Sponsored by the MIDWEST REGIONAL TURF FOUNDATION PURDUE UNIVERSITY . Lafayette, Indiana March 1-3,1971 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 1971 MIDWEST REGIONAL TURF CONFERENCE Executive Secretary's Report The Selection of Good Teachers Man and His Environment Modernizing the Turf Industry Modernizing Golf Course Methods Modernizing i n the Sod Industry Changes in Public Golf in the 1 9 6 0 l s Ideas that Promote Golf Ideas for Your Golf Course Taxes and Serving Golfers - Panel D i s c u s s i o n . . . . Golf Course Taxes Taxes and Serving Golfers . . R i c h a r d Trevarthan Page 3 3 4 5 8 9 Wm. E.Lyons 11 12 13 13 15 16 Guidelines and Training for the I n e x p e r i e n c e d . . . Plans for Extensive Training in Turf Injuries and Athletics Today Maintenance of Athletic Fields Three Ways of Building Athletic Fields Going the Extra Mile i n Athletic Field C a r e . . . . . 27 31 Needs of Golf Course Architects Today Architects and Public Trends Ball Mark, Bounce and Roll Manufactured Materials for Rootzones. 32 34 35 36 Principles in S o i l Drainage Building Greens Today I n s t a l l i n g and Using Intimate Mixes A PURR-WICK Green - Carmi A PURR-WICK Green - Nashville F e r t i l i z e r s , Topdressing A PURR-WICK Green - Evansville Progress with PURR-WICK - Louisville Examples of Construction Costs The Soil Chemically 37 40 44 47 48 49 51 52 53 53 18 19 20 21 The 56 talks included i n these Proceedings are condensations of talks by speakers before sections and divisions of the 1971 M . R . T . F . Conference. We appreciated the willingness of the speakers to participate and prepare material for your reading. Proceedings of each annual Conference since 1948 have been prepared. A limited number of 1 9 6 2 , 1963., 1964^ 1965 and 1966 Proceedings are available at $ 1 . 0 0 per copy. Copies of 1 9 6 9 , 1970 and 1971 are $ 2 . 0 0 each. A copy of these Proceedings were mailed t o : The 725 attending the 1971 Midwest Turf Conference One person of each member organization within the Midwest Regional Turf Foundation not represented at the Conference. List of those i n educational a c t i v i t i e s . Additional copies are available at $ 2 . 0 0 each from: W . H. D a n i e l , Executive Secretary, Midwest Regional Turf Foundation, Department of Agronomy, Purdue University, Lafayette, Ind. 47907 Page Solving Problems in Irrigation Lightning and I r r i g a t i o n U t i l i z i n g Poa annua and Earthworms Thomas J . Kramer Walter J . W i l k i e Ted Woehrle 55 57 58 Recalling the E a r l i e r Zoysia Putting Zoysia into Audubon C. C. Fairways Zoysia Planting Systems - Plugging Hydro-Mulching Zoysia Which Grass for Louisville? - Bent Report on U-3 Fairways Desodding & Re seeding - A Fairway Renovation Roy F . McCawley Tom Sams Peter J . Hitch Lee Redman Louis E . Miller Ernie Schmeider Clem Wolfrom 61 62 63 64 65 67 68 Ray Geyer Wm. J . Huber Ben Warren 70 71 72 G . H. • Valentine, J r . Dwight M. Brown 73 74 Robert W . Miller E . A. Hunnicutt Robert W . Miller John Thorne 76 80 82 84 Cecil F . Kerr Stan Frederiksen James C. Walker Leon Short Raymond P. Freeborg 84 87 90 92 94 My Experiences i n Using Newer Grasses Experiences i n Using Newer Grasses Plugging and Sodding Vegetative Bluegrass Seeds - Facts and Fancy Seeds - Facts and Fancy Using Newer Grasses Seeding with Modern Equipment Thatch Regulation Researching Growth Regulation New Regulations i n New York The Bumpy Road with Chemicals The Man i n the Middle Distributor Service and Your Needs Researching Arsenic Toxicity to Poa annua For Lawns - f i r s t see articles starting on pages 37, 53, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 76, 82, 84 For Sod Production - f i r s t see pages 5, 9, 20, 27, 31, 37, 53, 62, 63, 64, 65, For Athletic Fields - f i r s t see pages 2 0 , 2 1 , 2 7 , 3 1 , 3 6 , 3 7 , 40-53, 5 3 , 70-76. 67, 68, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 76, 80 EXECUTITVE SECRETARY'S REPORT W. H. D a n i e l , Dept. of Agronomy Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana It is appropriate to pause today and recognize the late Carl B r e t z l a f f , who served as Founder, as a Director for nine years, and President for three years. In paying tribute to him we also r e c a l l other former Presidents of M . R . T . F . , Taylor Boyd, Frank Dunlap, Ward Cornwell, A1 Brandon and others, who have contributed so much to turf here and elsewhere. We reach an anniversary of twenty-five years completed as Midwest Regional Turf Foundation. Chartered in 1945 ^ with f i r s t dues i n 1 9 4 6 , 1 1 8 members pushed off. At a peak 3 8 4 belonged in 1 9 6 2 , and last year over 360 belonged. Since 1950 about $ 1 0 , 0 0 0 . 0 0 per year has been made available to promote turf improvement. The basic values, research support and education push has been the continuing aim. Your pay-off has been 1 2 P h . D . T s , 1 0 M . S . A . ! s , and some 60 B . S . A . ' s . And, there are more to come - our undergrad group is the largest yet. About four graduate students are a normal load. Freeborg is doing a great job on arsenic res i d u a l , John Thorne is booming on growth regulators, and James McAfee is working on seed and bluegrass. L a s t l y , twenty-one years of my working with you must become very personal. Your concerns have been my l i f e . You wanted Poa annua controls. (Half of you are using them). You wanted water control. (We have porous rootzones, including PURR-WICK). You want educational programs. Welcome again to another M . R . T . F . Conference. There have been over 600 here each year since I 9 6 0 . A l s o , an average of 60 trips a year are taken which involve about 1 0 0 days and 40 nights each year. In all of this Your Foundation has been a focus; %yst a way to promote turf at a l l l e v e l s . Thus, after 25 years of M . R . T . F . you and I face renewed opportunity! Let*s resolve that the depth of concern and understanding w i l l be matched by a devotion to excellence. Then, some of you here w i l l examine the 50 year mark. Meanwhile, again to those whose early work initiated what exists today go*es. our heartfelt thanks. We would dedicate this program and proceeding to the late Carl B r e t z l a f f . THE SELECTION OF GOOD TEACHERS J . B. Peterson, Head, Dept. of Agronomy Purdue University It has been my good fortune in the twenty-three years at Purdue, before retiring in 1971j to have hired approximately 1 0 0 staff people. I n most universit i e s l i k e Purdue, usually young Ph. D . ! s with limited experience must be hired. Universities seldom give department heads adequate funds to inveigle a top, renowned undergraduate teacheivrfrom some other university to change positions, However, this is frequently done by some institutions in seeking research men. This means the beginning undergraduate assistant professor must be pre-judged. to look for are: a. b. c. d. e. f. Things Previous teaching experience Intelligence and scholarship Balanced personality, free of rancor, prejudice, temperament, capriciousness, sarcasm, and deceit Warm-heartedness, sympathy, understanding, commitment Poise, articulateness, pleasant appearance, sense of humor, tolerance, resilience Evidence of l i k i n g to work with young pedpie as demonstrated by voluntary help i n such activities as Boy Scouts, 4-H, Future Farmers, L i t t l e League, Sunday School classes, church youth organizations, etc. Securing Recognition for Undergraduate teachers comparable to that for Research Scientists The potentially good undergraduate teacher w i l l be reluctant to elect a teaching career unless it is apparent that he w i l l have equal opportunity with other types of staff members for salary increases and advancement in academic rank. To gain respectable rewards, it w i l l be necessary for the teacher to be a good one. It w i l l help i f he can establish capacity for scholarship outside as w e l l as inside the classroom by writing scholarly papers, textbooks, e t c . , and/or by doing and reporting good, basic research work. Currently there seems to be a growing desire among universities to seek out and reward the good undergraduate teacher with appropriate rank and salary. This tendency has been quite noticeable at Purdue during the last few years. The f i r s t twenty years following World War I I was a period i n which research growth and achievement were great, and where research received a justly deserved acclaim from the academic community and from the public. Unfortunately, country-wide during the same period, there was not always a paralleling growth in respect for undergraduate teaching. In the future, there are excellent prospects that good teachers w i l l receive adequate support i n rank and i n salary. MAN AND HIS ENVIRONMENT CRISES OR CHALLENGE E a r l L . Butz, Vice President Special Projects Purdue University Individual citizens w i l l have to decide nhow much we are w i l l i n g to pay for a better quality of l i f e beyond that which is truly necessary" in dealing with problems of pollution and environmental control. When we quit thinking of these problems as the concern of others and face the fact that they are ours this nation can move forward with greater effectiveness toward the achievement of a better quality of l i f e for a l l . It is completely unacceptable to believe there i s no way out of the problems we have created. There are risks involved, but none-so great as the risk that we may quit r i s k i n g , try vainly to set the clock back, abjectly surrender the goal of a better world in the mistaken b e l i e f that this one is as good as can be. Caution must be exercised that we don't go overboard in our hysteria to clean up the environment and make everything absolutely safe. We constantly offset r i s k against b e n e f i t . We must decide i f we want to completely eliminate risk i n using chemicals, pesticides and antibiotics in food production, or whether we want to have an adequate, nutritious and economical food supply. Moden agriculture cannot continue to produce adequate amounts of safe and wholesome food without chemicals or antibiotics. I f we were seriously to curtail their use on farms and i n the food industry, we would immediately experience a decline i n the quantity and overall quality of our food supply. Consumers would quickly experience a rapid rise i n food p r i c e s , and consequently would have much less to spend for a l l the other things that go into the fabulous American standard of l i v i n g . We farmed organic agriculture seventy-five years ago. Before we move in that direction, someone must decide which 50 millions of our people w i l l starve. We simply cannot f e e d , even at subsistence l e v e l s , our 205 million Americans without a large production input of chemicals and antibiotics. We are a monoculture of people. And, we have intense mono-culture of orchards, crops - even turf which need protection for maximum production. MODERNIZING THE TURF INDUSTRY Gene C. Nutter, E d i t o r , Publisher Turf-Grass Times & Southern Golf Course Operations Jacksonville Beach, Florida During the 7 0 ! s the turfgrass industry should see its greatest era of expansion, professional advancement and modernization. The challenge of leisure time, the emphasis on a healthy and beautious environment, the rising standard of l i v i n g , and the role of recreation i n physical and mental therapy - a l l of these, as well as other factors, w i l l lead to fantastic opportunities i n our industry in the decade ahead. New f a c i l i t i e s of all types (golf courses, schools, parks, highways, sod farms, cemeteries, lawns of a l l types, resorts and vast real estate recreational complexes) w i l l spring up all across the n a t i o n . . While these new f a c i l i t i e s w i l l command much attention, the greatest challenge w i l l be in modernizing the existing f a c i l i t i e s which are rapidly becoming obsolete and i n e f f i c i e n t . In addition to being inadequate from the use standpoint^ many of the older f a c i l i t i e s are becoming costly to operate because the out-dated design does not accommodate modern methods. Since a l l turf managers w i l l not be operating new f a c i l i t i e s , many w i l l be faced with the more demanding job of modernizing existing f a c i l i t i e s - and in many cases modernizing their philosophy of management. Greater Demand on F a c i l i t i e s I n considering the modernization of turf f a c i l i t i e s , l e t ' s face ti basic facts: 1. 2. 3. Increasing usage Higher grooming standards Greater demands for operating efficiency. These three fundamentals w i l l apply to a l l turfgrass f a c i l i t i e s over the next decade because no matter how many new f a c i l i t i e s are developed, we cannot expect to catch up with the demand. We quickly see that these three factors are in c o n f l i c t . How can we expect to provide higher grooming standards while increasing usage brings greater wear and tear on the t u r f , and s t i l l operate more e f f i c i e n t l y ? You bet we w i l l - because this w i l l be the demand of ownership. However, in many cases these objectives cannot be met on the existing obsolete f a c i l i t i e s . Here is where MODERNIZATION becomes a necessity. Modernize for Greater Usage Greater usage means more activity per day, and less down time (loss of f a c i l i t y -use due to seasonal or weather l i m i t a t i o n s ) . To a great extent these limitations can be met by improving soil structures, drainage and contours. Particularly for intensive wear, wear areas such as golf greens and gridirons, poor soil structure already has limited optimum use of many f a c i l i t i e s for years. With the expected increase i n play, these f a c i l i t i e s w i l l reach the point of no return. Complete renovation or rebuilding i s the only answer. Applying modern soil technology, modified soil p r o f i i s can result in structures which w i l l allow greater wear tglerance by providing more adequate aeration, drainage and a healthy medium for growing high quality t u r f . Surface drainage is another limiting factor to f u l l use of f a c i l i t i e s . How many times have you seen golf courses closed to golf carts because of poor drainage? Ditching, trenching, resurfacing and f i l l i n g are techniques to correct surface drainage. While soil modification may be impractical on large scale areas, underground t i l e l i n e s are proven aids. Tough, better adapted grasses may also be the key to better wear tolerance, hence greater usage of f a c i l i t i e s . Fortunately, the turfgrass industry can look onward to an increasing number of improved grasses. Modernizing for Better Grooming Higher grooming standards w i l l result from improvement in design, installation of modern equipment, better soil structure and improved grasses. By improvement in design we refer to reshaping to allow use of larger more modern equipment. Better grooming results from incrising the frequency of an operation such as mowi n g , raking of traps, or pickup of trash. With labor and budget limitations, we can increase frequency only by increasing the size of equipment, or by greater mechanization. Take the case of the new t r i p l e x greensmowers. These e f f i c i e n t , new machines are bringing about revolutionary changes in grooming of greens and t e e s . However, many old greens are not designed to effectively accommodate their use. Or, consider the new nine-gang hydraulic mowers which can greatly increase the acreage mowed per day on extensive areas - i f the f a c i l i t i e s can accommodate t h e i r size and mobility. And, how about redesigning sand traps so that merchanical equipment can speed up the grooming of these costly features? Redesign should also consider t r e e s , landscaping, service roads, and other features which both increase maintenance costs and thereby limit grooming quality. By installing of modern equipment we can quickly refer to irrigation systems. Automatic systems are the answer to better grooming and greater efficiency. This i s one of the most important things to consider in modernization, and should be phased into any plans for redesigning f a c i l i t i e s . Golf cart paths are another example of installation for grooming improvement. The size of cart f l e e t s has increased at an amazing pace over the last decade, and w i l l grow even faster through the 7 0 ! s . As f l e e t s approach the 100 car s i z e , serious wear w i l l require continuous cart paths and directed t r a f f i c control. In many cases this w i l l c a l l for some redesigning of f a c i l i t i e s . Modernize for Greater E f f i c i e n c y Most of the above mentioned improvements w i l l increase efficiency in faci l i t y operation. However, much more w i l l be required. Total administration must be reviewed and streamlined. The Table of Organization must be scrutinized and updated to f i t modern operations. How about job descriptions and the operations manual? When were they updated? Labor is the predominant factor in turf operations, and both labor availa b i l i t y and laborlequirements are changing rapidly. Everything possible must be done to develop an effective labor force. This means h i r i n g , training and supervising practises must be studied and changed as necessary. Greater mechanization means l e s s hand-labor, hence a high quality of labor and higher wages. Recruiting and training practises must reflect these changes. Another major modernization need in many existing turf f a c i l i t i e s i s an improved operation center. We no longer use horses, so the old barn must be replaced by a f a c i l i t y with adequate size and provisions to serve as the base of a modern operation. I n Jerry Cheesman's SHOP OPERATIONS COLUMN in TURF-GRASS TIMES we have introduced the Zonal Concept i n designing a functional center. Every facet of the operation must be carefully considered, and proper space, tools and equipment provided for each. This certainly includes modern office and crew quarters. I n the future more and more of the manager1 s time w i l l be spent in administration as a requirement for improving operation e f f i c i e n c y . Hence, his office should have every necessary convenience, and all equipment needed to carry out e f f i c i e n c y i n adminstration, as well as throughout the rest of his operation. He may need to plan space for a secretary. Y e s , Moderinization has many aspects. The application of a l l new technology is included. Yet, to effectively u t i l i z e the new developments, old f a c i l i t i e s must be carefully studied and modernized for increased usage, higher grooming standards, and greater e f f i c i e n c y of operation. This for the turf managers, w i l l be their challenge of the 7 0 l s . MODERNIZING GOLF COURSE METHODS Richard Trevarthan, S u p t . , Prestwick C. Frankfort, I l l i n o i s C., Golf courses in the Chicago area are constantly in search of new maintenance procedures, new personnel training techniques, new equipment, and new budget management control. In 1971* in some private clubs, superintendents have been asked to cut their budgets due to an expected drop in membership; while other clubs have increased their budgets not only for capital improvements, but just to meet the rising costs. In either case modernizing is needed. Most courses have succeeded in cutting costs in every area but labor. The addition of new machines, such as the tri-plex £iWLsmower and the power riding sand trap rake, has saved many man hours. However, many superintendents have not cut the extra men created by these machines, but now these men are free to be used for other jobs. We have the capability of getting more work done in a shorter period of time. In my case I have cut two to three seasonal employees; however, I have added one additional full-time employee. Some examples of modernizing are as follows: One club has changed its quick-coupling fairway valves to automatic hydraul i c ones. This is not only a labor saving, but has given quantity control of moisture, which has produced beautiful Poa annua fairways on very poorly drained soil. Automatic irrigation as a whole is s t i l l not used on a large scale in the Chicago area. Most golf courses use commercial tree men that are equipped with large towers for trimming at a rate of $ 3 5 . 0 0 / h r . They save the superintendent and his crew many cold days. In the past the job was not only unsafe, but never done correctly, and in some cases not at a l l . Closed circuit television is being used, whereas cameras are placed in Mart i n houses for course surveillance. The micro-filming of machine parts and overhaul procedures are being taped by the same golf course superintendent. He is also developing an automatic irrigation system with moisture sensing devices that are reporded on tapes. In the last couple of years the Chicago District Association has started conducting seminars on various subjects, whereby both greens chairman and superinendent have participated. This, no doubt, has given better public relations with the whole club structure. The superintendents are interested in keeping up. Over 80% of superintendents attended the 1971 national convention. The local wrote a letter requesting immediate attention to the GCSAA over the banning of chemicals. The large support of the GCSAA Certification program w i l l bring a complete review of study. Examples illustrated included: Bulk storage of f e r t i l i z e r can allow 1 ton spreaders to back under them and load in a matter of minutes. Tree removal equipment to place trees from out of the way areas to desirable areas on the course. Sweeper on the front of a small tractor to sweep up clay pidgeons at a gun club. A chemical to k i l l grass around t r e e s , saving many hours of rotary work. Preparing to load helicopter for application of 60 l b s . / a c r e of potash. Takes an average of 35 seconds/fairway at a cost of $ 1 6 5 . 0 0 / h r . minimum amount. Application of a fungicide to a golf green, and insecticide to elms by helicopter. Stolonizing a green by hydro-mulching proved fast and e f f i c i e n t . Modern shop built for maximum e f f i c i e n c y has several doors for equipment movement at the beginning of a work day. A large office for conducting your many office d u t i e s , with a large window offering plenty of l i g h t . A shop offering 8 , 4 0 0 s q . f t . of e f f i c i e n t working space. Overseeding of fairways by use of combination slicing, and placing seed at the same time i n the s l i t s . A large tent was used by a local dealer for f i e l d days. Incinerator at La Grange C. C. has two chambers - one chamber burns r e f u s e , the second the smoke at 2 0 0 0 ° . A l l garbage from the premises is burned. The i n i t i a l cost was $ 8 , 0 0 0 . 0 0 - a must in the future due to many new pollution laws. A l l tee quipment was placed in one neat area for fast maintenance, a focal point. also serving as The manufacturers, the dealers, the u n i v e r s i t i e s , the local s e m i n a r s , and all those people who work with turf have helped the superintendent to become very modern with the times. MODERNIZING IN THE SOD INDUSTRY' Ray Johnson, Shamrock Turf Nurseries Hanna, Indiana Modernizing is constantly going on in the turf industry, sod farms due to two reasons: and especially on 1. It is inherent for man to improve the situation i n which he finds himself. Regardless of the progress made by our forefathers, we find it always necessary to drive on so that we may contribute something to our chosen f i e l d and to society i n general. Few people are content to rely on what someone else has achieved, and those who do are not usually the leaders in any f i e l d . 2. Being p r a c t i c a l , the most important reason for modernizing in the sod indust r y would be from the economic standpoint. We find ourselves constantly trying to find ways to improve an operation in order to reduce cost, and yet improve the product at the same time. In the sod nursery business, just as in many other f i e l d s , competition stimulates this need to modernize i n order to keep pace. Each grower i s always alert to something that w i l l give him an edge on h i s competitor, and always keeping in mind a better product at a greater p r o f i t . One of the major factors relating to modernization in the turf industry in the past few years has been the labor situation. The r i s e in the cost of labor, and new and proposed regulations regarding labor camps are forcing growers to look to modernization as the only hope. Examples at Sod Farms Modern equipment which w i l l do the job f a s t e r , more accurate,and better than ever before has made this one of the largest growing industries i n the past several decades. For example, the sod cutter is now used on virtually every sod nursery. Sod, for many years, was a l l rolled by hand, but now most nurseries use some form of a sod r o l l e r . One of the more recent forms of modernization which has been a great help to the grower is the fork l i f t and p a l l e t . This i s also an added service to the customer. For the past several years, we and other growers have begun to use cardboard, disposable p a l l e t s , which is a reduction in expense, and i s s t i l l another service to the customer. Now, mechanical harvestors are appearing on the market, and many sod growers are working these into their operations to combat rising labor cost, and to be able to deliver a better, fresher product to the market. Irrigation has been greatly improved in the past few years. I t was not uncommon to see a large labor force do nothing but move irrigation p i p e , or i f the labor was not available, some areas just did not get irrigated. We now have a large variety of irrigation systems on the market that w i l l f i t any size operat i o n , and more important - save money and virtually guarantee a better product. Other more specialized equipment is constantly being developed for and by sod growers - f e r t i l i z i n g equipment and spraying equipment such as aerial application, and fertilizing through the irrigation system. I believe one area that is just beginning to be explored is a profitable by-product from grass clippings, and we w i l l be seeing more of this in the future. In addition to the mechanical revolution, much progress has been made in the f i e l d of chemicals. The problem of weeds is now one of our lesser problems thanks to chemicals. Many foreign and unwanted grasses can now be controlled by chemicals. New fungicides and fumigants are appearing on the market constantly. L a s t , but certainly not l e a s t , I believe sod growers are trying to modernize by developing better grasses. This i s being done by cooperation with turfgrass research stations, and also at the local sod nursery. We w i l l never have the perfect grass, but as long as interested people are continually working at it we are going to see giant strides made in the turf industry towards that "perfect grass. " CHANGES IN PUBLIC GOLF IN THE I 9 6 0 ' s Robert J . Strauss, Public Recreation Commission Cincinnati, Ohio G o l f , once the exclusive game of the very r i c h , in the 6 0 ! s became enjoyed by the masses. According to the National Golf Foundation, semi-public courses increased by 85% i n that decade, municipal courses 4 2 $ , and private courses 3 8 $ . New course openings averaged 354 per year. Golf is unquestionably the fastest growing competitive outdoor sport. How has this affected the superintendent? What changes have occurred? Competition is teen for the greens fee dollar. The public links golfers are demanding better courses. He migrates from course tr course; his locker room is the trunk of his car. He knows what a f i r s t class course looks like because he sees them close up every weekend on t e l e v i s i o n . I f your course i s n ' t in shape, i f i t ' s h i l l y , t u rough, i f your tees are hard and f u l l of crabgrass, i f your greens are sub-standard, he and his golfing buddies w i l l drive to another. Golf management must "care11 about the golfer, the fellow who is paying the b i l l , by measuring up to the demands of the times, present and future. Management problems on public courses have increased tremendously. Public courses are crowded seven days a week from sun up to sun down. It is a real problem when the superintendent can get his work done. Perhaps this means some of the maintenance w i l l have to be done under lights? The public and private links golfers are increasingly demanding yearround g o l f . Are we w i l l i n g to admit that winter golf does not permanently hurt our courses? That damage can be corrected when grasses start to grow again? During the month of January, 1971* Cincinnati*s municipal golf receipts were over $ 1 3 , 0 0 0 . 0 0 at a time when our maintenance costs were practically n i l . Electric golf carts have arrived on the public courses, and the problems connected with them must be managed by the superintendent, and with the cooperation of the clubhouse personnel. The golfer wants the carts, especially the senior c i t i z e n s , and the profits are important to the club. Rising costs, with increases jumping 10% a year or more, require an efficient operation. The superintendent must constantly be finding better and less costly ways of doing more and more sophisticated management. It is truly a real challenge for you in the profession. The superintendent has to constantly i n i t i a t e in-service training for himself and his workers. Indicative of this incentive i s the tremendous interest here at Purdue. I n the past ten years, the superintendent has developed into a highly skilled individual. He has drawn on the knowledge of many of the experts in the f i e l d — the manufacturers 1 representatives, university personnel, and ither better trained superintendents. To be abreast of the many improvements that are taking place, he must draw on the a b i l i t y and knowledge of others,and he must apply the techniques learned, training his personnel on the courses. The design of new publicly operated courses, the successful ones, have cert a i n definite characteristics. Some of the important factors are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Easy walking terrain Large greens and t e e s , so markers and cups can be moved more frequently Wide open fairway and minimum rough for low cost maintenance and fast play Few, i f any, sand traps Watered fairways i f free city water or natural water is available. The future of g o l f , we a l l r e a l i z e , is tremendous. Men and women, including seniors and people from all walks of l i f e , are demanding more courses and better facilities. The problem of financing is a major one. M&ny cities and counties are using the self-liquidating revenue bond because the golfer is w i l l i n g to pay his own way. Tremendous opportunities for new well-trained golf personnel, with attractive s a l a r i e s , should be the order of the day. This w i l l surely happen for the superintendent who possesses enthusiasm, a love for h i s work, and the capacity and willingness to constantly learn a better way of serving the public or private links player. IDB&.VTHAT PROMOTE GOLF Jerry Claussen, National Golf Foundation Lakewood, Colorado Does golf need promotion? A l l public courses in populated areas are crowded. Publicity given Eisenhower's interest and Alan Shepard T s shot on the moon helps. TV of major tournaments and filmed pro matches expose many people. Leisure time and affluence of American middle class permits play. Image of clean, outdoor, family activity, no big investment near home attracts. Industrial-company leagues and tournaments develop new interest. Junior programs i n schools and colleges produce new golfers. NGF consulting for f e a s i b i l i t y , and promoting public f a c i l i t i e s i n cities ideas into action. Management ideas to promote existing f a c i l i t y : springs Invite company leagues and one-day tournaments Help promote golf events for charity benefits Work closely with local press-radio-TV on golf news Encourage formation and tournaments for men's and women's associations. Have junior group lesson programs and club for tournaments Work with high schools and colleges for team use and practice Place scorecard and fact sheet in nearby motels Have annual clinic with well-known professional Advertise in local newspaper Give weekday promotional rates for seniors, juniors, women The pro-manager must be public relations conscious. IDEAS FOR YOIJR GOLF COURSE Jerry Claussen n A famous author of the 19th century wrote: He is the greatest artist who has embodied, in the sum of his works, the greatest number of the greatest ideas.n That might also be said of golf course superintendents, architects, and builders, because a great golf course i s a work of art, the sum of nature ! s raw material and men's creative ideas. A golf course is never f i n i s h e d . The increasing demand for perfect playing conditions, plus beauty, is a constant challenge to the best of superintendents. But, it is this challenge, I b e l i e v e , that makes the golf business so attractive. A r e a l professional never stops looking for ideas. A superintendent who cares, who has imagination, good judgment and an open mind, w i l l find ideas everywhere. Every day he w i l l f i n d new ideas, sort out those he can use and adapt them to his course. I t i s impossible to attend a Conference l i k e this and not go home with at least one new, usable idea. We find new ideas from speakers, from talking with other superintendents, from v i s i t i n g other golf courses, from v i s i t s by salesmen, from reading books and magazines, and research reports. I think most superintendents f i n d they have more ideas than they have time or budget to use. We of the National Golf Foundation are in the ideas business. We don ! t originate many, but we do try to find the best information on golf course planning and operating, and t e l l others about i t . So, we hope you w i l l never stop looking for ideas to make your golf course better. A supintendent is an executive. An executive is paid to find ideas and use them with good judgment. The credit for ideas belongs to thinking superintendents at many golf courses. In his own way, each is an artist who has created something special. We hope each of you takes as much pride in your own f a c i l i t y . A series of 100 slides was shown. TAXES AND SERVING GOLFERS - A PANEL DISCUSSION Wm. E . Lyons, Lyons Den Golf Canal Fulton, Ohio In the morning mail came a story that Paul Truckenbrod, Sunnybrook G o l f , Kent, Ohio, took from the ML ami, Florida Tribune, Mike Fowler, w r i t e r . It may be a real lesson for u s . It i s his story of a mockingbird in a holly t r e e , and how she alone defended her domain. "Just one mockingbird, M wrote Mike, "thousands of robins, and she drove them o f f . " Where favoritism is shown by politicians i t i s usually i n favor of the "most v o t e s . " Owners of golf courses and private clubs do not have the most votes, nor do we have enough money to hire a lobby to persuade l e g i s l a t o r s . what can we do? So, In Ohio the constitution reads that all real property shall be taxed in its true value i n money. What is the true value of your golf course? I s is the market value? The tax sale value? I s it the construction cost? Or, is it the hypot h e t i c a l value under the all encompassing phrase, "Highest and Best Use? n The Ohio taxing laws, as in many other states, were written by our wise Puritan forefathers when a work day was 1 0 to 12 hours, and recreation was looked upon as a cardinal sin. I was told in Pennsylvania last week that they (the Puritans) sinned but did not know how to enjoy i t . Nowhere in the Ohio t a x code is the word recreation mentioned. On the USE basis a l l property ( r e a l ) is bracketed in: Residential Agriculture Commercial Industrial As a result taxing authorities wised up. Since they have the last word, they chose to put a l l golf courses i n the COMMERCIAL bracket. F i n a l l y , after five years of e f f o r t , one mockingbird has gotten the owners of courses and clubs to see the need of having RECREATION spelled out i n the taxing regulations. It is s t i l l years away from accomplishment. We hope for enough mockingbirds to win this fight. Another avenue is n 0PEN SPACE" l e g i s l a t i o n . There have already been five b i l l s put into the legislative hopper i n Columbus as a result of the popular ecological and environmental boom now emotionally sweeping the country. Our efforts now point to getting the authors of those f i v e b i l l s to meet and consolidate a l l of the good points into one good b i l l and everyone back i t . I f the Good Lord lets me I w i l l return next year and report the progress of our legislative efforts in Ohio. There is not one of us here who is so selfish that we want to shift our tax burden to our neighbor. Here is a chart made up from county records, and may I suggest you go home and do this for your property, to be able to compare the values assessed; Golf Farm Farm Farm Course A (South) B (West) C (North) $ 1 7 3 0 . 