The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-02-26
FOR GOLF LINKS.
PRESENT PUZZLE or TIE METROP0L-
TIA GREENS COMMITTEES.

perta on the Choice of Seeds and Their
Treatment-Study the Soil the First Step
Methods at Different Links and Clubs.
September is tho ideal month to SOW grass
seed on links. for the plants will be well grown
before winter sets in. but September is also tho
height of the gollng season. and to take any
part OF the course out OF play then would be to
cause a riot of indignation which few Greens
Committees would be brave enough to face.
The fall. too. is the hest time to lay sod, for the
roots will be we'll entwined IN the new soil be-
fore the advent Of cold weather. but Tor the
same reason this is also left over until spring.
The work of sodding and seeding will begin as
soon as tho frost is out OF the ground, say
about March |, and continue until about
May l. Meanwhile the Greens Committees at
every club about New York are gathering
up oral and written knowledge on soils
and grasses. and debating with much vigor at
their frequent meetings the best sort TO use.
for each member realizes that if things go
wrong with the turf in the playing season the
committee he Is on will receive tho united
blame of his eliminates, Neither dry weather
nor burning midsummer suns will avail. II the
turf fails to prove verdant and thick. as excuses
to the complaining fellow-members, and oven
the dolts OF every green. the divot-throwers
who use their cleeks like spades. will be free to
point tho scornful finger. But Nature has no
especial spite against Greens Committees. no
matter what wild thoughts the ong-suffering
committeemen may at times entertain. and IL
properly coddled along the capricious Dame
will bestow q rich and abundant turf.
II owing or sodding can be finished soon be-
fore a rain it is a help to success. but this is not
strictly essential. In the search for seeds to
suit every possible outcrop Of soil the purvcy-
ors have gone far afeld and the committeeman
will have to decide between the merits of Ken
lucky or Canadian blue grass; Rhode Island
bent. from the trcelcss islands of the coast
smooth bent. from France; red fescue. from
southern Russia. or English rye grass. which.
by the way. comes only from Ayrshire in Scot
land, where it is said to have helped the native
breed Of cows to gain their reputo as prolific
mixers. and from Ireland. Scores of other
home and foreign grasses even from far-away
Corea and Australia, will further complicate
the choice of seed. but by remembering always
that the soils the thing no mistake will be
made. An honest seed. a fair soil and plenty OF
stacked lime to freshen it mp, with faith in
blood, potash and bone as fertilizers. should
carry the Greens Committees through to n tri-
umphnnt success.
Sodding is easier than sowing. for the turf
may, he inspected before the .transplantinG.
sending to a distance. The Ardsley Club. how
ever, sent to Connecticut for some turf last fall
and laid il, on two greens rs an experiment. IL
was Sleeps fescnC grass. from a pasture in use
for many years. The sods iii ffcred greatly from
for beneath the thick. soft grass was a layerr
of black and rich soil, from which the
e eG9ff in nSns long ,m m' TSs sI pGd9d Wore i T,F or or
the nome and seventeenth greens. and should
they be as fine as EXPECTED pc this srrinE all the
turf next fall, The Ardslry greens. originally
sown with blue Erass and red fescuc as the
turf will he Judged by II severe comparison:
",Dibbling.' that is. to cut the sod in small
these out at intervals Of six or eight inches. is
a good plan to ADOPT when q club is willing to
may not be obtained in the same time by SOW
ing; Haste is always q first consideration at a
club with i long list OF PLAYERS; and on this ac-
Some Information of great value in the build
ing up OF "A putting green is given in a paper in
ment of Agriculture" for 1897. by Prof. +.
hamson Scribner. on lawns and lawn making.
velvety turf. fine and close in texture. uniform
emerald green n color, and with a smooth. Level
surface. which is the ideal aimed at 10y each
Greens Committee Tor its putting greens. and
when a club owns its property outright many
M Int we'll sIf be SfoiIowe eh1 iar he Sy po Fn2l' out nft thnt a
fine lawn is, not attained in a single season.
nor, indeed. in several seasons. and. even when
only lin temporary possession of 1.-THE land, Il
Greens Committee may obtain many useful
hints from the Iaper.
a fine sandy loan. over Il clay Sub-soil, which
must be generously treated with fertilizers aud
: tlIOWtu 10 Stlllb lllbTpuEHIy bt1bft seeding.
If the land is native sol it should be top
dressed in the fall with rottcd stable or barn
ploughirg The surface must be made as fine
as possible by narrowing ana rolling, for
coarse, uneven soil will yield coarse grasses
only. Proper grading and good drainage are
a lso essential. As u supplementary hint i
should be noted that to bring out the best skill
like %tntpess on the greens. either by pre-
serving the natural undulations of the ground.
or by shaping the made soil to BILE rolling
land. A thorough system of irrigation on all
the greens must also be planned.
this. with the texture and turf-forning habit
which are OF more, concern to golfers. has in
fiuenced Prof. Scribner in his selection OF the
best grasses to he W although he places the
turf-forming habit first in Importance. Bunch
grasses are to be avoided, and fine. soft, bent
as smooth as velvet. His eXporiencc is that
the best lawn grasses of this country arc Ken
Island bent, while others worthy Of recon-
incubation are Canadian blue grass, crested
meadow grass, meadow ,~foxtail and sweet
vernal grass. Canadian blue grass makes
g beautiful atitu sward. and is valuable
sometimes necessary; roneh. stall ked meadow ErEo%
grass is adaptcd to iow-lying shady places. and
great advantage. The amount OF seed to be
used must depend on the character OF the soil
more seed than fertile. but Prot. Scribnrr
stat's that l. mounds OF fine seed to 100
which is equal to 80 or 80 pounds to the mere,
but that in some ground 100 pounds to tn"
acre would not he too much. A cheap grade Of
seed should never be sown, for the saving is
insignificant and the results are bound to be
disappointing.
In connection with Prot. Scribner's views it
is instructive to study the, opinions of another
expert. John Thorpe. a Fellow otthe Royal Hor-
ticultural Society and chief OF Horticulture ut
the Columbian Exposition, as expressed in an
swer to II series Of questions on the care Of
golf greens submitted to him by Charles 3.
Macdonald, ce-President Of the United States
Colt Association in Chicago. and read by the
then Secretary, II. q. Tallmadge. at II meeting
of the Executive Committee in this city two
years ago, A synopsis Of the opinions shows
that many OF the grasses recommended by
Prof. Scrihner for lawn use may be used to
advantage through tho fair green as well as ON
the putting greens.
There is no one grass that Pro-. Thorpe
would recommen As the best to SOW on q golf
course. as There are no two courses having the
same conformation or the same soil. The
grasses. Of which there are hundreds Of spr-
cies. are as varied in their natural habitats as
ar" animals. Some thrive and do well only IN very
low and damp grounds Is: others again thrive Uulv
on high. dry, and what seems poor soil. and
NA@t .ElGA .N Eal V La 49,. Ian