THE BULLETIN

of the

UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION GREEN SECTION

Vol. 10 

Washington, D. C., February, 1930 

No. 2

Contents

Page

Mosquito Extermination.......................................................................................... 18
British Golf Unions’ Greenkeeping Research.......................................................  22

Low Platform Truck and Loading Device for Golf Course Equipment. By

Kenneth Welton ................................................................................................ 24

How Agricultural Research Can Help the Golfer. By K. F. Kellerman.......... 25
Colloidal Phosphate as a Fertilizer........................................................................  27

Blasting Stumps........................................................................................................ 

29

Questions and Answers............................................................................................ 30

EXECUTIVE

COMMITTEE

W. D. Vanderpool, Chairman, P. O. Box 77, 

Newark, N. J.

Ganson Depew, Vice-Chairman, Buffalo, N. Y.
Harvey L. Westover, Washington, D. C.
H. Kendall Read, Philadelphia, Pa. 
Walter S. Harban, Washington, D. C.

H. Y. Barrow, New York, N. Y.
John Monteith, Jr., Washington, D. C.
Cornelius S. Lee, New York, N. Y.
Robert M. Cutting. Chicago, Ill.
Robert F. Arnott, Upper Montclair, N. J.

RESEARCH

COMMITTEE

United States Department of Agriculture
K. F. Kellerman, Acting Chairman
A. J. Pieters
Harvey L. Westover 
Russell A. Oakley

United States Golf Association 

John Monteith, Jr.
Kenneth Welton

ADVISORY

COMMITTEE

W. A. Alexander, Chicago. Ill.
Eberhard Anheuser, St. Louis, Mo.
N. S. Campbell, Providence, R. I.
Wm. C. Fownes, Jr., Pittsburgh, Pa.
F. H. Hillman, Washington, D. C.
Thos. P. Hinman, Atlanta, Ga.
Frederic C. Hood, Watertown, Mass.
K. F. Kellerman, Washington, D. C. 
Norman Macbeth, Los Angeles, Calif.

George V. Rotan, Houston, Tex.
Sherrill Sherman, Utica, N. Y. 
Frederick Snare, Havana, Cuba 
Jamils D. Standish, Jr., Detroit, Mich. 
Charles E. Van Nest, Minneapolis, Minn. 
W. R. Walton, Washington, D. C.
Alan D. Wesson. Philadelphia, Pa. 
M. H. Wilson, Jr., Cleveland, Ohio 
Frank L. Woodward, Denver, Colo.

The Bulletin is published monthly by the United States Golf Association Green Section. 

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Address all MAIL to P. O. Box 313, Pennsylvania Avenue Station, Washington, D. C.

Send TELEGRAMS to Room 7207, Building F, 7th and B Streets, N. W., Washington, D. C.

Subscription Price: In United States of America, Mexico, and West Indies, 54.00 per year; in 

all other countries, $5.00 per year.

Entered as second-class matter, April 21, 1926. at the post office at Washington, D. C., under the 

Act of March 3. 1879. Copyrighted, 1930, by the United States Golf Association Green Section.

18

Vol. 10, No. 2

Mosquito Extermination

Green committees and greenkeepers frequently think of June 
beetles, Japanese beetles, and ants as the chief insect pests of a golf 
course. Club members, however, often think otherwise. To the 
player a flock of mosquitoes is usually much more distracting than 
any number of turf insects.

In all too many cases the mosquitoes that bother the players are 
produced on the club property due to the oversight or neglect of 
those in charge of the course. Stagnant pools are an abomination in 
many ways. Good water hazards are an asset to any golf course, but 
there is a wide difference between good water hazards and the puddles

A bad 
breeding 
place for 
mosquitoes.

