The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-01-14

cut in half by striking the edge of a
scythe which a greenman was holding in
his hand.
At North Berwick e. l.. !. Blyth re-
lates that player, seeing rabbit over
100 yards away, sitting on the top of a.
rock said to his partner IT will have a
shot at that rabbit which he did.
striking 1t on the head and killing 1t in
stantly. At Norbury, few months ago.
a player on going up to his ball after q
tee shot found a sixpence perched on the
top of 1t, q circumstance which is be-
lieved to have caused the waiting list Of
the club to be Immediately filled up.
Balls colliding in midair, being car
ried off by dogs, sheep, crows, and other
Outside agencies or swallowed by
COWS, are quite common events, and the
quaint hiding places which lost balls find
for themselves battle enumeration.
One of the funniest of these lost-ball
stories is told by e. r. Hardy, late sec
rotary of the West Herts Golf club. III
a match at Glastonbury, England, one or
the players struck tee shot on a misty
day, but nobody saw where 1T went TO-.
After a prolonged search In the direc-
ton of the hole the putting green was
reached and searched, but without result.
and even the hole was carefully ex.
am.ned. The ball was ultimately dis
covered In the turn up" Of one Of the
legs Of the players trousers. He had
carried II In this position from the tee
to the hole.
1t is generally recognized axiom that
all things wear away, and therefore 1t
need not be wondered at that golf greens
are no exception In fact, considering
the amount Of traffic that is undergone
hxy Ia rQ n
marvel that they are not first in the race
of decadence. But golfers will play at
all times, and greens must always be In
good playing condition. Any defects that
they may possess have TO be remedjed
as soon as noticeable.
WORK ON THE LINKS.
this Is less easily accomplished opera
ton than when the weather is moist.
Most greenkeepers do as little repairing
as possible during dry weather prefer
ring to wait until rain comes, when the
work can be done with greater degree
of success. Late in August each year
the grass should be looked over and any
defects remedted.
This Is undoubtedly the best time for
a general overhaul-turfs cut easily then.
and the grass takes root very surely II
occasional showers assisting them to get
fully established before the drying winds
Of spring sweep over the course. Patch
ing In this case, as In other human af-
fairs, is very frequently a sign Of pre-
meditated poverty" Where greens are In
good order through being properly nour-
ished and attended to, patching is re-
duced to minimum. If the faulty places
are owing to poorness, the surface soil
should be removed and good material in
corporated, as previously advised. be-
fore laying the fresh turf. Patching q.
green requires to be done very carefully:
circular pieces, unless as temporary
patches when changing holes during ex-
ceptionally dry weather. should never he
introduced. Acutely angled pieces ought
also to be avoided, owing to the disad-
vantages they have in getting fresh root
hold, and their liability to be disturbed by
putting.
Square turfs or turfs cut In right an
giles are In every respect the best These
should be cut slightly larger than re-
quired, and let in carefully, so that when
beaten fiat the joints should be as i'm
perceptible as possible. Turfs should al
ways be cut at greater thickness for
patching purposes than for laying down
new greens, thus enabling them to be
let In more firmly, being thus less sub
ject to be torn up. If it Is necessary to
patch during period of drought good
method Is to dig at the faulty place In
the form of wedge, thus-V, cutting, OF
rather digging, out the required piece, sc
that it fits the vacuum as firmly as pos
sible. This avoids severing the roots SC
much as in the ordinary system of cut
ting, and is a plan that can be very gen.
orally recommended for summer patch
ing.
FIXING THE GREEN.
Frequently dents occur through I'M
avoidable causes, such as the burrow-
ings OF moles, and on competition days
especially occasion remarks the reverse
of complimentary to the greenkeeper. In
filling up such places as little of the turf
ought to be removed as possible Instead
Of cutting 1t off the whole radius Of the
dent, as 1 have seen done. 1t is better to
make an incision through the center in
the longest direction, cutting to right
and left from this and rolling the turf
back as far as required. The soil should
then be ioosened and sufficient fresh ma
terial put in to fill the hole up to the
level; when the turf Is rolled back the
lessened space it has to cover so con-
denses it that when beaten the joints are
scarcely noticeable.
1t is false economy to patch up with
numerous pieces decidedly unsat isfac-
tory portion of the green. Where such
exist they should be cleared off com
pletely, and returfed TO their whole ex-
tent.
Where weeds abound there Is some
thing radically wrong with the greens.
Their presence can generally be at
tributed to one or two causes-either in
sufficient drainage or a deficiency of
proper nourishment.- Where caused by
the former, the weeds are generally &C
companied by a plentiful crop of moss,
both of which are difficult to exter-
inmate until this defect has been rem
edied Undeniable authorities have told
US that roots of certain weeds cut into
pieces one-fourth Of an inch long can
produce shoots from nearly every piece.
This, with the added information that
pulling up the plants rarely Injuries the
root system, proves conclusively that
wedding alone is not sufficient to ex-
terminate them. But as their removal
is a necessity, this is a good time to
root out as many as possible without
damaging the turf. Where they cover an
Objectionable space, such plantains do
when allowed to extend, a piece of turf
should be left in to make the green in
tact.
To eradicate moss on greens many
remedies are recommended, from the ma
-jority of which temporary benefit is
sometimes derived, but no remedy can
have any lasting effect where INSULT
Gent drainage exists. Drainage must
first be done by some means suited to
the necessities of the case. Raking off
moss is not a good remedy, this common
practice being only rough adoption OF
the principle by which MOSES are fire.
Guently propagated The little pieces that
remain on the ground after such an oper-
alton take fresh root as soon as the
roller goes over it, the plants thus re-
established growing with renewed vigor.
CADDIE NUISANCE