NOVEMBER 1916

The Cost of Golf Course ConstructionI

INTRODUCTION

I

ITis unfortunate that there is such adearth of accurate figures from which

it would be possible to predict in ad-vance the approximate cost of construct-ing a golf course. Although millionshave been spent in constructing newcourses in the past few years, there hasbeen no attempt to make the cost figuresavailable for the guidance of new enter-prises. In fact, the very nature of thework being carried ont has militatedagainst this. Golf courses are for themost part private enterprises conductedprincipally for the pleasure or benefitderived from the game. Inmost cases,where there has been a limit on theexpenditure of money, it has been ofno special concern to officials where themoney went just so long as inspectionof the accounts did not disclose anywaste and so long as the total did notexceed the amount of money available.The money available being the onlymatter to keep in mind, the necessityfor a careful analysis of the costs didnot appear very strong, even thoughin nearly all manufacturing plants thisis necessary in order to keep the totaleost down to the lowest possible point.It has usually not been thought of, orif it was, the accurate keeping of uniteost seemed to be too much trouble, or

as perhaps more often the case, wasbeyond the abilities of those in charge.

I t is not the intention to convey theimpression that it would be possibleto take the figures obtained by any .oneclub, or those from any group of clubs,and immediately sit down and figure theexact cost of a new golf course. 'Vhilethis would be a very desirable thing tobe able to do, the conditions which ob-tain in each locality would make a figurefound in this manner very inaccurate.There are so many things which affectthe cost of construction that it is doubt-ful if there will ever be any figureswhich can be used in this way. Suchfactors as the supply, quality and costof labor, the soil, the weather, the par-ticular seed used, the amount and kindsof fertilizers and soil-building agentssuch as humus and manure, the lengthof the course, the amount of clearing tobe done, these and many others willalways playa most important part inthe cost of any course. In fact, aboutthe only costs which Can be accuratelyfigured in advance are the services ofthe architect, and the seed and ferti-lizers necessary.

However, the experience of a large.number of clubs will enable the con-struction of tables showing the standard

(Continued on Paue 118)

Zooo. Ol,o 00 \

114 The GOLF COURSE

IN CONJUNCTION WITH

PUBLISHED AT

CARTER'S TESTED SEEDS, INC.

PROFESSIONALS and greenkeep-ers frequently request us to

advise them where they can securesituations. We shall be glad to fur-nish the names of competent men.

"Tho can deny that golf in Americais even now in its infancy? Every newclub means more golfers and the typeof Golf Course demanded by club mem-bers today means better golf. Themediocre Golf Course will no longer do,and it naturally follows that the besttalent obtainable is being sought tocarry out the work which confronts anew club or an established one wherean improved course is required.

A poor Golf Architect means a poorlayout; inexperienced supervision ofconstruction work means many unneces-sary mistakes which often cost thou-sands of dollars to correct; grass seedand fertilizer of unknown quality meanan initial saving at the cost of poor turfwhich is a Green Committee's most try-ing and expensive problem; and finally-,when a course is completed, lack of in-telligent maintenance may spoil all thegood work which has been done.

Noone recognizes these facts morefully than most club officials, and fromeverywhere comes the same cry "Wewant the best of everything, we arewilling to pay for the best, but we musthe sure we are getting it."

No. ]]NOV~;l\IBER, ] 9] 6

R. O. SINCLAIRE, Edit01'

Vol. I

'i5 '\'.:ST 45TII STRRET, NEW YORK

BY

The GOLF COURSE

Copyright, 1916, byPeterson, Sinclaire & Miller, Inc., and

Carter's Tested Seeds, Inc.

PETERSON, SINCLAIRE & MILLER, h,c.

WINTER is upon us and in mostsections of the country the

Golfer has been forced to lay aside hisdubs until Spring unless, perchance, heanticipates the pleasure of a visit tothe sllnny South.

"'e cannot doubt that the true Golfenthusiast appreciates the significanceof the past season and looks back withconsiderable pride upon the wonderfulprogress the game has made in thiscomparath'ely short period. One canhardly claim that there has been anymarked improvement in the play of thebetter class of Golfers, except in thecuse of the women, who have truly donethemsel \'es proud this year and takena decided step forward. Consider, how-ever, the almost unbelievable number ofnew courses which have been built orare now in the state of construction andthe impro\'ement of the old ones to meetpresent day requirements. This is thenoticeable progress and the good re-sulting is bound to be permanent.

