Evening star., 1939-02-11
Links Grass Upkeep
Difficulties Eased
By Ch|oropicrin
Arlington Experiments
Show Its Use Destroys
HormfuI Seeds
Bv WALTER McCALLUM.

If you happen over by the exten-
sive Arlington Turf Garden in
nearby Virginia and see couple of
fellows with gas masks over their
faces poking around in the dirt don't
be worried. They aren't hiding gas
bombs or preparing for an air raid,
or even digging for skunks.
Science has made rapid progress
In the upkeep of golf courses and
these gas-masked fellows merely
are carrying scientific warfare on
weeds to the front-line trenches of
the enemy.
A new process Of weed destruction
by use of chloropicrin, commonly
known as tear gas, has been devel-
oped by DR.. John Monteith, jr.,
head of the Washington office of the
United States Golf Association
Greens Sections, and Alton E. Rab-
bit, one of his aides and before long
YOU may see out on the 14th green
you green-keeper equipped with a
gas-mask busily engaged In weed
ing.
OT3SSeS NOt hucCtcu.
Monteith and Rabbit found that
by impregnating soil which normally
would produce a heavy crop OF
weeds of many varieties with tear
gas che weed seed would be killed
almost in its entirety and that the
normal growth of the better grasses
would not be disturbed after the
weeds had been killed and grass
had been planted.
Rabbit said the gas has been so
efficacious that in some cases as
high as 95 per cent of the weed seeds
in compost heaps have been killed.
I'VE think 1t will be fine for green
keepers" he said. Take the top
dressing which Is used so much on
golf putting green's nowadays. A
greenkeeper spreads this untreated
top dressing over putting green.
Before long the weed seeds in the
top dressing start sprouting in a
putting green which has been free
from weeds. To get these weeds out
takes time and money.
Now If the greenkeeper treated
his compost heap or his top dress
ing with tear gas before he spread
the dressing over the green prac-
tically all the weeds would be killed,
and there wouldn't be any necessity
for manipulating the green's for
weed eradication. 1t might result
| in a considerable saving to the golf
clubs all over the United States
Treatment Helps Soil.
The tear gas comes from a nozzle
in LIQUID or vapor form and is OF no
danger to the operator provided he
keeps upwind or uses mask. we
haven't always used masks" Rabbit
said, but probably they would be
| desirable for inexperienced op-
orators. The gas is not highly dam
gerous, but it can be uncomfort-
able"
Heretofore top-dressing soil has
been heat-treated to kill weed seed.
But the tear-gas method has no
harmful effect on the physical
properties of the soil. which can be
used soon after the tear-gas treat
ment. Dr.. Monteith has found that
soil so treated may actually be stlm-
ulating to grass growth. In one
case when weeds were completely
controlled by the tear-gas method
grass seed terminated when planted
only two days after the chemical
was applied.
So the tall-browed scientists really
are making it tough for weeds to
flourish on golf courses, which have
been in the past the happy hunting
ground of all varieties of weeds.
They've even found that by stuffing
crab grass with plant food-by caus-
ing the crab grass to overeat, as it
were-they can control this pest,
if it is a pest.
But what would some golf courses
in this area be without crab grass
in August? Sometimes that is about
all that is left after the hot sun
sears away the better grasses.