S gj • The Seeding and Care of Golf Courses • |§l 



Annuals produce thousands of seeds each year. The seeds 

 of some weeds are fitted with parachutes, sails, grappling- 

 hooks and entrenching tools, and some shoot broadcast like 

 bursting shells when the pod is touched. 



When a weed drops its ripened seeds a part lie dormant 

 in the ground, with abundant vitality. These dormant seeds 

 may keep coming up year after year. 



The extraordinary vitality of weed seeds is shown by the 

 fact that in years when especially heavy spring rains soak 

 the ground thoroughly and are followed by hot weather, 

 the soaked seeds sprout and fields will be full of weeds 

 which have not been seen in them for several years. 



On the putting-green, weeds force upon the green-keeper 

 one of his most difficult problems. On the entire course, if 

 allowed to persist, they become a source of vexation, labor 

 and expense; there can be no compromise. 



For our purposes, weeds may be classified as annuals, de- 

 pending upon a yearly seeding; and perennials, whose roots 

 carry them through year after year. Many perennials cling 

 so closely to the soil as to defy the mower, while others have 

 long tap roots that are forever sending up new plants. The 

 roots of some perennials creep beneath the sod, forming a 

 mat of unsightly vegetation. 



CONTROLLING WEEDS 



C^OK all of this, the practically weedless golf course is a 

 Xy possibility. While not all weeds may be destroyed, it is 

 yet possible to control them. 