The GOLF COURSE

The Modern Construction of Putting GreensIn the Middle West and Southern

Hot Clay Soil DistrictBy LEONARD MACOMBER

115

CLAY soils are perhaps the mostdifficult class of soils to deal with,

especially where climatic conditions aresevere, and one must always bear inmind that to produce and mdintain put-ting greens of the finest quality, it isnecessary to make a marked improve-ment in the mechanical condition of allheavy soils.

H YOU have a heavv sticky closegrained, compact soil, it~must be mademore fertile, porous, and warmer. Thedrainage must be well taken care of andsufficient sand and humus incorporatedin the soil to make it porous and firmand supply the necessary plant food.

It is easy to form an opinion of aputting green by just walking o,'cr it.One can tell by the feel of the turfwhether its firmness is due to over roll-ing or to the employment of more cor-rect methods.

In many districts, it is impossible toplay on putting greens situated on thenatural clay soil ,'cry early in theSpring, because they remain wet andsticky so long and then with the arrivalof the hot dry weather, clay soils havean unfortunatc eharactcristic of caking,packing, and cracking badly.

The soil gets so hard it is impossibleto play a "pitch" shot onto the greensand "hold" the ball. One month thegrecns arc soft and "slow" and the next,they arc hard and "fast."

So progressive ideas 01\ pllttin~ ~r('.enconstruction have resorted to elahoratemethods to overcome all thc difficultiesof producing and mnintaining first classgreens in hot, clay soil districts.

'Ve find one club, the Scioto CountryClub, of Columbus, Ohio, spending asmuch as a thousand dollars in the con-struction of cach of their eighteen put-ting greens. The system they workedon in general is as follows:

They built large irregular shapedundulating greens, first of all plowingthe areas and scooping off all the goodtop soil into one deposit and then scoop-ing down into the sub-soil to the depthof about twenty-four inches, piling upthe poor soil separately-using it as atiller in some cases or for the founda-tion of mounds.

The general contours of the surfacesof the grcens were formed in the sub-soil and after laying drain tile in her:"ring bone formation, they placed a sixto eight-inch layer of cinders to takecare of the drainage effectively. Ofcourse in localities where cinders arenot obtainable cheap, any other porousmaterial, such as broken rock, gravel,or loose sand will answer the purpose.

On top of the drainage layer wasplaced a fifteen-inch composition layermade up of fifty percent soil (using thetop-soil removed from the greens if ofgood quality), about twenty-tive per-cent sharp sand, and about twenty-fivepercent stable or barn-yard manure; thesoil hadng bccn predously sweetcnedwi th ground limestone.

The materials were aU mixed in acement mixing machine right at eachgreen, and sufficient timc allowed forthe composition soil to settlc before go-ing on with the work.

Then was placed anothcr laycr aboutthree or four inches thick-a mixturemade up of the best sifted loam obtain-able-rcprcsenting about fifty percent.-thirty to forty percent. of sharp sand,:lJ1dtcn to twenty perccnt. of wen rottedstable manure. This material was madelighter with less manure, and in theprcparation of the seed bed, a complete:Irtificial fertilizer was used and theseed co,.cred witll a quarter-incll layerof purc humus.

1]6 The GOLF COURSE

\Vith the surface drainage properlytaken care of, there was no difficulty inproducing and maintaining an excellentturf on the greens. At the same time,it is necessary to weed, renovate, re-seed, topdress, and sand the greenssystematically and occasionally sweetenthe soil with pulverized charcoal.

During severe hot dry weather, thegreens are "dusted" with sifted compostand watered freely two or three timesa week, and if the turf is kept 'healthy,thick, and strong,-there is not muchroom for weeds, and the annual crabgrass.

The advantages of building greensas above are many. They play better;worms are less in evidence; the greensare open for play much earlier andlater in the season; they behave prop-erly in bad weather-that is, they drainfreely in wet periods; the surfaces keepin good condition; and in dry hotweather, the soil does not bake, packdown hard, and crack. As the make-upand up-keep of the greens are artificial,it is not necessary or desirable to choosegrasses that are natural to, or thrivebest, in a certain district under naturalconditions, but rather to choose thosethat are best suited for putting greens.