The same 
place filled 
in and 
converted to 
useful land.

of stagnant water that some clubs try to glorify with the name “water 
hazards.” Stagnant water offers an ideal breeding place for mos­
quitoes, and a small, neglected pool may furnish a stock of mosquitoes 
sufficient to torment the club members during the greater part of the 
playing season and possibly bring disease. It is the duty of green 
committees and greenkeepers to do all in their power to protect the 
players from these small tormentors just as much as to provide them 
with good turf on which to enjoy their game.

National and State organizations have spent millions of dollars in 
recent years in an effort to reduce the mosquito nuisance by eliminat­
ing the breeding places of the pests. Golf clubs can help this pro­

February, 1930

19

gram of public welfare by providing proper drainage on their prop­
erties. It should be remembered that a campaign of this nature is 
successful only if all breeding places in a given area are eliminated. 
Stagnant water in some unused part of the club property is just as 
dangerous from the standpoint of mosquito infestation as is a pool 
in the middle of a fairway. Those in charge of a golf course are not 
fulfilling their obligations to their club members and their community 
if they fail to do their share in the nation-wide movement under way 
to reduce in every possible manner the mosquito nuisance and the dis­
eases which the mosquito may transmit.

Swampy areas too extensive to permit filling in may be effectively rid of mosquitoes 
by means of properly constructed ditches. The main ditch for the area here shown 
is two miles long, draining at each end into a rocky beach.

Doubtless the most efficient plan for mosquito extermination is 
the Gorgas plan, being sponsored by the Gorgas Memorial Institute 
of Tropical and Preventive Medicine, which is perpetuating the sani­
tation work inaugurated years ago by the late Major General Gorgas. 
“More human lives were saved by General William Crawford Gorgas 
in controlling mosquitoes in Cuba and Panama than have been saved 
by the act of any other single man,” writes Dr. Franklin Martin, 
chairman of the board of directors of the Institute. In a statement 
issued by the Institute it is said: “The work which Gorgas accom­
plished at Panama alone is conservatively estimated to have saved 
a total of 71,000 lives, and the United States Government a total of 
$80,000,000. This record won for General Gorgas the title of ‘the 
greatest and most famous sanitarian of the ages,’ and in completing 
the Panama Canal, America won credit for doing what four hundred 
years of time and all the plans of other nations had failed to accom­
plish. What Gorgas did we can do in every home, every community, 
every golf course, every county, every State. We can clean the United 
States of mosquitoes if we will.” In commenting on the Gorgas plan, 

20

Vol. 10, No. 2

Rear Admiral Cary T. Grayson, president of the Institute, writes: 
“The Gorgas Memorial Institute stands for better health. In a variety 
of directions it is carrying on the activities of the great sanitarian 
General William Crawford Gorgas, to whom the Institute is a per­
petual memorial. The splendid Gorgas Memorial Laboratory in Pan­
ama, made possible by an annual appropriation of $50,000 from the 
United States Government and by the generous cooperation of the 
Republic of Panama and other Central and South American countries, 
is constantly engaged in the study of tropical diseases as they affect 
human and animal life; a wide educational program for better health 
is bringing new understanding of how to prevent disease to families 
and communities throughout our own country; and the Gorgas plan 
of permanent mosquito extermination is making every place in which 
it is used a better, healthier, more comfortable place in which to live.”
The more important features of the Gorgas plan of mosquito con­
trol, together with a statement of what the plan has already accom­
plished in the United States, are contained in a pamphlet recently 
issued by the Gorgas Memorial Institute, entitled “Get Rid of Mos­
quitoes.” For the benefit of readers of the Bulletin, there is quoted 
below a portion of the pamphlet dealing directly on the problem of 
mosquito extermination. The pamphlet also contains information on 
the life history of the mosquito and descriptions of the different 
species and their habits, in terms of the layman. It presents in a 
popular way the thrilling story of the triumph of sanitation in com­
bating some of the most disastrous human diseases with which medi­
cal science has had to contend. The Panama Canal, it will be recalled, 
could not be completed until the mosquito problem had been solved 
by General Gorgas. The pamphlet is profusely illustrated, and may 
be obtained by writing to the Gorgas Memorial Institute, 1331 G 
Street Northwest, Washington, D. C. We read:

“It is the consensus of opinion of our foremost observers that in 
localities where mosquitoes are prevalent and no control measures 
have been undertaken, their numbers are increasing considerably 
from year to year. New areas are being infested due to increased 
population and changing conditions. This is particularly noticeable 
in what Le Prince calls the ‘man-made species’ of mosquitoes bred in 
polluted streams. In populous sections there are very few swimming 
holes remaining fit for bathing.