0 0 per acre 334.00 » » 24O.OO » " 11 352.00 » From these comparisons one cannot help but wonder why an acre of bluegrass as a golf course should carry such a high value as compared to a farm. The auditor ! s answer was " U S E . " We have had to operate in Ohio with a board of Tax Appeals. Sounds good, but the joker is that the same people who assessed the t a x values are the judge and jury. Does an appeal have a chance? Not very often! Farmers in Ohio are being relieved of the personal property t a x on their equipment. But, because we golf course owners are n^t in the FARMER classification we are not e l i g i b l e . Discrimination? I n Pennsylvania there is a law that a township can get permission from the state legislature to levy a 10% amusement t a x . I t can be charged on greens fees and bowling, but the theatre owners battled and won, and do not have to charge i t . Discrimination? In Ohio some wealthy landowners are using the $ 4 0 . 0 0 per acre FORESTRY regulations to hold land speculatively that has a market value of many thousands. We also have a farm pond or lake law. To qualify for this the S o i l Conservation Service has to certify the pond or lake. The owner is given much lower valuation for the acres covered with water. On the other hand, in Geauga count;n Ohio the tax assessor put a higher valuation on the water covered acres than on the land. A l l ponds or lakes were assessed at $ 1 , 0 0 0 per acre value. In the same county all golf courses from the best to the cow pasture type were assessed a f l a t $ 8 , 0 0 0 per hole, plus land values. In other counties the values were set at $ 4 * 0 0 0 per green, plus acreage. S i z e , building costs, e t c . , were not considered. In our case, the tax values assessed are many times higher than our costs. Our buildings now are assessed at more than their costs. To summarize, the tax situation is becoming a jungle through which golf course owners need a guide. To hire a trained tax lawyer we w i l l have to organize strong state wide associations to guard the interest of "OPEN SPACE" for a l l the people. I n your state you may already have District Golf Club organizations. We have four i n the metropolitan areas of Ohio, plus the Ohio Outdoor Recreation Association, which includes membership to the fee course owners. We could not get these organizations together u n t i l after the "horse was s t o l e n . " Now they are trying to lock the door. Membership i n the Ohio Outdoor Recreation Association i s less than 1 0 $ of those who could benefit - yet progress is being made. GOLF COURSE TAXES Thomas M. Tuttle, Manager, South Shore Golf Course Syracuse, Indiana The South Shore Golf Course i s located in Turkey Creek Township, Kosciusko Country, Syracuse, Indiana. It is a semi-private 1 8 holes on 125 acres. Few improvements were made over the years. It was built in the early 1 9 3 0 ! s , the club house was remodeled in 1945* and an underground watering system was added in 1966. (Apj-roxmite cost watering system - $ 1 5 , 0 0 0 . 0 0 ) . Property taxes went up 150$ in 1 9 6 9 . The same is true for other two (125 acre and 18 holes) golf courses in the Syracuse area. It is disturbing that the township assessor stated that the fact that a golf course is a seasonal, business is not taken into consideration 1. 2. 80$ of income derived in a 16-week period However, seasonal' operations are treated the same as yearround operations. The township assessor stated that the State of Indiana wanted a $ 2 , 0 0 0 to $ 6 , 0 0 0 per acre assessment (depending on location, e t c . ) Therefore, a larger course i s penalized u n f a i r l y . Example: 1 8 holes on 80 acres 1 8 holes on 1 5 0 acres Both courses generate same amount of gross sales, 80 acres - $ 3 , 0 0 0 per acre assessment 150 » 3,000 do Proposal: i.e., - $ 2 4 0 , 0 0 0 . 0 0 i n t a x base 450,000.00 do Fairer Tax System A. Taxes should be tied to gross sales 1 . Currently owners f i l e S . T . 103 sales tax return each month 2 . I propose that an additional form be composed to enable owner to pay taxes based on monthly sales 3 . This form would be f i l e d each month accompanied by payment of property taxes for that month B. Change name from property tax to "land use tax. 1 1 C. Advantages 1 . To state a. Can establish a cash flow system by receiving money monthly b . Can benefit immediately from capital expenditures on part of owner. 2 . To owner: a . Smaller payments b . Payments made i n month when owner has cash flow. TAXES AND SERVING GOLFERS J . Henry Amt, Owner, Old Orchard Golf Course Elkhart, Indiana Real estate taxation of golf courses is interesting for two reasons: my unpleasant experiences with the tax assessor, and the increasing extent of the problem. You have probably read most of these same a r t i c l e s . A paragraph from the March issue of Golf Digest points up a threat to all of us - "Property taxes are skyrocketing i n many areas, and clubs in other parts of the country are afraid the trend may be contagious. Instead of being taxed on the basis of 'recreational u s e , 1 many clubs are being taxed on the basis of 'best land u s e . 1 For a club located in or near the c i t y , this practice can prove disastrous. The land may be assessed at the same rate as nearby high-rise apartments. For example, in one midwestern area some clubs have recently been assessed at five times what they once were. The assessment on a club near Cincinnati jumped last year from $ 5 8 , 0 0 0 . 0 0 to $ 3 0 4 , 0 0 0 . 0 0 . In Minnesota recently, the assessed valuation of one course rose from $ 3 * 2 0 0 an acre to $ 1 6 , 2 0 0 , with the total t a x payment jumping from $ 2 6 , 0 0 0 to $ 1 1 % 0 0 0 . The ecology-conscious Minnesota State Legislature evidently saw that there was a danger of driving country clubs out of business, and passed a green-belt law to protect open spaces. Some states are not as understanding. On the north shore of Long Island a club hit by a t a x increase of $ 9 3 * 0 0 0 . 0 0 shut its doors and sold o u t . " My own personal problems are not yet quite so serious. In f a c t , I presently have a tax rate that I would be happy to l i v e w i t h , but unfortunately someone goofed on the last assessment and the township assessor knows i t . And, my relationship with the assessor has not been a bed of roses. Several years ago I completed my f i r s t nine, and subsequently received a notice of the reassessment on the portion of the land that was now golf course. I thought that the amount was unreasonable and checked with the assessor to find out how he had arrived at that figure. I found that he had overstated the amount of acreage that went into the course by 2 5 $ . He said he would have it checked, and i f confirmed would make an adjustment. In the meantime I was to pay my spring installment, and the correction would be made on the f a l l installment. It took much needling to get his depty out to the course, but he f i n a l l y got there just a couple of days before the f a l l installment was due. He confirmed the error, but I d i d n ' t pay the f a l l installment. In the meantime, I had built another nine holes. Also in the meantime, the entire state was undergoing a reassessment by an outside agency,and they treated me very w e l l . By spring of the following year I had s t i l l not received the adjustment on the prior y e a r ' s taxes, but I went ahead and paid the current y e a r ! s taxes. Having been promised an adjustment on the prior year, I was determined that I was not going to, pay the delinquent installment until it was made right. To conclude a long story, in August of last year I called the township assessor and asked him when he was going to get things straightened out so that I could get current on my taxes. He said they were working on i t , and by the way, someone made a mistake on the taxation on the new nine which was in my favor, and he would l i k e for me to come i n and see him. This sounded l i k e trouble, so I went right to the treasurer's office and not only paid the back taxes with interest, but I also prepaid the f a l l installment before any changes could be made on that. I'm not looking forward to the new assessment notice which I expect to receive any day now. Why should I have to be so concerned about real estate taxes? Why should you? As far as I know there is no standardized basis, for assessing golf courses in Indiana. For example, in one county four courses within ten miles of each other are assessed at the rates of $ 1 , 5 0 0 , $ 1 , 5 0 0 , $ 1 , 2 0 0 and $ 1 , 0 0 0 / a c r e . One of these was at $ 2 , 5 0 0 and then reduced to $ 1 , 5 0 0 on appeal. We are providing a recreational f a c i l i t y which in some cases i s doing a job that the municipality would otherwise have to furnish, or we are facing competition from a municipality which does not pay taxes, and yet we have to provide a l l of the same services. So the tax advocates say, "But you are a business man i n this thing to make a profit. f f O.K. The farmer i s also a business man. We ere both doing something that benefits the public but with a profit motive. Before I built the golf course the farm land paid less than $ 500 per year in real estate taxes on the land. He rented the land to an operator who was paid over $ 9 0 0 . 0 0 by the federal government to not raise crops. The net effect to the taxpayers was a d e f i c i t of over $ 4 0 0 . 0 0 in tax money. On t h i s same land I developed 1 6 l o t s , each of which now has a $ 25- to $ 3 0 , 0 0 0 . 0 0 house, plus I built a club house and storage b u i l d i n g , all of which add considerably to the tax take; yet I am personally worried that I may be taxed out of business. Why is now the time to do something? Two reasons - our State Legislature is looking for more tax resources, and the current emphasis on ecology makes our existance more important. What is being done i n Indiana to protect ourselves from taxation oblivion? At one of our Michiana Superintendents meetings last year, John Raber and I made a l i s t of golf course owners i n the state. Prior to that John had talked to the L t . Governor about our concern, and was told that i f we would l i k e to bring a group to Indianapolis to discuss the matter we would be given an audience. John and I sent out about 50 questionaires to sample the interest of other golf course owners. We received answers from f i f t e e n people saying that they were interested and would 'i.^i l i k e to participate. They also gave us the names of some additional owners to cont a c t . We need others. We w i l l set up a meeting. I f any of you from other states have any suggestions we would appreciate all the help that we can get. GUIDELINES AND" TRAINING FOR THE INEXPERIENCED A r i e l C. Hunt, Assistant Supt. of Parks Evansville, Indiana My purpose is to bring together some of the guidlines and training methods needed to develop an e f f i c i e n t work force, whose purpose it is to maintain the landscape in a knowledgeable and effective manner. W . L . Marsh in LANDSCAPE VOCABULARY defines landscape as - "That portion of the e a r t h ' s surface which is v i s i b l e from any point on or above the land surface. 1 ' Proper maintenance has long been neglected due to the passive attitude of educational i n s t i t u t i o n s , business, industry, governments, and the people i n general. This same complacency has led man to the brink of his own environmental demise, and polluted him into a corner. Whatever ecological microcosm we are working i n we need knowledgeable people to do the work. Good help is hard to "come b y , " and by "good help" I mean people who w i l l apply themselves to the task of learning and i n i t i a t i n g proper programs of maintenance. It is our duty then to supply a program, pertinent subject matter, and practical experience for our employees. I ' m reminded of one educator who said, "My greatest student (or employee, i f you l i k e ) is one who, under my teaching, learns to surpass m e . " More often than not we destroy our constituents by the omission of guidelines and t r a i n i n g , and as a result destroy ourselves in the process. This, then, places us i n the original position of looking for help again, and when we find him, we begin the cycle of employes and self-destruction a l l over again. Putting it simple - l e t ' s help people take care of the landscape in such a way that they can take care of it by themselves. L e t ' s share, through an organized program of t r a i n i n g , our experiences and knowledge so that the employe w i l l f e e l a sense of pride in being an important part of our maintenance program. How then do we do t h i s ? Most people, by nature, want to know "why11 they are performing a certain t a s k , as well as "how," "Where" and "when." But quite often to know how, where and when to perform a job becomes meaningless unless he knows "why. " Knowing "why" w i l l cultivate his interest, and provide in many cases a stimulus to broaden this knowledge and e f f i c i e n c y . We, in other words, must mold and form our employees to our program - we cannot afford to pick up people from the street, let them flounder, and expect them to be "good employes." During the past s i x weeks we, i n Evansville, have been holding landscape maintenance classes every Thursday evening from 7 to 9 . These classes meet in the 4-H demonstration room of the County Extension Agent's o f f i c e . We have had good attendance from the grounds maintenance departments of the u n i v e r s i t i e s , the Civic Complex, industry, garden clubs, and the general public. These classes were organized originally to instruct park personnel in all the areas of grounds maintenance. Since we were going to spend considerable effort in bringing this informat i o n to our people, we f e l t other groups, including the homeowner, would b e n e f i t . Each person i n the class i s encouraged to make a booklet containing his own plan of maintenance for his particular area. This booklet also contains a description of his area, identity of trees, shrubs, ground covers, turf and other miscellaneous landscape structures ( i . e . , parking l o t s , roads, walkways, e t c . ) Mineos and bulletins from Purdue are supplied, and he is introduced to other publications from, extension services of other u n i v e r s i t i e s . He is exposed to magazines such as Grounds Maintenance ; Weeds, Trees and T u r f ; Park Maintenance ; The Golf Superintendent , etc. These classes then serve as a medium for employee t r a i n i n g , as w e l l as for civic groups and the general public. The employee and superintendent's relationship, of course, is a much closer one, and it i s our duty to help the employee apply facts and theories i n the f i e l d . Encourage and stimulate each employee to expand h i s worth to the limits of his a b i l i t y , and provide him with training and guidelines that are meaningful. If we cannot communicate our knowledge and experiences, including what we learn at this Conference, we are in trouble. The guidelines and training aids illustrated are only a few - there are many others. Their purpose, of course, is to simplify maintenance procedures so the inexperienced person can, with your supervision, know what his job is all about. PLANS FOR EXTENSIVE TRAINING IN TURF W . H. Daniel L e t 1 s agree that increased regulations, additional materials, new personnel, and intensive management face you as turf managers. What about special training and credit programs? How many of you wish a special, intense, concentrated training session or schooling? Herbicides, insecticides and fungicides are plant protectors. wish to intensely study them? The general plan suggested i s : So, do you Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Arrive by 2 : 0 0 P . M . Test: 9 : 0 0 - 1 2 : 0 0 Test: 9 : 0 0 - 1 2 : 0 0 9:00 - 12:00 h 9:00 - 12:00 Class: 1! f! II 2:30 2:30 - 5:00 5:00 2:30 - 5:00 2:30 - 5:00 7 : 0 0 - 9 : 0 0 P.M. 7:00 - 9:00 7:00 - 9:00 Dinner & hash session Close - go home Now, that is intense - lots of contact time. Likely there would be one section for golf course superintendents only; then another section for salesmen, general t u r f , or younger persons. Plans for Intensive Training It w i l l require - much lecture time much reference papers, etc. much study considerable test preparation d e f i n i t e grading and standards Only those passing w i l l receive c e r t i f i c a t e . Those not passing would have references and learning obtained. Assume this was $ 2 5 / d a y , plus personal expense, and it is four days of hard study and concentration, with no easy lessons. W e ' l l appreciate your comments. We can work with the GCSA in their Certification and w i l l join anyone in the mutual goals. INJURIES AND ATHLETICS TODAY W. E. (Pinkey) Newell, Athletic Department Purdue University Sports, by their very nature, invite injury. The all-out effort required, the speed of movement, throwing and striking of m i s s i l e s , and the rapid change of direction are among the hazards inherent in sports activités. These are the hazards that are responsible for the various injuries suffered by the athletes. There is no comprehensive estimate of the number of athletes injured annually in athletic competition. Insurance companies, however, report that tens-ofthousands of athletes suffer fractures, sprains, strains, abrasions and contusions annually. Statistics also indicate that the annual number of injuries resulting from athletic competition, especially, football have been irrreasing steadily. The blame for this increasing number of athletic injuries does not, however, rest with the nature of the activities alone. The increase i s also due to the increased participation of youth in the sports programs of today. An example of this involvement is the estimate that more than 8 1 0 , 0 0 0 young men i n over 1 4 , 0 0 0 high schools alone participate i n football each year. I f the risk in sports competition, such as f o o t b a l l , is to be j u s t i f i e d , every sports program i s morally obligated to do everything within its power to prevent injury whenever possible, minimize the severity of the i n j u r y , and treat each injury promptly and properly with total rehabilitation as th# goal. In order to f u l f i l l this obligation, each community must develop an athletic training program with appropriate personnel to carry out such a program. E d i t o r ' s note. It was reported there are 3 0 athletic f i e l d s with either Tartan, Astro, or Poly turf now in use. Basically the player runs, Stops, turns, pushes, and f a l l s . Basically the b a l l bounces and r o l l s . For running, the a r t i f i c i a l tracks have been very successful. For bouncing, some of the basketball floor coverings have proven quite uniform. For economy and speed in running, the artif i c i a l turfs were made with limited cushion. Their shock absorbency has real limits. The report of more upper body injuries reflect the inherent firmness used in artificial turf. The extreme traction provided when the shoe firms onto Astro stops the shoe, but does not stop the body movement. This phenomena has led to numerous injuries including toes and tendons. When a body f a l l s it might strike the surface, transfer the shock to the h i p , or the elbow might strike the surface and transfer the shock to the shoulder, thus hip points and shoulder separations are produced. Vertical drainage has always been needed to allow for scheduled athletics. The dilemma of trying to remove all water across the surface has made the traction during wetness very variable on a r t i f i c i a l t u r f . ( I n natural turf this problem must be solved a l s o ) . Heat accumulation and reflection in a r t i f i c i a l turf presents additional problems. A study at Penn State reported surface turf temperature to 1 4 0 ° , while the turf adjacent was 9 0 ° . On a partly cloudy day the temperature was 1 3 2 ° , while the grass temperature was 9 5 ° , and air temperature was 8 6 ° . Due to t h i s , foot temperatures were raised within five minutes after being on a r t i f i c i a l t u r f . Because of blood circulation the foot temperature remained below the pain threshold of 1 1 3 ° F . MAINTENANCE OF ATHLETIC FIELDS Melvin J . Robey, Supt. of Athletic F a c i l i t i e s William H. D a n i e l , Dept. of Agronomy Purdue University A dense, wear resistant turf is important in reducing i n j u r i e s , providing sure footing, and presenting a pleasing appearance. A program which recognizes the importance of good maintenance practices should be a part of every school 1 s budget. A properly maintained f i e l d w i l l have a deep rooted, tightly knitted stand of grass, which is resistant to wear, and firm to a p l a y e r ' s footing. The surface w i l l be smooth, and have resiliency to cushion f a l l s and minimize injuries. A maintenance program must use many known agronomic p r i n c i p l e s , combined with common sense and good judgment. The person placed in charge of the athletic f i e l d needs to be trained and have some experience i n Turf Management. However, a person with limited knowledge of turf care can do a good job i f he i s interested in the f i e l d ' s condition, and has the a b i l i t y to grasp new ideas. Information from state experiment stations, Extension o f f i c e s , golf course superintend- ents associations, turf suppliers, private consulting firms, text books, and turf magazines are of value as guides i n athletic f i e l d maintenance programs. An understanding of what needs to be done and the principles involved w i l l greatly enhance any program. Maintenance Procedures for Athletic Fields The four basic procedures considered minimum maintenance for any athletic f i e l d include: selection of adapted grasses, f e r t i l i z a t i o n , watering and mowing. Seven manicuring procedures, which can be used i n conjunction include: a e r i f i c a t i o n , topdressing, pesticide application, overseeding, drainage improvement, plugging and rolling. Selection of Grass In order to select the best grass many factors must be taken into consideration. For example, what kind of wear is it going to be subject to? What extremes i n climatic conditions and soil conditions may occur? And, what kind of maintenance procedures are going to be used? There are many different varieties and species of grasses that can be used on a football f i e l d . They may be rhizomous, stoloniferous, or bunch i n growth habits. They can vary in disease and insect resistance. Some require warm climates, while others do best in cool regions. I n northern, cool, humid regions varieties of Kentucky bluegrass have been most used. Occasionally ryegrasses for quick starting, red fescue for douth tolerance, or Zoysia for wear resistance are added to bluegrass. A single variety, or a blend (mixture) may be considered when selecting a grass. Some of the bluegrasses on the market include: Park, D e l t a , Newport, Merion, Windsor, Sodco, Fylking, Pennstar and A-20. An example of a blend would be D e l t a , Park, Newport, and Merion in equal proportions. One advantage of a mixture is the insurance it provides. I f a disease weakens one or two of the v a r i e t i e s , those which are less susceptible may f i l l i n . Ample, strong rhizomes seem to be the essence of good results with bluegrasses, which also means good wear and recovery. Bermudagrasses are seldom blended together. Instead a single variety w i l l be grown. Overseeding ryegrass, Kentucky bluegrass, fescue and annual bluegrass into dormant Bermudagrass is a common practice. This is done to extend the greenness. Some of the Bermuda varieties available are: Tiflawn, Tifway, Sunturf, U-3, and T i f f i n e . Fertilization A football f i e l d should be f e r t i l i z e d at least twice a year at a minimum, and more often i f i t is possible. The f i r s t application should be in the early spring to cause the grass to come out of dormancy f a s t e r . An early f a l l application is important to carry the growth of the grass through the end of football season, and allow some carryover into the following spring. A third application should be applied just prior to f a l l football practice sessions. The f i e l d s should be amply watered after each application as f e r t i l i z e r may burn turf leaves. Regardless of the number of applications used, the overall goal is to apply 3 to 6 l b s . of actual nitrogen per 1 , 0 0 0 sq. f t . per year. One high in introgen, low in phosphorus, and medium in potassium i s usually best for turf grasses. Some f e r t i l i z e r analyses available include: 16-4-12, 12-4-8, 18-5-9, 10-3-7, 22-5-8, and 30-3-10. Terms which describe the rate of release from different sources of nitrogen should be understood prior to selecting a f e r t i l i z e r . Quickly available, soluble forms include ammonia.- nitrate and urea. Thus, ammonia n i t r a t e , potassium nitrate and urea sources are used alone, or in mixtures, when a quick greenup i s desired; when cold temperatures limit response; or lots of fresh decomposing organic matter have been added to the f i e l d . A l s o , these sources are economical to use. The soil solution and exchange complex in soil may store and hold soluble portions for 3-6 weeks unless excess rains or irrigations leaches them. Thus, 4 or more applications - early spring, early summer, early f a l l and early winter (March 1 5 , June 1 5 , Aug. 1 5 , Oct. 1 5 ) - are suggested. Pelletizing and coatings have minimized foliage burn. Medium available nitrogen sources, which release nitrogen by deterioration, include organics and cold water soluble fractions of ureaforms. Hot temperatures and ample moisture favor faster r e l e a s e , whereas cold soils minimize a v a i l a b i l i t y . Slow release nitrogen sources include hot water soluble and hot water insoluble portions of ureaforms (Uramite, Nitroform and others), and IBDU (Isobutyldiene d i u r e a ) . The larger molecules of ureaform break down slowly by bacterial action. With IBDU the slow dissolving by hydrolysis (water solution) can be controlled by increasing particle s i z e . Thus, larger particles (1-3 mm) w i l l last longer. The best turf f e r t i l i z e r s manufactured with a complete analysis contain about 50$ slow release nitrogen sources. This means that when this type of fertilizer is applied half of the nitrogen is ready for immediate use, while the other half is released gradually, and is available over a longer period of time. Watering One of the biggest problems in maintenance of football f i e l d s is the tendency to overwater. Too much watering is just as bad as too l i t t l e , probably even worse during football season. With pop-up, padded sprinklers, automatic irrigation can minimize labor needs. I f hoses are s t i l l used, use turf or lawn type traveling sprinklers with automatic shut-offs. I f non-traveling sprinklers must be used, repeatedly set them so there is a 50% overlap in coverage for more uniform water distribution. Check the soil when the watering has been completed. There should be moist soil at least 6 inches deep. Do not water the f i e l d again u n t i l this 6 " reservoir of water has been u t i l i z e d . This should take 1 - 2 weeks, depending on weather conditions. Test the soil moisture content by using a soil probe. I f the soil is friable (crumbly) then it is about time to water again. However, in the summer wait u n t i l the grass starts to show signs of w i l t i n g . Check the f i e l d during the afternoon. I f the grass blades have started to r o l l up and turn a bluish color it is time to water again. Infrequent watering w i l l favor deeper roots. If a field is overwatered, the grass roots w i l l grow only where there is adequate oxygen, causing shallow-rooted plants which can be e a s i l y torn out. I t is better to underwater than to overwater. During a game it is better to have the f i e l d a l i t t l e on the dry side, which allows for some r a i n , makes a faster surface, and also w i l l reduce the tearing up of the t u r f . Too heavy of watering before a game, followed by rain before or during the game, can create a mud hole. Close consulting with the local weather station can help coordinate the watering schedule with predicted precipitation. Mowing The grass should be mowed often enough so that clippings . are shorter than mowing height. This w i l l leave sufficient leaf area to carry on photosynthesis for normal growth. I f too much of the grass blade is removed it i s a shock to the p l a n t , and the overall performance of the grass w i l l be reduced temporarily. I f used, t a l l fescue should be cut at 2\ inches. For those bluegrasses which don't show dwarfness, such as Delta and Park, the best mowing height is 2 inches. Bermudagrasses are cut near 1 / 2 to 3 / 4 inch. The height of cut must leave enough leaf surface to carry on photosynthesis, and a dense enough playing surface to support heavy use. A reel type mower, which makes a clean cut across l e a f blade, i s the best type to use on a f i e l d . Rotary mowers tend to leave a frayed leaf tip which turns white due to dead c e l l s . I f rotary i s used, sharpen blade tips monthly or oftener. Aerification Beyond the four basic maintenance procedures, aerification is the next most important procedure. It reduces soil compaction, improved i n f i l t r a t i o n helps to level the f i e l d , protects the crowns (growing points) of the grass, and creates a safer playing surface. A e r i f i c a t i o n once in mid-summer, when the weather and s o i l conditions permit, and again in the f a l l immediately after football season is suggested. The entire f i e l d should be passed over twice, or more, with the aerifier from different directions. I f the f i e l d is severely compacted then a more intensive program needs to be developed. Some f i e l d s have been aerified ten times in one day. I f necessary the f i e l d can be aerified once a month starting in the spring, and continuing through to football season. Aerification should be avoided during the three weeks prior to the start, or during the football season as the loosened turf would be torn out more readily. A e r i f i e r s have hollow tines which remove a core of soil from the ground, thus forming an air pocket with a minimum of soil compaction. After aerifying the f i e l d s , let the soil cores l a y on the ground until p a r t i a l l y dry. Next drag the f i e l d with a chainlink fence drag, or steel mat. This w i l l break up the soil cores, help f i l l in the low spots in the f i e l d , and bury the crowns. Greens-aires with core shredders attachments permit 2 x 2 " holes, and immediate shredding of cores also. W i t h i n two weeks after a e r i f y i n g , the young white grass roots can be found growing in a mass in the aeration holes. This helps to create a tough, wearresistant turf which i s capable of withstanding heavy use. It should be noted that there is a difference between spiking and aerification. Spiking is a process i n which a solid metal finger punches a hole through the turf and into the s o i l . Although i t does create an air pocket in the s o i l , it also compacts the soil around the hole. I f only spiking machines are available then they should be used. Topdressing I f any type of organic topdressing is to be used (peat, manure, crushed corncobs, treated barks, cotton seed h u l l s , e t c . ) , it should be spread evenly over the entire f i e l d prior to aerification. This allows the soil to be brought up on top of the topdressing material, and allows the two to be easily mixed in the dragging operation, thus speeding up the breakdown of the organic matter. I t should be remembered that with the addition of large quantities of organic matter, extra nitro gen w i l l also be required. Eight reasons for applying topdressing material are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Pesticide Protects crowns of grass from being damaged by football cleats. Levels the surface of the playing f i e l d . Increases r e s i l i e n c y of playing surface, thus minimizing player injuries. Improves soil structure. Increases water-holding capacity of the s o i l . Increases water i n f i l t r a t i o n and percolation rates. Builds up the nutrient level of the s o i l . Increases cation exchange capacity of the s o i l . application Pesticide application should be done only when there is an adequate understanding of how the chemical works ana what it controls. Most failures or problems can be traced back to a label that was not read, and directions that were not followed. A mistaken idea of the novice is that i f a l i t t l e is Rood, a lot w i l l r e a l l y do the job I Numerous new and old laws and regulations must be adhered to. There are three groups of pesticides commonly used on athletic 1. 2. 