GREENKEEPING

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21156, 1 October 1938, Page 16

GREENKEEPING

Research at Home The Board of Greenkeeping Research at St. Ives, Bingley, Yorks, was established in 1929 by the joint advisory council of the English Golf Union, the Scottish Golf Union, the Golfing Union or Ireland, and the Welsh Golfing Union for the scientific investigation of greenkeeping problems. In the report for 1937 it is mentioned that in its experimental work the station now possesses no fewer than 1600 divided plots. Last year it dealt with 1856 samples of turf, soil, top dressings, sand, weeds, and so forth, sent for analysis. The advisory work showed increases in every sphere. The number of visits carried but by advisory officers was 395, an increase of 68 compared with 1936. Of the increase 66 were to golf clubs. The number of advisory, letters, 3925, was the highest yet recorded and showed that clubs were realising the immense benefits which could be derived from the work carried out at the station. The board has also, in its time, visited forty foreign clubs, and overseas subscriptions are noted from Australia, New Zealand, Holland, France, Germany, Sudan, Shanghai, Belgium, Italy, and the United States. This list shows the world-wide appeal that the board makes to golfers. Bowling clubs also are supporters. The station acts as an independent body, drawing upon the results of its investigational work and experience, and translating them into practice through the medium of its advisory services. Every supporting club is entitled to certain advisory services free of charge, and ever-increasing use is being made of this facility, since clubs are finding that advice from the station results not only in improvement in the condition of their courses, but also in economies. Further, it is an insurance against errors, and guards against the adoption of so-called revolutionary developments which are pressed upon clubs from time to time irom outside sources without adequate investigation. "The station,” says the report frankly, “makes no claim to infallibility in its advisory work; indeed, to do so would be foolish, in view of the vagaries of the weather, the soil, and the human element, but it does claim to give unbiased, scientifically accurate advice, and that its work has raised the standard of greenkeeping and has thrown new light on many turf problems.” Creeping Red Fescue In April a circular was addressed to all subscribing clubs announcing that seed of St. Ives creeping red fescue was available for distribution. It forms the first of the improved strains, and the crop has been produced by a wholesale seeds merchant. The special points of the strain compared with the existing commercial varieties are greater leafiness and density of growth, especially in association with New Zealand browntop, good winter colour, and reasonable resistance to fungal disease. It commences growth early in the spring and is suitable for all soil conditions other than extremely heavy clays and the lightest sands. The seed from the 1937 harvest is plump, of good colour, and well matured, which has thus ensured good germination amounting to 90 per cent. The average purity is 87 per cent, and this is 13 per cent inert matter, mainly chaff, a common impurity in fescues.

Experiments with this fescue have shown that to obtain the best results it should be sown as one ingredient of a simple seeds mixture, and it is primarily adapted for tire finest and dwarfest swards. Like other fescues, it does not produce areally serviceable, hard-wearing, and dense turf when sown alone, and therefore attempts at this are not advised.

A new feature established at the research station during the year was the permanent implement exhibition, containing a wide range of modern greenkeeping equipment, which may be examined at any time by members of the subscribing clubs.