Evening star., 1918-05-30
Turned Over to Scouts.


The war came on and the Boy Scouts
swung in with request that they be
permitted to use the land for raising
corn. The authorities assented. as
Messrs. Travis, and Harlan regarded
it as desirable that the fair green's
should be plowed up and used for one
season to rid them Of weeds. Some
But, granting that the Boy Scouts did
themselves proud. the few acres laid
out for the public golf course were
not needed this year, with thousands
of vacant acres lying all about Wash
ington.
resumed by Colonel Ridgeley, the sue
cessor of Colonel Harts, who had
been ordered into active servica whom
the Boy Scouts again made applica-
ton for the use of the land and
Secretary Baker unthinkingly grant
ed it. Work on the course stopped at
once and the putting green's are be-
ing fenced in to protect them. It
was the purpose Of Mr.. Travis to
work on the fairways through the
summer and to seed them down in
August: and DR.. Harlan assures your
correspondent that If this could be
done the course would be playable
by July, 1919.
What this would mean in health and
recreation for the government clerks
of Washington cannot be overstated
The erection of the ordnance build
ings at 9Th and B streets had wiped
out dozens of tennis courts. which
have not been replaced, and now the
whole area of East Potomac Park,
including the proposed golf links, is
given over to war gardens. Unless
Secretary Bakers order Is rescinded
and plans are changed, completion Of
the golf course is delayed for at least
a year: and. by the same token, it may
be delayed Indefinitely If the same
policy is pursued throughout the war.
Propagating Creeping Bent.
The foregoing is the more import
ant part of the story, although not
the cessation of trade with Germany
the importation Of German bent seed
ceased. Creeping bent" is an ex-
ceedtng fine, straight grass. probably
the best In the world for use in put
ting greens. There are some twenty
which only three are superior and
useful for golf purposes. The peculi-
arity of this grass is that 1t spreads
its roots under ground. killing out
weeds and everything else but itself
and making in time a solid mat which
ting green. Nor Is 1t necessary to
propagate 1t from seed, for the grass
itself may be cut into small strips
and planted like seed. when 1T will
send down it's roots and take hold
and live if properly cared for. DR..
Harlan has used creeping bert at
Columbia. but 1t occurs so far on the
putting greens only in small patches.
which, however. spread steadily and
in time, 1t Is hoped, will cover COM
pletely the face of the green.
The golf experts took up with the
Department of Agriculture the idea
Of propagating creeping bent, and
found enthusiastic co-operators in
Profs: Oakley and Piper. DR.. Har-
baa brought in sample mats from
on an intensive scale. Plots were
laid out on government ground at
Arlington. and as much as possible
ofSfhis priceless grass is being grown
there. 1t was purposed to use this
grass for seed in the new public golf
course, thus initiating under the most
favorable circumstances one of the
most important experiments in golf
architecture that has yet been made
Creeping bent is not a novelty to pro-
fessional golfers. but the idea of cpl-
tivating 1t without dependence upon
the German supply of seed is new.
AS the seed originally came to this
country 1t was exceedingly impure.
not more than 40 to go per cent Of
each order. according to DR.. Harlan,
CoHoiSlLH6 VI Icdl creeping DeuL SeeQ.
For this reason it has abeen found
impossible to develop the bent in
more than patches, but it was hoped
that with government cooperation q
much more ambitious use of the grass
could be made in East Potomac Park
Development Necessarily Slow.
Theoretically. every fairway and
putting green in the country, at least
in suitable climates. could be COM
posed of creeping bent. Practically,
outlook Is 80 promising and the pos
sible results so important that there
is double reason. from the point of
view of the lover of golf. for regret
ting that construction on the pro-