3. Herbicides Insecticides Fungicides - fields: weed control insect control disease control Of the three groups, the insecticides are the most dangerous to handle. should always be exercised whenever handling any pesticides. Care Broadleaf plants, such as dandelions, plantain and t h i s t l e s , are best treated in early to mid-summer. Standard rate of 2,4-D amine formulation i s less than one pound active ingredient per acre. Check the labels and follow the directions. On knotweed, chickweed, clover, e t c . , dicamba at l / 8 l b . active ingredient per acre is ample when added to 2,4-D, or MCPP. Many annual grasses, such as crabgrass, f o x t a i l and barnyard grass, can be controlled by applying pre-emergent chemicals in mid-spring prior to germination. These may be granular (on f e r t i l i z e r ) or l i q u i d . Timing' is c r i t i c a l as toxic concentration, whenever seedling starts, is necessary. Insects are generally only a minor problem, yet they may cause serious turf damage. By all means keep out grubs, and i f needed keep sod webworms from eating the leaves. Insects, such as leaf hoppers flying around the face and getting in eyes, nose and mouth, are bothersome to players and can distract them. I n areas where high humidity combines with high temperatures, damage caused by fungi can become a serious problem. It takes an experienced person to be able to t e l l which diseases are present and their seriousness. In some cases a broadspectrum fungicide, or the "shotgun11 approach is acceptable. Actually, preventive application of fungicides i s the best way to keep diseases in check. For example, on leafspot in bluegrass, four applications a year may reduce damage to low levels Again, it is necessary to read the label and follow the instructions i f the chemical i s to do the job properly. Overseeding Overseeding is a good supplemental program to aid the grass already growing, plus establishing new grass in the t h i n , worn-out areas. The grass seed used should be of the same variety or species already established on the f i e l d unless newer varieties are preferred. The seed should be sown down the center of the f i e l d , or on any worn areas before each home game. The cleat action during a game w i l l help push the seed into the s o i l . Where climate permits, don't hesitate to overseed the f i e l d s late in the season, even though the temperature is too cold for germination. The seed w i l l lay dormant through the cold weather, and germinate the following spring when the weather warms up. When plans are made to aerify and topdress the f i e l d , seed, i f needed, should be sown ahead of these operations. A e r i f i c a t i o n and topdressing w i l l mulch the seed and create a favorable seedbed. The practice of overseeding w i l l work best i f there is l i t t l e use of the f i e l d in the spring. Often ryegrasses are added i f a quick stand is desired. However, this should only be considered a temporary solution to the problem. Drainage improvement Most f i e l d s have too l i t t l e drainage for wet weather conditions. Prompt removal of water from the surface of the f i e l d i s important i f a player i s going to have^good footing. A wet, soggy f i e l d w i l l slow p l a y , and create a f i e l d which is detrimental to good football gatfies. Injuries are least when players get expected turf responses. Surface slope aids in slowly moving the excess water towards the sidelines. In most cases a crown w i l l be built into a f i e l d during construction for this purpose. From center to s i d e l i n e , a 12 M crown should be considered minimum, while n 1 8 is ample. Surface slope alone is usually not enough for modern heavy use. Another method which aids in excess water removal is narrow vertical trenches. These axe made 2 to 3 " wide, 12 to 2 4 n deep, and 1 0 to 20» apart. After p a r t i a l b a c k f i l l with f i n e gravel, use fine or medium sand for the last top 3 to 6 " to overflow. The purpose of the sand is to give a l i t t l e more water holding capacity at the surface where the roots are growing. The narrower the trench, the quicker the grass w i l l bridge i t . The trenches should be connected into the t i l e system around the perimeter of the f i e l d so that the water can move out of the trenches. I f a t i l e system is under the entire f i e l d , then the vertical trenches should connect with them whenever possible. Plugging Putting sod plugs into a f i e l d is the surest way of f i l l i n g in damage football season. The sod plugs should come from a sod nursery which has the type of grass. The plugs should be cut at least 3 n deep, and have a 4 to 6 n diameter. Care should be taken to insure that when the new plug of grass i s in the f i e l d that i t is flush with the existing t u r f . A cup setter, similar used on golf course greens, is the best tool available for this job. during same placed to that Rolling Where needed, rolling in late winter or early spring, whenever frost heaving and weather permits, can help to l e v e l the f i e l d , and push the crowns of the grass back down into the s o i l , thus protecting them from desiccation. Care must be taken not to r o l l the f i e l d when it is too wet, or to use too heavy a r o l l e r . The turf can be rolled l i g h t l y , as needed, at other times during the year provided ample aerification has been accomplished also. As mentioned e a r l i e r , selection of vigorous grasses, regular mowing, ample f e r t i l i z i n g and careful watering should be the basic practices of every athletic maintenance program. A football f i e l d requires regular maintenance just as buildings do. I n i t i a l l y a large sum of money was spent on the building of the f i e l d , and i t should not be allowed to d&erioate. The manicuring techniques w i l l greatly improve a playing f i e l d . However, the budget might prevent some of them from being used. In summary, the best possible football f i e l d w i l l be obtained only i f there is an adequate budget, a trained or interested person i n charge, and correct application of the agronomic practices. THREE BASIC WAYS OF BUILDIMG ATHLETIC FIELDS W . H. D a n i e l , Turf S p e c i a l i s t , Dept. of Agronomy, Melvin Robey, S u p t . , Athletic F a c i l i t i e s Purdue University, Lafayette, I n d . Prompt removal of surface water i s necessary for today's athletics. Fields always ready for use are the desired aims regardless of rootzone, grass or weather. The old idea of deep f i e l d t i l e under soil is obsolete - too slow. Shallow, porous, narrow vertical trenches with porous b a c k f i l l i s the more modern way. Thus, System I i s - SOIL & VERTICAL DRAINAGE - ECONOMY Compaction w i l l be a continuing problem with annual intense cultivation needed. Surface and suits may be muddy in wet weather. The system can upgrade existing f i e l d s , or be started as new f i e l d s start. In i t soil is the basis of management. System I I - Thin Compacted Porous Rootzone. A limited layer of sand over soil assures fast water absorption, and minimizes compaction. Turf surface and players suits should stay clean. Turf must be kept dense. (System widely used in Northern Europe - developed i n Sweden by Bjarne Langvad). S o i l and Frequent Vertical Drains - Economy On e x i s t i n g , or new f i e l d s , improved p l a y a b i l i t y v i a prompt removal of water i s the key concern. Compaction w i l l be a continuing problem. Surface and suits may be muddy in wet we£J \ r . Slope - use 2 - ?>% off of f i e l d , 1 - 2% on f i e l d (center 12-18" above Avoid surface water running onto track. sidelines). Soil - (Save and conserve t o p s o i l ) . Work only when dry. Slope to grade. Mix in ample f e r t i l i z e r (1000 l b s , 16-4-8* or equal, inside t r a c k ) . Trench a. Make on 4 5 ° angle at 5 yd. interval, narrow ( 2 - 3 n ) vertical trenches (12-20" deep) b. Spread or remove dug soil c. Hand clean and check trench. Use narrow spring tooth on added handle. d. Place 2 n ID corrugated, slitted drain pipe in each (Hancor ! s Cor-flow, or equal) e. B a c k f i l l with pea gravel (doesn ! t b r i d g e ) . Cap last 2 - 4 !I with washed sand to overflow trench. Planting a. Smooth, loosen between trenches as needed. b. Preferably seed and mulch - keep moist c. Alternate sod (cut t h i n ) , then use Greens-aire and topdress within 1 weeks (to establish some vertical openings over trenches) 2 The above is superior to deep f i e l d t i l e i n that excess surface water can be promptly removed; then the soil absorbs the r e s t . Good slow i r r i g a t i o n is needed. A l s o , annually intensely a e r i f y , deep verti-groove sideline to s i d e l i n e , and add more trenches i f needed. Thin Sand Over Vertical Drains System 2 To upgrade old f i e l d s , or build new f i e l d s . This assures fast surface absorption and minimizes compaction. Turf surface and players suits should stay clean. Turf must be kept dense. Keep surface rolled firm and smooth. (System widely i n Northern Europe - developed in Sweden by B. Langvad). Slope Subgrade Sand Trench - Use 1% on f i e l d , and 2% off f i e l d as needed. Topsoil preferred. Use anything. F e r t i l i z e , t i l l and loosen. Shape % below f i n a l grade. Spread 5» of sand ( f i n e , washed preferred - avoid coarse sand and gravel) Back trucks onto f i e l d - push sand with bulldozer. Minimize compaction. 9-12 long p a r a l l e l , nearly level l i n e s from end to end of f i e l d Make 2 0 ' - 15 1 apart (have 20" deep in center - 1 2 " deep at sidelines so a l l lines are near same depth). Use track trencher for support on sand. Extend, join and/or bring all outlets to small covered p i t , 1 end or both. Have Just able outlet within control in pit to Hold water i n t i l e as desired during summer, thus some subsurface watering. Spread and scatter soil from trench over sand to one side From other side push i n clean sand to overflow of trench Back flush each t i l e line with pressure Surface - 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Keep sand moist Spread 3 0 - 50 tons of fine calcined aggregates Spread 60 -100 cu. yds. of peat (or equivalent) Spread 1000 l b s . turf type f e r t i l i z e r (16-4-8, or similar) Mix into top half of sand by repeat light cultivation. Smooth, compact Plant, mulch, keep moist. a. I f sodding, then use 5 / 8 tines on Greens-aire within 10 days, plus spread reserve topmix (save part of mix above) at some time. Also, about Aug. 1 repeat Greens-aire and topmix again. Water System - Strongly suggest padded pop-up in 3 or 4 row arrangement for automatic watering. Put pipe in drain trench also. Also, have water outlet at drain pit for sub-watering as desired. Grasses - Since surface binding i s desired Use coarser Bermudas where possible - southern Use Zoysia and bluegrass where adapted - Midwest Add quackgrass to bluegrass - i n northernmost System I I I - The PAT (Prescription Athletic T u r f ) goes to plastic sheeti n g , compacted sand, plus overflow and sump pump for complete water control. These three ways of b u i l d i n g , each detailed to accomplish, allow the archit e c t , engineer, contractor and users to select that one most desired for their needs, climate, etc. PAT - (Prescription Athletic Turf) Good news I Advances i n Special Turf. Uniform, tough, wear tolerant, closecut turf for maximum play execution and player performance, plus a porous, welldrained play-in-the-rain, firm but r e s i l i e n t rootzone has been researched and is now available. Gone is the cloppy, wet, muddy f i e l d . Gone is the bare ground, and uncontrolled play. New installation of five major ideas give new dimension in professional athletic turf care. Now, it is professionally designed turf care possible New installation of five major ideas give new dimension i n professional athletic turf care: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. built? Minimum surface slopes for best use and viewing. Porous rootzone with suction drain and absolute water control. S o i l warming with assures safe thawed s o i l . Powered f i e l d covers for insulation on cool weather extremes. Zoysia (makes a mat) and new bluegrasses (gives color and rhizomes), which combined give cl#se gro#med, t i g h t , div#t-proof t u r f . Expensive? No I Tedious I Yes! Just f i n i s h by July 4 for f a l l Easy to maintain? football. Yes! When can it be W h a t ' s the reason for this news now? Research in all f i v e areas above when tied together makes a package. A prescription, a method, the nPAT System," system of i n s t a l l i n g , of management, which allows the widest possible use and controlled results. Look! The new NCAA ruling of only l / 2 , ! cleats gives a new chance to keep t u r f , but there must be dry, firm footing. Oh, yes! The injury reports on a r t i f i c i a l turf are discouraging, and coaches are seeing too many f i r s t string men out for extended time. Sure, where 200 events are scheduled annually turf wears out, and a r t i f i c i a l turf gives results. But, for twenty uses or l e s s , sometimes more, new technology packaged into a system can produce that uniform, firm, sife t u r f , plus the TV look needed. REASON FOR PAT Slopes. Free water on playing surface i s always to be avoided. A 1 0 n crown or 1% slope is enough. But, 1 8 " , even 2 4 n , crown has been touted as the answer in that water should run off - eventually it w i l l go 80 feet in maybe one hour, exe-ept i n cleat marks and divots. So DON'T depend on slope alone. It is too slow at best! Players are used to some slope - actually the less slope the better I Porous Root zone. Completely new! Always before, clay and s i l t packed and the soil was too hard, wet, dry, »slick, soft, muddy as weather changed. Now, fine clean sand compacted - above l e v e l , plastic sheeting - with controlled outlet drain pipe laying on p l a s t i c . This saves nutrients and water, keeps sand moist and firm, and the grass turgid. O . K . ! But, the ideal comes now - Suction pumps on drain outl e t s can assure prompt water removal downward immediately as it f a l l s . Play b a l l ! Now, i t ' s not cover and f r e t ! I t ' s pump and forget! Water control i s f i n a l l y here. Playing is always on a moist, firm surface. Oh, yes! Add peat, fine calcined aggregates, vermiculite and f e r t i l i z e r mixed into the top 2 inches for best playing conditions. Golf greens are already being built by this PURR-WICK Rootzone System. S o i l Warming. Electric heating cable assures thawed soil water penetration, more grass growth, and snow melting. So, back to the 1 1 game schedule, and just f l i p on the switch - extend f a l l and bring spring on early - protect the grass too. Powered Insulation Cover. With holes! What? Yes? Since water goes into rootzone r e a d i l y , don't shed it o f f . Why cover? - To conserve soil heat; to reduce surface frost e f f e c t , and to encourage more cool weather growth. A powered one-piece cover which two men can change i n f i f t e e n minutes i s available. Use 6 mil clear plastic with 3 / 8 n holes every 2 inches. And, a covered storage seat bench off to one side anchors and stores cover safely. Bluegrass and Zoysia Turf Dense, strong and tight turf is essential to success over porous media. Bluegrass - the newer are better - alo*e won't do the job when tackles meet or runner cut. But, add Midwest zoysia and its strong surface runner, rooting at every node, gives that binding desired. And, the short cleats offer new hope here for best performance. The soil warming, the f i e l d cover, the porous rootzone assure Z o y s i a ' s surv i v a l , thus increased wear tolerance. Research with wear machines proved Zoysia's wear tolerance exceeded any other turfgrass available. And, let the band perform every time - the surface needs to be t i g h t , compact and firm. Details and Specifications PAT system assistance i s available to architects, or physical plant engineers, toward discussing concepts, materials and alternatives. At least the b i l l of materials can be closely estimated. Contracts review and discussion is suggested in the early stages to assure the PAT system as a completed u n i t . For example, inadequate porosity negates a l l other controls also. Lack of binding of Zoysia would negate stability of surface. ( I n Bermuda country i t s preference would be obvious). S o i l warming would assure cold weather performance, and covers move the weather interface up. In 1 9 7 1 , the ideas combined are new, but the need is old. Good players strive for perfection. L e t ' s i n s t a l l and maintain that quality of turf too. The PAT (Prescription Athletic Turf) System i s ready! GOING THE EXTRA MILE IN ATHLETIC FIELD CARE Melvin Robey, Supt. of Athletic Facilities W . H. D a n i e l , Turf Specialist Purdue University As anyone would expect, three months of f a l l football practice leaves very l i t t l e bluegrass growing down the center of a practice f i e l d . This means that during spring practice a f i e l d would not have the uniformity required of a playing surface. order to re-establish t u r f , reduce the mud, and create a safer playing surface, a technique using clear plastic was t r i e d . It appears that by improving this technique much more turf can be available for spring practice. At the end of the f a l l practice season about 85% of the area covered was bare with just sparse sprigs of grass surviving. Before the last practice a mixture of Kentucky bluegrasses was sown on the surface of the ground. Each 6 mil plastic sheet, 40 f t . x 100 f t . was perforated with half inch holes on 2 inch centers - (made by the Greens-aire machine before unfolding sheets) On November 2 4 , 1 9 6 9 , three sheets were placed down the center of the f i e l d to cover an area about 40 1 x 2 9 0 T h e plastic was held down with old automobile tires and wooden ©rate s l a t s , which were shifted periodically. The covers were removed on April 6 , 1 9 7 0 , after 103 days. The average temperature on the 24th of November was: a i r , 3 8 ° F . , soil surf a c e , 4 5 ° F . , and bare soil at 1» depth, 4 2 ° F . During the month of December the average temperatures for bare soil at 1 inch depth ranged from a minimum of 2 9 ° , to a maximum of 3 1 ° F . There were four days in the f i r s t half of the month when the temperature rose above freezing. The rest of the time the bare ground at 1 inch depth was frozen. The air temperature dropped below freezing every n i g h t , and for the last eleven days of the month the daytime temperature never rose above freezing Although the air and soil temperature under the plastic was not recorded, visual observations indicated seeds under the plastic covering germinated in early December, and were approximately a half inch high before the ground froze under the plastic the f i r s t week in January when the temperature dropped to -20°F. Abnormal temperatures and heavier snow than normal persisted throughout the month. The average temperatures for January were: air 1 5 ° F . , soil surface, 2 8 ° F . , and bare soil at 1 inch depth, 2 9 ° F . At the end of January the weather warmed and the snow melted during the days. At night the temperature dropped below f r e e z i n g , and an ice sheet caused temporary sealing of the holes, but no effect on the grass. I n February the average temperature ( a i r , 2 6 ° F . , soil surface, 2 6 ° F . , and bare soil at one inch depth, high 3 2 ° F . — low 2 6 ° F ) were higher than the previous month. Jly the end of February the s o i l under the plastic was thawing during the day and freezing at night. In March, the average temperatures were: a i r , 3 5 ° F . , soil surface, 4 3 ° F . , and bare soil at one inch depth ranged from a minimum of 3 2 ° to a maximum of 4 3 ° • For the entire month the air temperature rose above freezing every day but one, but the temperatures dropped below freezing every n i g h t , except for three times (March 2 , 3 and 4 ) . The bare ground temperature at a one inch depth rose above freezing every day except for f i v e days,and dropped below freezing 1 4 times. The bare ground under the plastic did not freeze during the entire month of March, and by the end of the month the grass was growing rapidly. On April 6 , 1 9 7 0 , the day before spring practice sessions began, the plastic was removed from the f i e l d . The new grass plants were already to the three and four leaf stage of development. There was considerable regrowth from the old plants. Temperatures for normal areas. vented plastic cover. Date ®ov. 2 4 Comments on grass and seedcfevelopment under the Temperatures (Fahrenheit) Bare S o i l Surface 1 " depth Air Max Max. Min. Min. Min. Max. 28 50 50 63 33 27 Dec.* 21 35 25 37 29 31 Jan.* Feb.* Mar.* April 6 7 17 28 32 25 36 43 53 25 25 29 28 31 47 54 72 29 26 32 32 29 32 43 59 Conditions under plastic A few sparse worn tufts of grass Overseeded blend of bluegrass Seedlings up l / 2 inch high by end of month Surface frozen after Jan. 6 S o i l at surface thawed during days S o i l not freezing under plastic Seedlings to 3-4 leaf stage Tufts of old grass were 4-5" high and spreading ^Average temperatures for entire month. By extending the growing period into the last of December and causing the plants to break dormancy a month earlier in the spring, the grass under the plastic had developed far beyond that unprotected. Although we used bluegrasses, the improved ryegrasses ( P e l o , Manhattan, and Pennfine) offer the best combination of characteristics for use under plastic coverings. They become established quickly, do best i n cool, moist s o i l , show good winter hardiness, and t i l l e r profusely. I t appears that these ryegrasses in a mix with bluegrasses would be adopted for use on heavily played athletic f i e l d s where a rapid establishment of dense turf is desirable. The principle of conserving heat energy using clear polyethylene p l a s t i c , was demonstrated to be an effective way to increase the growing season by 45 to 60 days per year. It is possible that by using this technique, and by selecting the right grass, a football team could have a much thicker turf for spring practice, (Note. Powered, two-man controlled f i e l d covers are in use on 1 0 - 20 stadiums in Europe. These use plastic without holes, and can be put on or off w i t h i n 15 minutes.) NEEDS OF GOLF COURSE ARCHITECTS TODAY David G i l l , Golf Course Architect S t . Charles, I l l i n o i s Let me read you a letter I received from a medical doctor (Obstetrics & Gynecology) i n Bloomington, Indiana. A l s o , i t was a xerox copy. He probably sent one to every architect he could f i n d : "Dear S i r : I am in the preliminary stages of planning a golf course for our new country club. I have aerial photographs of the land in which we are interested in construction the course on. I would appreciate knowing your costs of roughly plotting out the course after looking at the aerial maps and topograph map. Sincerely,M This points up the No .1 need of the golf course architects today RECOGNITION AS TO THE FUNCTION OF THE PROFESSION. We a l l know t h i s , and there is no need to belabor the point. There are other needs which are not quite so obvious. We need help from manufacturers, suppliers and contractors. We need them to help us keep up on a l l the new materials, methods and procedures involved in the construction of a modern golf course. We get on the average 40 pieces of mail a month concerning technical advances on materials which can be used. Unfortunately most of this mail goes into the standard round f i l e at the end of the desk. We need the manufacturer's representative to stop by with this information about once every 4 months. I f this could be done 40 manufacturers would get about 3 hours a year of personal selling or instruction time, and each ARCHITECT would spend 120 hours a year learning. This i s equal to a four hour college course - three years of t h i s and you've earned a Master's degree another s i x years and you've got your D o c t o r ' s . We can w e l l afford i t - i t ' s only l / 2 hour a day. We need suppliers to keep us informed constantly as to the a v a i l a b i l i t y of the items we need, or would l i k e to use. Some manufacturers are prone to be very optijnistic about d e l i v e r i e s ; whereas, suppliers must be more r e a l i s t i c . They must d e l i v e r . We need contractors and builders to keep us informed as to the actualsi n s t a l l a t i o n costs which, because of the advances in equipment and methods, change almost day by day. A guestimate is no good unless an estimate can be made from i t . An estimate is no good unless the course can be built within the estimated cost. Probably the most important thing we need — is something we a l l can have — "THE ABILITY TO LISTEN TO SOME OTHER PROFESSIONALS AND EXPERTS." We all have our own design concepts, and these are a l l b a s i c a l l y good. We a l l have a second professional specialty. I t might be Agronomy, Geology, Engineering, I r r i g a t i o n , Maintenance or Construction Experience, but I do not believe any of us have the capabilities and can keep up with all of the f i e l d s related to golf course construction and design, and s t i l l practice Golf Course Architecture professionally. Now, we need to l i s t e n The Agronomist The Geologist The Engineers - The Biologists) Zoologists)Entomologisbs) Listen good; this is why we are here today. W h a t ' s under that p i l e of clay you plan to build a course on? Any water down there; i s it salty? Suppose I want to build a l a k e , w i l l it hold water? Different kinds that can t e l l us about different things. And, they are allright. They have different things to l i s t e n t o . ARCHITECTS AND PUBLIC TRENDS David G i l l My three reasons for being here 1. 2. 3. Bring you folks up to date on what golf architects are doing. Let you know how you can help ms the most Give you some thoughts to assiso you in your own planning, operation and pro^ motion. Unfortunately the golf course architect is considered by many to be - e g o t i s t i c a l , self-centered, high-handed, status-seeking, conceited money grabbing snobs. Golf Course Architects are looking for ways to maintain interest and strategy in the game of g o l f , while cutting down the manpower costs (walk-thru traps - mechani c a l rakes, t r i p l e x greens mowers, the three " T ' s " - Traps - Trees - Tees. We are giving ALL golfers and p u b l i c , as well as country clubs, the finest golf possible. We have dropped the idea that a public course must be wide open a l l the way to get maximum number of players through in a day. A public golfer is more important to the golf industry than any club g o l f e r , and there are five times as many of them. Look at the Public Fee Courses Today! The N . C . R . course in Dayton for a l l intents and purposes i t ' s a public course. Look at Torry Pines in San Diego - A great municipal course, and look at the other Great Muny Courses in C a l i f o r n i a . How about No. 4 at Cog H i l l , and The Village Links of Glen Ellyn near Chicago? What about a l l of those Florida courses - they c a l l them country clubs? no more than vacation-oriented public fee courses. They are How about Sea Island, or Jekyll I s l a n d , Georgia, or Hilton Head I s l a n d , or maybe Sam Sneed ! s Greenbrier? Now, look at some oldies l i k e Pinehurst Country Club play there, and it was designed before 1920 by Donald Club is another Ross course we can all play; in f a c t , courses are open - they depend on the d a i l y or weekly t h a t l s a resort. You can Ross. Mid-Pines Country all those North Carolina fee player. We are using the latest innovations in equipment and materials i n our designs, and at times we design our own parts to make the course operate better. A public fee course, whether it is privately or municipally owned, must be operated for both fun and p r o f i t . A successful Muny course development is i n Coon Rapids, Mii/>.sota because it is selling at a profit - Great golf with Tees, Trees and Traps - ana both big and l i t t l e yardages. BALL MARK, BOUNCE M P ROLL W . H. Daniel Energy must be dissipated. Rootzones may be hard, dry, soft, wet, s l i c k , gritty - depending on the surface rootzone. Shoot for the pin - the b a l l sticks a short putt, and a happy golfer I Oh! What makes such utopia i n golf? Wet up the greens! They!-re too hard! Can't hold! Too f a s t ! Slick as ^ or too soft - too wet - too mushy - too much r a i n , or topdressing, or thatch, etc. Seeking facts - want to improve your game Overspin - backspin - pinch the b a l l - take a divot - bounce - hold. Technique is v i t a l to good golf - so see your Pro and get some refresher lessons; develop sound basic game techniques; then use your various clubs for wise approach for the green - over the traps - go for the f l a y - r o l l up for 1 putt (hopefully). Uniformity and Good Maintenance. A l l I B greens played uniformly today! That's great - the architect - the contractor - the current superintendent and his crew of workers (plus the weather) all had a part. Mowing, watering, combing, freshening topdressing, spiking, cultivation, f e r t i l i z i n g , draining, fungicides, e1c. all had contributed. sprinkling, The wetness of the morning turned to hard and dry by mid-afternoon, and thus the trend to calcined aggregates, more sand, more peat and LESS SOIL i n newer rootzones for greens. By the way, U . S . G . A . Green Section personnel figured 2 5 0 , 0 0 0 spike marks made on each green each day is normal use. No winder it compacts! Test Procedure The Lafayette Country Club Pro using a 9 iron from 100 yards out shot over 150 b a l l to the green. As the b a l l h i t , one person estimated the height of bounce, another measured the b a l l mark, another the distance of r o l l , and the type of mark made. In summary, a b a l l mark of 6 - 12 mm deep, a bounce of 2 f t . , a n d a r o l l less than 20 f t . , plus turf that does not t e a r , seemed the desired. Rootzone Dune sand (PURR-WICK) #3 sand, p i t , do Sand and soil S o i l some topmixing Desirable Roll in feet Range Avg. 11 14 21 27 6-15 6-22 11-31 20-44 £20 1 Ball mark mm. 13 12 12 11 6-12 Bounce ft. 2.0 2.0 3.0 3.2 2.0 Thus, the i n i t i a l give in porous media (sand) assured more uniform b a l l response as less bounce and r o l l . In a depression t e s t , a golf b a l l was beat into the 41 root zones. The dropping of a known weight 15 n against the b a l l made a depression which was immediately observed as millimeters depression. Both wet (excellent moist playing conditions on 7 / 2 0 / 7 1 ) and dry (some needing irrigation badly on 8 / 7 / 7 0 ) were recorded. Rootzone Dry mm. Wet mm. Soil Sand & soil Sand, p e a t , c a l . clay Sand, peat (new) 3.2 3.2 5.7 6.2 4.5 5.2 5.2 6.7 Wetting softened do Stays uniform do From this i n i t i a l data of depression stimulation and actual b a l l marks, it was evident fine porous media was able to maintain uniformity for quality g o l f . MANUFACTURED 'MATERIALS FOR BOOTZOMFQ W . H. Daniel Once we discard clay and silt as necessary ingredients in a rootzone, then wide vistas of new concepts and approaches can be dimly seen. H i s t o r i c a l l y , a good silt loam. s o i l , with ample organic matter, earthworms, aggregation and structure have been good for growing cultivated crops. Often under compaction such soils become plastic compacted and impervious. It i s true we can a e r i f y , avoid extremes and do much better today in managing those soils. Today i t l s construct hurriedly, and in spite of what may be desired,known or preferred. Sometimes good intentions can be carried out. Nevertheless, new materials can serve today as we specialize i n achievement. The peats, sludges, barks, h u l l s , composts, manures, mechanically separate, structurally improve and release nutrients as they deteriorate. These vary widely in composition and a v a i l a b i l i t y . The long lasting types are preferred. The calcined aggregates, Floromull, exchange r e s i n s , and chemicals manufactured offer an array of textures, long term s t a b i l i t y and compaction avoidance. Sand textures can and do offer a basis for incorporating these. The calcined aggregates - Lu-Soil, Terra-green, Turface and Prep are made from attapulgate clays heated about 1 8 0 0 ° F . for 20-30 minutes. The Dialoam is diatomaceous earth similarly treated. These have 60 - 80$ pore space, weight 3 0 - 4 0 # / c u . f t . dry, have some base exchange capacity, and are quite stable. After 13 years in our green, their particle shape and all features show desirable stab i l i t y , and i n f i l t r a t i o n continues very ample. With no soil used - I now prefer the finer particles (30-60 mesh) when mixed with finer sands. The exchange r e s i n s , both anion and cation, offer unique p o s s i b i l i t i e s formerly claimed by clays and humus fractions. Even 1 / 1 0 of 1% in the upper 211 of mix can equate a sand to a s i l t loam in exchange capacity. Sure i t ! s expensive, but the i n i t i a l point is they can perform. In experience we f i n d the compacted, moist sands and additives to provide useful rootzones. The Floramul and Hygromul of BSAF are being used in Germany, and are now introduced into the USA. These very light substitutes for peat and slow release nitrogen may pry open new doors. Vermiculite being 7% K^O i s attractive as an additive. Currently W . B. Davis of California has published a progress report on 5 sand§, 8 organics and 5 mineral additives. For example, one sand of uniform fine texture was acceptable with 10 - 20% of any additive. It couldn T t be ruined. In contrast, one sand with very f i n e fractions was not acceptable with any of the additives. lou see i t f s the basic limitation which is the key - in this case sand size. Thus, it would behoove us to be alert technically and f i n a n c i a l l y to wise usage of manufactured materials for rootzones. We do have new tools of construction. PRIMCIPLES IN SOIL DRAINAGE David S. Ralston, M i l l e r , Wihry, and Brooks, L o u i s v i l l e , Kentucky Inc., Water is essential for plant growth, but an excess of soil moisture in the rootzone can interfere with normal metabolic functions i n the p l a n t , as well as interfere with the intended use of the turf area. Standing water can weaken t u r f , make it more susceptible to disease, and even cause death by scald i f the sun heats the water to a high enough temperature. Excess water can also interfere with the user of the area whether he be the golfer trying to putt through the puddle on the green, the football player trying to maintain his footing on his pass cut, the homeowner trying to play badminton with h i s children on his day off work, or the sod grower trying to get his product out of a wet f i e l d to meet his customer demands. Soil drainage is essential for both maintenance and use of quality turf areas. Three things can happen to water which f a l l s on a turf 1. 2. 3. area: It can move across the surface and run off It can i n f i l t r a t e into the soil It can remain on the surface until it evaporates. Surface drainage is imperative for removal of excess moisture during a heavy rain so that we are not dependent on the soil plumbing system, or soil pores to remove large volumes of water at one time. Good surface drainage is the key to being able to maintain a uniform stand of turf on any heavy use area. In addition to good surface drainage, good internal drainage is needed to move water through the rootzone. I n f i l t r a t i o n into the soil is dependent on the size of the pores at the surface, as w e l l as the percolation rate of water within the rootzone. Water movement into the soil can also be influenced by a thatch layer at the surface which can, by i t s hydrophobic nature, prevent water from reaching the soil surface. The third alternative, that of evaporation at the surface, occurs when neither good surface drainage, nor good internal drainage is present. Water retained in depressions i s undesirable because i t weakens the t u r f , and can cause death by scald i f the sun heats the water in the puddle to sufficient temperature. I t i s also objectionable from the observer and user standpoints. Theref o r e , i t i s necessary to provide for good surface and internal drainage to avoid the presence of standing water. Water found i n soil can be described in the following three ways: 1. 2. 