Science: Green Grass

Nebuchadnezzar lay in the sun and ate grass. And good grass it was in days when few footsteps crushed its tender shoots and no motor exhaust laid a blight upon it. Not only its hardships but also its responsibilities have so increased that science must come to its aid. Last fortnight the University of Illinois announced that its scientists would work—with Erlenmeyer flask and petrie dish—on the problem of maintaining a satisfactory turf on football fields. The athletic association will make a 90-square checkerboard out of the gridiron. Running in crosswise strips will...