UNITED  STATES  GOLF  ASSOCIATION 

GREEN  SECTION 
NORTHEASTERN  OFFICE 

College of  Agriculture 

Rutgers  University 

NEW  BRUNSWICK,  NEW  JERSEY 

ALEXANDER  M.  RADKO 
N O R T H E A S T E RN  D I R E C T OR 

NORTHEASTERN  TURFLETTER 

Vol. 2  No. 2 

April 1955 

THE ARCHITECT -- OPEN WATEE -- AND YOU 

Golf course architects are clever.  There is a nine-hole course in New 
Braunfels, Texas, where the architect (who must have lost sleep many nights 
figuring it out) used the Guadalupe River as a hazard on six of the course's nine 
holes.  The result is beautiful, but even for Texas that is really utilizing 
water to its fullest extent as a course hazard.  In the Northeast, where we have 
much more water, the architect has used it freely and often as a hazard.  It is 
the superintendent, however, who is left with the problem of maintaining this 
hazard as it was originally planned -- a stretch of open water.  In some cases 
the clever architect's water hazard turns into something entirely different -- a 
swamp hazard. 

The problem of controlling aquatic vegetation is no mean task even for a 
grass man.  Nevertheless, this spring you have a chance to catch up with the 
golf course architect, nature, and her aquatic plants.  Sodium arsenite is the 
most effective material for doing this job.  It will control the rooted submerged 
plants as well as the floating ones.  Waxy-leaved plants, such as water lilies, 
are not harmed by it.  Sodium arsenite also has a wide safety range for fish, 
requiring more than 12 parts per million- (ppm) before serious fish mortality re-
sults.  Most weed control work requires between 5 a*id 10 ppm. 

"How much should I use?" is always one of the first questions.  The chart 
on the following page gives the answer.  By knowing the width and the average 
depth of the area to be treated you can easily determine the gallons of liquid 
sodium arsenite for each hundred feet of shoreline.  Your success in controlling 
aquatic weeds depends largely on an even distribution of the chemical over an 
area of known dimensions.  The most important single idea is that of average 
depth. 

A single application of sodium arsenite, using your regular spray equipment, 

should control all rooted vegetation for one summer.  The spraying should be 
done this spring when the plants are still young and growing vigorously.  The 
weeds will be practically eliminated by re-treating the area for two or three 
consecutive years. 

Pond scum or algae is another common problem.  Three pounds of copper sul-

fate crystals to a thousand square feet should give effective control.  The 
crystals may be distributed by hand over the area affected.  On thick scums 

which threaten an entire pond, sodium arsenite is just as, if not more, effective 
than copper sulfate crystals.  The rates indicated on the chart should give ex-
cellent results. 

Cattails, water lilies and other waxy plants may be eradicated "by using 2,*4-D 
in ester form with kerosene as a carrier.  Water may be used as a carrier as it 
is much more convenient but is not quite so effective as kerosene.  Use two pounds 
of actual 2,i|-D in 25 gallons of kerosene or water (i.e., 5 pints of kO^ 2,^-D 
liquid to 25 gallons of carrier).  This  25-gallon solution should cover a quarter 
acre.  Of this group, cattails are the most difficult to eradicate.  Undoubtedly 
treatments for several consecutive years will be required to control this weed 
effectively. 

Some commercial preparations of 2,lj-D are made expressly for treating waxy-

coated plants.  Their names will be furnished on request. 

"Operation Water Weeds" should get under way in late April or May.  Open up 

on these aquatic plants at that time and you'll give the membership some open 
water to shoot over this season. 

SODIUM  ARSENITE DOSAGE  CHABT * 

Gallons Required per 100 ft. of Shoreline 

-p <D <D 

A 
<D P 
<D 
05 ^ 
CD > 
< 

25 

50 

75 

Example:  Average depth of pond is 5 ft. (see left hand margin). 
Width of pond area is 100 ft. (see base of chart).  Number of 
gallons sodium arsenite required per 100 ft. of shoreline s 
8 gals, (top of chart). 

* Taken from a paper by Mr. Kenneth M. Mackenthun, Public Health Biologist, 

State Board of Health, Madison, Wisconsin. 

175 
100 
Width of Area (feet) 

150 

125 

YOUR QUESTIONS —  OUR ANSWERS 

The February Northeastern Turf letter invited readers to send in questions. 
Those of general interest will appear from time to time in future Turf letters. 
Please help to make this feature a successful one by sending in your question(s) 
now. 

Wild Onions in Turf 

Question—Why do wild onions grow in the rough right up to the edge of 

the fairway and not on the fairway?  (North Carolina) 

Answer—Higher rates of fertilizer and lime on fairways strengthen the 
permanent grasses and thus cause greater competition for the onions.  More fre-
quent fairway mowing tends to weaken the wild onion by reducing the good-manu-
facturing parts —  the leaf surfaces.  Less food means smaller bulbs for next 
year and a control measure is affected. 

Chicken Manure vs. Fertilizer 

Question—What is your opinion as to the value of chicken manure com-

pared to processed sewage fertilizers for use on fairways?  (Rhode Island) 

Answer—The use of chicken manure is not too valuable as a substitute 
for processed organic fertilizers.  The nitrogen content of chicken manure is 
generally as compared to 5$ to 6$ for organic sludge materials.  You 
1$ to 
would have to use three to six times as much chicken manure to do the job, and that 
would cause quite another problem. 

NORTHEASTERN REGION EXPANDS 

The Northeastern Region of the Green Section now offers Regional Turf Service 
to USGA member clubs in the states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massa-
chusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.  The first three states 
mentioned comprised the Northeastern Region last year; the remaining states were 
added this spring. 

Regional Turf Service was introduced to the new states in meetings in Rhode 

Island and Massachusetts in March. „ 

The Northeastern Turfletter is published six times yearly.  We plan to send 
the first three issues to the green committee chairman and superintendent of all 
USGA member clubs in the New England states.  Only clubs subscribing to Regional 
Turf Service will receive all six of our 1955 issues.  To insure no delays fill 
out and mail your Regional Turf Service application today.  We would like very 
much to work with you for better turf for better golf. 

The Northeastern office is indebted to Bill Bengeyfield, the newest member 
of the Green Section staff, for most of the material used in this issue of your 
Turfletter. 

Northeastern  Turfletter 

USGA  GREEN  SECTION 

Sec. 34.66, P.L.&R. 
U.  S.  POSTAGE 

VM  PAID 

Beltsville,  Maryland 

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