e l .
One of the important things you will f i n d on the label is the name and
address of the seedsman. This is very important because some seedsmen have a
better record for the correct labeling of seed than others.
This is reflected
in Indiana in the annual publication entitled, "Inspection of Agricultural and
Vegetable S e e d s . " The latest inspection report is No. 22, and can be obtained
without charge by writing the Indiana State Seed Commissioner, Lafayette, Indiana.
This circular l i s t s the seed distributors, the number of samples drawn, and the
number technically and seriously mislabeled.
In a sense, it is a buyer's guide.
For example, in the latest inspection circular, one obviously good company had
220 o f f i c i a l samples drawn with none seriously mislabeled.
In contrast, another
company had 55 samples drawn with 18 seriously mislabeled.
Another item that appears on the label that is of extreme importance is
the kind and variety of seed.
The best assurance of varietal, or genetic purity is the use of c e r t i f i e d seed which is increasingly available at reasonable
prices.
The seed tag also describes the percent of pure seed in the bag.
The
average pure seed of a l l bluegrass samples tested in Indiana during 1961 was
8 8 % ;
however, this varied from
to 9 8 7 o .
Purity makes a big difference when
you are attempting to get your money's worth in seed. You might ask yourself
whether you bought bluegrass chaff knowingly, or unknowingly.
I f you bought
seed of a low pure seed content, you probably bought some chaff and paid seed
prices for i t .

70%

The seed tag also carries the guaranteed percentage of germination,and
the date the germination test was made to determine this f i g u r e .
Grass seeds,
especially, deteriorate with age, and the date of germination should be carefully considered in making a purchase.
In Indiana less than 3% of a l l samples of seed are seriously mislabeled.
Mislabeling occurs mostly in mixtures.
The circular demonstrates rather clearly
that if you buy unmixed seeds from a reputable seedsman operating in Indiana,
you can rely on the statement on the seed tag.
However, if there is any reason
to believe that the tag is incorrect, any citizen of Indiana may ask for an inspection of the seed purchased. An o f f i c i a l sample w i l l be drawn, tested and
reported to a l l persons involved, and this service is available to citizens of
Indiana without charge.
No doubt seed control o f f i c i a l s in other states will
render the same service if you ask them to do so.
Weed seeds are a problem in a l l seeds distributed. A l l state laws require a statement of the percentage of a l l weed seeds and require that the number of noxious weed seeds per unit weight (per pound or per ounce) be stated on
the l a b e l .
Some people xrorking with turf have stated that a separate l i s t of
noxious weed seeds should be provided for turf seeds.
Poa annua has been
suggested as a candidate for such a l i s t . An expression from you on this point

would be of interest to seed control

officials.

Aside from considerations of variety, weed seeds and noxious weed seeds,
one good way to evaluate turf seeds is to calculate the percentage of pure live
sesd present.
To obtain the percentage of pure l i v e seed, multiply the percent
of pure seed by the percent of germination.
For bluegrass 2 , 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 seeds per
l b . x 88% purity x 35% germination = 1 , 6 4 5 , 0 0 p i . seed. We commend this concept of pure live seed to you for your consideration as a basis for the intelligent buying of seed.
A word should be spoken on behalf of the homeowner who probably buys
seed only every year or two and is seldom acquainted with v a r i e t i e s , or even
certain seed kinds.
He is inclined to believe that a l l labeled seed is good
when this is not true.
The label is a descriptive instrument and actually constitutes the distributor's guarantee of only the quality claimed. A homeowner
may have heard the chewings fescue is a good lawn seed, and then buys seed containing Alta or Ky. 31 tall fescue, with very discouraging r e s u l t s .
It is
doubtful that a great many homeowners can be expected to know which seed, or
mixture w i l l give him s a t i s f a c t i o n .
The answer to t h i s , of course, is consumer
education.
However, we might ask ourselves the question, can we ever educate
homeowners as to the kind and varieties of seed that w i l l give him a permanent
lawn when seed buying is done so seldom, and may be done on impulse?
As a partial answer to the homeowner's problem, several interested
agencies, including the American Seed Trade Association and the various seed
control agencies in the United States, are giving serious consideration to a
system whereby seed may be labeled as to the percentage of fine-textured
grasses (which are named) and coarse-textured grasses (which are also named).
In this manner educational efforts could be focused on these two items.
The
homeowner could be told that if he expects a permanent lawn, he should buy
seed with a high proportion of five-textured grasses.
This approach appears
promising, and an expression from those attending this Conference as to whether
or not they consider this system workable would be appreciated.
In conclusion, it can be said that high quality seed is the only kind
that should be considered by the intelligent seed purchaser.
To get high quality seed, he should buy on the basis of the l a b e l .
If specific varieties are
needed, certification w i l l give the purchaser assurance that the seed is of the
variety claimed.
Straight seeds should be purchased whenever possible in line
with recommendations of turf s p e c i a l i s t s .
The person who attempts to buy cheap
seed usually gets what he pays f o r , namely, cheap seed.
The goal of the seed
buyer should be to get his money's worth, balancing quality as described on the
label against the price tag attached to the seed.

SEED PRICES AND HANDLING
Dwight M. Brown, George W . Hill & C o . , Seedsmen
24 W . 7th Street, Covington, Kentucky

L e t ' s stand off and take a long look at what we think the "SEED TRADE"
should be doing for the Distributor, the Turf Products Dealer, and the public
who use turf seeds and products.
By the "SEED TRADE" we mean here the basic

producers, handlers, cleaners and packers of turf seeds.
I also include the
suppliers of related herbicides, fungicides, i n s e c t i c i d e s , f e r t i l i z e r s and
equipment required for establishment and maintenance of better t u r f .
Therefore, as I see i t , we need to l i s t the f i v e "Biggest Jobs" in providing important relations, and I think w e ' l l see they are a l l links that make a solid chain.

QUALITY AT FAIR PRICES
KEEPIMG REALISTIC & WORKABLE
g||gIFICATIONS BEFORE USERS OF
SELLING TEE FACT THAT THE
BEST IS CHEAPEST

\

/

5 .

BIGGEST
JOBS

V

2.

PROPER & ADEQUATE TRADE
INFORMATION

CLOSE WORKING RELATION BETWEEN ALL PHASES OF TRADEGROWER THROUGH DEALER

F i r s t , his f i r s t duty is to offer - QUALITY AT FAIR PRICES.
Quality
is defined by Webster as "The element, or form of anything which seems to make
it distinct from other t h i n g s . "
Quality to the plant breeder is constant
search for new and better strains and improved methods of growing and handling.
To get an improved product a l l the way to the public is a b i g j o b .
The other part "FAIR PRICES" is less easily defined, but equally b a s i c .
It means prices that provide the seed trade a reasonable margin on the given
product commensurate with being able to properly continue to carry adequate
supplies and carry on needed service of advantage to their customers.
Second, the seedsmen must therefore take f u l l RESPONSIBILITY for
INFORMING their dealers and other type accounts on AVAILABILITY (or lack of i t )
on a l l seeds and products that are in demand. A l s o , the responsibility of guiding the dealer on the right seeds and merchandise to be handled for their trade.
Knowledge of best substitutes, in case of shortage, is just as important.
Closely related to this is responsibility for keeping their customers informed
on
Prices and price changes and particularly price trends so that they may establish r e a l i s t i c buying patterns.
Third, there must be the CLOSEST WORKING RELATION BETWEEN SEED DISTRIBUTOR and LOCAL DEALER. Keeping posted on product information is demanding.
Cultural product use details are b a s i c .
The local dealer must be able to translate this information to his customer, interpreted to f i t any given set of local
circumstances, such as weather, time of seasonal use, etc.
To get the broadest
coverage of t h i s information, use brochures, l e a f l e t s , or stuffers either furnished by original processor, or manufacturer, plus supplemental local mimeographed
material. Well planned, informative point of sale, counter signs, or wall
streamers are effective in helping customer to determine their needs.
Fourth, one of the l a s t , but certainly most important services that seedsman and dealer can work together on is SELLING THE FACT THAT THE BEST IS CHEAPEST.
This is our weakest l i n k !
The average seedsman and dealer (not a l l , thank goodness) are prone to take the easiest way out and sell the biggest package for the
least money. With a l i t t l e effort even the "uniformed" can be made to see the
light.
Those of us who l i v e with the problem know that good varieties of seed
are always cheap (and at today's market are one of the best buys in }rears esp e c i a l l y too, for many of our new improved s t r a i n s ) .

L e t ' s suggest that our dealers put up signs, or distribute l e a f l e t s , that
prove the "Plain economics of this Price Buying" s i t u a t i o n .
One that I would
suggest would read like this and be large enough and in bold type, to be hung up
near the merchandise for every customer to seel
Example
COMPARE!
Mixture #2

Mixture #1
5 l b s . covers 750 s q . f t .
Total cost
$ 1.98
Contains mostly undesirable,
coarse grasses
Average cost per sg-ht2.60
for a poor lawn

2 l b s . covers 1 , 0 0 0 s q . f t .
Total cost
Contains desirable fine grasses
(Bluegrass, fine fescues)
Average cost per sq . f t .
for a good lawn

S 2.49

F i f t h , the l a s t , but also very important point, calls for utmost cooperation between growers, seedsman, dealers, state agricultural departments
seed laboratory technicians, and trade organizations.
This is one of my pet
peeves and it is the lack o_f_ realistic analysis specifications in many states
and for even many old and worn out specifications s t i l l in use on certain
federal jobs.
They are too numerous to mention, but you are a l l familiar with
some.
Example:
One state requires a germination of 887o on brome grass when 75% has
been the best crop produced for several seasons.
This should be cooperatively
checked annually by agronomists, seed analyst and specification preparers for
mutual b e n e f i t .
Each works a hardship on many innocent suppliers caught in the maelstrom of
supplying a political division or contractor with absurd specifications, with no
way to get it corrected before job deadlines.

LOOKING FOR GOOD SEED
Ben Warren, Warren's Turf Nursery,
Palos Park, I l l i n o i s

Because of what to me seems inadequate in seed labeling and certification, I have made trips to the seed producing area the past several y e a r s . The
f i r s t criticism of seed handling relates to the label which is only required to
l i s t percentages of crop and weed seed, and does not identify the species in
these groups.
The other question is whether the sample tested can be relied
upon to completely assure freedom from noxious seed, such as Poa annua and bent.
We desire bluegrass seed free of these pests, and until f i e l d inspections during the growing seasons for such contaminates is included in the cer-

2.50

tification program, we feel that we must rely on our personal

inspection.

