BOWLING GREENS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 50, 27 August 1937, Page 16

BOWLING GREENS

PROBLEMS DISCUSSED

GRASS RESEARCH

COMBATING DISEASES

Keen interest was shown by over thirty greenkeepers and green superintendents from thirteen bowling clubs in the Wellington Bowling Centre, who met in the pavilion of the Wellington Bowling Club last night, to'hear an address by Mr. W. M. Horton, advisory officer of the green research committee of the New Zealand Golf Association, and to discuss greenkeeping problems. Mr. Horton explained how research work had been carried out to find suitable greens for playing areas, how the grasses selected should be treated, and how they should be kept free from disease. At the conclusion of his address many of .the points raised were discussed in greater detail, and Mr. Horton was warmly thanked for the information and advice he had given.- ,'■.'■■ The Wellington, Newtown, Central, Hutt, Thorndon, Victoria, Karori, WoiDurn, Paekakariki, Khandallah, Kelburn, Johnsonvillo, and .Eastbourne Clubs were represented, and the representatives were welcomed by the president of the Wellington Bowling Centre, Mr. M. J. Casey, The meeting had first been suggested by the president of. the Victoria Bowling Club (Mr. C. Campbell), who believed that a conference of greenkeepers would help to solve some of the difficulties experienced with greens, Mr. Casey said. The centre had gone further than the suggestion, and had.invited Mr. Horton to come and address the greenkeepers. ' ~.;.' .... Mr. Horton said he had commenced experimenting with grasses in 1904, and when he commenced bowling in 1912 he decided that a perfect green might enable him to secure a championship, and he studied greens. ■■: New Zealand, said Mr. Horton, exported £ 100,000 worth of grass seed every year. A man in Southland had imported some grass seed for a lawn. He had given some of the seed to a man in Gore, and that man gave some to a Mr. Che wings,'who was responsible for the marketing of Chewings fescue, of which 900 tons of seed had been exported in one year. SEED IN MATTRESSES. At the other end of New Zealand settlers from Nova Scotia brought grass mattresses to New Zealand with them and the seed in those mattresses Had established brown top in the country. Both fescue and brown top had been used for lawns, and, used together and grown properly, they would provide a lawn all the year round. ■ : . -. ■ ■ ■ In his search for suitable, grasses for - lawns and playing fields, said Mr. Horton, he had» imported seed from all parts of the world. All of these grasses "faded out" after about five years and only the fescue and brown top 'remained. In the research area at Palmerston North all sorts of grasses had been tested with similar results. Brown top grown alone remained but was patchy, but brown top and fescue mixed continued to give a good cover. All of the grasses tested .were- also tested to secure a system of manuring. Some plots were given single elements, some were given combinations,: some complete plaint food, and sonic lime in "■* addition. The plots that did not sue; ' ceed were eliminated, and the others were tested under working conditions, and today there was: one.^ area ; of brown top and fescue that would stand up to anything all the. year 'round. Other grasses had been sown in that area but they were all gone. The truest test of a soil was what was growing in it. .-.-'■■'■ ~ ' ;' , ! It was often said that the expert did not know a strange green, but that was wrong. And many who made a study of grasses could judge'the soil and climatic conditions by the grasses that grew on the ground studied. Bro t wn top and fescue were grown on the lowfertility soils of New Zealand and to grow them successfully the fertility had to be kept low. If the soil was fertilised other grasses would grow and they would crowd the good turf grasses out. Care had to be taken.to use the fertiliser required for a particular green, and it had to be used scientifically. WEEDS NOT A SUCCESS. Some bowlers had got tired of trying to grow grass and had turned to weeds, Mr. Horton said. He had tested greens where such weeds were grown, and the different weeds all had different speeds. The bowls could not be controlled, and where these weeds were grown the bowlers were having' trouble. One green in the south had to be sterilised and remade, and others would have to come to the same thing.. That meant expense, and the loss of the green while it was being remade. Mr. Horton touched briefly on-the care of greens, and referred to greens that were well grassed, including Khandallah. Such greens did not give trouble, and some of them carried very heavy traffic. However, no green should be expected to carry players from morning till night, seven days in the week. Rest was essential no matter how good the grass was or how well ii was cared for. Another problem for the greenkeeper, said Mr. Horton, was turf. • diseases. Seven years ago nothing was known about turf diseases in New Zealand, and Government experts claimed they did not exist. Investigations had shown that diseases did attack New Zealand turf, and diseases . had been isolated so that they could be treated. He had found perchloride of mercury the most effective control. It was used as a spray—3oz to 50 gallons of water with a little salt to make it dissolvebut treatment could not be certain of success unless the trouble treated.was known. Worms in a green also constituted a problem, and many greenkeepers would not kill worms because, they were considered necessary. The worm was necessary under natural conditions because he was a top-dresser, but bowling greens were grown under ■vrtiflcial conditions. The worms brought very fine soil to the surface, and rain or watering washed that soil into the ditch. Consequently the worm only caused harmful erosion; The green could be top-dressed with soil, but the soil used was seldom, selected to suit the green, and top-dressing frequently caused bad greens, and coring and other processes had to be resorted to. , Information about greens had been gathered in all parts, of New Zealand, Mr. Horton said, and greens could be laid down in March and used in September. Different greenkeepers had different views, but the research committee had a definite programme for the formation and care-of greens, and every green had been proved. Only one green had failed, and that one had been changed to another system before it had a chance to become established. Mr. Horton also discussed the effect of packing the ground by tramping. Packed soil reduced the work of the roots and cutting reduced the woi'k of 1 he leaves, and consequently the grasses would not survive. The soil had to be loosened to enable the roots to operate at maximum efficiency.