3. Hygroscopic water Capillary water Gravitational water Hygroscopic water is held t i g h t l y on the surfaces of the soil p a r t i c l e s , and i s not available to plant roots. Capillary water i s i n the fine pores, and is the primary source of water for plants. Gravitational water moves down to the water table through the larger pores, and is out of the reach of plant roots within a few days after a r a i n . We are most concerned with capillary water for the turfgrass needs. This i s the water which remains i n the finer soil pores after the excess or gravitational water has drained out of the larger pores. Capillary water movement in the fine pores i s dependent on the adhesion of the water molecules to the soil p a r t i c l e s , and the cohesion of the water molecules to each other. Their forces overcome the downward force of gravity so that capillary water movement can occur in any direction in the s o i l . The rate of water movement and the height to which water w i l l rise above the water table is dependent on the pore s i z e . As the soil continues to dry down, the water in the capillary pores is absorbed by the plant roots, and is lost at the surface through evaporation. Event u a l l y the pores become empty, and the remaining water in the dry s o i l i s hygroscopic water which is held to the soil particles with stronger forces than the plant root i s able to overcome. Thus, hygroscopic moisture is not available to plants. Let us take a closer look at what really affects the size of pores within the s o i l . Pore size is determined by both the size of the individual soil particles and the arrangement of the p a r t i c l e s . Texture refers to the size of the part i c l e s , e . g . , sand, s i l t and clay. Structure refers to the arrrangement of the particles i n the s o i l . A granular soil is one which has the individual sand, silt and clay particles arranged i n a somewhat spherical shaped aggregate or peds. The cementing agent which holds the particles together i s usually either large organic molecules, or iron oxides. Fine pores exist within each soil aggregate due to the arrangement of the sand, s i l t , and clay particles. Through combination of many such aggregates or peds together in the s o i l , large pores are formed between the peds which serve as channels for water movement through the rootzone. A well-aggregated soil is one i n which the excess water can move through the rootzone in the large aeration pores for rapid drainage. At the same time, moisture is stored in the finer pores within the peds to supply the requirements of the grass between showers. This system works well u n t i l the aggregates are subjected to stress, part i c u l a r l y when wet. Compaction due to t r a f f i c causes the cementing agent in the aggregates to lose i t s bonding strength and the aggregates to disperse into their individual sand, s i l t and clay components. Therefore, we reduce the large pores between the peds, which conduct water readily to small pores between individual particles which are slow to conduct moisture. The i n f i l t r a t i o n rate is greatly reduced by compaction, and surface runoff must then handle excess moisture. A l l s o i l , no matter what the texture, is subject to compaction. Under good f i e l d conditions the total soil volume would be composed of about 50% pore space, of which half would be large pores which would drain readily to provide air channels, and half would be smaller, capillary pores which would retain moisture for plant needs. However, with t r a f f i c on the area from both people and maintenance equipment, the soil can become s u f f i c i e n t l y compacted until only small capillary pores, which greatly restrict water movement, remain. Unfortunately the turf manager cannot afford the luxury the farmer enjoys of being able to plow the soil to alleviate the compacted conditions. Even i f this could be done, the s o i l , by its very nature, would s t i l l be subject to compaction, and i n the long run w o u l d have the same problem all over. What can be done to provide for good drainage in a rootzone? The logical way to construct a rootzone, which w i l l drain regardless of compaction due to t r a f f i c , is to eliminate the need for structural pores. In other words, the pores between the individual soil particles must be large enough to conduct water rapidly even when they are compressed as tightly as possible in the rootzone. To achieve t h i s , particles sand-size or larger, are needed. Hydraulic conductivity of medium sand is adequate to handle the desired percolation rates. Building a rootzone of 1 0 0 $ medium sand w i l l solve the drainage problem, but unless measures are taken to conserve moisture for plant needs, it could create a very droughty condition. The most effective way of conserving moisture in sand is to underlay the rootzone with plastic sheeting, and place the drains above the plastic so that excess water can be removed. Plastic-lined sand rootzones are referred to as PURR-WICK Rootzones, and they are covered in d e t a i l i n other t a l k s . Another method of conserving moisture i n sand is to add just enough soil and peat to provide some capillary pores for moisture storage without blocking the larger pores needed for drainage. The amount of soil needed depends on the texture of the s o i l and the uniformity of the sand. I n general, at least 70 to ^0% sand is necessary to insure adequate drainage pores after compaction. Thus, the challenge is to add just the right amount of soil and peat to sand to provide for water retention without reducing the effective pore size after compaction to the point — that irternal drainage is restricted. For renovation of large areas, such as athletic f i e l d s , fairways and home lawns, it is usually a better practice to add organic materials, such as peat and humus, to the soil rather than to try to dilute the soil with sand. When only a l i t t l e sand i s added to s o i l , one can virtually make cement after compaction due to t r a f f i c . Unless at least 70% sand i s used, and the area is small enough that the material can be thoroughly mixed off-site, then use organic materials for soil modification. The use of drain pipes in the soil can be an effective method of removing excess gravitational water, which w i l l provide for improved air circulation within the rootzone. The main purpose of the drain l i n e s i s to lower the water table, so they should be placed at least 2 to 3 feet deep in the p r o f i l e . It must be remembered that the presence of a drain l i n e at three feet w i l l not improve the infiltration at the surface i f the pores in the soil are compacted and w i l l not conduct the water to the outlet. Therefore, for quick i n f i l t r a t i o n and removal of surface water drain pipes are not the answer unless they are connected to the surface with a vert i c a l trench f i l l e d to the surface with fine gravel. Vertical trench drains are an effective means of getting water into the soil rapidly. They are usually from 1 to 6 " wide, from 1 to 3 f t . deep, and as long as necessary to get the water into the s o i l . It must be emphasized that they w i l l only function for drainage i f they are kept open at the surface. No soil should be allowed to seal the surface of the trench or the trench w i l l lose i t s effectiveness for drainage. Fine gravel or coarse sand can be used for backfilling the trench. I t is not necessary to have a drain outlet at the bottom of the trench, but it is desirable where possible. To summarize, a l l soils which depend on the large pores between the aggregates for drainage are subject to compaction. Compaction due to normal t r a f f i c creates small pores which w i l l not conduct water r a p i d l y , and therefore reduces the infiltration rate. Good surface drainage is then the only effective method of removing excess water. The way to avoid the adverse effects of compaction is to build rootzones so that the pores between the individual compacted particles w i l l permit an adequate hydraulic conductivity rate for good drainage. This means straight sand, or sand with a very low percentage of s o i l . Unless a sandy rootzone material is used, the problem of compaction at the surface w i l l eventually occur. Drain l i n e s w i l l lower the water table to provide a better environment for turf roots, but they w i l l not necessarily improve the rate of water movement into and through the s o i l . Vertical trenches can provide a practical means of getting water into the soil rapidly so that the surface is ready for the user. Adequate soil drainage is v i t a l both for the maintenance of f i n e turf and for the unrestricted use of the turf area. BUILDIMG GREENS TODAY Brent Wadsworth, The Wadsworth Company Plainfield, Illinois Our subject is "Building Greens Today. n As the t i t l e suggests, it pertains to a particular f a c i l i t y regarding the game of g o l f . As one of those interested i n serving this game, mainly i n the f i e l d of construction* it would be proper to dwell for a moment on the requirements of the game rather than those of our special interests pertaining to the physical structure of greens. I t i s the game and those who play it who shall demand and dictate what is f i n a l l y acceptable. Anything that we do as researchers, or i n s t a l l e r s , or turf managers must provide a surface which is to their l i k i n g for providing: 1. 2. 3. A base which is rolling in contour, not too steep or too l e v e l . A surface which i s firm enough to allow foot t r a f f i c without impressions, and yet not too firm that a b a l l w i l l not bounce or react to spin. And f i n a l l y , because of universal and aged acceptance, a grass type ground cover - most preferably no imitation types. I n order to achieve these varied demands, there have been through the years many different things tried and u t i l i z e d from the non-grass type surfaces, such as oiled sand (now almost e x t i n c t ) , and netting through the grass-like imitations to varied medias for growing the ultimate surface cover. Remember when the amendments of cocoa s h e l l s , sawdust, vermiculite, and pearlite were popular? And s t i l l the calcined clays are used with great acceptance, as well as the many other common organic and inorganic amendments, such as sand, peat, and f e r t i l i z e r which all contribute to the alteration and modification of s o i l physical properties. Our subject has then the great quality of invoking more discussion, ideas, theories, rationales, and downright arguments with everyone and anyone involved with the game than probably any other subject - and that includes the subject of grass in any and all its forms. But, we in the construction f i e l d are v i t a l l y interested in green construction as it comprises a great part of our work. It is a b u i l d e r ' s position to install the greens to the architect's design and specifications. How well he does his job is how w e l l he follows the instructions given to him. On the other hand, it is most certainly the architect's responsibility to research his requirements, and specify what he believes is the best available structure for the needs of his c l i e n t . And f i n a l l y , it has f a l l e n to the researcher and experimenter to develop the many ideas available, or should we say opportunities available? But, i n the never ending search to achieve the best putting surface, experimentation continues. We all must give credit to the efforts of those who are developing new ideas such as the completely controlled rootzone PURR-WICK system, along with the presently accepted U . S . G . A . recommended type of construction. And there are other ideas which revolve around the mixture, and the mixing of the many kinds of soil amendments. Certainly there s t i l l exists the p o s s i b i l i t y of great new things to be developed in the area of green construction in the following ways: 1. 2. 3. 4. I n the grass growing medium w i t h i n the base i t s e l f . Within the area of i r r i g a t i o n , both underground and overhead. Within the area of subsoil drainage. And f i n a l l y , within the area of turfgrass development for use on the putting green surface. A l l these areas and/or combinations of several, such as the PURR-WICK and U . S . G . A . ideas certainly lead to varied experimentation in order to achieve fine results. So, what are the basic structural parts that we must work with in building a modern green today? 1. First of a l l , there is the sub-grade. Generally this i s the earth work which i s placed on a particular location, and molded to an architect's design. Here is a possible part of a green that is often overlooked for the support of basic functions which a green requires. It can and should be molded to obt a i n the best possible drainage qualities available. A well located, shaped and sloped sub-surface affords the least problems of maintenance. Many of you have noticed that the best greens are those which are well-elevated and vent i l a t e d properly. Those greens which are low and positioned in poorly ventilated areas are the most susceptible to disease, and require the greatest care. 2. The second part is sub-surface drainage. Today we have generally accepted the fact that a system of t i l e , either clay, bituminous f i b e r , or plastic types, do this job adequately. They are installed either within the sub-surface, or on the sub-surface base with gravel and sand placed over them in a blanket fashion. The system of gravel and sand, as w e l l as the t i l e , formulate the the sub-surface drainage system. This is required to remove excessive water after heavy r a i n f a l l s , or over-watering, which i s not uncommon on low parts of greens. 3. This third part i s the irrigation system. This may be a system of overhead, pop-up sprinklers, or manual inserted sprinklers fed from piping that is brought into and around the greens. The PURR-WICK system uses the underground type of irrigation system where there is no overhead requirement. The water is actually placed undergrnund through the pipes and seeps through the sub-soil, feeding the roots as needed - quite an idea. 4. The fourth part of a green is the growing medium i t s e l f , referred to by many as the green base, or greens mixture. This is where a prescribed or chosen combination of sands, topsoils, peats, as well as other amendments th'kt we spoke of e a r l i e r , are mixed in various fashions, and installed to various depths and f i n a l l y contoured into the finished green. 5. The last part is the putting surface cover i t s e l f - and by that i s meant the type of grass which is going to be u t i l i z e d . This is actually what all the previous elements are put into place f o r , to provide a medium to grow the best grass possible. But, what types of greens are being built today outside of those which are for experimental purposes only? Generally, I would say that they in large part consist of greens which make use of local materials. They most always are built of a combination of sand, peat, and t o p s o i l , with or without some type of sub-surface dradjiage system, and a common manual or automatic sprinkler type irrigation system. The different soil amendments or materials are measured and mixed following rough contouring either on the green surface or nearby, and placed on the green to the desired thickness. I am now speaking of the general number of golf greens being built today, including the many rural courses that are built and never receive the great amount of play that the city-type courses are forced to accept. Given courses without a great deal of t r a f f i c , we could all put our efforts to better things. Traffic i n the form of shoes and balls under a l l sorts of conditions downgrades a surface continually. Therefore, there i s the constant effort to continue to work toward more acceptable playing conditions to overcome those situations which reduce the surface quality. That is to say that work continues on not only improvements for better construction, but also for improved turf management as well. But, i f the growing medium can decrease the problems of management, then by a l l means we should continue to work in this direction. But, why aren't more greens being built to the new standards with new ideas incorporated i n them? I t ' s pure and simple - Available Money. Very few are able to be built to where a budget is of l i t t l e concern. False economy you say. Sure it is when you stop to consider that as a general rule the cost of maintenance on a golf course today is 2 5 $ of the cost of a particular golf course as it was b u i l t . In 5 years the maintenance on a golf course exceeds the construction cost. Can you imagine a building or road being built to this ratio? L e t ' s see now, maybe we can maneuver spending around to include more for the green and l e s s for other things. But, every golf course needs earth moved to conform to generally accepted standards, and provide the architect with his requirements. This contouring is what the golfer sees and on which he enjoys playing. I f there are trees to be removed this cost must remain. Today the builder i s faced with pollution problems connected with burning as the superintendents are being forced to deal with pollution chemical controls, and this has caused clearing costs to become even, higher. Could we by today 1 s standards ever think of not f u l l y irrigating a golf course? Hardly; i n f a c t , now the automatic principle is so accepted that very few courses are being built without i t . Drainage, bridges, car paths, new maintenance buildi n g s , maintenance equipment, grass seed, f e r t i l i z e r , and so it goes - all v i t a l l y necessary expenditures. But, you say the greens - they're the foundation of every golf course. They sure are, and we all better believe i t . But, just try to get an extra buck to put in something super or try to exclude something e l s e , and w e l l , you know the story. I f methods for green construction are to be developed which produce not only a superior grass, as well as a superior putting surface under all kinds of problematical conditions, and further, i f such developments involve the use of labor, it must be a type of construction which limits the labor aspects of the installation. Otherwise only those golf courses with high construction budgets w i l l be able to afford such an i n s t a l l a t i o n . Or, as i s happening at many golf courses today, the golf course superintendent is remodeling the greens with his own lower cost personnel to the newly accepted ideas. With low budgets and high wages, the squeeze is r e a l l y on today. And generally, construction is going to be the one which w i l l have to accept the showdown. In f a c t , it has already begun. Our government is forcing the construction industry to change its ways. I n this area i n recent years, between 1965 and 1 9 7 0 , labor costs in the construction industry have risen 4 7 $ . Golf course starts are considerably down in 1970 and probably w i l l be so in 1 9 7 1 . As b u i l d e r s , we are faced with extreme problems of labor costs, and moreover, are forced to accept unwanted work rules and increased fringe costs. I n addition to dealing with high labor costs, the builder today i s also faced with the problem of obtaining materials which meet the specifications with which he is required to d e l i v e r . For instance, it i s now generally accepted that the best sand for putting greens base must range between . 3 0 ( 3 0 hundredths) of a millimeter to 1 . 0 0 (one) millimeter i n s i z e . I t is generally not possible to purchase a sand with t h i s gradation in the quantities needed for green construction on a local level. Nor w i l l anyone produce this gradation especially for you. So the question i s raised - is it worth the extreme expense to haul the proper sand from a long distance and pay an extremely high premium? I t i s a matter of judgment which the person who i s spending the money for the construction w i l l f i n a l l y make. But also, the researcher and the architect must reckon with these problems as they do affect the final installation. A g a i n , most greens being built today are s t i l l being built by the so-called shotgun mixing method, u t i l i z i n g various magical percentages of peat, sand, and tops o i l , plus subsurface drainage t i l e with great variances in the amount and the design of the drainage, and generally u t i l i z i n g local materials. I f this trend is to be changed, then new ideas.must be developed by research and development agencies, both public and private, and they must satisfy or increase the carrying capacities of each of the following objectives: 1. 2. 3. For the architect, a golf green which meets the generally accepted standards of d e s i g n , s i z e , shape and contouring. For the golfer, a putting surface which eliminates b a l l marks, foot marks, and other depressions,and yet w i l l be consistent in the ball-holding q u a l i t i e s . W i l l accept heavy r a i n s , prolonged droughts, or great temperature variances without adverse affect during all seasons of the year. 4. 5. 6. W i l l give the golf enthusiasts and players a natural type of vegetation, For the golf course superintendent, a surface which may be managed with part i c u l a r ease and without excessive cost in relationship to the balance of the golf course maintenance operation. And f i n a l l y , for the b u i l d e r , accomplish all of these benefits by allowing for an inexpensive installation in relation to the installation costs of the rest of the golf course. I f these objectives can be produced, then we w i l l have f i n e greens for a l l the golfers everywhere. I f we do not achieve these r e s u l t s , then selective courses only w i l l achieve greens of the best q u a l i t i e s , and the market w i l l be l a i d open to the new imitation grass development. We are able to be here discussing this very subject because and only because the imitation grasses have not taken over our game as yet. How soon w i l l it be? We know they have already taken over football and baseball. D r . Fred Grau, during an informal discussion at the end of the Midwest Turf Conference three years ago, said the following, "We must f i n d new answers and we must f i n d them f a s t . We have not the time to waste nor the time to be i n e f f e c t i v e . " Have we achieved the results of which I have l i s t e d in today 1 s newest developments? I t ' s for sure someone is trying. My personal hope, however, is that everyone's c answer w i l l take place within the development of superior grass requiring very l i t t l e extra growth medium requirements. I n other words, i t w i l l be simple, simple, and simple, so no one can miss - not even the golfer. I f we can do t h i s , then we w i l l have made one of those giant steps forward, and put the imitation grass out of reach for the golf course green. This i s my challenge as a b u i l d e r , and we must achieve it i f we are truly to keep genuine greens turf modern. INSTALLING AND USING INTIMATE MIXES Stephen K. Gipson, S u p t . , J . D . Wright Recreation Center Chesterland, Ohio For many years superintendents realized the quality of golf greens left something to be desired - they were either too wet, too dry, too hard, too soft, and any other "too" i n the long, long l i s t . Demands upon golf courses become greater with each passing year, and inadequacies become more evident as play increased. The center of attention was and i s the putting green. As superintendents, we could be forgiven less than desirable conditions on our golf courses in areas other than those associated with the putting greens. We wanted and needed to improve the quali t y of our greens. In 1948., the USGA Greens Section became interested in the quality of golf as related to putting greens. Research began at that time at places l i k e B e l t s v i l l e , Maryland, Oklahoma State, University of C a l i f o r n i a , and since 1954 Texas A & M. S o i l physicists began postulating theories, performing laboratory t e s t s , and f i e l d tests. Over the years, the method of greens construction that has become popular is the USGA Green Section Specification Method. This method has attempted to replace the "by guess and by gosh" approach with laboratory t e s t i n g , evaluation, and scient i f i c recommendations. The greens constructed by the USGA method have proven themselves to this superintendent. There are, without question, many other methods of greens construction. These methods range from use of native s o i l , to sand amendments, calcined clay amendments, to systems similar to the PURR-WICK system. Many of you work with these variusly constructed greens on a daily schedule. However, a great many of you are not s a t i s f i e d with your greens such as thejf- this fact is evidenced by your yearly efforts to improve your greens. Nearly every superintendent w i l l modify the soil mixture of his greens i f the soil is not a USGA green or high i n sand content. The USGA green is expensive to b u i l d , a n d i f we analyze this type of construction we can see the cost factors. The green should be constructed by excavating an area slightly larger than the eventual putting surface. This excavation should be to the f u l l depth of a l l materials involved, 17 to 18 inches, or as close to this depth as possible. At TRW we used an A l l i s Chalmers HD-11 E P , comparable in size to a Cat D-6 at $ 2 3 . 0 0 per hour, including the operator. This operation requires close to a f u l l day of work per green, and a great amount of finesse on the part of the operator. The subsoil base of the green must match f i n a l green contours with a plus or minus one inch. Next comes the necessary t i l e system. The pattern type used for the t i l e system can be herringbone, gridiron, or some variation of either type. These patterns are the easiest to work with in most situations. Trenches cut into the subsoil contour should be to a depth of 4 to 6 inches. The t i l e is then placed in the trench on a bed of pea gravel and covered with pea gravel. The spoils from the trench can be spread evenly over the bottom of the green area, or better y e t , remove them entirely. We were able to t i l e four greens per day with one trencher and f i v e laborers. The trencher cost $ 1 2 . 0 0 per hour, including the operator. We used 500 to 800 linear feet of 4 inch perforated rigid plastic pipe per green at a cost of 27<£ per foot. Labor cost $ 8 . 5 0 per hour per man. Next came the pea gravel. This material was applied i n the same manner as we would the greens mix material. The pea gravel was dumped around the perimeter of the green on the subgrade. This material was then spread to a depth of 4 inches using a small 450 dozer, and two laborers with rakes. We could complete 4 to 6 greens per d a y . . Our cost for the dozer was $ 1 5 . 0 0 per hour, including operator. Laborers were $ 8 . 5 0 per hour per man. Based on 7500 s q . f t . per green we required 120 tons of pea gravel per green at a cost of $ 2 . 9 5 per ton delivered. The choker layer of 1 - 1 / 2 inches of material was applied next i n the same manner as the pea gravel. We used the same machine and crew as on the pea gravel stage, and the per hour rates would be the same. The material used for the choked layer goes by the names of f i l t e r bed grits and shot rock in our area. This material is not a sand, however. This material was graded to l / 8 inch in size and our cost was $ 4 . 7 0 per ton. We used approximately 40 tons of this mat e r i a l per green. The USGA recommends course or concrete sand. I have used the grits on two courses and I prefer the g r i t s . We f e l t that concrete sand would contain some fines which would wash into the pea gravel and possibly into the draintiles. This washing w i l l not take place with the g r i t s , and they support the greens mix material as well as the concrete sand. Our greens mix ratio was 7 parts sand, 1 part s o i l , and 2 parts peatmoss. This ratio was established by Agri-systems based on tests of our sand, soil and peatmoss. These ratios are for our own materials and they should not be used on any other course. Materials can vary so much from one locale to another that it is imperative that your materials and sources lie tested for your corrected r a t i o . I t is my understanding that there is now another laboratory approved by the USGA for testing of the greens material. The sand used for our mix was a s i l i c a type costing $ 3 . 0 5 per ton del i v e r e d ; the peat was $ 6 . 5 0 per cu. yd. delivered. The stockpiled material was then pre-mixed one time using a TL-645 rubber t i r e loader at a cost of $ 2 6 . 0 0 per hour including operator. This was a 4 cu. yd. loader, and things were moved rapidly - however, it does take some time to pre-mix 1 0 , 0 0 0 cubic yards of material. The pre-mix material was then processed by a shredding machine at the rate of 65 cu. yds.per hour. The TL-645 loader was used to charge the shredding hopper. The hourly rate of the shredder was $ 41-00 per hour, and t h a t , coupled with the loader cost $ 2 6 . 0 0 per hour which gave us a total of $ 6 7 . 0 0 per hour. Whenever we had a sufficient stockpile of shredded material we would load it into tandem trucks and haul the material to the green. The small 450 dozer would then spread the material starting at the edge of the green and work it to all portions of the green from one dump point. The dozer remained on the material at a l l times. We noticed no damage from the weight of the machine to the soil structure or t i l e l i n e s . We were apprehensive about the machine weight when spreading the pea gravel. However, we made spot checks of the t i l e l i n e s , and as long as the machine crossed a t i l e on four inches of gravel and perpendicular to the t i l e l i n e , then no damage occurred. Two laborers accompanied the dozer to check depth, contours, i n s t a l l plastic sheeting, and to hand-fill around the plastic to prevent machine damaged. We installed 4 mil clear polyethylene sheeting 18 inches high around the perimeter of the green. The double thickness sheeting was held in plage by driving «takes into the s o i l on 3 to 5 intervals, and stapling the plastic to/stakes much the same way as insulation is installed. Once the mix material has been installed the stakes can easily be removed by pulling them from the s o i l , leaving the plastic in place to act as a v e r t i c a l barrier. With the plastic in place you have a b a r r i e r , although a poor one, to tree roots. The prime importance of the barrier is to prevent water from being attracted to the small pore spaces of the surrounding native soil from the greens mix. USGA greens not having the plastic barrier do have a tendency towards dry collars and putting surface edges. The operation of installing the plastic and greens mix required two laborers at $ 8 . 5 0 per hour each, a 450 dozer at $ 1 5 . 0 0 per hour, 4 tandem trucks at $ 1 2 . 0 0 per hour each, one TL-645 loader at $ 2 6 . 0 0 perhour. With this arrangement we could complete three to four greens d a i l y . The small 450 dozer was able to rough grade and compact the mix. The f i n a l contouring of the greens was done with a farm t i r e tractor and grade box. The operator would smooth out and blend the rough green into a f i n e l y contoured putting green. We could complete four greens per day at a ccst of $ 1 9 . 0 0 per hour with this tractor. Once compaction was achieved, we applied f e r t i l i z e r to the surface, and worked the material into the s o i l . We then applied C-15 Toronto stolons by the hydro-stolonizing method. The green was covered at a rate of 8 bu. of stolons per 1,000 sq.ft. With this method we could stolonize 9 greens in less than eight hours The stolons were priced at $ 3-00 per b u . , with the cost of the hydro-stolonizer, labor and mulch adding another $ 1 . 5 0 per bu. to the cost. A l l of the above sounds l i k e a lot %f work and expense for a putting green There is no question that it is just t h a t , but I f e e l the advantages f a r outweigh the expenses. I f we, as superintendents, can alleviate some of our problems due to water and compaction at the starts then many of our headaches are solved. Greens that w i l l adequately disperse excess water, or absorb needed water, w i l l be i n play sooner after a heavy storm, and take the needed water during periods of stress. They resist compaction by virtue of their raw materials, but these greens do require a e r i f i c a t i o n . You can also expect an increase i n watering rates. However, these greens make more efficient use of the water available to them because of the perched water table system. Water w i l l move f r e e l y down through the soil mixture u n t i l it meets the gravel layer. At the interface of the soil mixture and gravel layers the water w i l l not pass into the gravel layer until the weight of the water in the s o i l mixture accumulates enough weight to break the surface tension of the water at the interface. When the surface tension is broken, then the water from the mix flows freely into the gravel and t i l e system. This layer forces the soil mixture to hold more water than it normally would, and provides adequate soil moisture for good growth. Many times during heavy rains f i e l d capacity is reached rapidly. However, f i e l d capacity or something slightly less is enough to start the greens draining. I have experienced rains of between two and three inches per hour in intensity, and have observed greens ready for play less than three hours l a t e r , which is long before the rest of the golf course w i l l be ready for play. It has been observed that the USGA greens w i l l withstand more wear, hold shots b e t t e r , have less drainage problems, have fewer disease problems directly associated with compaction and high water content, have less compaction than greens built with heavier s o i l s . The USGA greens are not free from problems, however. They require more water, they tend to crust in early stages of development, they do require more f e r t i l i z e r due to high porosity, and establishment of a good putting surface takes additional attention. The associated problems of cost, labor required for i n s t a l l a t i o n , and day to day problems with this method of construction seem a very small price to pay i n the long run. I prefer this method of construction, and I w i l l use it every time I ' m given the opportunity. A PURR-WICK GREEN William Story, S u p t . , Carmi C. C armi, I l l i n o i s C., I went to Carmi Country Club in 1965 as manager and superintendent, which was my f i r s t experience of operating a golf course, although I had played golf for forty years. I set up a five year improvement program to improve the course as much as possible i n the very low budget available. Tie year of 1969 called for rebuilding the Par-3, No. 3 hole. The small old green was very small, built in a low spot, surrounded by trees with poor air circulation. After checking cost and labor to build a U . S . G . A . green, I found it inpossible to build this green on the $ 2 , 5 0 0 . 0 0 available. After talking to Dr. Daniel I became interested in building a PURR-WICK green. I f i n a l l y got the O . K . to go ahead on it in June, 1 9 6 9 . On August 1 3 , we bulldozed out the old green, and cut the grade for 4000 s q . f t . We hired no extra labor, our own crew did all the work just as we had time. We got everything ready to apply the sand, and had a 13 ton load of sand arriving every 15 minutes. We spread 280 tons of sand from 8 : 3 0 A . M . to 3 : 0 0 P . M . We raked i n 2 tons of calcined clay, and 1 ton of Michigan peat into the top 2 inches. We planted with Penncross on September 4j> and mulched with wheat straw. We removed the straw on September 1 2 , and mowed the green on the 15th for the f i r s t time. The green was opened for play on October 1 0 , and has not been closed to play since. At f i r s t the footprints were a problem, but after three topdressings - 1 i n late f a l l and 2 in the spring - we had a very smooth putting surface, and the green plays the same regardless of whether it is wet or dry. The members are very happy with the playing conditions. A PURR-WICK GREEN Jack Maurer, S u p t . , Belle Meade C. Nashville, Tennessee C., In 1969j I attended this meeting to receive information on the PURR-WICK system, and we decided to rebuild our putting green. The two basic reasons why we used PURR-WICK 1. For better control over drainage because the biggest problem i n the Nashville area is pythium disease, and good internal drainage - an asset for the cont r o l of pythium. 2. Lower construction cost of the green. The f i r s t slide showed a cross cut of our PURR-WICK green, showing the 2 n PVC s l i t pipe; how we created our reservoir pool and control of the height of the water. Showed l 6 n depth of the sand, and the topmix of peat and calcined clay which I tried to keep at 2 n mix. Next, showed the end cut of the green where it showed 4 " Orangeburg pipe to drape the plastic over, and showed where the drain pipe was located. The upper terrace, where we taped the plastic together, and the lower terrace showed where I used the 4 n pipe as a terrace divider. We used 10 mil 20 x 100 1 sheets of p l a s t i c . Next, reservoir pools on the lower terrace - the upper terrace was one large pool with the plastic taped together. A 6 " l i p along the internal edges of the upper terraces would help in controlling the siphoning. Where you use a pipe as a divider would l i k e to caution you to pack sand along the side of the pipe to support the p l a s t i c . The base of the green can be undercut just a l i t t l e , then use sand to get the l e v e l . To go through your plastic wall with drain p i p e , take two flanges with two gaskets - one on each side of the plastic - bolt them together. Then cut out hole in the p l a s t i c . To put sand on the green, i t seemed best to spread each load as i t is delivered onto the green. Constantly keep it watered. This w i l l enable you to compact the sand, and spread and pushed out. The application of peat was applied with a top dresser, set wide open. Possi b l y two applications would have been better. We used 2 tons of calcined clay. I believe another 1 - 2 tons would have been helpful. We used an Easy-flo spreader to apply the calcined clay. Working the peat and calcined clay into the top 2 inches we used a Ryan Mat-Away - went over it several different ways. This worked very w e l l . Need a rope pull to keep it moving e a s i l y . The construction of the green was started on March 2 4 ; seeded on A p r i l 1 5 , and our f i r s t mowing was May 4 . We opened the green for play around July 5 . The cost was $ 3 6 0 0 . 