The nature of the soil in many dis-tricts is generally responsible for thefailures to produce and maintain reallygood greens. If the soil conditions canbe improved and changed, there is no'reason at all, with artificial systematictreatment, why good greens ~annot beproduced and maintained. In some ofthe Southern States, for instance, onheavy clay soil in North Carolina andGeorgia, putting greens are being con-structed on more or less the above sys-tem and during June, July, and August,it is proposed to cover the greens withcheese cloth (about three to four feetabove the ground) as a protection fromthe hot sun - and play temporarygreens. It is the same arrangement asco\'ering tobacco, hut the greens shouldbe watered systematically and uncov-ered occasionaly to benefit from thenatural rains a~d allowed some earlymorning or late afternoon sun.

The Use of Lim~By R. VANDER BEKEN

GREENKEEPERS are nowadaysfully alive to the importance ~f

maintaining a supply of lime in the soilthat it may seem unnecessary to writeat length on the subject, but as ex-amples are so often cropping up whereotherwise good soils are deficient inlime, it seems an opportune time topoint out how to determine whether ornot the soil contains a sufficiency oflime.

As is well known, one main use oflime is to neutralize the acidity of thesoil, set up by the decomposition oforganic matter. For a shortage of limea good indirect indication can be deter-mined by testing the acidity of the soil.

Methods of testing for acidity withlitmus paper.

The usual test for acidity or sour-ness in a soil is blue litmus paper; ifthis is turned red, it may be concludedthat the soil is sour and that it willgreatly benefit by liming or an appli-cation of marl or ground limestone.

There are several tests, but three ofthe simplest are:

(1) Take a handful of soil in a some-what moist condition, place a slip ofblue litmus paper in the soil, which isthen kneaded gently for a minute ortwo so as to bring the particles of thesoil in close contact with the litmuspaper. If the soil is acid the colour ofthe litmus paper will change in thecourse of 5 to 10 minutes to red.

(2) Take a little of the surface soilfrom, say, half a dozen places on thearea to be examined and mix well.Take a few ounces of this mixed soiland, putting it in a clean cup or tum-hler, pour on a little boiled water andstir until it becomes a thick paste. Intothis insert a piece of blue litmus paperby means of a small stick or the backof a knife. After fifteen minutes care-fully draw out the paper and if thatpart of the litmus paper which has heenin contact with the "mud" has turned

II

The GOLF COURSE 117

red, it is to be inferred that the soil isacid.

(3) Place a strip of blue litmus paperin the bottom of a clean tumbler andover it place a round filter paper, ora piece of clean white blotting papercut to fit the bottom of the glass. Onthis place a few omices of the soil tobe tested: pour on sufficient boiledwater to wet the earth thoroughlythroughout its mass, but no more, thenset aside for about a half hour. Viewthe litmus paper by turning the tum-bler up-side-down. Here again if thepaper has turned red we can concludethe soil is sour.

I t should be remembered that it iswell not to handle the soil, rather tak-ing an implement, such as a trowel, totake up and mix the soil.

The above tests only tell if the soilis sour or not, so if it is desired thedirect test for lime may be employed.This may be done by adding to half ateacupful of soil enough spirits of wine(made by adding to the commercialarticle an equal quantity of water) tothoroughly moisten and just cover thesoil. If lime be present in quantities alively effervescence takes place; on theother hand if the effervescence is onlyvery slight it is to be inferred that limeis deficient in the soil.

Another test is, place two teaspoon-fuls of soil in a glass, cover with water,pour on a teaspoonful of spirits of salt(hydrochloric acid). A gentle bubblingand a frothy head will appear if limeis present; if not the soil requires lim-ing.

Lime in whatever form it is appliedacts as a corrective of acidity, butfurther, it is an aid to the absorptiveand retentive properties of the soil.

1Fays and means of applying lime.Quicklime is distributed in small

heaps at the rate of 0 ton to the acre.'Vater is added at the rate of one-thirdthe weight of the heap, and the latteris covered with about an inch of soil.\Vhen the heap is slaked it may bespread with a shovel. It is importantthat the slaked lime does not come indirect contact with organic manure. If

carbonate of lime is applied it shouldbe in a finely pulverized state and atthe rate of 1 to 2 tons per acre. Itsaction is less rapid than that of slakedlime, and its use on light soils is recom-mended because lime itself appears tohasten the oxidation of organic matter-a process which goes on fast enoughin well aerated light soils. On the otherhand; peaty soils benefit more quicklyby the use of lime, for it increases theplant food in the soil by directly at-tacking the complex insoluble com-pounds and breaking them down. Afurther important effect of lime, eitheras the hydrate or the carbonate on claysoils is the well known "opening" whichit induces.