“It is common for people to think that the larger the body of water 
or swampy area, the more mosquitoes it can produce. As a matter of 
fact, in many instances the places which look as if they might pro­
duce large numbers of them actually are the source of very few. 
Oftentimes it is because the natural enemies of mosquito larvse con­
trol the situation. On the other hand it is astonishing how many 
families leave out in the open, around the yard, many home objects 
which will catch and retain rain water. Inspections of numerous 
towns show that it is common for three out of five families to produce 
a supply of mosquitoes close to their homes.

“Last year, Boy Scouts, volunteering as mosquito inspectors, 
found that 42 per cent of 3,000 homes in a wealthy metropolitan sub­
urb were breeding their own. A few visits of the Three-Minute Squad 
of three scouts put an end to mosquitoes from this source. The Three- 

February, 1930

21

Minute Squad uses a sponge to absorb water standing in house drains 
and keeps a record of work done.

“The practical extermination of all mosquitoes throughout the 
United States would not be an impossible task and there is nothing 
that would give greater return for the effort and money expended. 
The Gorgas plan of permanent mosquito extermination calls not only 
for present eradication of mosquito breeding, but for the exhaustion 
of all mosquito breeding possibilities that may be caused by abnor­
mally wet weather conditions. The most important type of the engi­
neering work called for consists of especially designed drainage of a 
permanent nature. Small pools and potholes are filled to grade, if 
filling material is available at reasonable cost. Mid-channelling serves 
in many cases to give added flow and perfect drainage to sluggish 
streams. Chemical repellants are valuable in manholes of storm 
sewer catch-basins. Spraying of oil and other larvacides is a tempo­
rary measure which sometimes must be resorted to, but it is ex­
pensive and does not effect total extermination or permanent control.
“Any city, town, or countryside that is infested with mosquitoes, 
or even has relatively few, can be freed of them under the Gorgas 
plan at very reasonable cost. All that is required is the plan and some 
organized concerted effort. If you have no outlying swamp areas and 
no polluted streams you have just a local problem that you can handle 
yourselves. The Gorgas Memorial Institute will show you how, and 
you probably have engineers fully capable of doing the outlying work 
if a specially trained mosquito engineer makes a survey and outlines 
exactly the necessary procedure under the Gorgas plan. The Gorgas 
plan has been bonded numerous times, guaranteeing the total perma­
nent extermination of all mosquito breeding in a given area and main­
tenance in a mosquito-proof condition.

“As soon as boys and girls, and men and women, have learned what 
mosquito larvae look like, it is not difficult to find and examine all the 
breeding places within a three- or four-mile radius of any community. 
Boy and Girl Scouts, Campfire Girls, Rangers, and other organized 
youth groups can render invaluable service in helping to rid their 
communities of the mosquito pest; and the value of this important 
service will endure twofold in the next generation, for it is certain 
that those who participate in this work now will not tolerate mos­
quitoes on their premises when they are the home-owners of to­
morrow.” 

__________

The water-holding capacity of soils, likewise their capacity to 
retain soluble plant food, depends on the aggregate extent of surface 
area exposed by their component soil particles. The smaller the com­
ponent particles, the greater is their number and the greater the 
aggregate extent of surface area exposed. It is for this reason that 
fine clay soil has a greater water-holding capacity than sandy soil. 
These smaller particles contained in soil are called “soil colloids.” 
Potters’ clay is highly colloidal. The size of soil colloids is astonish­
ingly small and the aggregate surface area which they present is as 
astonishingly great. It has been estimated that in the average soil 
about 30 per cent of its component particles are as small as 1/250,000 
inch in diameter. A single cubic inch of such a soil would contain 
about 3,720,000,000,000,000 such small particles, presenting an aggre­
gate surface area of about 1,100 square feet.