0 0 , or about 640 a square foot for the 5500 s q . f t . I f e e l the cost of this green was higher than necessary. A saving can be made i n time, labor and equipment. We did have to remove the old green f i r s t . I t was f e r t i l i z e d about every 2 - 3 weeks on up to around the middle of July u n t i l a bad case of brownpatch; then we stopped f e r t i l i z i n g u n t i l the latter part of September. We seeded with Penncross seed, 2 l b s . per 1 , 0 0 0 . I did not mulch the green just seeded and watered - germination a l i t t l e slower than expected. I am sure mulch would have been a help to u s . I f I had added a l i t t l e more peat and calcined clay this would have been helpful also. FERTILIZERS, TOPDRESSING, INSECTICIDES AND FUNGICIDES Used on the PURR-WICK, 50000 s q . f t . green at the Owensboro Country Club for the 1970 season George Lumpkins, S u p t . , Owensboro, Kentucky This PURR-WICK green was seeded and mulched on November 6 , 1969* using 1-1/2 l b s . Penncross seed per 1 , 0 0 0 s q . f t . The seeding was late in our section of the country - about 65$ germination. The winter passed very slowly. I suppose I was i n too much of a hurry to see the green grow and have the members playing on i t . At the f i r s t sign of spring I was ready to remove the straw from the green. However, we had more bad weather. On A p r i l 1 we removed the straw, soon had 3 i inches of r a i n . The green had covered very w e l l , but the grass was tender. The temperature dropped into the teens, so we had to re-cover the green. Luckily we had just pushed the straw off to the side of the green. On April 17 we uncovered the green for good. This green was opened on the f i r s t Saturday i n May for weekends. Then it was opened on June 10 for f u l l play. Watering; the Green We would let the green go approximately 4 days without adding water. In a hot windy 24-hour period we found the free water in pipe would use approximately 1 . 5 inches. This i s estimated to be about l / 3 n of actual water use (from pore space) per day. D r . W . H. D a n i e l , who developed the PURR-WICK i d e a , stopped for a look in June. He suggested that we add 6 n nipples on outlets in each t i e r just as an experiment. This idea worked well up u n t i l the last two weeks i n July when the algae problem came along. Then we knew we were saving too much water and went back to only 4 inches of reserve water. I had very good results with this amount of water being carried i n each t i e r . "Before watering the green the junction, box was always checked for amounts of water in each t i e r . The watering was simple. We either ro±£.e& the dew from the green, or double drag the dew off with two tractors with the hose between. F e r t i l i z e r s Used on PURR-WICK Green, Date May 1 June 1 11 28 July 12 Aug. 10 Aug. 2 4 Sept.28 Total Material Milorganite 38-0-0 22-5-5-FF 18-5-10 22-5-5-FF 6-3-0 18-5-10 lbs./l,000 10 sq.ft. 4 5 4 10 10 269 1970 N 6 3 8 8 9 8 6 1 8 9 3 P2°5 K20 .5 0 .2 .25 .2 .3 .5 2.0 .1 0 .2 .5 .2 .0 1.0 2.0 Topdressing PURR-WICK The topdressing was 65% sand, 25% peatmoss, and 10% calcined clay. This "was used at 1 / 4 inch ( 8 cu. yds. per 1 , 0 0 0 ) on June 7j> lighter on August 1 7 , and l / 8 inch on October 1 4 . In 1971* we w i l l aerate the green, and break up the cores at least once, and then topdress at least two more times. Spraying, Fungicides, Herbicides, and Insecticides Spraying the PURR-WICK green was just l i k e spraying a regular soil green. We are on a preventative program of 4 oz. Thiram, and 1 oz. of P . M . A . S . M . We spray on Tuesday and Friday during hot, humid weather - July to September. Koban was used only twice as we had a few spots of pythium on this green. I am well pleased with the green and the control of the pythium. We had no brownpatch. sq.ft. As for herbicides, chlordane granules were applied at 10 l b s . per 1 , 0 0 0 on May 2 9 , and again at 2 l b s . (to control cutworms) on August 5. We started mowing the green at l / 2 inch, and kept lowering u n t i l at 3 / 1 6 during the early summer; then going up to l / 4 inch during the very hot season. I had one problem getting the grass to grow near one edge. Dr. Daniel advised plugging with 2 inch plugs from my sand nursery. This we did and it completely healed i n . We are i n the process of building two more greens i n the very near future. I ' m sure these w i l l be the PURR-WICK type. For our area of the country I think this is the best way to reduce the disease problem. I t also w i l l help during those summer showers to rid the green of water. -50- For winter play this green does not heave and thaw l i k e a soil green, nor footprint as badly during the winter. I am sure we w i l l see more of these greens being built in the future. It is cheaper to buy sand and peatmoss and calcined clay than to buy good t o p s o i l . We have found a way to build a green and save too. Weather Chart for Western Kentucky, and Factors Concerning PURR-WICK green Section of •feh-iérs cf Water D A B C £511 £¡11 5" 5" Dew pattern HeavyHeavy Heavy 6" 4" 6" 4" 6" 4" 6" 4" High temp. 86° 96° 85° 9/23/70 2" 2" 2" 2" 92° 10/12/70 70° Medium 4" 4" 4" 4" Root depth in regular s o i l green July August September October Date 6/24/70 7/27/70 8/13/70 Heavy Humidity 70$ 80$ 70$ 66% 80$ WeaRoot depth ther H.A. L.A. Showers 8" - . 1 0 " Hot-humid 1 0 " - 1 2 " 8" Used 6" pop-up 0 Hot-humid 8" - 10» P . Cloudy . 5 2 Cloudy,cool 1011! _ 12'! Rain .42 .25 0 3" 4" 6" 6" - 6" 8" 8" 8» PURR-WICK GREEN A r i e l C. Hunt, A s s ' t . Supt. E v a n s v i l l e , Indiana Parks Our PURR-WICK was built in 1970 - began August 2 5 , and finished September 30, 1970. I t is approximately 6 , 0 0 0 s q . f t . , and cost approximately $ 2 , 9 0 0 . 0 0 . Seeded with Penncross at the rate of 2 l b s . per 1 , 0 0 0 s q . f t . , and young grass established before cold weather. I would have liked to have seeded e a r l i e r , but inclement weather and labor shortage prevented t h i s . I t is very important to draw plans and calculate as near as possible what materials are going to be needed before i n i t i a t i n g PURR-WICK construction. The shape, s i z e , variation in elevation, particle size sand, and average depth should be determined beforehand. (Editor's Note.) It is of interest that plastic figures so obviously i n the PURR-WICK system. Any item giving zero tension could be used. Plastic sheeting may be bought from 2 mil to 3 0 mil thickness - 10 mil seems adequate. The smaller corrugated plastic tubing, already used i n Europe, is being made by at least two companies i n the U. S . i n the 2 " s i z e . E a r l i e r models used regular water pipe cut with a coping saw. Plastic irrigation pipe and sprinklers, plus use of plastic covers for growth encouragement during wintertime, are other examples. Impervious Layer Plastic sheeting 4 rolls ( 8 m i l ) tape 4 rolls ( 2 n x 1 0 0 1 ) 4 " pipe for internal ledges rods to anchor pipe Water Control 2 " PVC 530 1 F i t t i n g s , etc. Concrete pit and cover Rootzone Sand, 22 tons coarse 604 tons, masonry f i n e Peat, 12 cu. yds. Calcined clay, 2 tons F e r t i l i z e r and seed Materials Labor, 438 hours, avg. $ 2 . 7 5 Grand total $ $ 154.00 80.00 8.00 58.00 8.00 200.00 $ 141.00 43.00 16.00 1282.00 25.00 1027.00 110.00 50.00 70.00 1636.00 1204.00 $2840.00 CONTINUED PROGRESS WITH PURR-WICK Birdie Shelton, L & N Golf Course Brooks, Kentucky As reported last year, the L & N Golf Club built a 5^000 s q . f t . green. It n included 4 t i e r s . 425 tons of sand were placed in a range of 12 - 1 8 . The estimate of material value was 400 per s q . f t . When using heavy equipment the upper tiers were damaged so that neither retained surplus water as free-ponded reserve. Conversely, the lower section tends to have excess water because of the contributions from the upper portion. Thus, it was necessary to water the upper areas more, and the lower l e a s t . Last year we built a tee and sodded it with Zoysia. water because of the reserve created i n the base. I t needs very l i t t l e Overwinter a new green is being b u i l t . The sand is now i n place. material cost should be about the same as before. The EXAMPLES OF CONSTRUCTION COSTS W . H. Where Who Size C. C. of Owensboro, Ky. George Lumpkins, Supt. Daniel - When 5000 s q . f t . , 4 t i e r s Nov. 6 , 1969 Cost/sq.ft. Materials Labor .30 .14 Total .44 Belle Meade C . C N a s h v i l l e , T e n n . Jack Maurer, Supt. 5500 s q . f t . , 2 t i e r s A p r i l 1 5 , 1970 .64 Carmi C . C . , I l l i n o i s B i l l Story, Supt. 4000 s q . f t . , 4 t i e r s Sept. 4 , 1969 .40 Helfrich G . C o u r s e , E v a n s v i l l j ^ A . C . Hunt, Supervisor ' 6000 s q . f t . , 3 t i e r s L & N Golf Club, L o u i s v i l l e , K y . Birdie SheIton 5000 s q . f t . , 4 t i e r s Oct. 2 6 , 1968 Sand costs reported varied from over $ 4 . General averages per green are: Impervious layer Water Control Rootzone .27 .20 .47 .40 .20 .60 to less than $ 2 / t o n . $ 200.00 200.00 1600.00 plus irrigation and seeding, or stolons, as desired. THE SOIL CHEMICALLY John P. Bryant, International Min. & Chem. Corp. Libertyville, Illinois We need to refresh our memory on some of the basic principles of s o i l fert i l i t y so that we can more f u l l y appreciate some of the things that happen to our s o i l s , our f e r t i l i z e r s , and eventually our t u r f . You w i l l recall that all matter on earth i s made up of 104 elements, and occur as atoms. Some are oxygen (we b r e a t h e ) , i r o n , aluminum (familiar metal) nitrogen and phosphorus. Atoms have an electrical charge either positive or negative. This means that they would have an attraction for each other - much l i k e a magnet attracts metal. When one or more positively charged atoms f i t together with one or more negatively charged atoms, we c a l l the new formation a COMPOUND. I n forming oompounds, the charged atoms f i t together in such a way that the resulting compound doesn't have any charge, that i s , it is neutral. Of a l l the s o i l material - sand, s i l t and clay - only the clay is important i n most chemical and physical properties affecting growth of plants. A clay particle is made up of mainly 4 atoms - s i l i c o n , aluminum, hydrogen, and oxygen. And, they always f i t together to make this clay particle a f l a t , plate-like, or sheet-like structure. The clay is neutral - these broken, ragged edges leaving some of the atoms exposed as a negative charge. Therefore, i t has the a b i l i t y to attract and hold anything with a positive charge, or repel anything with a negative charge. Now, why is a l l this significant? Most plant nutrientshave positive charges. Potassium has one positive charge; calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, copper and zinc have two positive charges. Therefore, since the clay has a negative charge, and these nutrients have positive charges,the clay attracts these nutrients and holds them. Now, on the right side of the screen you see some nutrients with a negat i v e charge. Nitrogen, for example, combines with oxygen i n the s o i l , and forms nitrate which you see here. Nitrate has a negative charge, just l i k e the clay does. Therefore, i t is repelled by the clay and is kept pushed out in the middle i n the open spaces between soil p a r t i c l e s , so when it r a i n s , the nitrogen is simply flushed through the s o i l . This is why we can never depend on any significant carryover of nitrogen - we have to apply our total requirement every year. You can see on this l i s t that sulft&r is the same way - it forms sulfate i n the s o i l , and since i t , too, has a negative charge, is flushed out of the soil readily. Fortunately, plants don't require nearly as much sulfer as they do nitrogen. A l s o , decaying organic matter supplies some sulfur, but many researchers warn that i f we use f e r t i l i z e r s containing l i t t l e or no sulfur - l i k e most of our common f e r t i l i z e r s today -we should watch for sulfur deficiencies within 3 to 5 years. Phosphate nutrient exists with a negative charge, but for some reasons that are not f u l l y understood, soil clay attracts phosphorus very strongly. In f a c t , the clay holds phosphorus tighter than it does any other nutrient, and phosphorus leaches almost zero. So, we say that phosphorus doesn't move in the s o i l . This i s why it i s so desirable to apply phosphorus as deep as possible. But, this doesn't mean that phosphorus is lost for good - we've already said that phosphorus never leaches - but what i s not used i s simply stuck on the clay and goes into a reserve. And, the phosphorus level in the soil builds higher and higher and, i n time, it w i l l be gradually released back into the soil for plants to use. -PH We know that most plants grow best at a range of 6 . 0 to 6 . 5 . Soils are made acid either by hydrogen or aluminum. Over the years the clay can get pretty w e l l saturated with hydrogen; becomes quite acid. We want to replace the hydrogen with something alkaline to bring the pH back up — the cheapest way to do this i s with limestone. We could do the game thing with certain kinds of potash, or with magnesium. We know that f e r t i l i z e r and the whole f e r t i l i t y program is just one part of the overall management program. But, other factors may limit quality of t u r f . We want to eliminate f e r t i l i t y as a factor which would limit the quality of your t u r f . We have traditionally considered only N , P and K; y e t , in recent years we've learned that secondary nutrients l i k e Ca, S , and Mg, or the micro-nutrients l i k e B, Cu, F e , Mn, Mo, Zn, and C I may be l i m i t i n g . One reason for the rapid growth of tissue analysis i n recent years i n turf production is these deficiencies e x i s t , but we don T t know where. So, we take samples of the actual plants and analyze exactly how much nitrogen, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and other nutrients these plants have at a particular stage of growth. A soil test indicates how many ntitrients are stuck to the clay. The more of these nutrients i t is holding, then obviously, the less w e ' l l have to apply as f e r t i l i z e r . I f your soil test reads a "high" or "very high" level of phosphorus in your s o i l , but your pH is about 5 . 0 , very l i t t l e of your phosphorus w i l l be available to your p l a n t s . W e l l , i t ! s obvious that we c a n ' t have both - we can't have a pH of 6 . 5 to keep the phosphorus available, and a pH of 5-0 to keep the micronutrients a v a i l a b l e . So, since plants do best at a higher pH, i t ' s been found that at a pH of about 6 . 2 to 6 . 3 we can have some of a l l of the good things. Obviously, the a v a i l a b i l i t y of micro-nutrients has been reduced. The rising pH has l i t e r a l l y cut off their a v a i l a b i l i t y . SOLVING PROBLEMS IN IRRIGATION Thomas J . Kramer, Kirchdorfer I r r i g a t i o n , L o u i s v i l l e , Kentucky Inc., I n the f i e l d of Turf grass Management, one or many "things may be wrong with your irrigation system. You may have major or minor d i f f i c u l t i e s with performance, control, operation, or maintenance. Your system may simply be too old, in which case everything seems wrong. Those of you considering a new i r r i g a t i o n system, stand to gain the most from this discussion because you can learn by the mistakes of others. And, i f profiting by someone e l s e ' s mistakes helps you to acquire a problem-free, e f f i cient i r r i g a t i o n system, well so much the better. Those of you that do have problems c a n ' t expect to f i n d a solution here in only a few minutes. But, by understanding the reasons why some of your problems e x i s t , perhaps you can derive a method to solve your particular problem. You w i l l probably need the help of a qualified irrigation consultant who understands your problem, who knows the f e a s i b i l i t y of the solution, and who can keep the solution within your budget. Every successful irrigation system is the result of hard work by a team of qualified individuals. You, as the golf course superintendent, are the team captain, so to speak. You w i l l ultimately bear the responsibility for success or f a i l u r e . With the help of your team mates, you w i l l p l a n , coordinate, and execute the project. Assisting and working with you are the designer, contractor, and several manufacturers. Each has certain responsibilities that he must perform for the team to be successful. Problems occur when one or more of the team members f a i l to perform their job. These problems usually manifest themselves i n one of the following areas: operation, performance, control, or maintenance. We must look at the responsibilties of each team member and see how he can help or hinder the entire effort. I t is the superintendent's responsibility to coordinate the project from inception to operation. He, with the help of his irrigation committee, must select a designer. He must explain to this designer his maintenance program, local soil conditions, and any other existing or future conditions that w i l l affect his watering program. He w i l l t e l l the designer what he expects in the way of operation and control. The designer has the responsibility of planning the golf course superintendent's needs into a framework of sound irrigation practices. He must explain to the superintendent the various types of systems available, and have rough estimates for each so that the superintendent can decide which is the best for his course. The designer must have thorough knowledge of a l l the component parts of the irrigation system. By knowing the capabilities and limitations of each, he can select the right combinations for your system. By designing the system with ease of maintenance in mind, he can save the club many dollars i n maintenance costs. The contractor, as the third member on the team, is responsible for installing this complicated piece of machinery in accordance with the plans and specifications. He must understand how to i n s t a l l the component parts properly, using the manufacturers' recommended installation procedures. He should have the best equipment available, and men that understand the capabilities of the equipment i n order to make f i e l d changes that often occur. I f yours is an existing ins t a l l a t i o n , he must take the best possible care of your course. The contractor w i l l be responsible for turning the system on and off the f i r s t time, and explaining to the superintendent proper use of the system. Last but not l e a s t , he w i l l guarantee his installation for a period of time ranging from one to three years. He must l i v e up to this warranty so that you, the superintendent, can have some measure of protection. The various manufacturers that provide materials for your system make up the balance of the team. Although they often work through suppliers and/or contractors, they hae a very real obligation to provide you with the best mat e r i a l s available. They, l i k e the contractor, provide a warranty, usually one to seven years, that they must l i v e up t o . I f a manufacturer balks at this obl i g a t i o n , the only way to , ; collect n is through expensive legal procedures. It becomes the responsibility then of the rest of the team to specify and use only the most reputable manufacturers. The manufacturers should keep the rest of the team aware of ^aw products and procedures. By continuing research and development with new materials and designs, and by improving present products, they are meeting your c r i t e r i a of e f f i c i e n c y and economy. They should also provide readily available replacement parts to make the superintendent's maintenance task e a s i e r . With the help of his designer, and acting upon the advice of other superintendents, a l i s t of acceptable contractors must be drawn up. When the contractors submit their proposals, he must be familiar with and understand each proposal and make the decision of who w i l l do the i n s t a l l a t i o n . The superintendent is the l o g i c a l person to oversee the day by day construction. He can readily see i f the contractor is following the plans and specifications. He w i l l assist in turning on and adjusting the system so that he w i l l be thoroughly familiar with i t . After the designer and contractor have l e f t , he is responsible for the correct operation and maintenance of the system. I f the golf course superintendent executes his portion of the assignments correctly, the i r r i g a t i o n system is well on its way to success. As you can readily see, each team member has certain responsibilities obligations to perform i f the project is to be successful. L e t ' s look at a couple of problems and see how they might have occurred. and Problems i n the area of maintenance are perhaps the most time consuming and expensive of a l l problems. These are usuallr the result of f a i l u r e of the component p a r t s . This failure can be due to a number of reasons. Each reason can be attributed to the f a i l u r e of a team member. Piping system, electrical system, valves, and sprinklers can f a i l due to defective material. This is why yaihave the obligation to use only the finest mat e r i a l s on your course. These failures can also occur i f the contractor performs sloppy workmanship. The component parts may f a i l due to improper design. I f the designer is not aware of the limitations of the material, he can provide the club with years of headaches. But you, as the superintendent, bear the mltimate responsibility. I t is up to you to operate your system in accordance with the operating instructions. Failure to do so w i l l fatigue the component parts prematurely. As you can see any f a i l u r e of a component part may be due to: a. b. c. d. Defective material Improper de s ign Faulty installation Improper operation Problems associated with operation and control, however, are more the responsibili t y of the superintendent and designer. LIGHTNING Walter J . W i l k i e , March Irrigation and Supply Company Muskegon, Michigan Man is a creature of impulse, and as such, r e a l i t y comes as a very late development i n the lives of living creatures, most of whom as far as I know get along admirably in daily l i f e without ever reconciling themselves to i t . But, can they? W e l l , consider for a moment lightning. Lightning is a unique phenomenon that we, in our combined fear and ignorance of i t , have tended to ignore. But, since it has been estimated that 1 , 8 0 0 lightning storms are in progress over the surface of the earth at any given moment, and because the electrical discharges that are occurring during these storms are known to strike the earth an average of 100 times per second, I ' m wondering i f we can. I say this because I know that ligtning is caused by the vigorous movement of the cloud formations where, when the accumulated electrical energy exceeds the insulated strength of the a i r , it releases the same. And, as it does, it sends it crashing to the earth where its strength is dissipated in a manner that parallels the ending effects of a rising musical crescendo. W e , then, in attempting to isolate and define the effects of this tumultuous release of energy, have found that as i t strikes the earth, it has a sinusoidal pattern that contains from one to 42 electrical impulses in which the amplitude of the leading impulse has a current carrying capacity that sometimes reaches 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 amperes, and that the time lag between each impulse i s usually around 60 millisecs (1000th of a second). A l l of which means that i f we could in some way harness the power reserves contained in just two strokes of lightning we would have accumulated enough electrical energy to provide for the simultaneous operation of s i x 100 watt light bulbs for a full" year. Accordingly, i f we were to equate all of this to the fact that we know t h a t , i n any wiring system, the amplitude of the surge voltage that can be induced into the electrical equipment by lightning is 1. Directly proportional to the area of the wire loop of the wiring system servicing this equipment 2. Inversely proportional to the distance of the strike from the wire loop of the wiring system 3. Directly proportional to the maximum amount of current in the lightning discharge we would have to conclude that i n the case of an .automatic underground sprinkler irrigation system, protection of the control equipment i s essential. Thus, the reason, I l m sure, that researchers are attributing more and more the damage that is being caused to e l e c t r i c a l systems to lightning, for as the above shows, lightning can induce the damaging effects of a voltage surge into the wire loop of a wiring system that is more than three miles away from the control equipment it services. This is why numerous types of lightning protection devices have been developed to give this kind of protection. But, since the Arc Discharge Type has proven i t s e l f to be the most reliable when equated in terms of response time, power handling capacity, ruggedness, cost and ease of maintenance, i t ' s the one we would suggest you use. For here, when a voltage surge of sufficient magnitude occurs between the electrodes, an ionization of the pressurized gap takes place between the same which results i n a low resistance and high current carrying path to ground. T h i s , then, dissipates the excess electrical energy and allows the device to automatically reset after the arc is over, and to again be ready to give you protection from the inevitable damage caused by lightning. UTILIZING P0A ANNUA AND EARTHWORMS Ted Woehrle, S u p t . , Oakland H i l l s Birmingham, Michigan C.C. Since moving to Oakland H i l l s Country Club i n the Detroit area in 1 9 6 8 , I have noticed that growing Poa annua is not the problem that it was in the Chicago area. At f i r s t I believed that it was entirely due to porous sandy soil and the good drainage. These, of course, are very important, and no doubt have a great deal to do with the success of growing healthy Poa, but I also had some sandy, well-drained areas in Chicago, and I couldn't keep Poa during these times of stress. In taking a closer look at a few other v a r i a b l e s , I noticed the absence of thatch - I noticed deep roots - more dollarspot because of leaching - an enormous earthworm population, and different cultural practices used i n the past in comparison to Chicago. This reminds me of a question I used to ask many of my fellow superintendents in Chicago - WHICH CAME FIRST, POOR SOIL OR POOR GRASS? Did we ruin our soils with poor management practices of over-watering, over-fertilizing, and the over-zealous use of pest controls? F i r s t , we k i l l e d grass by over-watering - a great thing this i r r i g a t i o n . Wet soils and grass make a great place for diseases to do their dirty work. The grass d i e s , the weeds come i n and, of course, Poa annua is right there with the rest of the weeds. We k i l l e d the cutworms and other insects, and inadvertently k i l l e d our old friend - the earthworm. The Oakland H i l l s C . C . have almost a pure Poa annua t u r f . W e ' v e k i l l e d a l l the other weeds chemically - dandelions, chickweed, knotweed and clover, along with crabgrass and goosegrass. From what I understand about the history of my Club, we were about to have the 1951 U . S . O p e n Golf Tournament, and it was a disastrous year for t u r f . Several members went to Canada and purchased enough Poa annua to seed a l l the fairways. They got good germination, good survival, and the Club ended up with the finest playing fairways. To this day we s t i l l have good Poa fairways. Sure, we lose some turf to winter desiccation or ice damage, but seldom do we lose Poa i n the summer. A cross-section of a turf sample has deep white roots on the Poa almost at any time during the summer, usually around 5 or 6 inches deep. There just i s n ' t any thatch. I n checking past records insecticides have rarely been used. There is a great abundance of earthworms - (Polish aerifiers as we call them). I becaome interested and began asking questions, reading some old textbooks. Then Jacl. Welch of Scotts sent me a collection of research papers from around the world; and I was amazed to find out that these l i t t l e critters are indeed the most important tool we have on the course. D r . Jack Butler at the University of I l l i n o i s , and the Turf Department of Michigan State University have been doing thatch studies, including the effects that the earthworms have on the control of i t . Let me take you on a l i t t l e trip through the land of the worm by reviewing some of the findings that have come about by scientists around the world. Incidently, most of the work on worms has been done i n England, Germany, Russia and Australia. As early as 1 8 8 2 , Darwin recognized the fact that earthworms play a part in the formations of agricultural s o i l s . Since that time, some investigations have been made on the effects of earthworm activity on the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the s o i l . Workers concluded that the air capacity of soils was increased by earthworm activity, and the aerobic processes, especially n i t r i f i c a t i o n , were stimulated. Earthworms eat soil and organic matter, excrete casts, and make holes, thereby perforating and granulating the s o i l . Aside from the pure mechanical aspects of earthworm activity, it has been shown that the water s t a b i l i t y of soil aggregates is increased in s o i l worked by worms. It appears probable that earthworms are important in maintaining good soil physical condition; thus, water i n f i l t r a t i o n rates are higher (3 to 4 times more r a p i d ) where they occur in large numbers. Hopp and Hopkins report several populations for ordinary f i e l d conditions of over l / 2 million worms per acre. Studies show that it normally takes a worm about 1 and l / 2 hours to burrow into the s o i l . 22% of the surface four inches moves through the earthworm's bodies each year. Up to 25 tons of dry weight per acre of earthworm casts are deposited annually on the soil surface. Not quite equivalent to l / 4 inch of topdressing per acre per year. Worms are p r o l i f i c reproducers. The average worm has 50 to 60 cocoons, or hatching, per l i f e span, mostly during the spring. The heaviest worm populations are found i n spring and early summer. After July 1 there is a steady decrease. After October 1 we noticed the population again increases. The eggs are hatched during the summer. Most of the worms found i n the f a l l are immature worms. Other factors Affecting Population S o i l pH ssems to affect the earthworm population. Few worms are found in very acid soil (lower than pH 5)* and this could be nervous sensitivity to soil a c i d i t y , or of nutritional requirements which acid soils f a i l to meet. It has been shown that worms tend to neutralize soil pH. They can make acid soils more a l k a l i n e , or they can make alkaline soils more acid. NOW, A NATURAL QUESTION Do earthworms increase soil productivity, or merely l i v e i n greater abundance i n the better soils without contributing to productivity? It has actually been proven that where poor soils have been inoculated with worms, there was considerable improvement i n the soil i n a short period of time - 2 years. Here are other factors affecting the worm population. A 35 year study i n England showed t h a w 1 6 , 0 0 0 worms examined, there were 10 species found of which 5 species made up 95$ of the t o t a l . Their plots have been treated with s i x cultitral practices, or factors alone, and in combination with each other. Sulfate of ammonia and sulfate of iron both decrease worm populations s l i g h t l y . When applied in combination, they become synergistic in nature, and almost eliminate the worms completely. Lime applications, topdressing with organic matter, and spiking or aerifying improve the population immensely. A l s o , superphosphates improve the population. They s t i l l use Mowroh Meal on greens to thin populations, but not k i l l them completely. Some herbicides k i l l worms - not certain how - perhaps k i l l i n g food supplies. Insecticides controlling worms Carbaryl - quick r e s u l t s , poor persistence Chlordane- slow reacting, but quite persistent D i e l d r i n and A l d r i n - useful Lead and calcium arsenate - good long lasting control I f you want to thin populations, use chlordane up to 4 & 5 l b s / A , and in two years you w i l l be back to normal. I n conclusion, earthworms do very d e f i n i t e l y improve soil structure by increasing aggregate content and porosity, thus f a c i l i t a t i n g aeration, water absorp- t i o n , root penetration and drainage. The main b e n e f i t , chemically and b i o l o g i c a l l y , of earthworm activity is the digestion of plant material and i t s intimate mixing with mineral s o i l s . RECALLING THE EARLIER ZOYSIA Roy F . McCawley, S u p t . , Hurstbourne C. L o u i s v i l l e , Kentucky C., My experience with Zoysia grass goes back into the t h i r t i e s . I was employed as an assistant superintendent on the four City Municipal Golf Courses i n L o u i s v i l l e , Kentucky, from 1933 to 1939 with Mr:. C. D . Bohne, who w e s supervisor on these golf courses. Mr. Bohne knew D r . Monteith, Director of the U . S . G . A . Green Section, which was located in Arlington, V i r g i n i a , where the Pentagon Building is now located. D r . Monteith had a small plot of Japcnica and Matrella Zoysia grass i n nursery at Arlington, and he sent us a small portion of the Japonica and Matrella stolons. We planted the stolons in a row - 2 5 f t . long each. This was in A p r i l , 1937. The Matrella is a fine texture b l a d e , and the Japonica of coarse texture. By September, 1 9 3 7 , f i v e months, the Zoysia had spread 2 f t . on each side of row. In September we removed the 25 f t . of Matrella, and planted 6 rows 150 f t . long, the f i r s t year. We also planted i n stolon form a plot 1 0 0 s q . f t . of each type of Zoysia, f i n e and coarse, to work with as a green and tee t u r f . By May 1 , 1 9 3 8 , the rows and plots of Zoysia began to green up. We f e r t i l i z e d the rows and plots with a complete f e r t i l i z e r - a mix of 10-6-4 r a t i o . We f e r t i l i z e d every three weeks through August. In the middle of May we topdressed the plots of Zoysia, and kept one-half of the plots cut at l / 2 inch and 5 / 1 6 inch. The f i n e r texture Matrella made a good putting surface cut at 5 / 1 6 " . The n Japonica cut at l / 2 made a good tee surface. In September, 1 9 3 8 , the 6 rows had spread 2 f t . on each side of row. We removed 3 rows and planted 58 rows, 150 f t . long. The Department of Parks sold stolons to clubs i n L o u i s v i l l e for tees i n 1 9 3 9 . We planted Zoysia on the Par-3 holes on the Municipal courses, and it held up very good under t r a f f i c . In August, 1 9 3 9 , I was checking seedheads on the Zoysia. We sent some seed and a picture of the Zoysia nursery to D r . Monteith, U . S . G . A . , Green Section. I l e f t the City Municipal Golf Course i n 1 9 3 9 , and located in West V i r g i n i a , and did not have a chance to work with the Zoysia plots any more. ( E d i t o r ' s note: The next article moves 31 years later i n the same c i t y ) . PUTTING ZOYSIA INTO AUDUBON C, C, FAIRWAYS Tom Sams, S u p t . , L o u i s v i l l e , Kentucky After years of frustration trying to grow a consistent desirable fairway cover at Audubon C. C . , I now have a good chance of achieving this ambition. This past season ( 1 9 7 0 ) , I supervised the plugging of 2 " Zoysia plugs on 9 n x 18 n centers in 15 of my fairways ( a l l but 3 P a r - 3 ! s ) . I t required four months of hard labor to complete t h e job. Total cost of the project was $ 5 1 * 6 0 0 . 