Finally lime and its compounds mayperform many functions: in correctingacidity, in improving tilth, in promotingnitrification; all the same they are notfertilizers, and cannot be used as sub-stitutes for manures, for drainage or fortillage.

Autumn is probably the best seasonfor application, spreading on theploughed land and harrowing it in.The tendency for all lime compoundsis to sink, to be washed down by therain, and therefore it should never beploughed under. Never apply in ex-cessive amounts, better apply too littlethan too much, as an overdose willcause a too rapid dissipation of itshumus-certainly one of its most valu-able constituents-the nitrogen.

I t is well to substitute charcoal forlime on the greens and pieces of fairwaywhere no clovers are to be encouraged,as the action of lime has a tendency todecompose the insoluble potash com-pounds, thus the lime compounds mayact as indirect potassic fertilizers. Theeffect is most noticeable on clays andwill be more apparent on clovers, whichmore particularly respond to potassicfertilizers.

In preference, on all soils, always usepulverized limestone rather than causticor burnt lime, because in using the lat-ter there is considerable loss in theliberation of Nitrogen and in the burn-ing of tlIe H umns in the soil.

118 The GOLF COURSE

The Cost of Golf CourseConstruction

(Contilluedfmllt Page llJ)

costs of unit operations. For example,it is not likely that there will be muchyariation in the cost of excavating acubic yard of soil in constructing abunker, nor will therc be much variationin the cost of hauling this yard of soilfor say half a mile oyer average roads.Also, the cost of seeding an acre shouldbe approximately c~nstant all over thecountry, and so on down through thelarge number of separate operationswhich compose the complete work. If itwere not for some such basis as this itwould certainly not be possible for aconcern to contract to build a cellar, forexample, at a given price and still besure of some profit. Contractors learnby experience just what it will cost todo work of this sort, and while the con-struction of a golf course is much morecomplicated, it is easy to see' that if weused standardized figures, properly cor-rected for the labor rate prevailing inthe vicinity, and the total cost figuredby this way adj usted very carefully forthe probable effects of local conditions(soil, weather, etc.) we would have anestimate which would have some foun-dation in fact and which would not bea haphazard guess as is the case withthe ,-ast majority of estimates for golfcourses.

IIAfter this preliminary surrey of the

subject, we are prepared to dig intothe details a little more deeply. Ob-viously, after a decision is reached togo ahead with a new golf course, thefirst necessity is the land. The firstconsideration" is an inspection of theavailable sites, and while accessibilityis most important, it is also necessary toconsider the configuration of the ground.Here is the first place where the ser-vices of a competent and experiencedgolf architect are absolutelv essential.To pass upon the qualific~tions of atract of land for a golf course is seldompossible for one who does not make ita hlsiness. The architect should be

the ,-ery best and even though his ser-vices are very expensive it is poor econo-my to use any other. It will not do toengage a man who has made a successin laying out one course in a localitywhere he may have been for years andwhere he has had the advantage of theutmost familiarity with local conditions.In the new place where conditions arcaltogether different only luck will savethe amateur from adding thousands ofdollars to the expense of building thecourse. His inspection and report, whichwill take into account many factorswhich cause expense, such as soil con-ditions, distance from freight stationsfrom which the materials required willha,-e to be hauled, etc., will enable thenew club to select the most suitable site.After this question has been decided thearchitect will sometimes spend severaldays going over the property and fixinge:lch of its features in his mind. Thenthe eoursc will be laid out in such amanner as to obtain the best possiblebalance between the lay-out and themoncy necessary to construct it. Oftena change of a fcw yards one way or theother will save thousands of dollars tothe club, and for this reason, if for noother, an experienced man is required.