22

Vol. 10, No. 2

British Golf Unions’ Greenkeeping Research

In previous numbers of the Bulletin references have been made to 
the plan of the British Golf Unions to establish an organization for 
scientific research and advice similar to the United States Golf Asso­
ciation Green Section. We received recently a copy of the first num­
ber of the new organization’s publication entitled, “The Journal of the 
Board of Greenkeeping Research." The British Golf Unions is a joint 
organization of the English Golf Union, the Scottish Golf Union, the 
Golfing Union of Ireland, and the Welsh Golfing Union. The Journal 
is maintained by the British Golf Unions’ joint advisory committee 
for the publication of results of scientific investigation of greenkeep­
ing problems being conducted by the board of greenkeeping research 
in cooperation with a scientific advisory committee, the latter being 
composed of seven prominent agricultural scientists of the British 
Isles. The director of research is R. B. Dawson, previously of the 
Rothamsted experiment station.

The Journal is published at St. Ives Research Station, Bingley, 
Yorkshire, England. Its first number contains 48 pages of interest­
ing reading matter with 4 full-page illustrations, and will doubtless 
pave the way for a widespread discussion of greenkeeping problems 
throughout the British Isles. It is proposed to issue the Journal at 
irregular intervals, with not less than three numbers each year. In­
cluded in the first number are several articles, as well as a large num­
ber of questions and answers, on various golf turf problems. The 
introductory article is a brief historical account of the establishment 
of the board of greenkeeping research, from which we quote :

“The board of research into greenkeeping problems was consti­
tuted at a meeting of the British Golf Unions’ joint advisory com­
mittee held in Liverpool on Tuesday, February 26, 1929, when a res­
olution in the following terms was adopted: ‘That a board of research 
for golf greenkeeping in the British Isles be, and is hereby estab­
lished to be elected annually by the joint advisory committee, and that 
the control and management financial and otherwise of research be 
vested in the joint advisory committee.’ This resolution followed on 
the preliminary work carried out by the National Unions during the 
previous year, when they explained to their constituent clubs the full 
nature of the proposal. Subsequent promises were received from the 
four National Unions for a sum of approximately £2,000 per annum 
for a minimum period of 5 years.

“It will be recalled that in 1924 the green committee of the Royal 
and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews endeavored to establish a simi­
lar scheme but abandoned their effort owing to the lack of necessary 
financial support. Following their difficulties in obtaining a full meas­
ure of support from the clubs in the country, the green committee of 
the Royal and Ancient Golf Club asked the joint advisory committee 
to undertake the direct management of the project, to organize the 
work, and generally to develop the scheme. With the consent of 
previous subscribers, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club handed over 
to the joint advisory committee a sum of £303 13s. 6d. which they had 
previously collected from them for research purposes.

“The joint advisory committee invited and have received, in con­
nection with the work of the board of research, the hearty and active 

February, 1930

23

cooperation of the scientific advisory committee originally appointed 
by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club and also of Mr. W. Norman Boase, 
chairman of the green committee of that club. Both Sir Robert 
Greig and Mr. Boase have been appointed members of the new board. 
The interest shown by these gentlemen in the aims of the board of 
research has been of an active nature, and the board desires to place 
on record its deep gratitude for the advice and help which they have 
gratuitously given in arranging the many details requiring settle­
ment before the work of research could be commenced.

“Early in March, 1929, the board of research, after careful delib­
eration and with the guidance of a special report by Sir Robert Greig 
(which was approved by his colleagues on the scientific advisory com­
mittee), agreed upon the site for the principal research station, on 
the St. Ives estate, near Bingley, Yorkshire. This station is central, 
convenient of access, has several types of soil available for experi­
mental purposes, and is generally suitable for investigations under 
average conditions of soil and climate.”