0 0 . I f you l i v e i n the Ohio Valley area, i t ' s very easy to understand the "whys" of such a venture. What w i t h , as Louis Miller so aptly described as the hot 1 0 0 ! s staring you in the face each year, trying to grow the bluegrasses (annual and p e r e n n i a l ) , the bents and Bermudas with any amount of consistency, became an almost impossibility. When the hybrid Bermudas came upon the sc.ene, for a while things looked rather b r i g h t . It wasn't long before winterkill and spring deadspot began taking its t o l l . W e , as turf managers, again looked for help. I t was a well known fact that the Zoysias would make a very desirable cover for fairways i n the Ohio Valley. The main problem was that Zoysia had to be propagated vegetatively. Combine this with its slow growing h a b i t s , and you can readily see why very few had attempted to plant 35-plus acres on ail established golf course in one season. Of a l l the turfgrasses that I have ever come i n contact w i t h , the Zoysias consistently performed among the b e s t . Very drouth tolerant, they performed well under a l l f e r t i l i t y ranges. About the only disease I have noted on the Zoysias is rust which usually occurs i n early f a l l . Another plus factor i s the shade tolerance of established Zoysia, especially Matrella zoysia. After there was not Committee and taking. With propagation. assuring myself that I wanted Zoysia on my fairways, and r e a l i z i n g a short-cut method of propagation, I set out to convince my Greens Board of Directors of the f e a s i b i l i t y of such an expensive undertheir approval I set out to find the best and the safest method for I n A p r i l we purchased truckloads of Meyer zoysia sod, putting it down in the rough areas. This served as a source for hand-plugged pieces. The three tandem, low t r a i l e r s permitted a man to sit i n each, with plugs just over his lap which he set into holes as pulled very slowly by small tractor. The holes were cut by an RMF hole cutting machine with 2 cutters removed so as to make holes every 9 " x-18". After noting the growth in the f i r s t year, which was much greater than we dared hope f o r , we should have some fine looking fairways in approximately three years. I have been asked i f the same situation presented i t s e l f - would I again attempt such an undertaking. I can only say that i f the question were asked this past summer, my answer would have been an emphatic NO, but i f it were asked now, after the frustrations are behind me, 1 would say YES, because the sense of satisfaction that one f e e l s with a job w e l l done is worth the chagrin and frustration. ZOYSIA PLANTING SYSTEMS - PLUGGING Peter J . Hitch-, S u p t . , Meadowbrook Ballwin, Missouri C. Club Meadowbrook moved to its present location in I 9 6 0 after a f i r e destroyed the clubhouse at the old course. When the new course was b u i l t , the fairways were planted in U-3 Bermuda, and they remained in satisfactory condition for the f i r s t few years. Then, with spring deadspot and w i n t e r k i l l , it became a constant battle to get the fairways i n shape each spring. During the winter of 1967> it was decided by the Greens Chairman, and then superintendent, the late Mr. Thomas Hayes, that Meadowbrook would go to Meyer zoysia fairways the next year. I was hired as Mr. Hayes 1 assistant in May, 1 9 6 8 . We obtained two plug planters that cut a small furrow, spread it open, then roll it closed after the operator sets a 2-l/4 , ! x 2 - l / 4 n plug of Zoysia into the open furrow. The planter is pulled by a tractor, and is raised and lowered by the t r a c t o r ' s three point hitch. During a test run we found that the four speed tractors had to be idled i n order to maintain the slow speed required to plant at the desired spacing. We also noticed that the tractor would not charge the battery while i d l i n g , so a spare battery was obtained. The Meyer zoysia plugs were obtained from a local nursery, and a truckload was delivered to us each morning we planted. The night before a fairway was to be planted it was watered generously to soften the ground and make it more pliable for the p l a n t e r ' s plow and r o l l e r . The planting crew started each day at 5 : 3 0 , and the hole was closed to play d a i l y u n t i l we stopped planting at 2 : 0 0 P.M. Plugs were planted an average of l 6 n apart in rows 12 n apart. The five high school boys and crew chief averaged 1 4 , 4 4 0 plugs per day, which is less than 1 / 2 acre per day, and 2400 plugs/man/day. The fairway was immediately watered but not saturated. The hole was then opened for play for the rest of the day, so the fairways were not completely out of play. That evening the fairway was watered h e a v i l y , and was watered every night for two weeks. One week and three weeks after planting, 1 pound of nitrogen was applied. In two months, June and July, we planted all fairways with the exception of two Par-3 r s, an area of 3 0 acres. The costs of the planting include: Plugs Labor 2 planters & spare battery Total Per acre $6,666.00 3,764.00 1,040.00 $11,471.00 382.00, or 1 . 2 5 0 / p l u g . I would estimate at least 90 - 9 5 $ survival of this planting. Since that time we have planted the 50 yards in front of the greens, and next year I intend to plant the 100 yards near the tee that were skipped during the original planting. The labor costs of these subsequent plantings was absorbed i n our regular budget as the regular crew did the planting, and at our own convenience. We also used our own Zoysia nursery for these plantings. In the two complete years the Zoysia has been i n the ground at Meadowbrook, i t has spread n i c e l y , and we now have about 6 0 $ coverage. I would estimate that we w i l l be completely covered i n one more year. The spring after the original planting, I went to a tri-calcium arsenate program to eliminate the Poa annua competition. This seems to be doing a f a i r l y good job of controlling the Poa annua. As of y e t , I have not seen any evidence of the b i l l b u g , nor any sign of chinchbug damage. However, I do keep an eye out for both. Evidence on the subject of these insects, in relation to Zoysia, indicates that both pests desire the lush, thatchy type of growth associated with high heights of cut. By cutting the Zoysia low, we can reduce the thatch accumulation. I f it does develop, we have the equipment to get rid of i t . HYDRO-MULCHING ZOYSIA Lee Redman, S u p t . , Bellerive C. Creve Coeur, Missouri C., On those golf courses which had had Bermuda fairways, the past winter had taken its t o l l and l e f t severe w i n t e r k i l l on most a l l Bermudas. The Westwood strain of Bermuda at Westwood C. C. had better regrowth than any other type. The U-3 Bermuda on the fairways at Bellerive C. C. had constituted about 80$ of the t u r f , with the rest being made up of Meyer zoysia. For the past four years Zoysia had been strip-sodded in approaches to greens, and some fairways had been plugged. The Zoysia had provided excellent turf and the members liked i t . I n the spring of 1 9 7 0 , the Zoysia at Bellerive C. C. was one month ahead of the U-3 Bermuda i n greening up. Our tees are U-3 Bermuda also, but they are covered a l l winter with straw and came through the winter very w e l l . To further complicate our Bermuda l o s s , a pre-emergence for crabgrass was applied i n late A p r i l , 1970 before the Bermuda f a i l u r e was r e a l i z e d . Therefore, an overseeding of common Bermuda or bluegrasses would not work. Our yearly allocation of funds for Zoysia sod would plant more acres i f it was planted as i o l o n s rather than used for sod. By using a hydro-seeder to apply the stolons they could be kept as moist as possible. Therefore, the decision to use the hydro-seeder was accepted, and I was to plant as many acres of Zoysia as possible with available funds. I used a Howard rotor-vator to t i l l the soil 6 " deep. Old Bermuda thatch is hard to work up. Therefore, the area was worked as many as five times with the rotor-tiller, and a disk also proved h e l p f u l . I t became very important to get a good loose bed of s o i l , with a minimum of thatch clumps on the top. The clumps of thatch material on the surface prevented Zoysia stolons from being firmed into the loose s o i l . Zoysia stolons were taken from our own nurseries by using an aero-blade and a Rogers powered sweeper. The turf was aero-thatched once, and then swept to remove the excess clippings. The turf was then undercut thinly with a sod cutter. The Aero-blade was used to cut the sod three different ways, and then the power sweeper began to pick up the stolons. The stolons were kept moist and as cool as possible. They were cut and used the same day to prevent drying out. The mort a l i t y rate i s high on Zoysia stolons i f they become d r i e d . The Conwed Hydro-Mulch ( a cellulose wood f i b e r ) was used at a rate of one ton per acre. The mulch material mixes with the stolons and helps to hold moisture on the stolon when sprayed onto the s o i l . It also w i l l help to prevent erosion on sloping areas. The loading of the hydro-machine took twenty minutes. were loaded included: The materials that 40 bu. stolons 400 l b s . c e l l u l o s e mulch 1200 gal.water which covered one-fifth acre. Three acres of Zoysia can be stolonized in one day. The stolons and mulch are pumped by the hydro-machine and sprayed onto the s o i l . The green color of the mulch material is helpful i n indicating the coverage. Before the stolons can dry they are to be mixed into the top inch of s o i l . Good results were obtained using the Aero-blade to mix the stolons with the s o i l , and re-level the seedbed. A disk also was used very l i g h t l y , and set with very l i t t l e angle of cut. Proper adjustment of either machine w i l l result i n a smooth, evenly mixed discharge of soil and stolons. Then the loose soil and stolons were rolled two different ways to press the stolons firmly into the loose s o i l . Complete coverage of a Zoysia stolon with an inch of s o i l w i l l result i n death to the stolon. Irrigate as soon as possible, and keep the area very moist u n t i l new leaves appear. This w i l l take about ten days for good rooting and new leaves to start. Then the water can be decreased gradually, but s t i l l keep the s o i l moisturel.high. The l i t t l e Zoysia plants are slow i n growth when compared to Bermudas. After two months o"f growth, the new Zoysia had covered 6 0 $ of the prepared area. Two growing seasons are expected before complete Zoysia coverage w i l l be achieved. By overseeding with bluegrass or common Bermuda, a parable turf can be achieved faster. The Zoysia w i l l continue to crowd these grasses out, and soon provide an a l l Zoysia t u r f . WHICH GRASS FOR LOUISVILLE? - BENT Louis E . M i l l e r , S u p t . , L o u i s v i l l e , C. L o u i s v i l l e , Kentucky C., Up u n t i l about f i v e years ago the use of bentgrass for a suitable fairway turf in the Louisvilfe area was considered a pipe dream. There were simply too many variables involved, and the minuses far outnumbered the pluses. The last four years, however, have proven that bentgrass can indeed be a r e a l i t y in the hot and humid Louisville area of the Ohio V a l l e y . First of a l l , I think we should go back to the beginning and answer the everpressing question of - why bentgrass? In 1965;, the membership was looking for a better type of fairway t u r f . The fairways at that time were unwatered bluegrass, which was more a Heinz 57 varieties than true bluegrass. At the same time, the courses that had Bermuda were suffering extensively from spring deadspot, and i t was midsummer before some of the Bermuda courses began to f i l l i n . The membership wanted a turf that greened up early, was low cut, and allowed the b a l l to sit up rather than hestle i n the t u r f . Somebody said " l e t ' s try bent11 - so f i v e years later here we are. A lot has transpired i n the past four years i n order for this program to be successful. After the original establishment, the next problem was to eliminate the weeds. MCPP at the rate of 5 pints per acre eliminated clover, chickweed, knotweed, e t c . A tri-calcium arsenate program was i n i t i a t e d to eliminate soft crabgrass, goosegrass and Poa annua. After four years of this program, the mat e r i a l has done an excellent job of controlling crabgrass and goosegrass. The Poa annua has been reduced from about 30% to 2% of the fairway t u r f . Mechanical maintenance is an absolute necessity, not only from the standpoint of proper aeration but also for thatch control. This is accomplished by aerifying 2 to 3 times a year using 3/4 11 closed spoons and dragging the cores with a chain-link drag. We also employ a vertical knife operation in the f a l l of the year, using a thatcher with the blades set on 6 n spacings, and a sweeper to remove the material from the t u r f . The insect problem of cutworms and sod webworms is handled adequately by two applicat ions of Sevin 80% wettable powder, and one application of Diazinon 1 4 $ granular. By f a r , the most prevalent problem i n a bentgrass fairway program this far south is disease. There has been a great deal of work done in the fungicide market i n the past couple of years with new materials. This h a s , indeed, made the problem of disease control e a s i e r , but by no means eliminated i t . Disease control is accomplished by using a basic program of Thiram and PMAS, zinc and manganese base compounds, cadmium chloride,Koban and Tersan SP. The two major diseases that we are confronted with are large brownpatch and pythium. There has been extensive work done by the major chemical manufacturers concerning systemics. I f e e l that i n the very near future we w i l l see longer residual on fungicide applications, and a broader spectrum of control. We have sprayed as few as t e n , and as many as twenty three times in a single year for disease control, and it is by far the most varied portion of my operating budget. The f e r t i l i z e r program consists of an application of 200 l b s . of Ureaform i n the spring, and 2 0 0 l b s . again i n the f a l l of the year. A 200 l b s . application of sulfate of potash is also applied i n the f a l l of the year. Phosphate is eliminated as nearly as possible due to the tri-calcium arsenate program. A light application of 300 l b s . of Milorganite is made i n the latter part of July, with timing of the application being governed by the heat,humidity and rate of growth of the grass. Nitrogen level of the grass i s kept at about 3 l b s . actual per 1 , 0 0 0 s q . f t . per year. The one item that I f e e l has made the whole bentgrass program a success is the i n s t a l l a t i o n of a dual row automatic irrigation system. Both water application control, and daytime syringing are an integral part of the operation, and could not be accomplished with a manual system. Managing a bentgrass operation has also brought about many changes in our routine operation. The majority of our fairway mowing i s done in the evening, starting at 5 : 3 0 and continuing u n t i l dark. The mower is followed by a fairway blower to remove clippings, which reduces the temperature of the grass, and eliminates a big thatch buildup. By removing the clippings it also helps our fungicide program in that the material penetrates into the crown area of the grass plant. A bentgrass fairway program is not something that you just start over night, or even in a year. It is a program that must be built and added to over a period of time which influences the types of material, machinery and method that you w i l l use in the operation. I w i l l be the f i r s t to admit that it is a touch and go situation during June, July and August. I f you are w i l l i n g to take the risks and have a large operating budget, I most d e f i n i t e l y suggest a bentgrass operation. With all of i t s disadvantages, it s t i l l possesses some advantages. It i s the f i r s t grass to green up i n the spring, and usually provides a good fairway turf by the second week of A p r i l . When injured it does recover quickly, and provides good turf u n t i l late December. Even though it is not the answer for everyone, i t is s t i l l a workable program, and one of several successful fairway programs being used in L o u i s v i l l e . REPORT ON U-,3 FAIRWAYS Ernie Schneider, Supt. Big Spring C. L o u i s v i l l e , Kentucky Club, My U-3 Bermuda fairways have been through 12 years of play. At the time of planting, the cost seemed quite h i g h , but during the f i r s t f i v e years I was at Big Spring, they had good turf with a minimum of disease problems, such as spring deadspot, etc. For five years I was i n S t . L o u i s , then came back to Big Spring C . C . i n the f a l l of ! 6 8 , I was disappointed to see the poor condition of the turf due to extreme insect damage, such as the grub worm. In the past, I always applied chlordate i n the late simmer or early f a l l , but this time I put on 10 l b s . chlordane i n February when the ground was frozen. Along about the latter part of March, we began to see a few dead starlings and blackbirds, and by A p r i l I began to f i n d about every type of bird which was most disheartening to me. This had never happened before. Maybe when applied i n the f a l l the insects are on their way down into the ground, and i n the spring the insects are on their way up. Or, perhaps the birds are hungrier in the spring since they are coming out of their starvation period, and they tend to over-eat the insects. At that time also, the pH was low in the fairways, so 2 tons of lime per acre was applied. We did no renovation in 1 69 because we were putting in an irrigation system, but even so the fairways started to respond very w e l l . The winter of T 69- 1 70 was a disastrous year for most Bermudas in this area, but Big Spring suffered the least damage. The only damaged areas were the high ridges, and the areas in front of the greens which had been used heavily by carts. These areas were plugged or sodded in Zoysia. During the playing season of 1 9 7 0 , we had excellent turf on the fairways. Some of the spring deadspot areas that I plugged to Zoysia back in *62 and T 63 are 5 1 to 1 5 ! across today, and have blended in with the Bermuda very well. In the past two year I haven ! t seen any spring deadspot. My f e r t i l i z e r program on Bermuda grass is - around May 1 0 , when Bermuda i s starting to have some growth, 14-7-7 at the rate of 350 l b s . per acre is applied. A month later we apply Milorganite at the rate of 500 l b s . per acre; then in July I apply about 350 l b s . Milorganite per acre. The next application of f e r t i l i z e r is i n August - this is Urea 45 at a light rate 3/^i#N/l,000. The latter part of September, Milorganite is again applied at the rate of 500 l b s . per acre. I believe this late application is necessary to send your Bermuda into dormancy on the fat side instead of on the hungry side. henbit. The fairways were heavily infested with winter weeds, such as chickweed and We got good control with a pint of 2,4-D, and l / 2 pint of Banvel-D. In '69 there was a good deal of hard crab. I sprayed with di-sodium methyl arsonate at half the recommended r a t e , plus 4 oz. 2,4-D to the acre, three applications four days apart. This was very e f f e c t i v e , so i n ! 7 0 wi^Sfrayed where the winter injury was and in the flooded areas. I intend to thatch the fairways heavily i n May, and to double aerify in June to control thatch. I am. using a l l different types of materials for Poa control to see which one does the best job here, and that w i l l be the one that I w i l l use overall. This year I saw my f i r s t chiich bug damage on both Zoysia and Bermuda. In September, I also saw billbugs on the Zoysia - both were treated the same - 4 ozs. Diazinon per 1 , 0 0 0 , repeated the following week at the rate of 2 o z s . / l , 0 0 0 . The members of Big Spring have received their money's worth out of the U-3 planting, are happy with i t and with Zoysia. DES0DDING AND KESEEDING IN A FAIRWAY RENOVATION PROGRAM - 1970 Clem Wolfrom, S u p t . , Detroit D e t r o i t , Michigan Golf Club After careful study of our fairway problems at Detroit Golf Club, it was decided that the best way for us to improve our turf was completely stripping the old sod and thatch, and reseeding to Fylking bluegrass. This method was chosen because of the excessive thatch that is present. We felt that any other procedure would only be a temporary solution to our turf problems. I t was decided by the Board of Directors that one fairway should be renovated this f i r s t year to prove to themselves,and the membership, that we could complete our renovation program, and have playable turf i n 7 to 8 months (August 15 - March 1 5 ) . Number one fairway on the South Course was selected to be the t r i a l area. It well represented the problems we were trying to correct, i t had an abundance of thatch (some places up to 2 " ) , about 80$ Poa, and the remainder i n concentrated patches of bent. Dr. Daniel was very instrumental in getting this program underway. Procedure on 2 . 2 acres August 1 7 . We started stripping the sod and thatch. A Ryan Sod Harvester (Model H 24-1) with a conveyor extension attached to r e a r , cut and elevated sod directly into trucks, eliminating handling. The f i r s t day resulted i n some problems with the machine (automatic cut-off), resulting in low production. August 18. We worked for 8 hours with no problems, u n t i l rain at 3 : 3 0 . August 1 9 . We finished stripping the sod about 2 : 0 0 P . M . , a York rake gathered small pieces of sod. A Jacobsen Sweeper (Model 720E) picked up debris, grass plants, etc. August 2 0 . A York rake graded the fairway, as needed, to improve surface drainage. The fairway was then spiked i n two directions with a 3-gang Maple Lane Spiker. A complete f e r t i l i z e r was then applied - 10-40-5. (Being a test to show members we could grow grass i n a hurry, we f e l t the use of the high phosphorus was necessary even though we knew it would hinder us somewhat i n our following Poa annua control). After f e r t i l i z i n g the fairway was again spiked. August 2 1 . The fairway was seeded to 1 0 0 $ Fylking seed at a rate of 70 l b s . per acre. After seeding, we spiked once more and rolled the fairway. Done i n one week. August 2 9 . First seedlings appeared; seedlings appeared in each spiker hole. good germination. September 1 7 . Mowed for the f i r s t time at a height of l - l / 2 M . September 2 2 . F e r t i l i z e d with Milorganite - 600 l b s . / a c r e . October 7 . Very Lowered mowers to l n . October 8 . F e r t i l i z e d with Nugreen 100 l b s . / a c r e . October 1 6 . F e r t i l i z e d with Nugreen 100 l b s . / a c r e . October 2 6 . 8 l b s . Chipcal per 1 , 0 0 0 s q . f t . was applied. methods are being tried before we settle on any. Other Poa annua control In my judgment, this fairway was ready for play by October 7 . I t was not put into play because of construction of a new green for this hole - started on October 1 . The green was completed on October 15 (sodded to Toronto C-15 b e n t ) , and the hole w i l l be ready for play at the beginning of the 1971 season. The exact costs of fairway renovation were as follows: Labor Material Equip, rental Equip, purchased Total cost Average/ acre 3 4 1 . 5 man hours Seed & f e r t i l i z e r 4 yd. dump truck Ryan Sod Harvester Used conveyor $ <15.00 723.00 128.00 550.00 100.00 $ 2,216.00 $ 1,000.00 MI EXPERIENCES IN USIMG NEWER GRASSES Ray Geyer, Geyer ! s Willow Grass Columbia C i t y , Indiana Farm I would like to start from the beginning of our sod operations. on my farm we grew only mint and potatoes. Earlier Our f i r s t seed to sow was Windsor. This grass was new, and l i t t l e was known about i t s sod q u a l i t i e s . We sowed it in the spring, and i n less than four months we were cutting a l i t t l e sod, and finding out afterwards that this was some kind of a record. This was accomplished without any i r r i g a t i o n , but a lot of f e r t i l i z e r . So, here we had a grass that had a good color, it grew sod f a s t , and at t h i s point it looked good. Then came a bad spring, high humidity, no air movement, hot days and heavy dew at n i g h t , and I think most of you know the trouble we were i n . We had leaf spot, not only in our f i e l d s , but all of our customers had i t too. We then turned to the professionals - Scotts, Purdue and the chemical companies, and found that we could control this to a certain degree. However, the expense added to our other rising costs made i t much too expensive to produce. The next year we sowed some Merion and Merion blends. Straight Merion for the Fort Wayne area was f i n e , but for Indianapolis, blending i t with some of the old l i n e of bluegrasses, such as Newport, Delta and fescue (as fescue does very well i n shaded a r e a s ) , we found this to be a much better sod. This is s t i l l a very good all-around blend, and we s t i l l use it i n about half of our operation. The seed costs are not as h i g h , and this being the case, we are able to keep somewhere i n the price range of other growers. Now, to the Sodco, Prato, Pennstar and Fylking. Fylking, which we have been raising for the past three years, is a very low growing grass, has a good color, and makes a good tough sod. I t f i l l s in good on scuffed areas, and covers the ground f a s t . We have had a good chance to test this as a grass and as a sod. It is very disease resistant. I have not noticed any leafspot. Only once have we noticed any disease and that was dollarspot. This was in a very small area, due to extreme weather conditions. This was treated Immediately with RZ Acti-dione, 2 applications, 7 days apart, and in 5 to 6 weeks i t had recovered completely. This grass i s drouth r e s i s t a n t , takes much less watering, and a medium amount of f e r t i l i z e r . We recommend this grass on any area that has a lot of t r a f f i c , such as a playground, golf courses and football f i e l d s . This grass can be mowed very short, 3 / 4 inch. We have it on many golf courses and several football fields. The seed price on Fylking is s t i l l very high, and must be sold as a premium sod. We have some Sodco. This grass looks very good,has an excellent color, and a f a i r l y good rhizome system. But, it is going to take a l i t t l e longer to develop into sod than others. This grass has not been cut as a sod yet by our nursery, but we can t e l l better after this year. Prato is another new grass. Grows f l a t to ground,above average number of leaves per t i l l e r . This has not been l i f t e d as a sod and w i l l be next f a l l before we know how this w i l l be as a sod. We have also sowed seed last f a l l with a blend of Fylking, Prato and Pennstar. This blend looks very good. Covered the ground completely in 3 0 days. It i s all low growing, all tolerate close mowing, and a l l is supposed to be disease resistant. It should make a good blend, but again a l l this seed i s very high i n price and w i l l be sold as premium sod. Most of our seed we sow for general use as a sod contains fescues;they do better i n shaded areas. However, mixed with other bluegrasses in open f i e l d s , after two years the bluegrass has a tendency to crowd the fescues out. We have sowed three of the fescues, Pennlawn . chewing red and creeping red. Pennlawn and creeping red i n times of drouth goes dormant, creating a patch effect,and color which is not desirable for sod operation. Chewing reds seem to be the best on our s o i l . I am sure you w i l l f i n d soil does make a difference. I want to remind you that these are my own opinions and for my type of soil. You might take some of these combinations of seeds and try them. These seeds and grass may or may not be what you want for your operation. EXPERIENCES IN USING NEWER GRASSES Wm. J . Huber, Huber Ranch Sod Nursery Schneider, Indiana Huber Ranch Sod Nursery is located 25 miles south of Hammond, Our marketing area covers the northwest part of Indiana and Chicago. Indiana. I n the Chicago area it appears, for the present at l e a s t , that Merion is the sod that i s used in most cases. In the outlying areas and south of Chicago, blends seem to be the most popular. I n our experience, we s e l l approximately onethird Merion and two-thirds blend. Our present blend consists of Merion, D e l t a , Fylking and Pennlawn. This w i l l be changed as interest changes, but it appears that a blend of superior grasses has the most to offer to the general public, as well as sports, industrial and volume housing interests. sense to a lot of keting. comes to As f a r as a sod farm is concerned, it would seem to make a great deal of put almost a l l of your production into one blend of grasses. In this way, duplication could be avoided in areas of preparation just prior to marIt would also prove economical to be working in only one area when it more mechanized sod harvesting equipment. I n relation to newer grasses, it appears that there is a definite place for a particular grass that can prove i t s e l f in a given area. Our only experience has been with Sodco. We were very pleased with its performance and acceptance, though we were a l i t t l e worried for a while because the germination was low. After the second winter it had f i l l e d i n nicely and was ready to market. We only had one acre and i t moved out rapidly at a 10<£ premium. Once the f i r s t job or two was done, it sold i t s e l f . We plan on seeding more this spring, and i n the future hope to keep a certain ajmount of premium grass ready for certain a p p l i c a t i o n at all times. PLUGGING AND SODDING VF,GF,1TATITO BIUEGRASS Ben Warren, Warren's Turf Nursery Palos H i l l s , I l l i n o i s There are several reasons why plants are reproduced vegetatively. Some of these are the f a i l u r e of a desirable plant to form seed, or the amount set is so small that it i s not economically feasible to produce the strain commercially, and a third reason is that the seed produced is not the same as the parent. This last characteristic is found i n both Warren's A-20 and A-10, and i s the primary reason why we are growing these vegetatively. There are several secondary advantages that are interesting. Plantings by this method are made satisfactorily i n most of the frost-free periods of the year. One has the use immediately after planting of all the herbicides used on mature t u r f . This is particularly valuable when planting in Poa annua contaminated s o i l , as an application of Balan, following placement of plugs, aids greatly in controlling this pest. The broadleaf controlling chemicals, such as 2,4-D and Banvel-D, can be used when needed without concern for delicate seedlings. The two vegetative methods being used, of course, are sodding and plugging. Sodding is familiar to a l l , and a considerable amount is done with various grasses on such areas a t e e s , collars and approaches. Some 50 to 60 golf courses now have A-20 in use i n such places, and with the growing awareness on the part of superintendents and players of the superiority of this strain, the question is arising why not on fairways? This can be handled very nicely on new construction and rebuilding old fairways i f sufficient time can be allowed out of play by the plugging method. Two courses are seriously discussing sod as a way to get A-20 fairways. This sounds a l i t t l e expensive, but when consideration is given to the facts that the cost would be considerably under an automatic irrigation system, and experience shows that three or four waterings per season should see A-20 through almost a l l year, the idea does not seem so far out. Plugging in our nurseries has gone beyond the experimental stage. We have over 800 acres planted by this method, which was adopted after experimenting with such ideas as hydro-mulching, vegetable planters, the Pray planters, and manure spreaders. The equipment being used i s made by the Beck Company, and is an elaboration of their small 2- and 3-row planters. It is tractor drawn, and plants 9 rows, 9 inches apart, dropping plugs every 8 to 1 0 inches. With this machine 6 men can plant one to 1-1/2 acres per hour, u t i l i z i n g about 300 yds. of sod per acre. There are several variations to be considered regarding use or non-use of companion grasses when plugging. I f conditions require a solid stand as quickly as possible, such as a deadline for opening a new course, seeding one of the ryes, or possibly common Kentucky bluegrass should be considered. A-20 would take over either of these, but the achievement of solid A-20 would be somewhat delayed. When 9 to 12 months can be allowed between planting, the use of the companion grass can be eliminated. I f the soil is badly contaminated with either fast-growing annual grasses or Poa annua, Balan is suggested, except on steep slopes. In such places a light seeding of oats w i l l control erosion. The rate of rhizome development and the spread of the plugs i s directly related to the height of cut. Mowing at 2 to 3 inches i s practiced u n t i l about 90$ coverage is achieved. At that time, the mowers are gradually lowered to the desired permanent mowing height, which may be as low as 5 / 8 to 3 / 4 inch. SEEDS - FACTS AND FANCY G. H. Valentine, J r . , P r e s . , Seaboard Seed Company Bristol, Illinois I f we seedsmen have a consistent f a i l i n g , this probably is that we consider our work unique in the American economy. This r e a l l y i s n ' t true at a l l . We are merely participants in a total marketing scheme - our function is somewhat analogus to that of the steel industry. We each start with raw materials in a relatively crude state; then, through the application of technical s k i l l s and highly specialized equipment, we deliver refined products - the steel industry to a myriad of manufacturers and fabricators - the seedsmen to sod growers, packagers, blenders, etc. I n each of these total marketing schemes, a complete two-way flow of knowledge, based on current conditions and observations, is an asbolutely essential ingredient. As the steel company i n my analogy must seek out new and better ways of performing its function, we as seedsmen must also devote a significant portion of our time, money and energies toward improving our products, and the means of handling them. Today I would like to show you just a few of the steps involved i n discoveri n g , evaluating and producing a new variety of Kentucky bluegrass. Several years ago, during a routine v i s i t to Michigan State, one of our research people noticed the striking color of the plot on this f i r s t s l i d e . He found that i t was one of the new New Jersey selections, P-106. Our management then determined that a more thorough investigation was warranted. Our f i r s t stop i n this investigation was, l o g i c a l l y , Rutgers. When compared to Windsor and D e l t a , the P-106 impressed us because the devistation caused by Helminthosporium vagans - leafspot - has been of great concern to a number of our customers these past few years. Apparently P-106 has excellent resistance to this infection. In a f e r t i l i z e r t r i a l plot area, P-106 proved to be outstanding. The breeder of P-106 i s D r . Reed Funk. While in New Jersey, our man visited several sod growers who had been cooperating with the people at Rutgers in their program. He found excellent drouth resistance of P-106 as compared to Merion and Windsor on Long Island. P-106 showed a striking dark green color. P-106 gave a tight turf with the striking dark green color i n Rhode I s l a n d . Here P-106 had dense turf and dark green color. Our evaluation group then decided that this variety warranted inclusion i n our seed growing program. The breeder's seed was planted i n f l a t s ; then f i v e weeks later the seedlings are transplanted at the rate of 100 plants per f l a t in sterile s o i l ; then into a fumigated f i e l d . Each cube containing one plant is set 18 inches apart in 3 foot rows. Seed increase plot a year later produced the f i r s t seed crop. Based on the data available from the experiment stations for three years of the excellent rating of P-106 i n each of these 6 c l a s s i f i c a t i o n s , we decided to include the variety in our marketing program. P-106 is only one of the many excellent new varieties of Kentucky bluegrass which w i l l be available to you within the next few years. Close cooperation with your experiment stations, your seedsman and, i f possible, the establishment of your own plots w i l l enable each of you to properly evaluate these new v a r i e i t i e s , and determine which ones are best suited to you and your c l i e n t e l e . SEEDS - FACTS AMD FANCY Dwight M. Brown, Geo. W . H i l l & Florence, Kentucky Co., I would l i k e to preface my remarks by saying that I do not i n any way consider myself qualified i n the technical aspects of the sod industry, especially harvesting and marketing. It is my feeling that I was asked to be a part of this program, perhaps, to point out certain aspects of the n Sod-Seed n picture that those of you deeply engrossed i n growing and marketing sod need to be reminded of from time to time. Therefore, I w i l l try to make a few thought provoking comments. During the conference you w i l l have seen and heard much aboutnew selections of grasses. My purpose w i l l be to possibly inspire the proper use and application of them. Tour end results must basically be the same as those of the seed merchandiser. The sales of seed or sod must bring satisfaction to the user. Our respons i b i l i t i e s would, therefore, seem to be: 1. To s e l l the type or strains of seed or sod to do the job i n any given market area. 2. To furnish the user with either: a. The proper know-how to prepare a sod bed, handle and lay the good sod you sell them. b. I f sold on n laid~down: b a s i s , be sure your sod bed preparation w i l l create a f a i r chance of establishment. (No different than a good seedbed). 