The cost of having a competent golfarchitect pass on the land and sce the.iob through from start to finish willseldom nUl under $1,000 and will fre-quently p;o to $1,500 or more, depend-ing partly on the length of time whenhis personal supervision is required.These figures may seem excessive tosome but they are by no means thetop prices which have been paid onisolated occasions, but are fees whichare paid day in and day out and themcn who earn these amounts arc alwaysswamped with work. It is a lucky clubwhich can obtain their services for evena few days without waiting their turnfor weeks.

The cost of the architect's services isof course an overhead expense whichshould not be at once charged againstthe cost of the course but which shouldhe allowcd to rest until the work istinished. It is also :1 charge which

The GOLF COURSE l19

should not affect the unit costs whichare to be obtained as the work goes on.

The next item is that of general su-pen"ision. A man should be secured whois competent to manage the entire work.He should have charge of purchasingthe materials whieh are required, pay-ing the labor, keeping the costs, etc.,and it. is not absolute Lv essential thatprcYious experience in golf course con-struction be had. A first class engineeror superintendent will usually give en-tire satisfaction, providing he is willingto carry out his instructions to the letterwithout interfering in parts of the workabout which he knows nothing. Heshould be the type of man who will callin expert assistance when necessary, es-pecially in connection with the actualproduction of the turf, and who willplaee the responsibility for these specialportions of thc work absolutely upon aman who has had long experienee. Ofcourse, once in a while a club may runacross a manager who can take chargeof ev_erything, but it is probably betterwhen one man does not have to take theresponsibility of every little detail.

As n rule, the first thing necessary todo is to clenr portions of the lund fromtrees, etc. Here eo-operntion is neees-sarv between the nrchitect and nn ex-pe;t in clearing. By working alongtogether it mny often be deemed bestto slightly alter the plans in order toget around some special difficulty nndthereby save considerable money to theclub ,~ithout interfering in the leastwith the quality of the lay-out. Thearchitect may be depended upon to takethese facts into consideration but in anycase a thorough understanding with theman who will take charge of the clenr-ing will help considerably.

The cost of clearing the land will ofcourse not be constant at all points.Some portions will perhaps be denselywoodcd, while others will containmcrely undergrowth or nothing at all.However, with labor nt about $2.00per day, tIle cost of clearing an acreof ground will run from $50 to $175or $200, or more in isolated instances.As a rule. clcnrinp: may he figured at

about $150 without danger of going farwrong. In many cases, where the tim-ber is worth anything at all, a localman will take the contract to clear thedesired portions of the course and tnkehis pay in the wood removed. I f the:club wishes to do the clearing itself,some of the wood can nearly always bedisposed of in one way or another. Eyenthe small saplings can usunlly be soldand thus be made to bring back a partof the cost of removing them. A care-ful investigation by the manager willalways disclose some menns of sellingthe wood, and much money can be savedin this way. The r~ilroads are usuallyill thc market for. certain classes ofwood for mine-props, ties, etc.; excelsiorand barrel fnctories will use their share,and so on. In rare instanees a clubmight be able to make an nctual profiton their clearing.

The next operation is the drainage.This should be turned over to expertswhose recommendations should be fol-lowed absolutely. If properly done in'the first plnce, even at grent expense,the club will save a large amount ofmoney in future years and will also savethe annoyance of putting the course outof play while the ravages of some heavystorm is repaired. Correct drainage isessential if good turf is to be had andthe putting greens will require specialattention. As an example of whnt fol-lows when abnormal weather conditionsovertax the drainage system, the expe-rience of the Scioto Corlntry Club maybe studied with profit. During the sum-mer when this course was under con-struction, the weather was wetter thanfor many years past. In addition tothe natural inconvenience resulting fromthis state of affairs, great trouble wasexperienced from excessively heavydownpours. These resulted in washingout to a greater or less extent all theputting greens and fairways, and in cer-tain cases the damage was so great thatit was only repaired at enormous ex-pense, due to hauling in large quantitiesof earth to fill the washed out placesand to tlIe extensive enlargements of thedrainage system, which were made nee-

l~O The GOLF COURSE

essary in order to avoid a repetition ofthe trouble in the future. It is esti-mated that the cost of constructing thecourse was increased by at least$15,000. It was necessary to put indrains of extra size, and in one fairwaya 24 inch storm sewer was built tohandle the water.