Seed is produced in two general areas in the State of Washington, and
three areas in Oregon. The Jaclclin Seed Company dominates the Spokane-Dishman
area which is the largest producing area in Washington, including some f i e l d s
in Idaho.
This Company has some 2000 acres in seed production and operates an
expensive cleaning plant, processing seed for many other growers beside their
own. They also carry on considerable experimental work both concerning seed
production and varietal t e s t i n g .
The other prominent production area in this State is at Pomeroy.
The
Dye Seed Company has an extensive growing and processing business here.
Their
output is contracted to one large merchandiser.
The producing areas in Oregon are located in the LaGrande Valley in
the Northeast, Madras in the Central part, and the Willamette Valley on the
coastal side of the mountains. The most interesting and capable grower in this
state seems to be Otto Bohnert in the Medford a r e a .
Mr. Bohnert grows a considerable amount of foundation seed and does an excellent job of keeping his
fields clean.
Two years ago,when visiting in that a r e a , it was impossible to
find a Poa annua plant in his f i e l d s , while across the road, a neighbor's
f i e l d averaged one plant every 10 f e e t .
The State College at Corvallis, Oregon, and the Agriculture School at
Pullman, Washington, are active in studying the problems of producing good seed
and I believe the tools are available to control the pests that plague u s . The
incentive to do so is needed and that means we must pay a premium for q u a l i t y .
In paying this premium we must have complete assurance that we are getting
quality.

E d i t o r ' s Note:
(About 25% of lawn seed samples tested in either Oregon and in
Indiana have some Poa annua seed in them in 1960-61.)

INTRODUCING A NEW BLUEGRASS INTO THE NORTH AMERICAN MARKET
Richard Crabb, Crabb Associates
20 No. Waclcer Drive, Chicago 6 , I l l i n o i s

The work of our organization, Richard Crabb Associates of Chicago, has
been largely the introduction of new products to the yard and garden, or agricultural supply market. As many of you know, since 1959 we have been assisting
ALTRA, the American Lawn Turf Research Association, with the introduction of a
new bluegrass to the North American market.
Rather than attempt to review the
steps in the ALTRA program, I should like to be much more s p e c i f i c , and discuss
this subject on the basis of our having been asked to assist with introducing
the next important bluegrass to the American and Canadian market.
These points would seem especially important, and I am going to state
them in definite and positive terms, realizing that whether I am right or wrong,
is not as important as my giving you a solid basis for thinking deeply about

the issues involved.
It is the conclusions at which you arrive in these matters
that are really important.
1.

The desire of the American home lawnkeeper and persons who have responsibility
for public or institutional turf areas for better turf is tremendous.
Our
own door-to-door studies and a l l those of other market development organizations made in the last five years, indicate that right this minute, if you
please, four out of five persons would l i k e to have a better lawn, and what
is more important, these individuals indicate a willingness to be f a i r l y
tolerant about the expenses involved.

2.

This next important bluegrass to be introduced into the American and Canadian
market will be a new variety of bluegrass. As Dr. M. Britton, Univ. of 1 1 1 .
turf authority said recently, "The public more and more wants a uniformity
and density of turf which can be achieved only by effective use and management of a v a r i e t y . "
In keeping with the recommendation of many turf
specialists, t h i s new bluegrass might be used in combination with other bluegrass, or fescue varieties, but the standard of measure w i l l be the performance
of the new variety used straight with the use of special known combinations to
achieve a specific improvement,in over-all performance.

3.

This next great bluegrass to be introduced onto the North American market will
be a privately-owned variety because otherwise there w i l l be no xvay in which
to meet the costs of research, marketing and the higher levels of customer
service now required.
Public turfgrass breeders may have had an important
role in providing some of the original germplasm for this new bluegrass,but
the final steps of plant breeding w i l l have been handled by private plant
breeders who w i l l have to assume the final responsibility for establishing
that there are new and more useful performance characteristics, and proving
it to prospective customers.
In this r o l e , the organization introducing
this new bluegrass w i l l seek a l l possible a i d from turf specialists of our
colleges, parks and country clubs.
Perhaps the most important factor in introducing a new turf variety in the
future w i l l be the sod producer.
Sod production is just now emerging from
its "stone a g e " and is moving rapidly toward a position of dominance.
Sod
producers are closely in tune with the desires of their customers .

4.

The next bluegrass to attain prominence in the market w i l l have superior
performance.
Perhaps the f i r s t of the bluegrass hybrids which are certain
to come in this decade - although many intricate problems in plant breeding remain to be worked out for this largely apomictic p l a n t .
Such could
open the way for greatly improved performance in bluegrass
The vast amount of technical work required to open up these new opportunities for more lawn and turf beauty w i l l be done largely through plant
breeders in our state Experiment Stations.
The cost of developing these
techniques will be greater than any one organization in the lawn and turf
industry 0 ^ a f f o r d .
Too, public turf breeders can have a dominant role in
developing outstanding germplasm, or the building blocks from which these
superior grasses in the future w i l l come. Add to this the increasing importance of the public turf specialists in development of new lawn and
turf management procedures, and it is easy to see that the role of the
public turf specialist is going to expand beyond anything we have known
until this time.
How soon we have these new bluegrasses w i l l depend upon the degree of co-64-

operation that is developed between public turf specialists and private industry.
The two groups are not competitive, even though a considerable degree of statesmanship on both sides w i l l be necessary to reveal this fundamental f a c t .
The
American public is paying the b i l l on both sides,and as time passes, this public
will expect cooperation a l l around . . . and get i t .
5.

This new bluegrass w i l l have to have a seed yielding capacity under optimum
conditions of 500 or more pounds per acre.
Otherwise the cost of the seed
will become a major handicap.

6.

The marketing costs for this new bluegrass w i l l be higher than in the past
because North Americans are not patient people.
They want the good things
of research, and they want them quickly.
Only one in three Americans will
be l i v i n g in his present home ten years from now, and half of these can be
certain of only a tenure of two plus y e a r s .
These Americans on the move
want to live in their own home, with an outstanding uniform, dense, weedfree lawn of beautiful color, and they expect to use that lawn before May
Day, and a long while after Labor Day - possibly after Thanksgiving in
areas that until now have been considered winter-bound before late f a l l .
This is to be even a more pronounced trend in places of public entertainment where golfers and players of other outdoor games are a l l gunning for
an extra week, or month of f a l l , or early winter a c t i v i t i e s .
Playing the
"world series of f o o t b a l l " in Green Bay, Wisconsin on December 31, 1961
dramatized the public desire for extended outdoor living to a degree never
before a t t a i n e d .
Turf i s , in many respects, the key to this extension of
outdoor l i v i n g , and we w i l l see the introduction of entirely new management
practices.

7.

This next bluegrass to achieve importance in the American market w i l l be
part of a well-worked out and well-publicized system for getting the full
performance values for the b u y e r . . . q u i c k l y .
Not only does the suburban
family want the benefits of a modern lawn NOW, but it w i l l place a definite limit on how much "do i t yourself" time is to be expended upon i t .
Lawn maintenance has to be fully mechanized and the time required from the
lawnkeeper himself to maintain a good lawn must be cut in h a l f . . .probably
even m o r e . . . i n the next f i v e y e a r s .
Here again the public turf specialist is highly important.
The work of
Dr. W . H . Daniel of Purdue in suggesting and proving the value of an inexpensive type of vertical cutting machine that can be put in a car trunk
and operated by one person with limited lawn maintenance experience, has
been one of the greatest contributions of recent years, and one that will
be increasingly apparent in the period immediately ahead. As Dr. Richard
Davis, Turf Specialist in Ohio, recently observed, "Lawn and turf keepers,
who want these dense and uniform lawns, are going to have to accept the
use of regular thinning as a part of "routine management."

8.

F i n a l l y , this new bluegrass w i l l be b e a u t i f u l .
The color w i l l remain rich
and deep in both heat and c o l d . . . so much so that many cities in mild winter areas w i l l shift over to a green lawn the year around.

OBSERVING BLUEGRASSES
C. W. Lobenstein,
Graduate Fellow
Purdue University-

The subject of this discussion was stimulated at the 1960 Field Day
when Dr. Daniel asked the question, "What do we want in a bluegrass for turf
as far as growth characteristics are concerned?" This has since led to extensive observations on the nature of leaf development and rhizome grox^th of some
25 bluegrass selections.
The manner in which successive leaves develop in bluegrass and several
other grasses is the major cause of injury and weakening at low mowing heights.
A new leaf develops within the sheath of the preceding l e a f , and thus each new
leaf is forced to elongate more than the preceding one before the blade can be
exposed to light and begin photosynthesis.
This means that eventually the nex\r
leaves are emerging a t , or above, mowing l e v e l , and most of the effective
photosynthetic blade is removed, leaving only the relatively inefficient sheath
portions of the leaves. When this happens the l i f e of the plant depends upon
development of new shoots at ground level below the blade of the mower.
Perhaps the most common origin of such new shoots is from rhizomes which are horizontal underground stems.
New shoots extending up from the base of the parent plant are called
"tillers."
Frequently a bud at the base of the sheath of an older leaf will
develop entirely enclosed within the old sheath.
Such t i l l e r s are more
accurately called intravaginal t i l l e r s . For practical reasons in recording
data, rhizomes are considered as any stems producing new shoots which emerge
more than 1 / 2 " from the mother p l a n t .
A bud is formed at the base of each leaf on the crow&; these buds may
form intravaginal t i l l e r s , or they may give rise to rhizomes which break
through the sheath, elongate some distance from the mother plant, and emerge to
form new shoots. A rhizome consists almost entirely of stem t i s s u e , and leaves
do not develop unless the rhizome is exposed to l i g h t .
Both types arise from
the same type of b u d . We do not know what regulates the type of growth which
w i l l result from a given bud.
However, the terminal bud of underground rhizomes apparently expresses apical dominance.
Certain growth regulating hormones are known to affect growth of stem tissue without affecting leaf growth
and vice-versa.
Stolons, which are developed by the bents, bermudas and Zoysias, are
also horizontal stems, but since they develop at the soil surface and are exposed to l i g h t , leaves and buds develop at each j o i n t , or node, thus providing a constant supply of new shoots close to the soil surface.
For this reason, such grasses can be mowed at lower heights than bluegrass and fescues.
It can readily be seen that a grass with very long sheath length will
not be as adapted to close mowing as one with a shorter sheath.
High f e r t i l i t y ,
dense turf which shades the new t i l l e r s , or heavy thatch are all factors which
w i l l cause longer sheath length, and probably more injury from subsequent low
mowing.
How much shortening of sheath length can be attained by management practices deserves further close study.
The p o s s i b i l i t y of selecting new types with
-66-

this characteristic should be considered in any program of developing new varieties.
Last year we attempted to measure whether a shorter sheath would be developed by a constant low cut, begun early as soon as the shoot emerged. We
used three bluegrass selections:
Merion, " D w a r f " — a slow growing type that is
a good rhizome former, and " S h a d e " — a vigorous type which produces many rhizomes.
We planted single unbranched crowns (just one shoot without any t i l l e r s or rhizomes) at 1 f t . intervals.
They were hand-clipped in the f i e l d 2 to 3 times per
week at 3 / 4 " , 1 - 1 / 2 " , and 3 " .
The treatment shortened sheath length some, but the results appeared
most l i k e l y due to general reduction of plant vigor due to excessive clipping.
Samples were dug after three months. Results are summarized in Table I .
Table I .