3. To furnish the customer with proper information on care and maintenance of new sod, including f e e d i n g , watering, mowing, etc. The key point we wish to enlarge on, of course, i s No. 1 which includes proper knowledge of the strain or strains to be used for production of any sod. The farsighted sod grower not only runs t r i a l s of his own, but has them tried out by other local users. A suggestion would be some practical market t r i a l applications, such as with specialized users l i k e cemeteries, playgrounds, athletic f i e l d s , and so on, as well as the homeowner, where basic management practices may be minimal. W i t h these you may also father further useful knowledge where varying soil conditions, weather, and consequently turf disease exposure, mayube present even i n one market area. You a l l w e l l know that just as no two golf courses react the same t o all uses of chemicals, f e r t i l i z e r s , e t c . , no two situations with sod are exactly the same. Under stress the differences w i l l show up. A l l of this information w i l l better help you to determine how many different types of sod you w i l l need to raise for your particular market area, and whether i n some you w i l l use a single strain or a blend. I f it is a blend, it is important to know the relative vigor of each, and the correct proportion to get your sod into marketable condition quickly. From a marketing standpoint, you need to know "what w i l l s e l l . n Here you can take advantage of the variety promotion given by growers and marketing associations advertising i n many different media- L e t ' s take an example or two. Let us say you, as an individual sod grower, now have two well-established strains of bluegrass seed available to you that could be used. 1. One strain may have as one of i t s plus features an extremely aggresive rhizome and t i l l e r i n g a b i l i t y . This i s good, but may lead to some excessive thatching, particularly under heavy management. This would seem, therefore, to make the sod excellent for fast healing in t r a f f i c , or heavy usage areas, such a s , recreation or athletic areas, Tees or commercial areas,where they are under the supervision of people knowledgeable in Turf Management, and with the equipment to do the thatching. 2. The other new strain mah f i t an entirely different market picture. Since we know that the average homeowner does not tend toward high management, and many wouldn't know what "thatching 11 even meant, this strain which is much less aggressive than the f i r s t , but disease resistant and persistent may be just the answer. Cemeteries, for example, I would f e e l prefer turf with less tendency toward thatching because of the obvious d i f f i c u l t y i n the thatching operation i n and around monuments and head stones. Since so much momentum has been generated i n recent years by states and private enterprise in the selection and development of superior strains of grasses, especially the bluegrasses and fine-leaved fescues, I am sure we, in the sod and turf seed industry, w i l l continue to have increasing opportunity to furnish our markets with improved turfgrasses. It is simply a question of making the best use of the known characteristics of them. I would l i k e to close with this thought that even with a l l of our f i n e new strains, there i s strength i n numbers, and many turf authorities and golf superintendents are finding the use of some percentage of high grade common bluegrass, with its myriad of strains, gives a good starting base to which can be added the proper portions of many of these new strains. I do not say that this is always the way to go, but use of common bluegrass i n blends does give the opportunity for some of the better strains to take over as survival of the f i t t e s t takes place. USING NEWER GRASSES Robert W . M i l l e r , Dept. of Agronomy, Ohio State University C olumbus, Ohio Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis This grass species is most often used for turf in the Midwest. The f i n e texture of the leaves, along with the capacity to produce numerous shoots and rhizomes, makes this grass well suited for use i n home lawns, golf course fairways and t e e s , cemeteries and recreational establishments, such as parks and playgrounds. In 1936 Merion was selected at the Merion Golf Club near Philadelphia. Research in Ohio has shown Merion to be resistant to the leafspot disease, but susceptible to rust and stripe smut. I n many cases stripe smut infestations have ruined Merion t u r f . Merion requires high nitrogen f e r t i l i z a t i o n , and tends to develop thatch. Merion w i l l withstand close mowing and, i f managed properly, it w i l l produce a b e a u t i f u l , dense sod u n t i l stripe smut becomes a problem. I t has performeafin e Rorthern than in southern Ohio. Windsor is a selection similar in appearance, mowing performed about the same as Merion in research conducted at Ohio. As with Merion, stripe smut infestations may become a Windsor t u r f . Windsor also i s somewhat susceptible to some diseases and nitrogen, and has Columbus and Ripley, serious problem in of the Helminthosporium A-20 i s available only as sod. It has been outstanding i n research conducted at Wooster, Ohio. A-20 has been resistant to diseases, and has produced a dense turf free from weeds. Injured areas heal quickly making it well-adapted for use on golf t e e s , football f i e l d s , and other hard used areas. Pennstar was developed at The Pennsylvania State University, and has been evaluated under research conditions for several years at vaiaous stations throughout the United States. First seed was available i n 1 9 7 0 . I t has excellent disease resistance, and produces a tight weed-free sod. Pennstar shows promise for use in golf t e e s , fairways and home lawns. Kenblue is a name given to a mixture of seed lots harvested from several natural bluegrass stands grown i n Kentucky. I t is resistant to stripe smut, but susceptible to the Helminthosporium diseases. The best use for this variety is in areas under a medium level of management. I t w i l l not take close mowing. Fylking was developed at the Swedish Plant Breeding Station, Svalof. It has not been included i n Ohio studies long enough to f u l l y evaluate i t s performance. It is described as a low-growing variety adapted to close mowing, with good resistance to l e a f spot and stripe smut. This variety shows promise for use on t e e s , fairways, home lawns and other similar areas. Prato i s a variety common Kentucky bluegrass Helminthosporium diseases Merion, Windsor, Pennstar imported from Europe. I t has been somewhat better than i n Ohio studies. Prato is f a i r l y resistant to both some and stripe smut. It does not produce as dense a sod as or A-20. Cougar has not performed well in Ohio mainly because of its susceptibility to leaf spot. Leaf spot has been more severe on Cougar than on any other variety tested. It has a low growth habit and wide leaf blades. Nugget was released by the Alaska Agricultural Experiment Station and Crop Research Division in 1 9 6 5 . It i s dark green in color, and is reported to have good disease resistance and winter hardiness. Research i n Ohio with this variety i s not sufficient for evaluation. Sodco, a release from Purdue University, i s a blend of dwarf types. I t was included i n Ohio studies for the f i r s t time in 1 9 6 9 . I t i s a low growing variety and shows promise for use on lawns, t e e s , fairways, and other turfgrass areas. Seed is f i r s t available in 1971 Park, Newport, Newport C-l, Nu-Dwarf, D e l t a , Arboretum and Campus have not performed as well as Kentucky grown common bluegrass i n Ohio studies. Other names varieties i n Ohio studies are: A-10, A-34j A r i s t a , Sydsport, Palouse, D e l f t , Geary, Primo, Belturf and Zwartburg. They have not been included i n Ohio studies long enough to evaluate them. Performance of 14 Bluegrass V a r i e t i e s , 1965-1968, Niehaus & D a v i s , Variety Overall rank A-20 Pennstar Windsor Campus 1 2 3 4 Color* 1 - 9 3 2 3 3 Prato Merion Cougar Delft 5 6 7 8 4 3 4 3 Common (Kentucky grown) Newport Delta Common (Denmark grown) Nudwarf Park 9 Density?!1 - 9 1 2 2 4 Percent Weeds^' 2 " cut l i " cut % % Leaf spot-"-«1 - 9 1 2 3 5 Ohio Smut** count None 15 92 4 2 4 2 3 2 6 8 3 3 3 4 4 3 3 5 10 7 22 13 3 4 5 16 177 7 25 4 4 5 14 6 4 10 11 11 4 4 5 4 5 6 6 12 20 11 37 ¿4 5 7 6 52 16 0 12 12 4 5 6 5 7 32 28 7 6 40 38 5 9 ^"Average rating of 1 to 9> with 1 as best Includes 4 years of f a l l ratings ar 2 years of spring and summer ratings. yTwo-year average ratings of 1 to with 1 as most dense, 1967 & 1968 on 2 " cut -^Estimated percentage of ground covered by grass weeds, 1967 & 1968 -)B(-Three year average ratings with 1 as least disease ^ A v e r a g e number of infected t i l l e r s per square f o o t , 1967 & 1968. Bentgrass Varieties The bentgrasses are well adapted to cool, humid regions. High temperatures is the chief limiting factor in producing a good t u r f . Bent requires abundant moisture either as rain or by irrigation. In recent years, bentgrass adaptation has extended farther south as a result of improved management practices, which reduce the i l l effects of high temperatures. The performance of a bentgrass variety varies greatly from location to locat i o n within its area of adaptation. Many times one turfgrass manager is able to produce a good turf with a particular v a r i e t y , while his counterpart f a i l s . In order to grow top quality bentgrass, i t is necessary to select an adapted s t r a i n , adjust management practices to take advantage of the strong point of the s t r a i n , and to f i t local conditions. Most putting greens in the cool, humid regions of the United States are established with bentgrass. In many cases, Poa annua soon becomes a dominant part of the t u r f . Bentgrass also i s used extensively for tees and fairways. High maintenance requirements limit its use for home lawns. Bentgrasses w i l l do well under semi arid and arid conditions provided temperatures are not too h i g h , and ample water is available for irrigation. Three bentgrass species are used for turf in the United States. Agrostis palustris H u d s . , creeping bentgrass, is used on golf greens and on some tees and fairways. Agrostis tenuis S i b t h . , Colonial bentgrass, is used on some golf fairways, t e e s , and home lawns. Agrostis canina L . , velvet bentgrass, i s used i n parts of the Northeastern states, and sections of the Pacific Northwest with mild weather. I t is used for bowling greens, golf course turf and home lawns. Creeping bentgrass is established either from vegetative parts, or from seed. Velvet and Colonial bentgrass are seeded. The following servations in Ohio. t i e s are susceptible cussed on a relative discussion of bentgrass varieties and strains i s based on obPerformance i n other states may vary. A l l bentgrass varieto some diseases; therefore, disease resistance w i l l be disbasis. Creeping Bentgrass Varieties - seeded v a r i e t i e s . Penncross was developed at The Pennsylvania State University. First generation seed is harvested from the random crossing of three vegetative strains. Penncross is a good creeper, has a vigorous growth r a t e , is dark green i n color, and has a tendency to thatch unless mechanical thinning is practical. I t i s more resistant to diseases than most bentgrasses. Penncross w i l l do best under high fertility. It has performed well i n Ohio studies. Seaside seed contains sufficient v a r i a b i l i t y to cause the turf to appear as a mass of patches. I t produces numerous stolons, has a vigorous creeping h a b i t , and is below average i n disease resistance. Seaside has a tendency to g r a i n , but does not thatch greatly. Vegetatively Propagated Varieties Cohansey (C—7) has been one of the outstanding varieties i n Ohio tests. It is light green in color, not particularly susceptible to disease, has excellent regrowth, and is adapted to a wider range of climatic conditions than many bentgrasses It is more tolerant of hot weather than most other bentgrass v a r i e t i e s . Cohansey does best under high f e r t i l i t y l e v e l s . Grain, thatch and swirl are not major maintenance prcblems. Toronto (C-15) i s aggressive, dark green, f i n e textured and has good regrowth. I t has performed equally as well as Cohansey in Northern Ohio. Growth is best during cool weather. Thatch, grain and swirl are not excessive. Performance is best under a go*d f e r t i l i t y l e v e l . Disease resistance i s good compared to other bentgrass v a r i e t i e s . Arlington (C-l) was selected at Arlington, V i r g i n i a by the U. S . Golf Association Greens Section and the Crop Research D i v i s i o n , USDA. Arlington is tolerant to lower levels of f e r t i l i t y than most creeping bentgrasses; however, at higher levels of nitrogen it has a more upright growth habit and swirls l e s s . I t is light blue-green in color, has good disease resistance, and does not thatch excessively i f mowed at 3 / l 6 to l / 4 inch. I t has not performed well i n Ohio studies. Old Orchard (C-52) was selected in Wisconsin. This variety is light bluegreen in color, has good regrowth,and does not thatch, grain or swirl excessively. I t does not grow w e l l during hot weather, and is average in disease resistance. A good f e r t i l i t y program is necessary for good growth. I t has been inferior to Cohansey, Penncross and Toronto in Ohio studies. Congressional (C-19), a selection from Maryland, is dark green in color, has excellent regrowth, is average in disease tolerance, and does not have a tendency to g r a i n , thatch or swirl. Growth is good i n hot weather i f enough water is applied. Performance i s best under high f e r t i l i t y . I n Ohio studies, Congressional has been inferior to Penncross, Cohansey and Toronto. Evansville is a dark green variety selected in Indiana. Performance ratings i n Ohio studies have been about the same as for Washington, Congressional, and Arlington. Disease resistance is good. Thatch buildup is rapid unless mechanical thinning, aerification and topdressing are frequent. Pennpar was released by Pennsylvania Agricultural Research Station. Color is best described as dark green. It has good disease resistance, is medium textured, and does not have a vigorous growth rate. Thatch buildup is not a problem i f good management practices are followed. Quality ratings have been high in Ohio studies. Nimisila, an Ohio selection, is vigorous, dark green i n color, has excellent regrowth, and is susceptible to brown patch. Although it has performed well on several golf courses in Ohio, it has not rated high in test plot studies at Wooster and Columbus. It produces a good putting surface, and does not have a tendency to thatch or grain. Washington (C-50) is light green i n color during the growing season, but turns to a dark blue-green or purple in early f a l l . I t is tolerant to hot weather, but remains dormant longer during cool weather than most other creeping bentgrasses. Although many investigators have reported good texture, coarseness has been observed in Ohio studies. I t i s relatively free from thatch, grain and swirl. Dollarspot may become a problem unless a good preventative fungicidal program is followed. Quality ratings have been low in Ohio studies. Pennlu, Collins and Metropolitan (C-51) have not been extensively studied in Ohio. Twin Orchards, an experimental selection, has performed w e l l i n limited studies. Colonial Bentgrass Varieties Astoria originated i n Oregon. I t has a weak creeping habit because stolons are short and slow growing. The color is light green and foliage may be soft and succulent. Best quality turf is obtained under a medium f e r t i l i t y level because of soft succulent growth under high f e r t i l i t y . Thatch i s not a problem with this variety. Some variation in seed is found resulting i n patchy appearing t u r f . It has not performed well in Ohio under close mowing. Highland, released by the Oregon Agricultural Research Station i n 1934* has a weak creeping habit of growth, but is superior to Astoria i n this respect. It is slow to heal and, l i k e Astoria, does not perform w e l l under close mowing. Some variation i n seed i s common. Highland is bluish-green i n color and has an upright growth characteristic. Exerter was developed by the Rhode Island Agricultural Experiment Station. I t has good disease resistance, i s bright green in color, and does not have a tendency to thatch. In Ohio studies performance has been inferior to Astoria and Highland. Holfior was introduced from the Netherlands. I t is dark green i n color, has an upright growth h a b i t , and a moderate rate of spread. I t has been rated about equal to Exeter i n Ohio studies. Red Fescue Varieties Red fescue is used for home lawns, golf course roughs, and other turfgrass reas where minimum maintenance i s desirable. It is well adapted on sandy s o i l s , is f a i r l y shade tolerant, w i l l not stand close mowing, and w i l l deteriorate under a high f e r t i l i t y program. Named varieties of f i n e leaf fescues are Wintergreen, Pennlawn, I l l a h e e , Jamestown, Ruby, R a i n i e r , Golfroad, Arctared, Duraturf, O a s i s , Highlight, Boreal, Brabantia, Reptans, B a r f a l l a , Sceempter, Durlawn, E r i k a , Cascade, Fortune and Dawson. Many of these have not been evaluated for any lenth of time. Illahee and Pennlawn are superior i n performance to common red fescue. Perennial Ryegrass Varieties Perennial ryegrass has been used extensively as a so-called n nurse crop'1 with new turfgrass seedings, as ,a temporary grass, to overseed damaged football f i e l d s , t e e s , e t c . , and to overseed Bermudagrass greens. Common perennial ryegrass does not produce quality t u r f . I t has a coarse appearance, produces a thin turf especially in hot weather, and is unsightly after mowing. I t i s often included in cheap seed mixtures. In Ohio studies perennial ryegrass persists in turf. Of several newer varieties Manhattan has better mowing q u a l i t y , is finer in texture, and produces a better turf than common. Norlea, NK 1 0 0 and Pelo are other varieties that are superior to common. Pennfine i s new from Pennsylvania. SEEDING WITH MODERN EQUIPMENT Edward A. Hunnicutt, Toro Manufacturing Corporation Minneapolis, Minnesota There are four methods commonly used for the established of turfgrasses: ( l ) Seeding; ( 2 ) Sprigging with stolons, ( 3 ) plugging, and ( 4 ) sodding. Establishment by seeding is the most commonly used, and usually it i s the least expensive of the four methods. For species and strains that have no commercial seed supply sprigging is the only way of establishment. (These include selected strains of creeping bentgrass, improved strains of Bermuda, Zoysia, bluegrass, S t . Augustine grass, and centipedegrass). Successful turfgrass establi&ment depends upon seeding at the correct time, using the proper amount of seed per unit area, and proper uniform distribution. Seeding Equipment Any method which distributes the seed uniformly and provides adequate covering and compaction is satisfactory. The grass seed d r i l l , the hopper-type distribut o r , the broadcast seeder,and the hydroseeders are the four types of seeding equipment . Grass seed d r i l l s - distribute the seed, cover i t , and firm the soil i n a single operation. For turfgrass areas this is the least desirable type because it deposits the seed i n rows 6 to 8 inches apart. Also, placing the seed at the correct depth is sometimes d i f f i c u l t in light soil with this type of equipment. Hopper distributors. The simple type broadcasts the seed into the seedbed. An agitator inside the hopper forces the seed through an adjustable opening. The more complex type i s designed to broadcast the seed, cover, and firm the soil in a single operation. Many are equipped with f e r t i l i z e r attachments. Other special attachments that assure uniform covering and smoothing of the soil surface, and proper placement of the seed are available. Sizes range from small units to attach to garden tractors, to 1 0 f t . wide units suitable for seeding large areas. Broadcast seeders. The distribute the seed by throwing it by means of gravi t y from an impillar that rotates p a r a l l e l to the surface. This method is fast and can cover a swath 6 to 2 0 or more feet in width. Helicopters may be used to carry this type of seeder quite e f f e c t i v e l y . With broadcast seeding, some method of covering and s o i l firming must follow. Sometimes with seed mixtures of different seed size and weight, uniform distribution is a problem. Hydro-seeders and hydro-mulchers are very effective in seeding, using water, seed and f e r t i l i z e r , and spraying to distances of 200 f t . This method i s effective on slopes or other areas where mechanical equipment cannot operate. A high degree of uniformity of seed and f e r t i l i z e r distribution can be accomplished. Adding wood cellulose to the mixture aids i n the reduction of erosion, as well as serving to improve the micro-climate for germination. Commercial machines are available that are capable of f e r t i l i z i n g and seeding up to 15 acres per hour. Turf Renovation I n the discussion of seeding with modern equipment, we must discuss turf renovation. The extent of a renovation program is dependent on the degree of turf deterioration. I n the past most renovation was either by hand-raJking and seeding a few dead spots, or reworking the entire turf area with power equipment. No matter what method is used, the cause of turf deterioration should be corrected or renovation may become an annual requirement. New equipment i s available that can cut through the existing permanent grasses, remove excess debris, aerate and provide a rough seedbed suitable for seeding in one operation. This method prevents seed from being blown or washed away as it can when distributed by broadcast type seeders. Mulching The usual practice i s to cover a seeded area with some type of mulch. Straw mulch is effective,but straw is expensive, hard to obtain, and often carries weeds. Wood cellulose i s becoming very w e l l accepted. The wood cellulose f i b e r is made from whole wood chips, which are broken down under steam and high pressure into individual f i b e r s , then dried to about 10% water content by weight. The wood cellulose is dyed green so that the equipment operator can spray an even application into the ground. When applied, the moist wood cellulose forms a protective blanket over the s o i l , aiding in erosion control. A favorable micro-climate for better germination of seeds i s provided. On turf areas where the requirement for vegetation i s immediate, the use of hydraulic mulching i s excellent. Sprigs may be used instead of seed for even faster vegetation establishment. On a new golf course i n Missouri the entire golf course was hydro-mulched, and in ten days the turf was mowed. With the cost of seed and labor increasing, the need to select the most economical method of seeding i s c r i t i c a l . Equipment for seeding has progressed since the days of the wheelbarrow seeder. The future w i l l bring more advancements in this important area of turfgrass management. THATCH REGULATION Robert W . M i l l e r , Dept. of Agronomy, Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio What i s thatch? The Turfgrass and Crop Terminology Committee of the American Society of Agronomy says: "Thatch is a tightly intermingled layer of living and dead stems, leaves and roots of grass, which develops between the layer of green vegetation and the s o i l s u r f a c e . " The terms "mat" and , f felt , ! have been used by some authors, but thatch is the preferred term. Thatch Hinders, Water, Minerals and Pesticides Thatch accumulation appears to hinder plant growth i n many ways. Mineral elements applied on the surface are hindered in reaching the s o i l , so response to fert i l i z a t i o n i s impeded. The undecomposed layer of dead plant parts creates a favorable environment where disease organisms and insects multiply and w i l l thrive. T h i s , coupled with the decreased effectiveness of fungicides and insecticides caused by thatch formation, increases pest control problems manyfold. Water penetration is greatly inhibited by thick thatch layers. More water is lost through runoff. The root system of the turf i s shallow under heavy thatch, and the plant makes less effective use of the water i n the s o i l . The overall effect of thatch buildup is a turf low in v i t a l i t y , easily subject to drouth, and often affected by disease and other pests. The weakened turfgrass plant is easily injured by any stress conditions which may develop. What Causes Thatch? Why does thatch develop? Any condition that increases vegetative production and the subsequent death of plants or plant parts favors thatch development. Likewise, any factor that slows down organic decomposition favors thatch formation. Although most turfgrass species are perennials, parts of plants are continually dying and being replaced. The majority of roots of most perennial grasses die each winter, and new ones are formed i n the spring. In addition, management pract i c e s used to grow quality turf produce more plants and more vegetative growth per unit of area. This i s one of the reasons why the worst thatch problems are found in turf grass grown with intense management systems. Factors Affecting Thatch Buildup Clay soil - More thatch is known to form on heavy than on light textured soils. Disease and Insects - diseases and insect problems when severe enough to k i l l grass add to the thatch problems. Weeds - some weeds, such as nimblewill, contribute to thatch buildup. S o i l compaction - more thatch w i l l form when soils are compacted provided i t is not compacted enough to greatly reduce growth. Nitrogen f e r t i l i z a t i o n - excessive nitrogen f e r t i l i z a t i o n speeds up thatch formation. S o i l pH - although low s o i l pH has often been talked about i n relationship to thatch, research to date has not shown it to be a major cause of thatch dvelopment. Mowing height - the higher the grass i s cut the more thatch w i l l develop. Use of pesticides - The use of i n s e c t i c i d e s , which k i l l earthworms, such as Chlordane, Aldrin and D i e l d r i n , as well as arsenic, w i l l speed up thatch formation. I t i s also thought that the use of fungicides may favor thatch dvelopment. Mechanical Control Recommended for Thatch What can be chanical control. thinners, or other topdressing is one done to control thatch? Today most of the effort i s toward meThe thatch layer is physically dug out by use of vertical mechanical devices, and removed by raking. Aerification and of the most effective ways to control thatch. Thatch should be removed from most bluegrass or bentgrass areas at least once per year. After considerable thatch has accumulated, it i s d i f f i c u l t to remove without drastically injuring the t u r f . There should be green growing points remaining between slices after the renovation is completed, otherwise brown areas may be too severe and extensive. Inexperienced operators, on the other hand, are often afraid to remove enough thatch and vegetation. Removal of the thatch and up to 50$ of the green grass may be desirable. Renovation Program Should Include F e r t i l i z a t i o n On bluegrass and bentgrass renovation is most often done i n the f a l l . Spring i s also an acceptable time provided the job i s completed very early. Fertilization is generally favored at the same time. On golf greens, topdressing with soil is often used. I f a thatch layer has already developed, repeated vertical mowing and aeration followed by topdressing is usually necessary. RESEARCHING GROWTH REGULATION John Thorne, Graduate Research Assistant Purdue University I n our continuing research with potential growth regulators, the answers to several Turf Management problems have been actively sought. Included among these are: weed control, drouth reduction, Poa annua seedhead i n h i b i t i o n , and mowing frequency reduction. Many of the chemicals that e l i c i t desired responses have to be abandoned due to excessive cost, t o x i c i t y , or discoloration of the t u r f . The outlook is promising, however, for already on the market are several growth-regulating compounds encompassing many of the problems l i s t e d above. these There are many well-known growth regulators i n use for weed control. Among are: 2,4-D 2,4,5-TP (Silvex) Dicamba Picloram (Tordon) Certainly there are other herbicides to be discovered. For many turf areas, partial or complete control of seedheads i s now possíj Í Borax r k e " b e d V r o < Í V L C ^ s i n ° l u d e Po-San of Mallinckrodt „ and Maintain CF-125 of b e Improved chemicals that completely restrict excess leaf growth have long been sought, not only for industrial s i t e s , fences and ditch banks, but for home lawns as w e l l . Marketed products currently being tested for this purpose include: MBR-6033 of 3M Company TD-1756 of Pennwalt Maintain CF-125 of U . S . Po-San of Mallinckrodt Many new products are also under investigation. lators have a big future i n Turf Management. Borax Ies, chemical growth regu- NEW REGULATIONS IN NEW YORK Cecil F . Kerr, Chipman D i v i s i o n , Rhodia, New Brunswick, New Jersey Inc., I n July of 1 9 7 0 , New York State issued a l i s t of 72 restricted pesticides. The original intent of the new regulation was that these restricted chemicals would be applied only by a custom applicator. In the original document, chlordane could be used only for termite control. Arsenicals were restricted to 4 l b s . of active ingredient per acre. Mercury compounds and DDT were banned completely. Several superintendents and golf course superintendent associations wrote letters to Henry L . Diamond, New York Commissioner of Environmental Conservation, defending tri-calcium arsenate, chlordane and mercurial compounds. They also described the professional qualifications of a golf course superintendent. Many leading researchers wrote letters defending chemicals, and the right of a golf course superintendent to apply restricted chemicals with a permit on a prescription b a s i s . D r . William Daniel wrote: "Turf areas under the care of professional turf managers who qualify for permits, may be treated with persistent type pesticides according to l a b e l , since their goal is long term turf care. 1 ' He further wrote, "Within the state of New York there are over 7 0 0 golf courses. Many of these have college trained superintendents. Most a l l have already attended conferences. A l l can attend certifying schools and get the training to make environment a l aims effective. 1 1 D r . Paul Alexander, Director of Education, Golf Course Superintendents of America, wrote: "Golf course superintendents, because of their expertise, knowledge and clear-cut sense of agronomic responsibility, have been leaders in the development and the use of plant protectants covered i n the l i s t generated by your office. These same men are keenly aware of both the plant and mamalian toxicity characteristics of the chemicals they use; hency, the excellent safety record enjoyed i n this p r o f e s s i o n . " Alexander M. Radko, Research Director of U . S . Golf Course Association, Greens Section, w r i t e s : "Golf course superintendents are professional grass growers, educated i n Turf grass Management. There are some who attended two-year courses at credited u n i v e r s i t i e s , some who have four year degrees, and some who have completed graduate study. These men are not only schooled, but are experienced in the handling of pesticides. Additionally, they have access to the experience of researchers when i n doubt about safety and uses. Superintendents also attend monthly meetings to discuss mutual problems, attend f i e l d days, and have personal contact with university research and extension men, as well as with the research people from industry. No group is more aware of the hazards involved in the Indiscriminate use of p e s t i c i d e s . " We sent to Henry L . Diamond, New York Commissioner of Environmental Conservation, data from the U. S . Golf Association, Green Section, from the 1940 issue of Timely Turf Topics showing tests where l i b e r a l quantities of arsenate of lead were applied to the t u r f , k i l l i n g wedworms and earthworms. The birds did not eat or carry to their young any of the treated insects. The birds l e f t the treated areas and found a p l e n t i f u l supply of insects i n nearby untreated areas. I sent an article to Commissioner Diamond, summarizing the medical uses of arsenicals for treatment of sleeping sickness, nutritional disturbances, malaria, diabetes, and the gauntlet of hematologic abnormalities. Phenyl arsenic acid is being fed to chickens, turkeys, swine, rats and calves as dietary supplements at concentrations of . 0 0 5 $ to .01% of food. Arsenicals are not accumulative beyond the biological amount naturally found i n the human body. Most species excrete arsenical dosages i n the urine during the f i r s t 2 4 to 48 hours. Many animals can withstand extremely high dosages. The health and vigor improves with light dosages of continued feeding. Single heavy application of arsenicals lications of aspirin have k i l l e d nearly 1000 National Safety Council. There has not been tinued usage of tri-calcium arsenate for Poa can k i l l animals just as heavy apppeople each year as reported by the a single casualty to humans with conannua control for over 18 years. 