This is of course in many ways anextreme instance and the club canhardly be blamed for not foreseeing theextraordinary weather condition whichwould have to be faced. Nevertheless,the lesson which is taught by this expe-rience is an important one and onewhich should be taken carefully intoconsideration in order to reduce the riskof a similar occurrence elsewhere.

(To be continued).

(;rass I)iseases(Conti1l1tedjl"o1/t the Octo/It'1" IssIle)

Epichloe Typhina, known as reedmace, red muff, etc., is a parasitic fun-gus found in summer growing on thebase or stalks of many grasses growingin damp places. I have found speci-mens of cocksfoot, Timothy, and espe-cially tall oat grass with this charac-teristic parasite in various easterncounties, but have not seen it growingon agrostis, which is said by authoritiesto be its commonest host plant. Itgrows in the form of a muff surroundingthe stem usually above the node orj oint, and is white at first, then turnsorange or purple, wIlen it is in theconidia or spore-bearing stage. Al-though it is practically harmless, it isas well to cut th~ grass before the fun-gus turns orange-colored.

IV.-FuNGUS GROWTHS

The second division consists of thosediseases set up by poisonous conditionsof the soil, the commonest example be-ing the fairy ring. These are causedby various fungi, the commonest beingMarasmius oreades, but Lycoperdonperlatum and Stropharia squamosa aretwo other species often observed. Themycelium of these fungi feed to a cer-tain extent on the roots of the grass,and the mycelium sets up a kind of

fermentation in the soil, rotting theroots so that the grass dies off inpatches or is at least considerablyweakened. As it is difficult to dig outthe rings, it is best to apply a solutionof sulphate of iron (one pound to oneand a half gallons of water) startingfrom the outside of the green ring. Asecond solution at half strength maybe applied fourteen days later, threeapplications generally being sufficient.The ground should first of all be prickedover with a fork before watering, andit is best to do it in the evening if theweather is hot or dry. The other fungi,T1'icholoma and Lycoperdon, are moretroublesome on light soils where themycelium spreads out in an irregularnet work, causing the turf to look veryunsightly. It is generally due to de-caying roots of trees or hedges thathave been cut down on the site of thelawn or green.

I must class in this division the Clo-ver Mildew, Peronosporum trifoliorum.This is not a grass disease, as it onlyattacks clovers and other leguminousplants; but when it does, it sets up adecay which spreads to the grasses,and for this reason it should be checkedwhere noticed. It can be distinguishedby the under surface of the cloverleaves becoming ,covered with a densedingy and lilac-colored mildew. Theleaves turn yellow and then rot off.The disease spreads rapidly outwards in'rings if the weather is warm and moist,but a spell of frost or dry bright weath-er will generally check it. A particu-larly bad case came under my notice atCobham, where one of the most beauti-ful lawns I have seen was made un-sightly a few years ago by the cloverbeing attacked by this mildew. It waschecked, however, by mowing the turfvery closely and applying a weak solu-tion of liver of sulphur followed bymuriate of potash. Besides clover mil-dew, there are other mildews whichattack plants in turf, such as Perono-sporum calotheca, which is common onSpurrey, Sheradia, Serastium, etc. Noneof these diseases actually attack grass,but they make the turf unsightly and

The GOLF COURSE 1~1

weaken it, hence my making referenceto them here.

Spumaria Alba.-Although not actu-ally a parasitic grass fungus as it livesin the soil, yet it may be considered asan enemy of the greenkeeper, as theplasmodium creeps up the blades ofgrasses, especially on a calcareous soil,and forms a dense mass of hard sponge-like crust which effectually chokes thegrass. It is also said to kill horses ifthey eat this crusted grass, so it is ad-visable to mow it as closely as possiblewhen noticed and the grass forced bysulphate of ammonia or a quick-actingmanure. I might also refer to the pois-onous drips of trees which kill grass,that from sycamores, beech, and horsechestnut being particularly poisonous.Where it is necessary to make grassgrow strongly under trees it must behe!ped along with good dressings oflime and manure.

Slimy Morrell (Leotica lubriea).-This is troublesome in wet lawns un-der trees, as it causes large black mass-es of fungus which rot the grass. Itoften originates from the use of sawdustor peat moss manure; and if trouble-some a dressing of basic slag or pow-dered lime may be given.

Peltidia Canina Refulgens.-This isa small black lichenous growth oftenfound in mossy turf. It may be de-stroyed or checked by a five-per-cent.solution of sulphate of iron, the turfafterwards being dressed with potassicmanures.