Effect of Clipping Height on Bluegrass Growth, Purdue 1961

Height
of cut

Tillers
per crown

3/4"

Merion
Dwarf
Shade

17
23
28

5.9
1.5
5.0

Rhizome
length
inches
35
45
78

1-1/2"

Merion
Dwarf
Shade

32
38
57

6.1
2.1
5.8

60
130
252

3"

Merion
Dwarf
Shade

37
44
62

5.4
2.4
5.2

71
136
321

New Crowns
No.

Table I I .

Percent Growth Change at Low Clipping Height -3" cut equal to 100%.

Merion
New crowns
Total t i l l e r s
T i l l e r s & crowns
Rhizome length

-54
-50
+ 9
-50

3 / 4 " cut
Dwarf
-48
-67
-38
-67

Shade
-55
-57
- 4
-76

1--1/2" cut
Merion
Dwarf
-14
- 2
+13
-13

-14
-23
-13
- 5

Shade
-8
+3
+12
-22

I f the 3 " height is taken as optimum and set equal to 100%, the percent reduction by 3 / 4 " and 1 - 1 / 2 " cut can be summarized as shown in Table I I .
These data correspond to what is known from past experience — bluegrass may be cut at 1 - 1 / 2 " without serious reduction, but cutting as low as
3 / 4 " seriously retards total growth, rhizome and root development.
The new
crowns measured here were principally those developing from newly formed rhizomes of varying l e n g t h s .
This was more severely reduced than the capacity to
form a dense turf from new crowns as expressed in t i l l e r s per crown. (Tillers
develop very slowly on the "Dwarf" type with a single crown frequently remaining without t i l l e r s the entire season.)
Going back to the original question, "What do we want in a bluegrass
v a r i e t y ? " , we surveyed a large group of selections and chose 25 representative

types, propagated them vegetatively, and again planted single unbranched shoots
at 1 f t . intervals.
Observations and measurements were made during the summer
and fall 1 9 6 1 .
Principal attention was given to those characteristics considered
most l i k e l y to be important in healing and recovery during summer stress periods;
namely, rhizome development, rate of spread, extent of spread, new crowns formed,
and capacity to form a dense turf by t i l l e r development. By the end of three
months, some selections had spread over an area more than 1 f t . in diameter,,
while Merion averaged about a 4 " spread. However, the Merion types had formed a
more compact turf as they had about the same total number of t i l l e r s emerging as
the more vigorous types, but due to the lack of rhizome development, the new
crowns were not distributed over as large an area . At the end of 5 months
growth, samples were dug, rhizome, crown and t i l l e r development were measured.
Representative results are shown in Table I I I .
Table I I I .

Entry

Rhizome Development from a Single Crown.
5 months growth, June - November 1961

Rhizome
Length
feet

Merion
16-H
A-10
16-F
Dwarf
C-l
K-5-49

8
59
51
47
25
8
8

Ratio to Merion
(rhizomes )
(till.
r
r
1.0
7.8
6.7
6.2
3.3
1.0
1.1

1.0
2.3
3.1
2.8
1.5
1.5
1.5

The surprising thing is that some of the more vigorous types produced
an average of 50 f t . o f rhizome from an original single shoot in a five month
period from mid-June to November, compared with only 8 "ft. by Merion and similar types. When Merion is taken as standard and set equal to 1 , the ratio to
Merion (column 2) shows most selections produced more rhizome growth than
Merion - some over 7 times as much. With more new crowns from a more extensive rhizome system, t i l l e r numbers were also 2 to 3 times as great as Merion
under exactly the same soil and environmental conditions.
Under conditions of mature sod competition,
and the rhizomes measured.
: IV.

Entry
Merion
16-H
16-B
Shade
16-F
Dwarf
Common

8 " turf cores were separated

Existing Rhizomes in 8 inch cores of 3 year old Bluegra;
October, 1 9 6 1 .
Rhizome
1ength
feet
16
72
57
52
51
32
18

Ratio to
Merion
ratio
1.0
4.5
3.5
3.2
3.2
2.0
1.1

% below
2 i n . depth

%

2
7
1
14
6
4
2

In digging the shade selection, rhizomes were frequently found 10 to 1 2 "
deep, with a large number as deep as 6 " .
In f a c t , 14% of the rhizomes were
found deeper than 2 " in old sod.
Possibly this variety had been able to survive beneath a tree because of greater competitive a b i l i t y for soil moisture
and/or mineral nutrients.
In summary:
1.

In spite of the fact that many of the vigorous selections studied are quite
susceptible to leafspot and other diseases, they survive and spread.
Apparently an extensive rhizome system can provide a means of escape and
recovery.

2.

While rhizome development by bluegrasses is commonly thought to occur mainly
in the spring and f a l l , the fact that many natural selections already possess
capacities for extensive summer rhizome development should be of interest to
the plant breeder.

3.

Development of more rapid and extensive rhizome systems should be p a r t i c u l a r ^
advantageous in sod production and vegetative propagation.

4.

The possibility of a relationship between rhizomes and a more extensive root
system might provide a means of greater drought and competition tolerance.

5.

Consideration should be given to the question of whether varietal evaluation and seed production techniques have tended to select toward the more
upright-growing, vigorous types, with long leaf sheath length, which are
less adapted to close mowing.

We w i l l continue our observations.
The immediate task w i l l be to look at
the effect of different growth regulating compounds upon the development of
rhizomes and t i l l e r s .

ANTICIPATING NEW BLUEGRASSES
Eric Melkerson, Graduate Student
Purdue University

I'm sure we who work with turf recognize that Kentucky bluegrass is an important turfgrass over much of our country.
Most of us are also aware of the
fact that bluegrass has some d e f i n i t e and quite serious limitations.
While
many turf specialists recommend that it be cut at from 1 - 1 / 2 " to 2 " in home
lawns for best performance, golfers are demanding that fairways be clipped much
shorter than t h i s .
Problems with its use also a r i s e from football fields and
other public places where it doesn't stand up under the abnormally heavy wear.
Bluegrass also has many disease problems, and closely clipped fairways are
often more severely injured than is higher-cut g r a s s .
Several types are plaqued
by the advanced crown rot stagesi. of leafspot. A severe case of l e a f s p o t , or
some other disease might result in a loss of the t u r f , or low quality turf for
a season.

Because of the many problems in bluegrass breeding which result from such
things as apomixis and the wide differences in chromosome numbers, the main way
of developing new bluegrass varieties has been through screening and selection
programs. We are undertaking such a program here at Purdue, using some selections Dr. Daniel had made at various places in the Midwest area, and some others
received from other workers.
Individual plants selected at random from flats of
parent material have been observed in the greenhouse this w i n t e r .
Differences
in vegetative character between some of the entries has been n o t i c e d .
Differences showing within some of the selections were noticed which might mean that
some natural crossing had taken p l a c e . We believe there is a better chance for
crossing under a controlled climate.
Recognizing that resistance to disease is very important, an inoculation
program is being started in hopes of finding some plants with more normal disease resistance.
Individual space plantings w i l l be made in the f i e l d s this
spring to observe such things as rate of spread, sod density, color, and disease
susceptibility in natural sunlight, as well as under shade conditions, provided
by a r t i f i c i a l shade structures.
If some selections are noticed which seem to merit further observations,
they w i l l be put out under sod conditions and seed tests in future y e a r s . Although past experiences of other workers have shown that developing good new
varieties by this method is d i f f i c u l t , we feel that better bluegrass w i l l be
developed through the renewed interest in this problem.

SOD PRODUCTION
Principles and Practices of Sod Production
W . H. Daniel, Turf S p e c i a l i s t , Dept. of Agronomy
Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana

Growing points are the individual units of sod value.
Sod is composed
of existing leaves, stems and roots, plus the matrix of soil and plant parts
that accompanies them. The green leaves existing - dead and dying - do not
count, are often falsely assumed to be all-important.
Their values are to:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Provide i n i t i a l green color (important in sales)
Reduce mud and dirt at s i t e .
Reduce chance of new weeds starting. .
Provide energy for new root and rhizome development.
Provides i n i t i a l lawn success I.
(takes 1 - 2 years to deteriorate under good care)

The rhizomes underground are the key values.
a.
b.
c.
d.

Their values are to:

Provide nodes for new growth i n i t i a t i o n .
Provide nodes for new root i n i t i a t i o n .
Hold sod and soil together
Substitute for seed placement on s i t e .

Principles of sod production a r e :
1.

HAVE CLEAN LAND - free from sprigs and seed of undesired perennial grasses quack, bent, Bermuda.

2.

PURCHASE CLEAN SEED - free from other crops - bentgrass,
grass, Poa annua, Poa t r i v i a l i s , other bluegrasses.

3.

PREFER IMPROVED VARIETIES - consider blends - i t ' s more d i f f i c u l t to promote
blends, but they may be more disease resistant and wider adapted.

4.

PLANT MEDIUM TO LIGHT RATES - overcrowding should be avoided to allow rhizome
spread.
Seed weight, l i v e seed 8 5 % , an expected survival of 3 Q 7 o is good.

5.

GET UNIFORM, WELL-SPACED STAND - seed planters, repeat passes with equipment
depth of planting, covering, daily sprinkling, mulches, favorable weather a l l a i d in getting uniform stand.

6.

ESTABLISH BEFORE ADVERSE WEATHER PERIODS - be well ahead of winter freeze
and thaw, summer drouth and weeds, competition. Avoid surface dryness
periods when p o s s i b l e .

7.

FERTILIZE ADEQUATELY - repeatedly - nitrogen needs h i g h .
Keep grass coming suggest at least 2 : 1 : 1 in seedbed at seedning.
Plan about 6 , 2 , 4 # / l , 0 0 0
annually.

t a l l fescue, rye-

MOW HIGH for variety used until sod is formed.
Individual leaf is the production l i n e , entire single plant is assembly l i n e , shipping room, truck
line and distributor.
KEEP OTHER PLANT COMPETITION DOWN - a growing plant needs room, so release from
" -71-

competition - get earlier uniformity and earlier harvest.
and selective chemicals only at preferred times.
10.

11

Use

2,4-5,2,4,5-TP

STORE SOD AT MEDIUM MAINTENANCE until near sales period.
Once sod is f i l l e d
in, reduce to medium f e r t i l i z a t i o n , maintain medium to high mowing, water
only to keep leaves from dying.

- KEEP FIELDS IN PRODUCTION - If soil is smooth enough and free of quackgrass,
e t c . , try light overseeding.
Use rotary hoe and water same day to start new
crop.

12.

REBUILD SOIL as sod is removed.
Consider dense corn, sorghum, combined with
heavy f e r t i l i z a t i o n , and plow down when necessary.
Consider any form of
organic material to improve condition.
Subsoiling, t i l i n g and leveling
fields may further improve management.

13.

PLAN MARKET AND SALES PROGRAM before production

starts.

Besides these there are additional points which t i e to production, but are
not a part of i t . These a r e :
A.

Plan definite market and sales program before production starts.
Is it wholesale, whole farm, or uncutting?
Is it to be delivered, or sold only in f i e l d ?
How much equipment do you expect to have? Who will be your users of sod?
Sell only good sod - return purchases w i l l be influenced.
in production vary w i d e l y .