The St. Ives research station has over three acres of ground avail­
able for experimental purposes and also has ample laboratory and 
office space within a most convenient distance of the experiment 
grounds. The location is considered extremely fortunate, since it not 
only offers average conditions of altitude and climate but also has a 
good range of soil types and other conditions favorable for experi­
mental purposes within a short distance of the laboratory. Opera­
tions on the experiment grounds were begun in May, 1929. The turf 
garden was planted in August.

The Green Section welcomes this new organization in the field of 
golf turf research and educational work and will follow with interest 
the results to be obtained. Science and knowledge, like the game of 
golf, recognize no national boundaries. No doubt many of the find­
ings of the British board of greenkeeping research will be found of 
benefit to American golf clubs in their efforts to provide better and 
more uniform playing conditions.

Japanese and Asiatic Beetle Quarantine

To attempt to move soil or plants out of territory infested with 
the Japanese beetle or with the Asiatic beetle, without a Federal per­
mit, is costly. In May and June, 1929, the Pennsylvania Railroad 
moved seven carloads of topsoil from Menlo Park, N. J., to Dearborn, 
Mich., without such a permit, in connection with the celebration of the 
Edison electric light golden jubilee. As a feature of this celebration, 
Henry Ford reconstructed, outside of Dearborn, Edison’s laboratory 
of 50 years ago, transferring not only the buildings but practically an 
acre of topsoil. This cost the Pennsylvania Railroad $1,400. An 
examination of the soil by Federal officials in the immediate vicinity 
of the reconstructed laboratory disclosed 32 Japanese beetle grubs, 
which had been carried to Michigan in the soil. In an effort to ex­
terminate this newly developed Michigan infestation, the United 
States Department of Agriculture made plans to treat the area upon 
which the New Jersey soil had been laid and to thoroughly scout the 
surrounding territory for traces of the beetle.

24

Vol. 10, No. 2

Low Platform Truck and Loading Device for Golf Course 
Equipment
By Kenneth Welton

One of the special problems encountered in the use of the power 
mower for cutting putting greens is the time required to move com­
paratively few power mowers to as many greens as are ordinarily 
cut with four or five times as many hand mowers. The time required 
to move the mower from green to green is negligible when putting 
greens on a course are cut in groups of two or three greens, close 
together, by one man and one machine. When, however, one or two 
mowers must cut 18 or more widely separated greens, the time lost 
in moving from one group of greens to another becomes an important 
economical factor.

Loading power mowers over a gang plank on a truck with low platform. At the rear of the truck 
is an underslung box for carrying small equipment. The mowers are loaded on the truck mostly 
under their own power.

On the East Potomac Park public golf course in Washington, D. C., 
the greenkeeper, Charles Victor, is attempting to eliminate this loss of 
time by using a motor truck with a low platform on which the mowers 
are loaded over a small detachable gang plank, as shown in the accom­
panying illustration. When one end of the gang plank is hooked to 
the rear of the truck the mowers, which weigh over 200 pounds each, 
may be slid off the truck with little effort. The grade of the plank is 
so slight that the mowers may be run upon the truck under their own 
power.

The low platform of the truck is found convenient also for loading 
other equipment and various maintenance materials. Large hose 
reels, barrel sprayers, wheelbarrows, and similar equipment are all 
easily handled with the gang plank and low platform. The under­
slung tool box can carry rakes, shovels, small sprinklers, and other 
small tools frequently in demand on the course.

Compost saves seed and fertilizer, and therefore money, and at 
the same time gets results. The greater the compost pile, the more 
ready funds will be available for emergencies, and the quicker can 
damages to turf be repaired.