The Elf or Fairy Cup (Peziza au-rantia) is a troublesome fungus onloamy soils overlying chalk, but as it isso readily removed by being cut bodilyout with a knife no further referenceneed be made to it.

Slime Fungus (Myxomycetes) .-Un-der this name may be classed the vari-ous slimes, green or black, that covera soil in shady or confined situationswhere it is not covered by grass. Theyusually prove most troublesome on adamp soil or after a spell of continu-ous warm wet weather. A two-per-cent. solution of sulphate of iron maybe used if the grass is very thin, but

half this quantity if the turf is of finequality.

Where the blacker olive-colored algaeN ostoe commune makes its appearance,it is as well to apply a dusting of drylime. This pest spreads rapidly overthe ground towards the end of summerin damp situations, especially when sit-uated near slow-running streams orpools. As the N ostoc has the power ofmovement and travels over the ground,in all probability it originates from ad-joining pools, and it is therefore ad-visable to apply a dusting of dry limearound the banks of the pool if it provestroublesome at all.

V.-THIRD DIVISION

The third division consists of thoseplant parasites that live more or lesson grasses, and I will briefly refer to ~few of the commonest plants that areparasitic on grass.

The Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus cris-tagalli) is a pretty yellow-floweredplant found in meadows that are badlydrained. Spring grazing with sheepand an application of six cwt. of saltor basic slag is a good preventive andwill tend to check or destroy the plants.

Red Rattle (Pedicularis palustris) isanother parasitic plant found on grass-es, especially cocksfoot and tall oatgrass when growing in peaty or dampsoils.

Ba1"tsia Odontites is a red floweredparasitic plant found on poor soils bythe roadsides or in gravel pits, and,whilst not invariably parasitic on grass,several of its roots will be found at-tached to grass roots by means of littlesuckers.

]t,lelanpyrum PratenseJ the CowTVheatJ is also semi-parasitic on grass,but as a rule only whcn growing strong-ly on the edge of a plantation will itbecome parasitic.

Euphrasia 0 fficinalis, the commonEyebrightJ is more often than not para-sitic on grass. The Bastard Toad Flax(Thesium linophyllum) is another scmi-parasitic plant, found more especiallyon chalk pastures in the southern coun-ties.

The GOLF COURSE

Bastard Toad Fla.x.-All the aboveparasites attach themselves to the grassroots by means of haustoria or suckers,and rob it of the food material that itmanufactures for itself.

Dodder on Gorse.-The well-knownDodder of clover is not parasitic ongrass, but there is a species, CU8cutaepithymum, that is said to be parasiticon grass; but whilst I have found itgrowing on many other plants, I haveonly once come across it, and even thenit was doubtful whether the Dodder wasliving on a piece of heather or the grassthat surrounded it.

REMEDIES

Having described the more commongrass diseases, I must say somethingabout the remedies. First and foremostthe best treatment in all cases wheregrass is attacked by disease is to mowthe turf as closely as possible and thento encourage a strong growth of grassby quick-acting manures, so as to en-able the grass to grow away from thedisease. In soft shady turf, and onthose golf courses that lie on riverflats where fungoid diseases spread veryquickly, drastic treatment may be ren-dered necessary. In this case, spray-ing with sulphide of potassium (oneounce to ten gallons of water) may bedone. Permanganate of potash dilutedto a clear rose color also makes a use-ful preventive, and applications of flow-ers of sulphur applied when the grassis wet may also be recommended forbad outbreaks of the red mould, etc.Excepting in cases where soil is sour,solutions of Kainit (one ounce per gal-Ion) are useful in helping the grass toresist mild attacks of rust, etc. Dry'lime is particularly useful in most cases,excepting that it is always well to avoidusing lime as much as possible, as itencourages clover.

All dressings are best applied in theevening, as it is during tIle night thatmildew spreads most rapidly. On soilsliable to repeated attacks of variousgrass mildews, the excessive use of nit-rogenous and crude acid manures should

be avoided, and where it is necessaryto hasten the growth without undulyforcing the grass, phosphatic dressingsshould be used. Bone meal must beblamed for causing a large amount offungoid growth as well as encouragingclover; whilst leaf mould, especiallythat from ash and sycamore leaves, alsosets up mildews, though the advantagesof the leaf mould may possibly out-weigh the disadvantages.