The unit of costs

C.

Cooperate to Build Market - signs on fields for public; signs on new jobs;
newspaper promotion; f i e l d day tours, etc. Set aside 2 - 3% of sales for promotion of market.

D.

Grade Sod for Quality - have 3 or so grades.
Always push premium grades.
This is a l o c a l , or state cooperative e f f o r t .

E.

Manicure Sod Before Cutting - match root and leaf system. Reduce watering
after i n s t a l l e d . Avoid off-color look.
Thin out and remove eld clippings
and excess l e a f surface.

F•

Reduce Wilt - consider protecting from desiccation by spraying turf with
protectants.

G.

Protect from Disease - include fungicides in spray after manicuring.
Choose favorable time for sodding.
avoid adversity.

In adverse locations delay or plan to

Below are items to consider in selecting seed for sod production:
1 .

SEED CLEANLINESS - complete freedom from Poa annua,bentgrass,off-type

2.

SEED WEIGHT - heavy seed germinates better, distributes

3.

GERMINATION - f a s t ,

4.

SEEDLING VIGOR - strong, early crown forming.

5.

RHIZOME FORMATION - start quickly,

6.

DISEASE TOLERANCE - to twelve diseases - leafspot is most important.

7.

LONG VIGOR PERIODS - from early spring, right up to winter.

8.

PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE - a known tested variety has better acceptance.

9.

MAXIMUM MANAGEMENT RANGE - high or low f e r t i l i t y and cut.

10.

easier.

uniform.

continually formed.

WIDE ADAPTATION - for widespread sales - shade and sun.

bluegrass.

Variety
Suggested Grading Form for Sod Standards

There shall be four grades: AA, A , B , C

Date

Grade

Acres

F i e l d NO.

Grower
Address

Each f i e l d or cutting-management area within fields shall be graded separately
if and as marketed separately.
Each f i e l d shall be graded and reported prior to
cutting, and as necessary - at least twice a year thereafter.
If for any reason
grade question a r i s e s , then a grade check shall be a n t i c i p a t e d .

1.

R E L A T I V E
Most desired
AA l
A/
Leaves perj unit area /
1 / 2
3 ^ 4

A C T U A L

J U D G M E N T S
Least desired
By

D A T A

3 counts of 2 sq. i n . each
leaves/ s q . i n .

/ 6

2.

Rhizomes |:>er unit area
2
3 / 4

3 counts of 2 - 1 / 2 " plugs
inches/ s q . i n .

3.

Sod strength
1
2

6 pieces - l i f t one end.
feet

4.

5.

Freedom fjrom thin and bare areas
1 I 2
3 j
4
5
16
j
j
\
Uniformity of sod

\
6.

3 I

% bare

tillers/unit

V

Tillers

6\

»

density

8

/sq.in.

Relative freedom from damaging active disease at inspection time
1
2
3
4 ]
5
6 /
7
8
9

J

7.

8.

9.

10.

Freedom from excess thatch and old clippings
1 / 2
3
4 / 5
6/
7 8

y

diseases.

9

/
o
Freedom from guackgrass, Joentgrass, Poa annua (circle ones present)
1 - 2
/3
4 / 5
6
7
8
9

i

I

Freedom from broadleaf weeds
2
I 3
V
\
Freedom from crabgrass, f o x t a i l , witchgrass, barnyard grass
5 \ 6
3\
i

i

Check those correct:
Sod is at peak ready to harvest
Sod would further improve
Suggestions - comments Inspection team:

Jo of area
occupied

PREVENTING CRABGRASS IN 1962
W. H . Daniel, Turf S p e c i a l i s t , Dept. of Agronomy
Purdue University, Lafayette,Indiana

Nine compounds are available in numerous formulations for seedling grass
prevention.
These have been tested repeatedly at numerous Experiment Stations,
and the data resulting thereform has been quite carefully assayed by the companies producing the basic chemical.
Currently the labeling on most formulations
is quite adequate.
Nevertheless, one of the real problems with crabgrass preventers is their proper use by the consumer in his individual situation. Midwest
Turf Leaflet No. 11, Crabgrass Control, gives extensive d e t a i l s !
The table below gives chemical designation and comments. These are
based on extensive research and general interpretation.
Although the residual
time nay be questioned, it indicates the relative carry-over.
Active
Formulators
Chemical
ingredient
Estimated
Next
designation
rate
reported
Comments
Residual
carryover
season
time
apply
lbs.
%
50

.5+

2

0
0

full
full

19
3

0

full

2

Zytron

15/A

1 season+

Dacthal
Diphenatrile

10/A
30+/A

Trifluralin

1.5+/A

Bandane
Chlordane

30+/A
80/A

2 months
Almost
season
Almost
season
1 season
1 season

50?
50

.5+
.5+

1,000-,
sq.ft.
20 F .

1 season

80

.25

1 season

75

.25

0

full

Lead arsenate
Calcium a r s .
Ca. Propyl Ars .

12-18F.

1.5+act. 1 month

5
5+

Several
4+
3

Controls
knotweed
Quite safe
Safe on
flowers
Controls
knotweed
Standard
rate

Powdery caution
Granular
preferred
Fast acting

On golf greens some of these products may be used, attempting to control
goosegrass.
Limited success has been achieved with Chlordane and Dacthal.
Zytron, T r i f l u r a l i n , and Bandane may also serve, but should be used with caution.
Calcium propyl arsonate should work well when used at the critical time.
I would strongly suggest that those not having tested the material on
golf greens never treat more than one-half of one green.
Should one-half be
damaged the other half would be usable.
Conversely, should one have perfect
goosegrass control, it could be used for cup settings during the critical times.
With such background experience the turf manager can complete plans for the
following year.
Continued research on crabgrass preventers can be expected, and numerous
new compounds will be appearing on the market.
The continuity of turf protection through arsenics offers the turf manager a real p o t e n t i a l .
However, the
simplicity and safety in using the newer formulations also has advantage for
shorter term programs.

In areas where nurseries are being started, or plantings of vegetative
grasses such a s Bermuda and Zoysia have just been made, the use of any of the
several crabgrass preventers before crabgrass germinates and competes is strongly
recommended.

PROGRESS WITH ZOYSIA
W . C . LeCroy, Graduate Student
Purdue University

Zoysias are being used more each year for lawns and athletic a r e a s .
Three reasons for t h i s are:
resistance to weed invasion (once the sod is established), freedom from disease, and minimum damage from insects.
The use of
Zoysia has been slow in being accepted as it takes time to form a sod, and it
has to be started vegetatively.
Zoysias, like other grasses, are subject to
weed invasion while spreading, and should be kept as free as possible of weeds
in order to obtain cover in a minimum of time. Usually it quires at least two
years to form a solid t u r f .
The program here at Purdue University has been one of selection based on
faster-growing, more-open types with a good f a l l color, along with early spring
greenup.
The reasoning behind the more open type growth is that the sod would
be less spongy compared to the presently used Meyer.
Zoysia leaves do not decay
as readily as most other turfgrasses, and there is a tendency for a thatch to
build up.
The open growing turf would tend to reduce this problem.
First year tests consisted of individually spaced plants growing in the
field.
The second year the individual plants were divided, one part remaining in
place in the spaced planting; the other being sprigged into 6 x 8 f t . plots in
rows 8 " apart within the plots, sprigs being solid in the row. A total of 12
strains selected for the above characteristics were used in this t e s t .
2,4-D
and DSMfi was applied at the recommended rates to control crabgrass and broadleaf
weeds.
Under these conditions there was complete cover in four months.
It has been observed.in handling these strains of Zoysia that when compared to plugs, either 2 or 4 " , sprigged plantings give a much quicker cover.
The growth rate was measured both in 1960 and 1961 by measuring the amount of
growth from five runners during five to seven day periods.
This was repeated
three times during the growing season and once in late September. At the same
time the length of the third internode from the growing point on the runner was
measured.
The above data, plus f a l l color and spring greenup, was used to produce the tables to be shown by s l i d e s .
Strain 0312 is good in fall color and
poor on spring greenup.
The slower growing of our 12 best strains is s t i l l
faster growing than Meyer.
The data obtained from the growth rate and internode length in 1961 was
used to compute a linear regression problem. From this it was found that during the summer for every 3 . 6 mm of internode length, the runner increased 1 mm
in length, while during the f a l l this ratio was 1 . 8 to 1 mm. The leaf width,
although not used in this computation, was found to vary as the growth rate

varied.
In general we can conclude that the growth rate and leaf width depends
on the internode length.
The longer the internode, the more rapid the growth
and the wider the leaf within the genetic limitations of the s t r a i n s .
We are also studying the developmental stages during vegetative growth.
To attack this problem, seed was obtained and sown in pots in the greenhouse,
while another group was placed in a germinator at 85° F .
Samples of the group
in the germinator were taken every eight hours until the seedlings in the greenhouse reached the two-leaf stage. At this point the germinator group was terminated. and samples were taken every other day from the greenhouse. A l l samples
were k i l l e d in a solution of formaldehyde, acetic a c i d , and ethyl alcohol. This
solution k i l l s the tissue rapidly with l i t t l e shrinking.
The water was removed
from the tissue by a graduated series of alcohols, from 50 to 100% pure alcohol.
The plant pieces were then infiltrated with p a r a f f i n . After casting in molds,
individual plant pieces were cut out and mounted on small wooden blocks.
These
wooden blocks were placed in a microtome, an instrument for making very thin
s l i c e s , and cut into sections.
Each thin section was then mounted on a glass
s l i d e , stained, and examined under a microscope.
Such microscopic examinations
should give a better insight as to how Zoysia develops vegetatively, and how it
responds to various climatic conditions.
Certainly such studies add impetus to
the potential of xd.ser Zoysia use.

STEPS IN NEW LAWN CONSTRUCTION
Robert W . Schery, Director, The Lawn I n s t i t u t e ,
Marysville, Ohio.

It is good to have a section devoted to lawns that c a n ' t be so intensively maintained as are golf greens.
So often there is the tendency to "Overa d v i s e , " even when economically not j u s t i f i a b l e , and some homeov/ners would rather
endure weeds than undertake~a complicated program. So, in covering today's subject, I may sound like a lazy man's f r i e n d .
Soil testing, anticipatory pest control, improved v a r i e t i e s , e t c . , a l l
have their place, but more lawns seem lost from neglect of a few simple fundamentals.
Old favorite grasses,such as Kentucky bluegrass and f i n e fescues, s t i l l
make a first-rate l a ™ , economically, most anywhere in the Midwest if their basic
(though undemanding) needs are met.
S o i l . Time of year,and local characteristics, determine best ways for
handling seedbeds.
In general, soils of this area are heavy, with ample clay
constituents to retain moisture and f e r t i l i t y .
Greatest need is often to hold,
or improve soil structure while supplying adequate f e r t i l i t y .
Plow, or rotaryt i l l the soil only when i t is dry enough to be workable; do not destroy structure by pulverization; keep heavy equipment from recompacting the s o i l .
Excellent stands come from pebbled seedbeds that esthetically seem roughF e r t i l i z e r ample in phosphorus should be mixed into the seedbed, unless
soil tests indicate otherwise.
Most soil of the area was originally under forest, is podzolized and leached of nutrients so needs ample f e r t i l i z a t i o n .

