244 Vol. 8, No. 12
The Arlington Turf Garden
By John Monteith, Jr.
The events leading up to the establishment of the Arlington Turf
Garden were recounted by the late Howard F. Whitney, formerly
president of the United States Golf Association, in an address of his
delivered at a meeting of the Green Section in Washington, July 21,
1921. Mr. Whitney said:
"It appears from authentic records that Dr. W. S. Harban was the
first golfer who went to the United States Department of Agriculture
for technical assistance in regard to green turf problems. This was
in 1906, when he first met Messrs. Piper and Oakley. Two years
later, when Mr. Charles B. MacDonald was building the National
Links near Southampton, Long Island, he encountered such serious
problems in attempting to grow satisfactory turf on the old sand
dunes that he applied to the Department of Agriculture for help,
which was of course accorded. In studying the difficult turf problems
at the National Links, the Department scientists came to the
realization that the existing knowledge on the subject was very far
from adequate and that extensive experimental investigations were
necessary. Unfortunately, no funds were available for the purpose;
but in cooperation with many golf clubs a considerable amount of
investigation was undertaken by the Department men. Much of the
information thus garnered formed the basis for a long series of
articles in the golf journals by Messrs. Piper and Oakley. The first
appeared in January, 1913. These articles were immensely helpful,
but in the meantime the needs of the golf clubs for information and
advice were increased enormously. In the spring of 1915 the Executive
Committee of the United States Golf Association waited on the
then Secretary of Agriculture, Hon. David F. Houston, and requested
additional help in solving the problems of greenkeeping. The committee
pointed out that about $10,000,000 a year was being spent on
the establishment and maintenance of turf by golf clubs, and it was
believed that through ignorance half of the money was wasted. As a
result of the appeal, the turf experiments were begun at Arlington,
in the spring of 1916, the results of which having already been of the
highest value."
The Arlington Turf Garden is located on the Arlington Experiment
Farm, which is operated by the Bureau of Plant Industry,
United States Department of Agriculture. This farm is located near
Washington between the Arlington National Cemetery and the Potomac
River. A large part of the funds for the turf garden work is
contributed by the United States Golf Association Green Section. In
recent years the Arlington turf work has been growing, and there is
now an area of nearly 30,000 square feet kept cut at putting green
height. The soil is of a clay type, which is unfavorable for turf production,
and therefore is typical of the soil found on a great many
courses in the East, where difficulty is experienced in producing and
maintaining good turf.
The garden is divided into small plots 8 feet by 8 feet, giving the
whole area a checkerboard-like appearance. In each of these plots
different grasses and chemicals are tested. Most of the early work
with stolon plantings of creeping bent was done at this garden, and
there still is a large section devoted to various strains of both the
creeping and velvet bent planted by the vegetative method. In addition
to these tests there are plots of various grasses obtained from
seed from different sources. About one-fourth of the turf garden
is used for experiments with various fertilizers, particularly on bent
grasses. These plots are used for observations as to the effect of the
fertilizers on fine turf as well as their influence on common weeds of
putting greens. Most of the Green Section experimental work on
diseases has been conducted at the Arlington Turf Garden and a large
area is still used for this purpose.
One section of the garden serves as a demonstration of different
grasses used on putting greens. This area is not used for any experimental
work but is maintained as nearly as possible like putting
greens on golf courses. It receives top-dressing, fertilizers, disease
remedies, and other treatments, as needed, to keep the turf in as
good condition as possible throughout the season. On these plots it
is possible for a golfer to compare the putting qualities of different
grasses as well as the different strains of bent planted vegetatively.
In addition to the turf section there is a nursery section maintained
by the Department of Agriculture in which various grasses
are grown in rod rows. These offer an interesting comparison of the
many grasses used on golf courses as well as in agricultural work. In
one section of the nursery there are rows of several strains of bent
maintained for distribution. Stolons from these rows have been sent
out for several years to golf clubs, experiment stations, or individuals
located throughout the United States and many foreign countries.