1 have attended many meetings in New York State explaining safe usage of tri-calcium arsenate to Environmental Conservation Pesticide regulatory personnel. I keep a record of over 1000 golf course superintendent's soil conditions and tests which are regularly analyzed, and also the salesmen's calls are regularly tabulated. Tri-calcium arsenate is applied on a prescription basis on most leading golf courses in the nation. We have explained that tri-calcium arsenate i s part of a program for remove s Poa annua. We have emphasized the importance of draining the low areas, correcting soil acidity, eliminating phosphorus i n the f e r t i l i z e r program, aeration, overseeding, varying arsenical rates according to existing conditions, emergency use of l i q u i d "P2®5> and maintaining control level of arsenicals. Our educational program has brought results. Commissioner Henry Diamond wrote on September 3 to Melvin Lucas, J r . The Garden City Golf Club, "Operators of golf courses w i l l qualify as commercial users for the application of pesticides which may be used in management of golf courses." It is necessary in New York State for a supplier to secure a commercial permit. He must estimate his total needs at the beginning of the year. The golf course superintendent must apply for a purchase permit. Application blanks are available at regional environmental conservation pesticide inspectors and university extension o f f i c e s . There are three classifications of permits: A. Highly Toxic - The superintendent must f i l l out a permit and submit to his regional o f f i c e . There are 55 chemicals listed i n this class A class including Guthion, parathion and Paraquat. Only one application is submitted for substances l i s t e d i n this group. B. Long Residual - There are seven separate chemicals l i s t e d i n t h i s group. A separate application must be f i l e d for each separate use of a substance. Arsenical rates per acre and t o t a l amount needed must be submitted. A separate permit must be secured for each use of chlordane. One grouping would be for Asiatic garden b e e t l e , Japanese beetle and European Chafer. Another grouping would be ants and termites. Another grouping would be grubs and weevils in commercial sod. C. Not Permitted - There are ten chemicals that no permit w i l l be granted. These include Bandane, BHC, DDT, endrin, mercury compounds, toxaphene and others not specifically related to the turf Industry. The Department of Environmental Conservation has assured us that golf course superintendents w i l l be granted a permit to apply tri-calcium arsenate on a prescription b a s i s . I t is l i k e l y that all states w i l l eventually follow the New York S t a t e ' s pattern of restriction of usage of pesticides. It is imperative that golf course superintendents continue to prepare themselves for this day. This should include attending short courses that would prepare them for any testing that their respective states may require. The certification standards that the Golf Course Superintendents of America are proposing w i l l be an excellent foundation for continued usage of p e s t i c i d e s . The i n t e l l i g e n t , prescribed elimination of unsightly weeds, diseases and harmful insects by trained superintendents on golf courses creates a beautiful environment enabling our population to enjoy both nature and recreation. Accidental Ingestion of Household Products Subject to the Hazardous Substances Act 1969 Incid. all Household ages Lighter f l u i d 1000 Solvents 882 5066 Total I n c i d . Hosp. under under 5 yrs. 5 yrs. 118 952 718 83 4043 644 1968 Incid. all ages 1111 596 5352 Incid. Under 5 yrs. IO7I 552 4819 Hosp. under 5 yrs. 142 91 788 1967 Incid all ages 924 564 4192 I n c i d . Hosp. under under ".5 yrs. 5 yrs 873 131 504 74 3712 663 Polishes 797 696 134 1019 975 178 863 832 162 Cleaners Bleaches Total 204 3503 178 2679 15 255 273 3481 239 3130 29 280 284 2828 262 2470 18 223 Do-it-yourself kits 1879 1484 46 945 890 33 661 494 37 Yard & garden 1833 1425 33 1412 1268 39 986 849 37 Miscellaneous Paint II62 932 25 229 222 30 2300 1811 88 1151 1046 91 (Category breakdown not available for 1967) 552 64I 56 Total THE BUMPY ROAD WITH CHEMICALS Stan Frederiksen, Mallinckrodt Chemical Works S t . L o u i s , Missouri I t ' s good to know that those of us who are concerned with the present and future of chemicals, not only from the standpoint of the ecology and the environment, but also from the standpoint of their usage as Turf Management " t o o l s , " can get together. Some ten years ago, or thereabouts, turf chemicals were more or less taken for granted as part of the overall turf maintenance picture — as much a p a r t , for example, as mowers, watering, thatch removal, and the other maintenance practices. Even then the "road11 for a turf chemical, from the time of its conception as an idea to the time of its commercialization, was far from a "smooth" one. Yes, even in those early days of turf chemicals the road was "bumpy." And, outstanding turf men l i k e Bob M i l l e r , who just talked with you, and many others, spent plenty of their time explaining the tedious process of going from the germ of an idea for a turf chemical, to the point where you turf managers should have a chemical that would perform an important maintenance function in your overall programs. This was true whether the chemical was a f e r t i l i z e r (and we are sometime prone to forget that f e r t i l i z e r s are some of the most Important chemicals that we u s e ) , or whether it was one of the more exotic chemicals of recent vintage that w i l l do things to modify grass plants that are almost magical — or even bordering on the miraculous. However, i f we really consider the progress of turf chemicals as a " r o a d , " w e ' l l recognize that during those early days the "bumps" were r e a l l y nothing more than small " p o t h o l e s . " The time taken to achieve registration, even when accomplished v i a the mails, was r e l a t i v e l y short - sometimes within a week or two. On occasions B i l l Small has flown to Washington i n the morning, presenting the registration documentation to the proper authorities during a r e l a t i v e l y brief v i s i t , and returning home the same afternoon with registration f u l l y completed. At that time the USDA had f u l l authority over turf chemical registration. Only a relatively few people i n Washington had to go over the facts presented, assure themselves and the public of compliance with a l l laws, regulations and health considerations. I n the early s i x t i e s , due at least p a r t i a l l y to the publication of Rachel Carson's book "The Silent S p r i n g , " the public eye and the eyes of US government o f f i c i a l s were focused upon chemical pesticides. The chief concern was that these materials, when used indiscriminately, were creating serious hazards as regards the health and welfare of our country. As a r e s u l t , and sometimes with very l i t t l e objectivity, many pesticides were ruled off the market. This made the chemical "road" far "bumpier" that i t had ever been before. These small "potholes" have now become l i t e r a l l y "bomb craters" so tremendous:, i n f a c t , that they now threaten to discourage further research i n agricultural chemicals, including turf chemicals and also to cause any number of formerly strong companies i n pesticide research to "turn back" actually to go out of the agricultural chemical business. Recently governmental scrutiny has "zeroed i n " on persistent pesticides, with special emphasis on DDT, other chlorinated compounds, and some of the "heavy metal" p e s t i c i d e s , such as arsenic and mercury. The reason, of course, is a good one - these are potentially hazardcus compounds - indiscriminate usage could readily cause harm. No chemical company wants to cause harm i n any way - every reputable company wants its products to do the job they're intended f o r , without undue hazard, and certainly without any harm whatsoever to the environment, or to the balance of nature. At the same time, it is important for a l l to recognize that everyon'e overNo small part in this extension a l l job i s to consider people f i r s t and foremost. of the human l i f e span has been brought about by the proper use of good pesticides. In other words, chemicals have played a big part in bringing about not only a longer l i f e for people, but also a better l i f e . You and I have read just recently of the tragic situation i n Ceylon where the insecticide DDT was banned from routine usage some seven or eight years ago. Since then the deaths and serious side effects from malaria spread by the mosquito (which had long been held in check by D D T ) , rose from a very few cases just prior to the ban, to over 2 . 5 million i n 1968 and 1969. (The DDT mosquito eradication program was reinstated i n Ceylon i n 1 9 6 9 ) . What i s needed, above a l l e l s e , are FACTS. In other words, just what is being done to our environment by this or that chemical, and is the result justif i e d by the use of the chemical i n the particular use pattern? With the facts at hand, what is the best .judgment as to whether any chemical in question should be continued i n u s e , or should be restricted or banned? In other words, how best can the facts be weighed and how best can they be made use of? At Mallinckrodt we are tackling the problem with facts - s c i e n t i f i c facts and already have come up with some mightly interesting information, especially with respect to the mercurials. Over the recent past we've been conducting exhaustive studies, under the sponsorship of university experiment stations throughout the country, to determine what happens to mercurial fungicides when applied to turf. The fact that suspicion has been cast upon the mercurials i n this use pattern is one of the "bomb craters" w e ' r e talking about i n considering this "bumpy road with chemicals." Gathering and interpreting the f a c t s , and disseminating the information derived from these university-sponsored studies is at least one way we've adopted to repair and/or "get around" the mercurial "bomb c r a t e r . " Here, in my hand, is the i n i t i a l study just as i t has been presented to the o f f i c i a l s of the Environmental Protection Agency, now i n overall charge of the pesticide registration procedures in Washington, and under which the Departments of Agriculture, Interior and Health, Education and Welfare are currently operating, as regards the use or non-use of peaticidal chemicals. In order to develop the information in this study, we did a number*of things: 1. Searched a l l the literature in our own and other l i b r a r i e s on the subject of mercurial compounds i n the environment - especially pesticides. 2. Discovered that there are no reported cases of harm or injury to persons, anijnals or f i s h , or contamination of water or the atmosphere due to mercuri a l s used i n the professional turf maintenance use pattern. 3. Engaged the services of major universities throughout the country to sponsor actual tests of golf greens and other professionally maintained turf which had been treated with mercurial f u n g i c i d e s , to ascertain the e f f e c t , i f any, of the use of these materials i n this use pattern. 4. Drew information from the major authorities i n the entire country on the use of mercurials in turf maintenance, and also from authorities in other count r i e s , such as Canada and others. 5. Conducted tests under university sponsorhsip, of water, mud and f i s h , i n streams, ponds and other bodies of casual water, upstream from, right a t , and downstream from mercurial pesticide treated turf areas, to determine what contamination, i f any, these mercurial applications might have in the environment i n , around, and at some distance from, the areas of actual treatment. 6. Submitted the entire study and its r e s u l t s , prior to the deadline date, February 1 , 1971^ to the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington. 7. Included i n it the actual results of a nation-wide survey among more than 3 0 0 0 golf course superintendents, to whom we had sent letters and questionnaire cards on the subject of the u s e , i n turf maintenance, of mercurial pesticides. The result of this survey, by the way, was to show us that more than 90% of a l l turf managers use mercurials in their programs, that none have ever suffered harm from their u s e , nor have the men under them doing the actual work suffered harm; that more than 90% of those using mercurials either f e e l there are no adequate replacements for these mercurials in golf course maintenance, or do not know of materials that w i l l be adequate to replace them. 8. Concluded that not only are there no adequate replacements for the mercurials i n the turf use pattern, but that there i s no appreciable contamination of people, animals, f i s h , water, or any other part of the environment from mercurials in golf course use. As an example, we found that water, mud and f i s h , from samples taken upstream from, at the site o f , and downstream from a green treated with mercurials over a lengthy period, a l l contained the same traceable amount of mercury - less than 1 part per b i l l i o n in the water - and there T f o r e , that the treatment of the turf with the mercury had no appreciable effect i n the environment. In f a c t , a l l the mercury used i n the treatments over the years was found t i e d up as insoluble mercury compounds, mostly within the top 6 inches of soil at the site of treatment - - and that there had been no appreciable lateral movement of the mercurials to contaminate nearby water or the f i s h therein. I t is our desire that all interested persons and organizations should share in our f i n d i n g s , and make use of them whenever they w i l l help you, the turf manager, to maintain these important "tools" as items in your arsenal to combat the pests that are so much a part of the forces you battle every day in your careers to maintain and groom f i n e t u r f . To do this we"11 need a written request from you, preferrably on the letterhead of the association you represent, and preferably where you are working up your presentation under the sponsorship of a university experiment station. You should request a copy of t h i s document, stating that you intend to use the material i n i t as part of a presentation you are developing for the authorities of your l o c a l or state government, to preserve the mercurials for continued application i n your use pattern. Under circumstances that w i l l have to be approved by our Department of Research and our Legal Department, w e 1 1 1 be more than happy to send you the copy. When we do, w e ' l l include any stipulations we f e e l must be followed by you and your organization in using the material in the report. Yes — the "road" with chemicals i s a "bumpy" one. However, the best people to help smooth out the "bumps" are you, the turf managers, to whom these important chemicals can r e a l l y mean so much, in not only your peace of mind, but often in the maintenance of your jobs as w e l l . When we, as a chemical company, speak on this subject we are viewed with suspicion by the authorities because w e , i n the minds of the authorities, "have an axe to grind" - - we are in business - - we are producing products - - we stand to make a reasonable profit from the sale of these materials. But, when you speak, as experts i n your own f i e l d , who need these materials to provide recreational turfgrass areas, particularly i f you can speak as an association in your s t a t e , backed up by your Experiment Station, the authorities w i l l pay attention, at l e a s t , and be s i g n i f i c a n t l y impressed by your needs, as w e l l as being persuaded to take action that w i l l be to your b e n e f i t . In short, here is an important case where your best action is to take action to help yourselves. "The Bumpy Road with Chemicals" promises to get "bumpier" before you and we are able to smooth it out" again. THE M M IN THE MIDDLE James C. Walker, President, Outdoor Equipment Company S t . L o u i s , Missouri The word "distributor" defies simpfe d e f i n i t i o n i n the turf industry. We must go back to the word "distribute" as a starting point. To " d i s t r i b u t e " i s "to divide and give out in equal shares," or "to scatter or spread o u t . " Further research into definitions leads us to the word " d i s t r i b u t i o n , " defined as "the system or process of distributing commodities to the consumer." We get a l i t t l e warmer i n the word game when we reach the word " d i s t r i b u t o r , " defined as "an agent ©p business firm that distributes goods to consumers, n This d e f i n i t i o n is over simp l i f i c a t i o n to say the very l e a s t . In the market place today distribution is a much more sophisticated concept. Distributors are business men who must use every management a b i l i t y they have, plus every dollar they can put their hands on, to run a complex operation at a profit - - - I repeat "at a p r o f i t " because we must have this element i f we are to grow and continue to serve our two masters - the manufacturers we represent, and the customers we serve. A distributor is selected by a specialized turf equipment manufacturer to perform the f i e l d sales and service function that the manufacturer cannot perform economically. We can perform these functions more economically because we spread these operating expenses over a number of l i n e s , thereby reducing the sales costs, service costs, warehousing costs, and the hundreds of other elements comprising the cost of doing business. The second function the distributor performs for the manufactuere is warehousing and financing. It would be unreasonable to say the distributor performs all the warehousing and financing functions for the manufacturer, but the distributor certainly carries a large share of this burden. I n a seasonal business such as the turf industry, no manufacturer i s able to produce, finance and warehouse twelve months production that must move into a f i v e to s i x months market. The manufacturer must establish optimum production runs to achieve economies i n the purchase of raw materials, and economy i n the manufacturing process. He must work against un surmountable obstacles in the form of lead time i n procurement of engines, steel, castings and other purchased components necessary to fabricate the finished product. The more specialized and complex the machinery, the more d i f f i c u l t this balanced pro duction becomes. Using his crystal b a l l , the distributor attempts to forecast your requirements s i x to nine months ahead of the market,and give his supplier a firm commitment for delivery in the off season. Hopefully the manufacturer w i l l be able to schedule and produce more carefully and e f f e c t i v e l y , and in an orderly manner ship the merchandise to the distributor's warehouse. After the goods have moved to the d i s t r i b u t o r ' s warehouse, they are turned into cash for the manufacturer by the simple and p a i n f u l expedient of the distributor making payment from elusive cash on hand, or from money borrowed by the distributor against his own line of credit. Simply stated, the distributor assumes the f i e l d sales cost and the f i e l d service cost of the manufacturer, and snares TUhe warehousing cost and financing cost of the manufacturer. These elements of the d i s t r i b u t o r ' s job result in lower production cost for the manufacturer, and therefore lower factory prices to the distributor, and ultimately lower delivered prices to the customer. The manufacturer-distributor relationship must be one of mutual trust and understanding. An open pipeline of communication must be maintained to handle feedback of engineering, service and performance data, leading to new and improved products. The second master that a l l distributors must serve i s you our customer. The entire relationship of manufacturer - distributor - customer i s the concept which must be understood i f we are to serve you properly. The d i s t r i b u t o r ' s objective today must go f a r beyond "distributing a commodity to a consumer." We must breafe l i f e into an inanimate piece of iron. We must deal in intangibles that w i l l j u s t i f y the purchase of the piece of iron. We must train and maintain an organization of intelligent and competent people who are sensitive and responsive to the rapid developments in the Turf Industry. We must work i n areas of product applica- t i o n , problem solving, technical advice, performance, economy, program s e l l i n g , value analysis, service features, and experimental testing. The concept of "program selling" through which a distributor can advise the customer on the selection of a coordinated group of products from several manufacturers to accomplish an integrated t a s k , is one of the great benefits offered by a distributor and should be offered without prejudice. "Value analysis" i s another aspect of the distributor - customer relationship on which i t is v i r t u a l l y impossible to place a dollar sign. Under this concept, the customer draws on the d i s t r i b u t o r s knowledge of alternate products to accomplish the same j o b , and on the d i s t r i b u t o r s a b i l i t y to talk in terms of " t o t a l job costs" rather than price per machine. The distributor- customer relationship today cannot be concerned with buying and selling machinery at a p r i c e . I t must revolve about results produced by the machinery i n terms of a better .job, better performance» lower operating costs, lower maintenance costs, and most important of a l l , man hours saved or better u t i l i z e d . The same open communication must exist to handle feedback of engineering, service, and performance data, leading to new and improved products. I t is not the position of the distributor to t e l l you how to run your course, and he should never intrude in this area. I t is the d i s t r i b u t o r ' s obligation to offer thoroughly tested and proven equipment; to offer sound advice on i t s proper u s e ; to guide your selection of what is best for you; to provide the best service p o s s i b l e , and to provide prompt and continuing parts a v a i l a b i l i t y . Distributors must perform a l l of these services for you, as well as performing the multitude of duties to the companies we represent and we must do a l l of this at a profit. Only when we strive to accomplish all of these things can we truly justif y that t i t l e of Turf Equipment Distributor. We are truly "the Man in the Middle." DISTRIBUTOR SERVICE AND YOUR MEEDS Leon Short, Leon Short & Sons, Keokuk, Iowa Inc., When D r . Daniel asked me to talk on this subject of "Distributors and Your Needs" I thought it would be easy for an old-timer who has been you good people for thirty years, and especially after I heard your past president make a talk on "What the Golf Course Superintendent Would Like from the D e a l e r . " Service serving national to Have I would l i k e to begin how most turf dealers started in business. Most began i n an a l l e y , or just as I started, repairing mowers in my back yard. Many of us have gone by the wayside because of poor management, lack of c a p i t a l , or just too l a z y to work. We are just now beginning to get the Machinery Dealer to a Main Street business. I also can remember when $ 4 , 0 0 0 per year was a large salary for a golf course superintendent. They, too, have raised their status in their profession where they are high respected in their community. We would like to f e e l that we have grown right along with you. We now have many more things facing us than we have ever had before. We are forced to stock large quantities of equipment, chemicals, supplies and parts. We have to do our purchasing at least 6 to 8 months in advance of the coming season. This means that we have to borrow large sums of money. Dealers who had to borrow money at the rate of 9 - 1 0 $ w i l l f i n d it exceptionally hard to make a prof i t in 1 9 7 1 . Pricing - Bids Today You all know the factory has a suggested l i s t p r i c e , with no freight added or setup, or serving. This suggested l i s t price is supposed to give we dealers a f a i r margin of p r o f i t , so we can keep our doors open - but many times this is an impossibility to get this suggested price because of the competition we have today. We have been asked many times, n Why did Joe get a lower price than I?11 There are many things that enter into t h i s : 1. 2. 3. 4. Does your club pay your b i l l s promptly? Is it late i n the season and you want to clear your inventory? Did we (the dealer) make an error in over-ordering 6 to 8 months in advance? I s the bank demanding we make a payment on our note? I could go on and on, but I assure you gentlemen, dealers are trying to make enough money to give you the service you deserve. Purchasing Equipment & Supplies Just recently I had a golf course superintendent t e l l me I was making too much money. He demanded a discount on a $ 1 5 0 0 . 0 0 piece of equipment. I finally sold it to him, but only on the following provisions: 1. 2. The equipment shipped to him i n the crate, freight collect. He would have to sign a statement saying his club would assume f u l l responsibility. Selling this way is about l i k e you buying from a discount house, and gentlemen, this is what w i l l happen to you i f you continue to try to play one dealer against another. You can secure equipment by: 1. 2. 3. Lease Rent 12 month interest free contract - such as we have. A l l of these make it much easier for your club to allocate their money, which in turn helps you get the quipment and merchandise you so badly need to eliminate excessive labor costs. Parts Most a l l dealers try to stock an ample amount of parts. Some are more fortunate than others because it takes at least $ 5 0 , 0 0 0 . 0 0 to stock enough parts to give you service. Most of our suppliers w i l l not ship us less than $ 1 5 . 0 0 in parts at any time. To my knowledge our dealers have not passed this on to you, our customer. We would, however, appreciate you ordering by model, serial and parts number. We furnish Parts Books with every piece of equipment that goes out. I f you w i l l only study them it w i l l help you maintain the equipment more economically. You must remember we have about as much trouble keeping help as you do. This parts man may be a new employee, so help him allyou can - givehim the parts number. Remember a good reliable dealer can save your club money and make your job easier. Inventory, service, financing and delivery are high costs. Code of Ethics Gentlemen, I believe we, the Dealer, are working with the finest people i n the world. We never have to worry about a kick-back. Very seldom do we get beat out of an account. Some clubs may be a l i t t l e slow to pay, but i f we a l l work together I believe the future i s very rosy for both you and I . RESEARCHING ARSENIC TOXICITY TO POA A M U A Raymond P. Freeborg, Graduate Research A s s t . , Purdue University The primary objective of this research project is twofold, i . e . , to determine concentrations of arsenic i n s o i l controlling annual bluegrass, Poa annua, L . , and the development of an efficient, practical method of measuring arsenic concentrations i n solutions. I f a soil test procedure, similar to that currently used for phosphorus t e s t s , were available, the turf manager could know the arsenic concentrations accurately, and thereby decide what his future application should be to control P. annua. The f i r s t question of many to arise concerned soil sampling techniques. How deeply should the soil be sampled? To answer t h i s , at least in p a r t , a greenhouse experiment was developed with the placement of an arsenic barrier at varying depths i n the s o i l . Granular Chip-Cal ( 4 8 $ tri-calcium arsenate) was used. An arsenic barrier was placed on the soil surface at 1» and 3 n below the surface. Rates of Chip-Cal were: 0 l b s . per 1 , 0 0 0 s q . f t . , 1 8 , 3 6 , 5 4 , and 72 l b s . per 1 , 0 0 0 sq.ft. One-half inch of sand .wag added to all pots, and seeds of S t e l l a r i a media, chickweed, P . annua, and sorgfaunrhalepense\wei»el planted. Chickweed was selected for its sensitivity to arsenic, P. annua is of intermediate s e n s i t i v i t y , and sorghum is r e l a t i v e l y tolerant. Results showed significant chickweed and Poa annua survival even at the 72 l b . barrier when there was at least 1" of arsenic-free soil before roots reached the arsenic barrier. With the arsenic barrier at a 3 " depth, chickweed and P. annua showed no arsenic t o x i c i t y . From this data i t was determined t h a t , for arsenic to be t o x i c , concentrations should be in the top 1 " of s o i l . Theref o r e , soil samples should be 0 - 2 " depths. I t was also necessary to select an acceptable extractant; one that would extract an amount of arsenic reprentative of that available to the plant. This could not be total arsenic - much of that is unavailable to the plant. A l s o , an e f f i c i e n t and practical technique for measurement had to be selected and developed. The same soil used i n the previous depth study was screened to remove larger peat and soil p a r t i c l e s . Then arsenic trioxide powder analytical reagent) was mixed with the s o i l to give concentrations of 0 , 8 0 , 1 6 0 , 3 2 0 , 6 4 0 , and 1280 ppm arsenic. Pots were saturated with water, and P. annua seed was planted on the following day. These pots were then placed i n a controlled temperature and light period chamber. Temperatures were 3 0 . 0 ° C ( 8 6 . 0 ° F ) , 2 2 . 5 ° C ( 7 2 . 5 ° F ) , and 1 5 . 0 ° C ( 5 9 ° F ) . Light periods per day included 8 , 1 2 , 1 6 , and 20 hours. According to Beard, J . B. ( l ) optimum shoot growth should be observed at 1 5 ° - 21°C ( 6 0 - 7 0 ° F ) , and optimum root growth at 12 - 18°C ( 5 5 - 6 5 ° F ) . Plants were harvested at maturi t y - 60 days after germination. Soils were d r i e d , ground and screened, and a l l soil passing through a 20 mesh screen was collected for analysis. The next step was to select an extract ant. Many potential extractants were examined and discarded i n favor of a Bray P-l extract ant (0.03NNH^F + 0 . 0 2 5 N H C 1 ) , which is currently used at Purdue as a phosphorus extractant. The f i n a l procedure for arsenic extraction is as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Collect 1 . 5 cc (about 1 . 5 g . ) of soil with a scoop. Add 15 mis of Bray P-l extractant Shake for 5 minutes F i l t e r , collecting a l l of the f i l t e r e d extract. Collect 5 mis of f i l t r a t e and determine phosphorus, using the ammonium molybdo-phosphoric complex ( 2 ) The remainder of the f i l t r a t e was then ready for arsenic analysis. In the meantime, atomic absorption spectrometry had been selected as the most pract i c a l technique available for measurement of arsenic i n the Bray P-l extractant. By using the above procedures, arsenic concentrations i n extracts from soil with 1280 ppm. ranged from a high of 46 ppm. at 1 5 . 0 ° C , 4 5 . 3 ppm. at 2 2 . 5 ° C , and 2 8 . 5 ppm. at 3 0 . 0 ° C , to low rates of 3 . 4 ^ 2 . 5 , and 2 . 1 ppm. arsenic extracted from soils with 80 ppm. arsenic added ( 3 ) . At 3 0 . 0 ° C concentrations of arsenic i n the range of 8 . 0 to 1 4 * 5 ppm. were toxic to P. annua. At 1 5 . 0 ° C and 2 2 . 5 ° C concentrations of arsenic had to exceed 2 0 ppm. to severely weaken the plant. This information served as a basis for future determinations of arsenic concentrations. Four Soils as Tested % S i l t loam Crosby S i l t y clay loam II. Kokomo I I I . Muck Houghton Sand mix IV. I. % % % Ppm.P Bray P-l extract 3.5 Ppm. K ammonium acetate 4.6 clay 19.0 silt 70.0 sand 8.0 Organic matter 1.5 36.0 54.0 7.0 2.9 6.5 7.4 5.6 41.0 52.0 6.0 28.5 8.5 2.1 7.0 3.0 10.0 87.0 8.3 9.2 2.0 6.6 5.3 Granular Chip-Cal was added to the above soils at rates equivalent to 0 , 6 , 1 2 , 18 and 2 4 l b s . per 1 , 0 0 0 s q . f t . on 4 / 2 4 / 1 9 7 0 ; then P. annua seeded on 5 / 7 / 7 0 . Plants were harvested on 7 / 3 0 / 7 0 , and soils permitted to dry u n t i l 9 / 1 0 / 7 0 when they were rewet. An additional 6 l b s . per 1 , 0 0 0 s q . f t . of Chip-Cal was then added to those pots having the original rates of 6 and 12 l b s . per 1 , 0 0 0 s q . f t . Thus, pots contained rates of 0 l b . , 12 l b . ( 6 + 6 ) , 18 l b s . ( 1 2 + 6 ) , and the unchanged J § r i £ t i § R d 2 4 l b s . per 1 , 0 0 0 s q . f t . P . annua was again planted on 9 / 1 4 / 7 0 . When seedhead/vas observed on 1 1 / 1 5 / 7 0 , plants were harvested. Soils were then d r i e d , ground and screened for arsenic analysis. Concentrations of arsenic extracted v s . arsenic added are: Arsenic added - l b s . / l O O O I. II. III. IV. S i l t loam S i l t y clay loam Muck Sand mix 0 0 0 0 0 18 12 (6+6) 1 8 (12+6) Arsenic i n extract - ppm 22.0 21.0 27.0 25.0 55.0 43.0 20.0 10.0 15.0 88.0 80.0 60.0 24 26.0 64.0 15.0 116.0 I n an effort to relate t h i s data to actual f i e l d experience, s o i l samples were also collected from golf courses throughout the Midwest. These courses had a past history of arsenic use for P. annua control. The f i r s t group of samples collected were used to determine depth of arsenic penetration into s o i l s . Soils were collected to a depth of 6 n using a 4 n diameter plugger. Plugs were divided into a thatch section (about 3/4 l ! deep) when thatch was severe. Plugs were further divided into thatch - 2 " (T-2 ! f ), 2 !I - 4 % and m 4 - 6 sections. They were then analyzed for -arsenic. Results from several of the clubs sampled are: Club Louisville C . C . do Location on course # 2 fairway, low spot #3 " high " Beverly C . C . do do Thatch T - 2" 18 30 2 - 4" 0 0 # 4 fairway^,poorly drained 33 II II II 35 20 #15 " w e l l drained 8 10 28 0 0 25 0 15 Point 0'Woods C . C . do #15 fairway #16 » 25 - 10 10 0 0 0 0 Lafayette C . C . # 1 fairway 45 38 10 0 70 83 45 80 25 83 13 63 C.C. of Indianapolis # 1 4 fairway CO # 1 4 green - 68 4 -t 0 0 — On sandy greens, or sandy fairways, as # 1 4 green at C . C . of Indianapolis, and #15 fairway at Beverly C . C . , arsenic penetration to a depth of s i x inches was significant amounts. On t i g h t , poorly drained s o i l s , significant penetration was restricted to upper two inches. Additional samples were then collected from 33 different golf courses i n the Midwest. Since more than one fairway or one green was selected per course, this constituted a sampling of 98 different s i t e s . These sites varied in arsenic application rates. Some areas were representative of excellent P. annua control. I n others, poor or undesirable results had been observed. These soils have been analyzed and data is currently being evaluated. Other experiments are now in progress. In these the toxicity of arsenic at rates from 0 , 4-5* 9 , 1 3 . 5 * 18 and 2 2 . 5 l b s . per 1 , 0 0 0 is being compared with 0 . 4 and 8 l b s . per 1 , 0 0 0 s q . f t . of treble superphosphate. Another experiment in progress is to determine the concentration of arsenic i n plant roots and shoots when toxicity symptoms appear. Plants used include: P. annua> Poa pratensis, v a r . , Sodco and Agrostis p.alJist.rjL.s^ var. Penncross. I n summary it may be said that using the Bray P-l extractant, arsenic can be extracted from soils in amounts representing plant available arsenic. Also, with the phosphorus extraction procedure both concentrations of phosphorus and arsenic can be determined in the same f i l t r a t e and comparisons made as to ratios of phosphorus and arsenic. Arsenic soil concentrations can be accurately and e f f i c i e n t l y measured by atomic absorption. According to Jacobs, e t . a l . ( 4 ) , arsenic sorption by soils v a r i e s , depending on the amount of clay, and amount of amorphous iron and aluminum oxides in the soil. At present i t appears impractical to develop a rapid soil test for amorphous aluminum. However, a technique of acceptable accuracy and e f f i c i e n c y for the extraction of free iron oxides i s available and under investigation. I n conclusion, it would seem that future data analysis, including concentrations of phosphorus, arsenic, and free iron oxides, and amount of clay, organic matter and pH should help to determine more accurately the arsenic concentrations toxic to P. annua. Literature Cited 1. Beard, J . B. Culture. Effect of Temperature Stress on Poa annua. Vol. 1 9 , No. 1:1-2. Jan. Calif. Turfgrass 1969. 2. Jackson, M. L . S o i l Chemical Analysis. Prentice H a l l , New Jersey, 1958. 3. Freeborg, R. P . , and W . H. D a n i e l . Atomic Absorption to Measure Arsenic Rates Controlling Poa annua. 1970. North Central Weed Soc. Conf. Proc. 4. Jacobs, L . W . , J . K. Syers, and D . R . Keeney. Arsenic Sorption by S o i l s . S o i l S c i . Soc. Amer. Proc. 34:750-754. 1970