Seed. This climate is basically suited to Kentucky bluegrass and red fescues for lawns of average care, and to the Highland-type bentgrass for specialty
turfs more meticulously tended.
The long dormant season causes Zoysias and Bermudas to have limited place this far north.
Of the bluegrasses, natural Kentucky bluegrass offers the most economical
source of genetically variable and widely adaptable grass p l a n t s .
Similar, but
selected for quick germination and seedling vigor, is Park; for minimum care dura b i l i t y towards the southern limits of the bluegrass b e l t , Arboretum.
Park is a
synthetic variety from sixteen clonal selections made by the University of
Minnesota, combined in the growing f i e l d s .
Arboretum comes from a population reflecting low-growing ecotypes in Missouri.
Other varieties, such as Merion and
Héwport, have a more restricted heredity, and may prove less widely adapted, or
demand s p e c i a l ' a t t e n t i o n .
In such cases, mixtures afford greater assurance where
the precise requirements for pedigreed varieties are seldom completely known.
There are many excellent fine fescues, coming especially from Oregon.
Pennlawn and Illahee are two which have performed well in the East, although
Chewings, Rainier, and Creeping red make entirely satisfactory components of
lawn seed mixtures.
The erect-growing bentgrasses, such as Highland or Colonial,
aré preferred for lawns to the creeping bentgrasses of golf greens, the latter
requiring care not possible under homelawn conditions or limited budgets.
Seed mixtures, basically Kentucky bluegrass and red fescue, are generally
sowed about 3 l b s . per M, best distributed with one of the excellent modern
spreaders. A pebbled seedbed accepts seed w e l l , and if not rolled w i l l continue
to absorb water for quite a while without r o l l i n g . Seed bought from reliable
sources w i l l prove adequate in germination, freedom from weeds, purity, and so
on, so that the chief consideration is composition of the mixture - whether it
contains sufficient of the permanent quality grasses in reasonable proportion,
with a minimum of competing nursegrass.
Mulch. Warmth and humidity are the key to sprouting of seed. A mulch
holds the humidity at the same time that it protects the seedbed.
Many mulches
are available, but straw is s t i l l one of the most effective where procurable.
Woven netting (Erosionet), pulping by-products (Paygro), even polyethylene tarps
f i n d use.
Some of the more finely ground mulches have proved excellent in Lawn
Institute tests on "scorched earth" replanting of old lawns.
Mowing. With bluegrass-fes cue lawns the first mowing should come as the
new turf averages somewhere between 2 and 3 inches.
Rotary mowers adapt well to
tall mowing, sucking up floppy grass blades.
Precautions not to run mowers on
soft ground, use them when d u l l , or set them too low are just common-sense.
Water.
Both humidity and heat can be provided by moistening seed and holding it in a polyethylene sack indoors.
This may give a faster start than sowing
outdoors, but timing is critical and the operation laborious.
It is generally
more convenient to plant the seed in its regular seedbed, then water i t , helped
by a mulch. The problem is not so great in spring as it is in autumn when dry
soils show a water d e f i c i t if rom summer, and must be drenched at least once before
the surface can be kept moist to hasten germination. Autumn seeding, however,
has many advantages over spring seeding for northern grass species.
Weeding.
If the s o i l had been s t e r i l i z e d at time of seedbed preparation,
troubles w i l l be minimal.
Most seedbeds are not s t e r i l i z e d , however. Mowing will
automatically eliminate some field-type weeds.
Others succumb to the excellent
herbicides now a v a i l a b l e .

Most herbicides should not be used until the grass is t a l l enough to have
had at least three mowings.
Even 2,4-D can injure very young t u r f .
2,4-D will
control the general run of broadleaf weeds, such as dandelion, plantain, cress,
and perhaps chickweed.
The related compound S i l v e x handles clover and o x a l i s .
DSMA w i l l take care of other toughies, including crabgrass, especially in combination with S i l v e x .
A critical question these days is the use of pre-emergence grass preventers on new lawns which can be harmful to good grass as well as crabgrass.
Of
the nine available calcium propyl arsonate, with a short residual l i f e , harms
new seedings l i t t l e .
It is best to plant a new lawn just as early as possible,
and have it up and thriving before pre-emergence crabgrass k i l l e r is applied.
If a new seeding is made to a seedbed already treated with crabgrass preventer,
don't complain should the stand be thin and need bolstering come autumn.
I f attractive, permanent grasses devoid of weed-like species and nursegrass are seeded to a proper seedbed, it should be possible to establish a new
lawn in either spring or autumn. Avoid excessive nitrogen in late spring which
might lead to soft grass that dies in summer. Better, too, to chance some weeds
than to spray herbicides on new grass insufficiently mature.
Taking steps in a
common-sense fashion should prevent lawn making from becoming expensive or burdensome .

DISCOUNTING TURF DISEASE PROBLEMS
Malcolm C . Shurtleff, Extension Plant Pathologist
University of I l l i n o i s , Urbana, I l l i n o i s

"Discounting Turf Disease Problems" — what an intriguing t i t l e !
But,
what does discount mean exactly? Webster defines the word in these ways:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

to deduct from an account, debt, or charge
to lend money upon
to depreciate, as by leaving
to make allowance for exaggeration in (a table, e t c . ) as to discount
his story
to take in advance at less than the full value o f .

L e t ' s take these definitions one by one and see how each could apply to
a turf manager reponsible for maintaining turf in a healthy, vigorous condition.
1.
To deduct from an account, debt, or charge.
In simpler words than
Webster can manage, a discount is a saving.
I t ' s money in the bank, like buying
at a s a l e . And, the biggest discount you can make with turf disease problems is
to prevent them from occurring.
Remember that old adage, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of c u r e . " For turf diseases make this instead — An ounce
of preventive fungicide is worth 100 l b s . of cure! Think of how long it takes
to bring turf back from a severe case of snow mold, dollarspot, or melting-out.
How much extra effort and cost would it have taken to apply that missed spray, as
balanced against nursing the turf back slowly to health.
Think of the cost of

the extra labor, fungicides,

seed or sod, f e r t i l i z e r , water, and loss of goodwill.

Many superintendents have found that it saves money to spray not only the
tees, green and aprons, but also the fairways.
Here the principal disease is
leaf spot early in the spring, followed by melting-out. Accurate records kept over
a period of years has proved to these superintendents that disease prevention pays
Start early in the
off for fairways as well as for tees, greens and aprons.
spring as the grass is greening up and before the disease gets ahead of you. Remember that the same fungus complex that causes leafspot in cool weather attacks
the crowns and roots in hot weather. And, turf without roots in hot weather is
in real trouble.
L e t ' s take another example.
L e t ' s say you lose three-fourths of the grass
on a green due to a disease.
Besides the obvious cost of sod, labor, and time
spent, what about your public relations and goodwill?
These you can't discount.
Next to knowing the sound fundamentals of growing turf with a l l its multiface
problems, good public relations (and with it goodwill) ranks a t the top.
Every
successful superintendent must be good in public relations.
Know what your
golfers want, then go all out to please them if its sound turf management at a l l .
This brings us to Webster's second definition - 2 .
To lend money upon.
No banker or lending agency will lend you money to finance a new home, automob i l e . or TV set unless you have a credit rating.
You should have kept records
and know how much money is coming in and where it a l l goes.
Your greens committee and most of your members are probably businessmen.
They keep records in their businesses.
They expect you, as a business man, to
keep records too. And, they have a right to expect a good set of books, explaining where their money went and what f o r . A good set of records though,
means much more to you than to your members and greens committee.
Good records
t e l l you not only how much you paid for fungicides, but when you used these chemicals, where and how much you applied.
Beside these figures in your record book should go a weather log — giving both night and day temperatures, and other information (hot, bright, sun,
fog, drizzly rain, e t c . )
The investment of a few dollars in some maxinumminimum thermometers for your golf course is a sound one.
Keep these at turf
level - not n a i l e d up on the side of your machinery shed.
Put thermometers
where they w i l l t e l l you the temperature of the grass.
As you know, each disease-causing fungus which attacks grasses has a
temperature at which it grows best, just l i k e the turf grass it feeds upon.
Fungi also have upper and lower limits at which they w i l l grow and i n f e c t .
These temperatures are given in many research papers on turf diseases. Learn
them for these temperatures are critical to your disease control program.
For example, Pythium attacks occur in hot, muggy weather when the temperature is between 90° and 1 1 0 ° F . ; Dollarspot between 60° and 8 5 ° F .
The
brownpatch fungus is most damaging to turf when night temperatures are above
70° F . , and the daytime temperature is 80° to 90° F .
However, there are strains
of this fungus which attack at 95° F . and even 1 0 5 ° F . , while others grow slowly
and cause mild symptoms at 60° F .
The powdery mildew fungus is damaging to
bluegrass in the spring and f a l l when nights are cool and days are warm.
Snow
mold fungi may work under snow before it melts (down to 25° F . ) , but are probably most damaging in the range of 35° to 45° F .
Fusarium patch, or pink snow
mold, is active in drizzly weather up to a temperature of about 6 5 ° F .
The

leafspot and melting-out fungus, Helminthosporium, has a number of species which
attack turfgrasses.
They "operate" over a temperature range of about 4 5 ° to

110°F.
To sum this point up,
keep records on every phase of your disease prevention program.
Know not only what yoiire doing each day and week, but what you
have done to every green, to every tee, a l l season long. Write down new and
different things in your daily l o g .
How do you recognize and tell others how
different diseases look as they are just starting? What t e l l t a l e signs do you
look for? Do you anticipate the coming of certain diseases to certain greens
at particular times each year? What do you have planned as a counterattack?
Your records, c a r e f u l ^ kept, should provide the answers to these questions.
Now, on to Webster's third definition - 3 .
To depreciate, as by leaving.
Do you have your fungicides ordered for 1962 in anticipation for every possible
need? Remember that the fungicides stay good if we keep them dry, so why not
order early? Don't wait until an "unexpected" disease l i k e Pythium comes to
haunt you. Anticipate trouble and order now!
How about your sprayer? Have you taken i t a l l apart and checked the
pump, pressure gauge, output per minute, nozzle d i s c s , hoses, e t c . ?
Is there
any loose rust in the tank that can plug the nozzles later?
Do you have the
manufactuere's instructions for lubrication, operation and maintenance tacked
up where your employees w i l l see and read them? These points may well mean the
difference some day this summer when your greens have to be sprayed and the
sprayer suddenly conks out. How about its capacity?
Do you need a larger
sprayer to get around and finish faster and cut out several r e f i l l i n g jobs that
take valuable time? Balance the cost of a larger sprayer not only on more
Maybe then your
efficient disease control, but the saving of labor and time.
greens committee w i l l go along with your recommendations.
How else can we discount? Fungicides a r e n ' t the only way to control
diseases. A sound cultural disease prevention program was about a l l that
superintendents had 40 years ago.
Today we should put more reliance on sound
cultural practices to keep turf vigorous and healthy.
Fungicides cannot solve
your turf problems i f the basic cause is some management practice which lets
disease "take o v e r . "
1.
Greens should be kept as dry as your greens committee and membership
w i l l allow.
Disease-causing fungi thrive under moist conditions.
Poling,
brushing, or hosing greens shortly a f t e r daylight removes the dew and guttated
itfater in which fungi grow and multiply. Avoid as much evening watering as possible.
2.
Remake and relocate problem greens, tees, and other turf areas which
suffer disease stemming from poor surface or subsoil drainage, or are pocketed
by trees which shut out a i r and l i g h t .
An educational program may be called
for.
Does your membership realize how expensive it is to maintain a problem
green?
Do you have the records to back up your proposal to remake, or relocate
a green, or otherwise change your course?
3 . tJhat is your feeding program? Are you maintaining a uniform, balanced level of soil nutrients in the rootzone? Disease commonly occurs when
Uhen
the major nutrients, N, P, and K are not
in balance with one another.
f e r t i l i t y is high in hot weather, especially N, watch out!
Disease is just
around the corner.

