DOLLAR SPOT 
Dollar Spot appears as small spots about the size of a 
silver dollar or smaller, hence the name. It is a cool 
weather disease and generally occurs at night following 
a quick drop in temperature. Attacks are quite severe in 
Spring and Fall when warm days are followed by crisp, 
cool nights. Injury is mostly confined to creeping bent 
grasses and recovery is generally slow. Grass which is 
nitrogen hungry is much more susceptible to attack than 
vigorous well-fed turf. Calomel was long preferred as a 
preventive for Dollar Spot, but has now been supplanted 
with CRAG or DUPONT 531 Fungicide. 
OTHER LAWN DISEASES AND INJURY 
Pythium, copper spot and other diseases seldom attack 
the home lawn and present fungicides are of little value 
in their control. Summer Scald, which causes severe 
damage to many lawns each year can be largely charged 
to excessive rainfall, followed by high temperature and 
humidity, especially on poorly drained areas. Oftimes, 
the permanent cure to recurring lawn damage from this 
cause can only result from tile drainage and soil modi- 
fication. Improper irrigation is a contributing factor 
to scald. 
With the extreme shortage of water in the New York 
area in eatly 1950, every method of water conservation 
should be practiced. The extreme drought of 1949 con- 
vinced many people that good turf can withstand long 
periods of moisture deficiency when soil conditions are 
ideal. Aerification of the lawn in early Spring will 
assure moisture penetration from Spring rains and deeper 
rooting of grasses. Such turf can draw upon moisture 
deep down in the soil beyond the reach of shallow 
rooted grasses. 
Seepage water, breaking out of hillsides, often over- 
runs or comes up in home lawns. Injury from this cause 
is most easily detected in early Spring. Good turf cannot 
stand continued excesses of moisture in Summer or 
Winter. Much Spring lawn renovation which becomes 
necessary every year, could be avoided if seepage water 
could be diverted elsewhere. 
CHEMICALS FOR LAWN DISEASE CONTROL 
essa TERSAN. An exceptionally effective non- 
mercurial for prevention or control of 
large Brown Patch on lawns and other 
fine turf. 8-oz. can, 80c.; 4-lb. can, $5.16; 
25-lb drum. 30:00. 100-1b. “drum, 
$115.00. 
SEMESAN. A fungicide effective in the 
control of Brown Patch on lawn turf. 12-0z. can, $2.40; 
4-Ib. can, $11.00; 25-lb. pail, $58.28; 100-lb. drum, 
$219.80. 
DUPONT F-531. A cadmium fungicide for the control 
of Dollar Spot on lawns and other fine turf. 4-lb. can, 
$6.75; 25-lb. drum, $37.50; 100-lb. drum, $140.00. 
CALOCLOR. A preventive and remedy for Brown Patch 
and Dollar Spot. 1-lb. canister, $2.70; 5 lbs., $15.00; 
25 lbs., $58.25: 


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Lawn Aeration 
By Fred V. Grau, Director 
U. S. Golf Assn., Green Section 
Condensed from Poputar GarpENING, March-April, 1950 

Aeration of the soil under lawns works wonders. In 
well aerated earth, a water shortage will be less serious, 
for moisture enters easily into the ground and does not 
run off into the gutter and into the sea. Besides, proper 
aeration means that roots grow deeper, grass is healthier, 
fertilizer is more effective. Everything else being equal, 
then actation makes a better lawns 
Let us look at the facts underlying this. Lawns are made 
to be used. The traffic of feet and mowers gradually 
causes compaction. The effect is more serious on “‘heavy”’ 
soils with a high clay content. A compact earth is one 
with most of the air squeezed out of the soil, and with 
the particles smashed so closely together that water can’t 
get through. Then we say we have a ‘‘tight’’ earth, 
which gets very hard when it dries. 
When plant roots don’t have enough air they can’t 
absorb enough water—hence, a thin, weedy turf de- 
velops. Poor turf lets the raindrops smash against the 
ground, which causes further compaction. (A dense turf 
cushions the impact of raindrops and traffic.) A com- 
pacted soil will not let water in fast enough, so most 
of it has to run off, which does no one any good. This is 
the ‘‘first lesson in water and soil conservation.”’ 
cM 
Subscriptions to POPULAR GARDENING, the new all- 
garden publication, edited by Paul F. Frese, may be placed 
at our store. 