Most of the diseases referred to arenoticeable when they are in the formof white, gray or orange-colored moulds,this generally being the spore-bearingstage. I t is then that precautions toprevent the disease from spreadingshould be taken. Rough grasses inhedgerows, reeds, and rushes are nearlyalways infected with rust and otherdiseases, so these should be kept cutdown as much as possible. Cigaretteends and bits of rag lying in the turfare frequently the starting place of thewhite grass mildew. Leaving cut ryegrass on the turf is also particularlybad, as a poisonous ferment is set upby the rye grass leaves that rots thefiner grasses.

There is, however, a brighter side tothis gloomy lecture, for parasitic fungiare not always inj urious to the plantson which they live, and in some casesplants when infcsted with a particularparasite often grow more robust and,'igorous than the non-infested plants.This condition, known as symbiosis, isnoticeable in the case of rye grass.Even if grasses have their parasiticenemies, all plants are affected in thesame manner, and, like "the fleas thathave lesser fleas upon their backs tobite 'em," so these different mildewsand fungi have other moulds that liveupon them, which keeps the balance ofNature and prevents every blade ofgrass in the country from being de-stroyed. 'The Yellow Rattle is alsopunished for its greedy disposition ofliving on the grass roots by sufferingin its turn from a parasitic fungus thatcauses gouty swellings on its roots.

'/'IT Ii: I~'N J)

The GOLF COURSE

CORNELL SYSTEMSOF

Irrigation and Water SupplyPermanent and Portable Outfits

for Golf Courses, Lawns andVegetable Gardens

Our Service includes Surveys of your Prop-erty together with Plans and Specifications

Send for Illustrated Catalogue

Portable Sprinkler for ~-inch Hose-Equipped with our PatentedHain Cloud Stationary Nozzle. Can be regulated to discharge n finemist or heavy shower. Area covered 25 to 45 feet.

Price, complete, $4.00, F. O. B. New York"Ve also manufacture larger sizes covering areas up to80 feet, discharging from 20 to no gaIlons pel' min.

w. G. CORNELL CO.Engineers and Contractors

Fourth Avenue and Seventeenth Street New York

1~3

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THE >COLDWELL "THREESOME"We call your particular attention to the features mentionedhereafter, as they are absolutely essential to a perfect machineof this type and are {OUM only ,in the Coldwell "Threesome."

I-All gears and axles of drive wheels are run in dust proof grease cases.which only need filling once in four or five months. This means easydraft. long life to the machine and a great saving of time.

2-The Back Rollers are made in three sections, which insures againsttearing the lawn when turninJ:' circles. These rollers are each providedwith bronze bearings, turning on a hollow grease-filled shaft. This shaft,once filled, needs no further attention for months.

3---The Drive Wheels have malleable hubs, steel spokes, wrought-ironrims and are made fast to shafts which turn on ball bearings inside thegrease case. (All wear easily taken up from inside of case.)

4-No springs are necessary to keep the back roller from jumpingup, as the Lawn Mowers llre swung from the main frame by large frictionsurface hangers, which hold it down.

S-A single lever at the operator's right enables him to lift all threecutting knives free from the ground at once, It also permits him to throwout of gear all three revolving cutters without leaving his seat.

6-The weight of the super-structure and operator is evenly divided overthe three Lawn Mowers. The combination of the carrying frame and avery simple draw rod mechanism makes one of the mostdesirable featuresof this machine,and it is this combination that makes absolutel}' posi tivethe accurate position of the rear machine relative to the two frontmachines, insnring- at a II times, and under all conditions, the proper over-lapping of the cuL'l. This valuable feature is found only in this machine.

This style of machine is designed for cutting wide swaths on grounds thatare settled and dry, also where rolling and fine cutting are not the first con.sideration. On fine lawns where the turf is right and where pride is takenin having fine cutting- and a beautiful velvety surface, free from horsemarking, streaks, etc" there is only one type to use, that is the motor-driven Lawn Mower, which rolls the lawn every time it is cut. We makeseveral varieties of this type, including both the" \Valk" and" Ride"types, circulars of which we will be pleased to furnish on application.

COLDWELL LAWN MOWER CO. NEWBURGH, N. Y.

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