4.
Keep your greens as free of thatch as p o s s i b l e .
Host disease-producing fungi thrive in this mat of dead and decomposing turf debris.
Use a
"vertical mower" at regular intervals and y o u ' l l have fewer disease problems,
and fewer fungicide applications to make. Another discount to your members.
Grass needs leaves to
5.
Mow your greens as high as "the law" a l l o w s .
produce food and deep roots.
Too close mowing invites scalping and disease,
plus slowing recovery from ball marks, disease, cup t r a f f i c , and going-out of
Poa annua.
6.
Don't stretch out these chemicals beyond their capacity to give you
protection.
Some chemicals may give you 3-day protection in rainy weather, and
5 to 7 days in normal weather.
Learn the weak points and strong points of chemicals.
7.
Test new chemicals out in a small way the f i r s t year, using part of
your nursery.
Experiment f i r s t and be happy l a t e r .
Go easy with a new chemical
until you get the feel of how it a c t s .
A standard turf fungicide program could
be a mixture of mercury and thiram.
You may wish to add Zineb to this mixture.
This combination protects against a l l known major turf diseases. And, probably
a regular weekly protective program is best for a l l except hot, rainy weather
when the interval should be shortened to 3 to 5 days.
Webster's fourth definition was:
4.
To make allowance for exaggeration
in (a t a l e , e t c . ) as to discount his story.
The story of a good superintendent
is told most eloquently, as you know, by his course.
Look at h i s greens, tees,
and fairways.
You can't discount good super in tendeing!
I t ' s a shame, though,
that so many greens committees take their superintendents for granted.
Here is
the place to put your public relations to work.
Don't ever let people have an
opportunity to think you are anything but a topflight superintendent.
Don't be
a f r a i d to blow your own horn when i t ' s necessary.
Mow, for Webster's f i f t h and last d e f i n i t i o n :
5.
To take in advance at
less than the f u l l value o f .
Prevention means record keeping; keen observations on how much and how often to water; knowledge of when diseases are most
apt to strike and where; knowing your fungicides and what they will do; plus
carrying out cultural practices which favor the growth of the grass and not the
disease-causing f u n g i .
I f you have these points well in mind you really can
discount turf disease problems.

WEED CONTROL PPACTICES IN SOD PRODUCTION
H . W . Indyk, Turf Extension, Rutgers University
New Brunswick, New Jersey

A weed can be defined simply as a plant growing out-of-place. Weeds in
any crop are undesirable.
They affect quality as well as growth of the desirable p l a n t . Weeds in sod not only detract from its appearance, but also competes with the desirable grasses for l i g h t , moisture and n u t r i e n t s .
One of the
most important criteria for determining the quality of a sod is its weed content. A high quality sod demands that it be weed-free. Accoxdingly the sod

producer, as a matter of necessity, must become proficient as a weed control expert
among other c a p a b i l i t i e s .
Weed control is not always chemical control. Thefirst l i n e of defense
against weeds is cultural control.
Managing the sod and weeds in a manner so as
to favor the sod may be referred to as "cultural methods" of controlling undesirable weeds.
Cultural control involves using proper techniques which discourage
weed growth, not only in establishment of the desirable grass, but also in its
management a f t e r establishment as w e l l .
Cultural Control Practices 1.

Seed - select the highest quality seed a v a i l a b l e .
One of the most important
characteristics of high quality seed is the absence of weed seed.
Difficult
to control weed problems may be introduced very easily into an area through
poor quality seed containing weed seeds.
Poa annua and bentgrass are common
examples of weed problems being introduced in this manner.
C e r t i f i e d seed
gives a certain measure of assurance of high quality seed.
Under present
seed certification standards, the weed problem is not entirely eliminated. A
review and revision of present standards for turfgrass seed is needed for improving seed q u a l i t y .

2.

Selection of land area - many uncontrollable, or difficult-to-control weed
problems could be avoided on basis of observing weed growth in an area before seeding.
a.
b.

Avoid areas which are knwown to be infested with difficult-to-control
or pernicious perennial weeds, such as quackgrass, or Johnsongrass.
Practice clean cultivation for at least two years or more before seeding sod grasses, particularly areas which have not been under cultivation for a long time.

3.

Seedbed preparation - A seedbed prepared well in advance with periodic,
shallow tillage before seeding is an opportunity to destroy several crops
of weeds.

4.

Time of seeding - f a l l seeding is the best time from the standpoint of minimizing many weed problems as well as favoring the successful establishment
of the desirable grass.

5.

Proper maintenance program after establishment of sod. Attention should be
devoted to adequate liming and f e r t i l i z i n g , high moxring, intelligent watering, and pest control.

The most effective programs employ chemicals as an a i d and not a substitute for
cultural control, or a "crutch" for a poor management program.
Chemical Control Practices
A.

Pr e-pla nt i ng
1.
Soil sterilization for destruction of weed seeds before seeding desirable grasses.
Chemicals, s u c h a s calcium cyanamid, methyl bromide,
or Vapam may be used.
Each has its advantages and limitations.
2.
Non-selective chemicals - spot treatment, or over-all treatment in combination with cultural practices for cleaning up areas of hard-to-kill
weeds.
Such chemicals as amino t r i a z o l e , dalapon, TCA may be used for
quackgrass, bermuda, or Johnsongrass.

B.

Post-planting - Herbicide must be selective, only used on well-established
sod.
Perhaps i t would be most appropriate to discuss chemical control from
the standpoint of specific weed problems.
1.
2.

3.
4.
5.

6.

Dandelion, buckhorn, broad-leaf plantain, knotweed (seedling stage)
easily controlled with 2,4-D formulations.
Chickweeds, clover, spotted spurge are effectively controlled with
Silvex ( 2 , 4 , 5 - T P ) .
This material is injurious to bentgrass.
Restrict its use to seasons of cool weather - f a l l or early spring.
Veronica sp. (speedwells).
Endothal has been recommended by the New
York Agricultural Experiment Station for its control.
Wild onion, wild garlic - repeat treatments of 2,4-D in early spring,
repeated over 2 year period.
Henbit, o x a l i s , yarrow, red sorrel, ox-eye daisy, and ground ivy are
among the group of difficult-to-control weeds.
Two applications of
S i l v e x about 10 days apart is suggested.
Crabgrass a.
Post-emergence - application of chemical after crabgrass has
made i t s appearance.
Methyl arsonates, potassium cyanates, and phenyl mercury acetate
have given good control.
Generally 2 or 3 repeat treatments at
7 - 1 0 day intervals required.
Phenyl mercury acetate is injurious to Merion Kentucky bluegrass.
b.

7.

Pre-emergence - application of chemical before germination of
crabgrass.
Under New Jersey conditions, Zytron and Dacthal have
proven to be the most effective materials on predominantly Kentucky bluegrass type t u r f .
Calcium arsenate and Chlordane have
performed satisfactorily, but somewhat less effectively than
Zytron, or Dacthal.
Limited testing has shown a number of new
materials to be very promising.

A l l other grassy weeds - Muhlenbergia, goosegrass, velvet grass, quackgrass, nutgrass, t a l l fescue, orchardgrass, etc.
No selective means of
chemical control presently a v a i l a b l e .

Specific weed problems, as well as the performance of chemicals in different
a r e a s , may not be the same. Before using a chemical to control a specific weed,
it would be advisable to check with your state Agricultural Experiment S t a t i o n .
The success of any chemical control program depends upon:
(1) proper identification of weed problem; (2) choice of right chemical;(3) correct concentration of
chemical; (4) good operator technique, and ( 5 ) properly calibrated equipment.
Remember a good program for growing grass is the best weed control.

A CAMPUS MAINTENANCE PROGRAM
Kenneth G i r t , Physical Services,
Purdue University

Purdue has approximately 800 acres of turf to maintain.
I t ranges from
grass areas along the run-ways at the A i r p o r t , to President Hovde's formal garden.

Our Department is al®§> -responsible for streets and sidewalks. Since we are taxsupported^ maintenance must be as economical as possible and s t i l l get the job completed«
To get a "job done, one must use certain technical methods.
I w i l l give you
some of the methods used in management, labor and tools, both for new lawns and the
maintenance of established lawns here at Purdue.
Management is the backbone of any
organization. The following diagram shows the bread-down of the campus maintenance
management^:
Campus Supervisor
Turf Manager

Groundskeeper
Crew Chief

Grounds
Foreman

Landscape
Gardener

These jobs overlap, which is both good and bad. We four are responsible to ours e l f , our fellow-workers, and directly to the campus supervisor. When our jobs do
not overlap we work independently, but if they do overlap, we work together.
So
f a r , there has been very l i t t l e trouble with this system.
Our labor is c l a s s i f i e d into - groundskeeper, nursery worker, grounds
laborer-, equipment operator and heavy truck d r i v e r . We have a permanent staff of
around 30 men who work the year round. Then, in the summer months, we hire from
25 to 30 a d d i t i o n a l .
Many of these men who work in the summer are serai-retired
men of 65 to 70 years old who want to make their $> 1 2 0 0 . 0 0 .
We also empTo}' some
students.
These temporary men come to work with the understanding that they w i l l
only work when the weather is suitable.
If it rains, they are sent home, and when
winter comes they are l a i d off .
Some of these men quit after a few days or weeks, and others stay until
they are l a i d o f f .
There are a few who come back each spring wanting to work until cool weather, but the largest part of the returns are those who want to make
their $ 1 2 0 0 . 0 0 .
We do try to transfer a good temporary man to a job in another
department which can give winter work.
The next step is to have tools for these men to work w i t h .
l i s t of tools and equipment that we use:
1.

2.

