UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION GREEN SECTION S O U T H W E S T E RN D I S T R I CT T E X AS A8CM C O L L E GE CO L L E GE ST A T I O N, TE X AS S O U T H E A S T E RN I N D U S T RY P L A NT D I S T R I CT S T A T I ON BE L T S V I L L E, MA R Y L A ND S o u t h e rn T u rf l e t t er No. 1 February - 1958 M A R V IN H. F E R G U S ON M I D - C O N T I N E NT N A T I O N AL R E S E A R CH C O O R D I N A T OR D I R E C T OR J A M ES B. M O N C R I EF S O U T H W E S T E RN A G R O N O M I ST J A M ES M. L A T H A M. J R. S O U T H E A S T E RN A G R O N O M I ST THE COMING SEASON Plans for 1958 should be on paper with "final approval" stamped at top. Nothing is more encouraging for a superintendent than to complete his plans and have everything turn out according to such plans. This is the time to begin anticipating trouble. Before long the spring warm up will begin to bring the "end-of-ryegrass" difficulties. Will you be ready? Plan your operations now. These should include vertical mowing, aerifying, fertilizing and liming (if needed). This is a good time to apply muriate of potash and phosphate. Especially so if you have not applied any since last spring. Soil Tests — Have your soil tested now. Later in the spring, farmers will begin their annual rush for soil tests, so to avoid delay do it now. It is suggested that you have soil analysis made on each green, making sure you have a well representative composite soil sample. Make sure the spray tank is clean and free of loose rust Sprayer and other debris. All pressure linesvshould be checked for wear or damaged parts. The motor and pmp should be thoroughly cleaned, tested, and ready to go. Topdressing — A supply of topdressing should be ready to go before it is needed. Screening, mixing and sterilizing during this early period will lower the pressure later. Fungicides — Make sure your supply is adequate for the spring season. In this way there will be no delay in treating as necessary. Machinery — This is the time to check aerators, vertical mowers, fertilizer distributors and mowers, to make sure they will be ready to go when called upon. Replacement parts are sometimes slow in arriving so that necessary equipment is not available. If all this has been done, look around — what shape is the barn in? Can you do anything about its repair, replacement, or re-arrangement? If everything is in first-class condition, catch up on your relaxing, because Spring is just around the corner. » t - 2- Safety First It is doubtful if we could start the new year off with a better outlook than considering the safety of workmen and golfers. We are using materials and machines on golf courses that can inflict fatal injuries upon human beings if safety pre- cautions are not taken. All personnel should be warned and informed of the possible results of mis- use of chemicals. Sure, it is written on the container, but many read the directions and immediately disregard the safety warning Some chemicals have agents that warn you of their presence and under some conditions you cannot stay around long enough to be harmed. For an example, methyl bromide usually is mixed with 2% chloropicrin. It would be advisable for all golf course superintendents to use methyl bromide which contains the warning agent. One accident which. involved the use of methyl bromide without a warning agent came to the attention of the writer in 1957. The consequences were near fatal. Machinery Any piece of power equipment is a potential killer when carelessness on the part of the operator is permitted. Some freak accidents have caused permanent injury to workmen. Power equipment should be treated with respect and kept in good working condition at all times. Rotary mowers have thrown rocks, coat hangers,beer cans and other trash, causing damage to property or personnel. Short lengths of chain welded in such a position as to be clear of rotary blades will prevent objects which may be struck by the blades from flying through the air. The short chains may be welded to a frame and bolted to the machine so they may be attached to new mowers when old ones are replaced. Since mowers vary in size the exact length of chain will have to be adapted for your specific rotary mower. Turf Conferences The Tri-State Turf Conference was held January 16 especially for golf courses in the upper South. The Holston Hills Country Club, Knoxville, Tenn., was the host for the event. The eighty men present heard a program directed toward turf problems in this area and highlighted by talks by Charlie Danner and Alex McKay. This area is in a rather "forgotten" section, so the conference should become a successful annual affair. IaM^* M/> + • On the other end of Tennessee the Southern Turf Conference is scheduled to be held in Memphis February 2U and 25. The high point of this meeting will be Professor H. B. Musser, of Pennsylvania State University, discussing the future of bentgrass in the South. Those in the mid-South area should make an effort to attend. // t ^ ^ / / i / tf j "7 The 12th Annual Southeastern Turfgrass Conference is to be held April 7 and 8 in Tifton, Georgia. This begins the day after the Masters Tournament. What better chancewill you have to attend one of the best golf tournaments and receive a valu- able addition to your turfgrass education in one trip? Tifgreen Some superintendents have planted Tifgreen on their greens thinking their overseeding in the winter would be eliminated, Tifgreen will go off color the same as other Bermudagrass when the grass is exposed to a hard frost or freeze. It does have the ability to come back rapidly when temperature becomes favorable to growth. Planting Greens Questions continue to come in concerning the relative merits of two of the chemicals being used for eradicating the grass on greens; namely, Vapam and methyl bromide. Both materials do a satisfactory job when properly used. Methyl bromide involves the use of a plastic tarpaulin,while Vapam is applied in liquid form and sealed in by the addition of water. Planting is possible within 24. hours after the use of methyl bromide, while at least three weeks should pass before planting greens if Vapam is used. In either case, follow the company's recommended rate of application. Before applying the soil sterilant, some courses are aerifying their greens about 10 times with 3/<4 inch spoons. This allows the material to penetrate much better. After killing the grass, remove the dead grass from the greens by hoes,shovels, or other methods you may have. After removing this material, be sure your surface is smooth before planting sprigs or stolons. Apply 8 to 10 bushels of grass stolons per 1000 square feet and cover with l/8 to l/\ inches of topdressing material. A light rolling will firm the soil. Water in immediately and lightly to avoid wash- ing. Keep moist for a week, watering twice daily. You probably can slack off to once a day watering after the first week. By this time the grass should be growing. Trees Now is a good time to plant trees. The growth has slowed down or stopped. If you bare-root a tree, it is suggested you keep trunk size two inches or less. Larger trees do better if they are balled. Be sure to water well the first year. All trees should be braced the first year and the larger ones may have to remain braced longer. The more leaves a tree has on it the more it will rock in the hole when the wind blows and this rocking will cause small root hairs to be broken. All evergreen trees should be balled and wrapped with burlapping. When the tree is first set out stick the water hose to the bottom of the hole and allow water to force the air out as the hole is filled. "The price of high grade supervision is insignificant in comparison with the cost of its absence." - Taylor Boyd. Southern Turf letter USGA GREEN SECTION Sec. 34.66 P.L.&R. U. S. POSTAGE 1 V it PAID College Station, Texas Permit No. 80 Dr# Z* Rt Watson Chief Agronomist Toro Mfg* Corp. Minneapolis 6, Mimu