Following is a

Laim mowers
Hand mowers, reel type
Power mowers, single r e e l , walking type 1 8 "
Power mower, rotary type, walking (18-21")
Large tractor drawn rotary mowers 6 0-80"
Power mowers, multiple reel, riding type
Tractor drawn gang mowers 5 reels

15
2
24
3
7
2

Grading tools.
Rotovator 6 0 "
Rötavator 1 8 "
T i l l e r rake
Sub-soiler
B r i l l i o n Seeder 6 0 "

1
1
1
1
JL

3.

4.

Maintenance tools for lawns.
F e r t i l i z e r spreader, broadcast type
Aerifier
Self-propelled lawn sprayer
Tractors
Pull-type sprayers

1
2
1
9
2

U t i l i t y vehicles
Pickup trucks
Dump trucks

4
3

When a new building is completed a new lawn follows.
The contractor is
required in most cases to haul topsoil back in and grade the site o f f .
The first
thing that my crew does is to sub-soil the area, and pick up bricks or other
foreign matter in the area.
The soil is then rotovated. After the soil is rotovated, f e r t i l i z e r is a p p l i e d .
The area is then gone over with a t i l l e r rake
and hand rake where it is needed. A B r i l l i o n seeder spreads the seed, going over
the area in two directions.
I f the area is sodded the sod is cut from our own
sod f i e l d .
As I pointed out e a r l i e r , we have many different types of lawn areas
which, of course, requires different maintenance methods.
I have tried to break
down the different types of turf areas into different cases of maintenance care
they receive.
We have six different levels of turf maintenance.
In general,
each area is moving up as budget permits.
A . Major
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Mall areas.
Complete irrigation system.
F e r t i l i z e d three times a year.
Sprayed for broadleaf weeds 2 times a year.
Crabgrass preventer used annually.
Cut one or more times a week.
Thin-cut in f a l l to reduce thatch.

B•

General Campus around Buildings
1.
Fertilized two times a year.
2.
Sprayed for broadleaf weeds two times a year.
3.
Limited amount of crabgrass control
4.
Cut once a week

C•

General campus care.
1.
F e r t i l i z e d two times a year.
2.
Sprayed for broadleaf weeds two times a y e a r .
3.
Mowed once a week .

D.

Residence Halls Areas
1.
F e r t i l i z e d once a year
2.
Sprayed for broadleaf weeds once a year.
3 . Mowed once a week .

E.

Student Apartments Area
1.
Fertilized when i t is requested.
2.
Control for broadleaf weeds when requested.
3.
Mowed once a week, or a.s necessary,

F.

Airport
1.
No Fertilizer - No weed control.
2.
Mowed every two or three weeks.

PURDUE STADIUM RENOVATION
W . H. Daniel, Turf Specialist
Purdue University, Lafayette, Ind.

The Ross-Ade Stadium is built into a clay h i l l s i d e .
The current soil is
a gummy, tight clay, with very slow water infiltration.
The grass is principally
Merion bluegrass, plus tall fescue, and some Bermuda.
At the request of the Athletic Director, I undertook to u t i l i z e the fast
moisture transfer action of the calcined clays.
Beginning May 7, 1961, the field
was sub-soiled to a 1 6 " depth on 1 8 " center going lengthwise. The calcined clay
was fed into a hopper built onto the sub-soiler so the clay completely f i l l e d the
sub-soiler trench, creating a vertical column of absorptive material.
Because of
the roughness created by the tractor and wagons, it was necessary to t i l l and reshape the f i e l d .
This repeated t i l l i n g destroyed the vertical layer so that poor water penetration still predominated in the fall of 1961.
Therefore, after the 1961 season
closed, we took off the sub-soiler shoe, using only the vertical shaft, and crisscrossed the f i e l d on 3 f t . centers, going down 1 2 " , u t i l i z i n g 8 bags of calcined
clay for each length-wise strip of the f i e l d .
This gave a vertical column extending from the surface down into the previously made channels. Following this ten
tons of crushed corncobs were spread over the f i e l d with a manure spreader. These
should favor bacteria decay activity and a i d in mechanically separating the clay,
and reduce the crusty soil that might be present. Further calcined clay was
spread 1 / 2 " thick over the entire f i e l d to dilute the soil and cob material.
In the spring of '62 the f i e l d was aerified three times over, and an
additional 200 bags of clay were spread over the area. Also, the f i e l d was
dragged with a flexible fence drag to smooth the area prior to r o l l i n g .
By
April 15 the f i e l d was again uniform enough for running, had been reseeded with
C-l bluegrrass and Traveler fescue, and exhibited ample moisture penetration.
The better of the vigorous, experimental Zoysias are being sprigged in for
test purposes.
It is felt coarse Zoysia will improve the binding of the aggregate material, and combined with bluegrass, produce a more wear-resistant turf
cover. The calcined clay will be used for topdressing to further improve the
surface absorption.
To date 140 tons calcined clay have been used on the football field area,
approximately half of this placed into vertical s l i t s , attempting to circumvent
the very tight clay soil previously existing. A measure of the success achieved
would be the complete absence of standing water during play regardless of rain.
Editor's Notes: Comments concerning Ohio Stadium. They have removed the sod which
contained some bentgrass, put in a new t i l e system, rebuilt the crown to 2 0 " above
the corner elevation, then mixed "50 tons or more of calcined clay into the surface
4".
The soil was a sandy loam, quite different from the clay soils at Purdue.
The f i e l d was sterilized in late f a l l 1961, and was seeded in early April 1962.

Notes concerning Kentucky Stadium.
At the University of Kentucky in the spring
of 1962, they have stripped off the sod, are putting in 6 " tiles on 15 ft.centers,
and are re crowning the f i e l d , hauling in approximately 1 2 " of sandy loam s o i l .

After the grade is completed they plan to place vertical columns of calcined clay
into the f i e l d on 3 f t , centers to a i d in rapid absorption of water.
The f i e l d
w i l l be planted to U-3 Bermuda stolons, as well as a mixture of bluegrasses.
(End of E d i t o r ' s n o t e s ) .

MANAGING ATHLETIC TURFGRASS AREAS
J . R . Watson, J r . , Director, Agronomy D i v i s i o n ,
Toro Manufacturing Corp., Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The condition of athletic f i e l d turfgrass always reflects past management
practices.
Good or bad management shows up to a greater extent in the spring of
the year than at any other time.
From a playing standpoint, good athletic f i e l d turfgrass should be tough,
wear-resistant, and not easily torn by cleats.
It should be soft enough to prevent abrasions when players f a l l ; yet firm enough to permit good footing.
It
should be clipped short enough to prevent hanging of cleats; yet tall enough to
insure healthy plant growth and rapid recovery from wear.
In addition, from the
spectator's standpoint, must always appear green.
Poor athletic f i e l d turfgrass is readily recognized under most circumstances. Annual weeds, undesirable grasses and clover often make up the major
part of the vegetation.
The soil usually is compacted and porly aerated.
Compacted and poorly aerated soil bears shallow-rooted, tender grasses that are
easily torn by cleats during play.
Injury to players, particularly around the
ankle and knee, are more l i k e l y to happen on this type of t u r f .
A l s o , the grass
plants cannot develop deep root systems since there is i n s u f f i c i e n t a i r (oxygen)
within the rootzone, and frequent applications of water w i l l have to be used to
keep the plants a l i v e .
Such watering w i l l further concentrate the roots near the
surface.
Most of the water applied w i l l run off the surface and not move into
and through the the soil properly.
i
Quite often weedy turfgrass indicates over-watering and improper f e r t i l i No element should be applied in excess of the
zation in addition to compaction.
needs of the p l a n t . This is particularly true of the soluble, or inorganic types
of nitrogen, such as ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, e t c . , which give the
plant a quick start, but when supplied in excess, produces tender, succulent
growth that increases susceptibility of insects and disease attacks, as well as
increased chance for player i n j u r y .
Maintenance Program
Good athletic f i e l d turfgrass must be cultivated, f e r t i l i z e d , watered, and
mowed properly.
In a d d i t i o n , programs of disease, insect and weed control should
be developed and used as needed. Attention to these fundamentals w i l l insure the
establishment, development and maintenance of tough, wear-resistant turfgrass.
Improvement of Physical
Cultivation

(Aeration) . .

Condition

Cultivate the f i e l d with some type of aerating
-87-

equipment at least twice lengthwise and once crosswise. Add sufficient weight to
insure penetration to a depth of three to four inches.
It may be necessary to
sprinkle in order to b r i n g the soil to the proper moisture level for maximum penetration.
Soil should be moist, but not soggy.
Cultivation alleviates soil compaction a. • ai
the inter-change of gases, particularly oxygen and carbon dioxide
between the soil and the atm.osph.ere. Aeration likewise permits placement of phosphorus and potassium in the zone of root growth, thus aiding in the development
of dec; root systems.
Football f i e l d s that are cultivated in early spring do not necessarily require :opdressing to f i l l in aeration holes.
Roots and stems of the grass f i l l
in these holes readily, and by mid-summer there is no evidence of p i t t i n g .
Cultivation of baseball f i e l d s w i l l be determined by playing schedules and the
rapidity with which the grass is growing.
Topdressing.
On f i e l d s where topdressing is required, consideration should
be given to the type of materials used. A uniform mixture of two parts coarse
sand, two parts medium sandy loam, and one part of ¿eat is generally considered an
ideal topdressing material. After mixing, the material should be screened through
a 1 / 4 " mesh screen.
Such a screen can be built from hardware cloth where possible
soil sterilization by chemicals or heat is desirable.
This topdressing mixture
should be used to f i l l and level depressions at the close of the playing season.
I f used as a topdressing over the entire f i e l d , it may have to be applied in the
spring.
In this case the f i e l d should be topped after cultivation and fertilization
Fertilization
F e r t i l i z e r s are applied to supplement the natural nutrient supplies in the
s o i l , rather than to constitute the only source of nutrients.
In addition, another major function of f e r t i l i z e r is to balance the soil nutrient supply with
the needs of the p l a n t .
F e r t i l i z a t i o n of athletic f i e l d turfgrass, then, begins
with a determination of the plant food supplies in the s o i l . Such is accomplished
by obtaining a properly interpreted soil t e s t .
The soil test w i l l provide a
record of the soil reaction (pH) and the levels of phosphorus, potash, calcium,
and magnesium.
In addition, most tests w i l l show soluble salts if they are present in toxic l e v e l s .
Keep in mind that turfgrasses require several times as much nitrogen as
phosphorus and potash on a growing season b a s i s . Soil tests w i l l riot give an
accurate evaluation of available nitrogen, rather growth, vigor and condition of
the grass must be used as a guide for nitrogen f e r t i l i z a t i o n .
In general,
athletic f i e l d turfgrass should receive a total of 6 to 8 l b s . nitrogen and 2
to 4 l b s . of phosphorus and potash annually.
Lime, if needed, should be applied
in amounts indicated by soil t e s t s .
Timing of f e r t i l i z e r applications need to be keyed to growth activity and
the necessity for obtaining color for special events.
Complete f e r t i l i z e r s as
suggested in f a l l or spring.
Organic (slow release) forms of nitrogen are
suggested for supplemental feedings.
Inorganic (quickly available) sources of
nitrogen are suggested for use when the turfgrass needs a quick pickup m growl
or color.
Watering
Controlled watering is one of the most important considerations in the J
velopment of good turfgrass . The prevailing tendency is to overwsw er rather th,
underwater.,.Excessive water, as well as too frequent applications, intensifies
soil compaction.

On new seedings,, the f i e l d should be sprinkled lightly each day until the
seed germinates. The amount of water applied should be increased, and the frequency of application decreased when the seedlings emerge. Water should be
applied to mature turf as the plants approach w i l t i n g . At this time, the f i e l d
should be soaked to a depth of 4 to 6 " .
Soils d i f f e r in their a b i l i t y to absorb
moisture.
When surface "runoff is evident, water should be cut o f f .
If that soil
is not wetted to the required depth, T\rait until the moisture has percolated downward and apply additional water.
Consideration should be given to the installation of automatic watering
systems on old fields as well as new. The savings in labor and water cost,as well
as the control such a system permits, are often sufficient j u s t i f i c a t i o n to permit
installation.
Seeding
Bermuda, where adapted, should be considered the base grass for athletic
fields.
In the South, Southeast andSouthwest, it is the only grass needed.
In
most other sections of the country Kentucky bluegrass is considered the base
grass.
In these regions, the inclusion of creeping red fescue is often desirable.
Tall fescue (Alta and Kentucky 31) is sometimes used, but tends to clump after a
few years; hence, is not desirable under most conditions.
On new f i e l d s where Bermuda is the only grass used, seed about 2 l b s . of
high quality hulled Bermuda grass seed per 1 , 0 0 0 s q . f t .
Kentucky bluegrass may be
seeded alone at a rate of 3 l b s . per 1 , 0 0 0 s q . f t .
Tall fescue 100 l b s . , plus
25 l b s . bluegrass is sometimes used a l s o . Where it is necessary to reseed established f i e l d s , generally one-half the rate of the above is ample.
Mowing
A sharp, well-adjusted mower is essential for the proper cutting of t u r f .
New seedlings should not be cut as soon as needed after reaching 2 " in height.
Only about one-quarter of the leaf surface should be removed at any one clipping.
Football turf may be maintained at a height of approximately 2 "
the summer. About six weeks prior to f a l l play this may be reduced to
of 1 - 1 / 4 " , depending on personal preferences of coach and players.
Do
the reduction in one clipping — reduce the height of cut 1 / 4 " at each
sive mowing.
Increase frequency of cutting, if necessary.
Generally,
has been properly managed w i l l require mowing at least twice weekly.

during
a height
not make
succesturf that

Summary of Recommendations for One Season
1.
2.
3.
4.

5.
6.
7.
8.

Overseed very early if needed.
Cultivate the f i e l d twice lengthwise and once crossid.se.
Break up soil plugs, f i l l , level and grade with topdressing mixture.
Apply f e r t i l i z e r and lime in accordance with recommendations based on properly interpreted soil t e s t s .
Use nitrogen to control the rate and level
of growth.
Seed if necessary and not done e a r l i e r .
Top lightly with topdressing mixture. This is to cover seed if the f i e l d has
not been aerated or scarified so as to permit seed to be in conta w / m i .
Roll lightly and sprinkle l i g h t l y , depending on personal preference.
Water, mow, .and apply additional nitrogen as per discussion.

WHAT IS ADEQUATE L A W TURF FERTILIZATION
J . R . Watson, J r . , Director, Agronomy Division,
Toro Manufacturing C o r p . , Minneapolis, Minnesota

Few, if any, soils possess sufficient inherent f e r t i l i t y to support satisfactory growth throughout the growing season.
Therefore, f e r t i l i z a t i o n to supplement the natural plant food supplies of 'the soil is necessary to produce uniform,
weed-free lawn turf which w i l l recover quickly from damage and wear.
Fertilization is not static, and the program must be continually adjusted.
Healthy vigorous turf requires an adequate and balanced supply of plant
food available commensurate with the p l a n t ' s requirements.
Such a program involves a great deal more than just the addition of " f e r t i l i z e r . "
The r a t é , r a t i o
and kind of f e r t i l i z e r applied, as well as the time of application, ¿are equally
important in the production and maintenance of weed-free lawn t u r f .
Although lime i s generally considered as a soil amendment rather than a
f e r t i l i z e r , because of its relationship to the a v a i l a b i l i t y of other nutrients,
it should be mentioned in this discussion.
Correction of lime (calcium or
magnesium) deficiencies should be the f i r s t step in determining adequate fertilization.
Soil tests should be employed to determine the reaction (pH) of the soil
and if pH is 6 . 2 , or lower, lime in the amounts indicated by the soil test should
be applied.
Rate and Amount of Application
Inadequate f e r t i l i t y results in thin, open turf which is easily invaded
by weeds.
Heavily f e r t i l i z e d turf becomes soft and succulent, particularly during certain seasons of the year.
Such grass is readily attacked by disease and
insects, and is easily damaged by t r a f f i c .
The actual amount of lime and f e r t i l i z e r to use annually should be based
on properly interpreted soil tests and is governed by the kind of grass, the
soil reserves, and the intensity of usage expected from the turfed a r e a .
In
addition, whether clippings are returned or removed from the area, influences
f e r t i l i z a t i o n practices.
Experimental evidence from widely scattered sections
of the country indicates a requirement of 4 to 8 l b s . of nitrogen, and 2 to 4#
of phosphorus and potassium per 1 , 0 0 0 s q . f t . during the growing season to produce top quality lawn t u r f .
Such assumes that the lawn is irrigated and the
ranges are given to cover both return and removal of clippings.
In general, the
most uniform growth rates are obtained when a complete f e r t i l i z e r is applied in
the f a l l and spring, with supplemental feedings of nitrogen during the growing
season.
Types of Nitrogen
The weed population may be materially reduced, even controlled, by the
judicious choice and application of nitrogen materials.
The basic difference between the two types of nitrogen carriers (organic and inorganic) is the rapidity
with which the materials can supply nitrate to the plant.
When soluble nitrogen
is added to the s o i l , it is readily available, and is either used by higher plants
or, if excess water is moving through the p r o f i l e , the nitrate w i l l be leached.
Variable amounts of soluble nitrogen may be temporarily t i e d up by the microb i a l population and thus u t i l i z a t i o n , or leaching delayed.
-90-

When natural organics (or synthetics which act similar to natural organics)
are added to the s o i l , they are dependent on microbial activity for their breakdown and subsequent release of n i t r a t e s . Applications of organic nitrogen just
prior to and, if necessary, during periods of semi-dormancy, w i l l provide a more
uniform supply of nitrogen.
Timing of F e r t i l i z e r Applications
The inherent growth characteristics of the turfgrass, correlated with the
seasonal ana climatic conditions obtaining, w i l l govern timing and rate of fert i l i z e r applications. Weeds, l i k e grasses, d i f f e r in their growth response to temperature.
F e r t i l i z e r applications timed to favor grass growth, rather than weed
growth, are most effective in the cultural control of weeds. For example, cool
season grasses f e r t i l i z e d heavily during the summer months are almost surely to be
invaded by crabgrass and other summer weeds.
F e r t i l i z a t i o n of Bermuda and other
warm season grasses during late f a l l and winter encourages the growth of winter
weeds, such as Poa annua, w i l d onion, wild g a r l i c , e t c .
Conversely, the fertilization of either group of grasses just prior to and during periods of active
growth w i l l encourage dense, vigorous grass resistant to weed encroachment.
Lawn f e r t i l i z a t i o n is adequate when s u f f i c i e n t nutrients are available to
maintain turfgrass in a healthy, vigorous state throughout the growing season.

TREES AND SHRUBS
G. J . Griesenauer, Landscape Architect,
Dept. of Parks, S t . Louis, Missouri

/

One of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World were the Forests of North
America.
They are decreasing today, in spite of mans puny efforts to replace
this wonderful g i f t that God has given.
Not only has man f a i l e d in replacing
this g i f t , but he himself has been responsible for its destruction, through his
carelessness, through h i s lack of understanding, and through his abuse. We are
in a position where we may lose this a s s e t , which God has given u s .
Granted, of
course, that we cannot achieve in a few short years what nature accomplished in
thousands, we can, through a better understanding of a l l kinds of plants, and
through the cooperative efforts of a l l of us who are interested in this problem,
s t i l l use plants to temper the summer heat, to join b u i l d i n g s , earth and sky in
harmony, and give peace and add beauty to a l l of our surroundings.
I t may save time and disappointments if you understand your p l a n t s .
Know
their likes and d i s l i k e s , soil growing h a b i t s , what they w i l l look like at maturity, and whether they a r e acclimated.
In the many years of experience with
the S t . Louis Park Department, we have found it easier to use plants adapted to
your soil and climatic conditions than to change these factors and f i t the
p l a n t ' s requirements.
Good planting habits are necessary, and proper maintenance,
watering, mulching, wrapping, and a seasonal spray program, are mandatory if best
results are to be achieved.
I f your trees and shrubs are growing w e l l , leave them a l o n e .

I f they show

poor growth, try to discover why. Symptoms of disease and decline are so specific
that the cause can be diagnosed accurately.
Early warnings that a l l is not wel 1
are:
poor f o l i a g e , pale green leaves, diebaclc of tips of twigs, dying or loosening of the bar 7 :, and small terminal buds.
Look f i r s t to the soil — its f e r t i l i t y ,
drainage, a e r a t i o n .
Roots may not develop due to heavy clay commonly found in
v.iy excavated a r e a s .
This excavation, also, is responsible for changes of water
fab!e.
To make an a l k a l i n e , or neutral soil a c i d , or to increase a c i d i t y , chemicals may be added, such as aluminum sulphate, sulphur, or tannic a c i d .
Sulphate
is added at the rate of 5 l b s . per 100 s q . f t . spread evenly and watered i n .
Sulphur is added at a rate of 1 part per 50 gallons of water.
If the soil test is
on the a c i d l .de, lime is usually added at the rate of 100 l b s . of agriculture
type per 1 , 0 0 0 s q . f t .
This application is recommended in the f a l l .
Don't under-rate the importance of pruning your ornamental shrubs.
It will
increase their beauty and lengthen their l i f e , provided it is done properly and
and in accord with their growth habits. Shrubs that bloom in mid-summer, or l a t e r ,
may be pruned during l a t e winter without lessening flower production.
But, pruning of shrubs that bloom early, Forsythia, or Cydonia Japónica, for example,
should be delayed until immediately after the flowering period; otherwise, many
potential blooms may be removed. Most evergreens should be pruned just before
spring growth begins.
The cuts will be hidden quickly by new growth.
Here in the S t . Louis Park system we are very interested in replacement of
American Elms and Sycamores which have been dying by the hundreds.
Of course,
everyone knows that the Dutch Elm disease and the Sycamore Canker has done throughout the country. We a r e , therefore, going into a very extensive program of replanting with Hardwood trees.
For this we operate extensive nurseries.