February, 1930

25

How Agricultural Research Can Help the Golfer
By K. F. Kellerman
Associate Chief, Bureau of Plant Industry, United States Department of Agriculture
(An address delivered at the annual meeting of the Green Section in New York 
City, January 10, 1930)

It is a great pleasure for me to have a chance to talk to you very 
briefly this afternoon. I am an ardent golfer, although I think I am 
one of the world’s worst. My interest in the Green Section has been 
agricultural rather than because of any skill in the game.

The problems of the Green Section in many ways are closely allied 
to the problems of the United States Department of Agriculture. I 
have felt that the Department’s cooperating with the Green Section 
might be looked upon by some of you as an absurdity, but I am hoping 
to be able to present a plausible explanation to the golf specialists as 
to why they should be interested, and constantly interested, in carry­
ing forward thoroughgoing research in the problems of growing 
grass and other plants desirable for golf courses.

Agriculture is one of the oldest occupations of the human race; 
and yet it is remarkable to find how few of its questions can be an­
swered definitely for present-day farmers. In this country the prob­
lem is even more acute, because we are here dealing with a country 
only recently brought under the modern development of agriculture. 
The older population of America, with its hunting and other habits, 
generally had few crops that were cultivated and therefore had no 
experience which taught them how to handle extensive crops. I do 
not know how many of you appreciate that tobacco and corn are 
almost our only important crops wholly developed in this country. 
Most of our great cereal crops, vegetables, and ornamentals are of 
European origin, transplanted to this country in comparatively recent 
years. In this transplantation these crops have come to regions 
widely different from those in which they had developed—widely dif­
ferent in climate, soil, and the methods that necessarily would be 
utilized in their development. Accordingly very many difficulties 
have developed, unexpected difficulties, difficulties that could not be 
solved by relying on European experience. Through the extensive 
experimentation on the behavior of crops under different conditions, 
first the experimentation of such men as George Washington, Thomas 
Jefferson, and other leaders in the Nation’s life, and later through 
the more definitely official recognition of the importance of experi­
mental work in the establishment of the agricultural colleges through­
out the country and the United States Department of Agriculture, the 
problems of crop production were realized to be more and more diffi­
cult. In time, however, these problems began to be better under­
stood—these problems of the most elaborate study and development 
of plants, under what conditions they would do well, under what con­
ditions they would suffer. From all of these studies there has accord­
ingly arisen a more modern type of agriculture and crop production 
the importance of which is increasing instead of decreasing, so that 
the oft-repeated statements regarding the worn-out lands and the 
rapidly wearing-out lands of agriculture can be set down as idle 
theories of a bygone generation.

There has been a steady increase in yields per acre as well as in 

26

Vol. 10, No. 2

quality production in the United States. In connection with these 
studies, a few of the more recent lines seem to me to bear very directly 
upon the behavior of grass and the methods of grass maintenance. In 
the fertilizer studies, perhaps no crop is quite so useful as tobacco for 
detailed studies, since the quality of the leaf, as well as its size and 
appearance and weight, are matters of fundamental importance in 
the value of the crop to the producer. The fertilizer studies on to­
bacco, therefore, at the present time, I believe have been carried to a 
greater degree of perfection than in the case of any other crop. With­
in the last decade what I might call the old method of fertilizing to­
bacco has been pretty well exploded. More care in the component fer­
tilizer materials is found to be necessary, and substances that until 
very recently had not been included in the fertilizer mixtures have 
been found essential. For example, a peculiar kind of disease called 
sand-drown has been troubling tobacco growers for many years in 
the coastal plain region of the country. The term sand-drown was 
used because the disease appeared especially on sandy soils and was 
more pronounced following unusually heavy rains. This explanation 
of the disease, however, seemed absurd, because under such condi­
tions the tobacco on sandy land would seem less likely to drown than 
the tobacco on the heavier lands. But at least sandy lands were the 
places where the disease appeared. A long and ingenious series of 
experiments that would take me too long to detail to you, finally 
showed that the disease is the result of a deficiency of magnesium 
salts in the soil, and that in the sandy soils, where the magnesium was 
in comparatively small quantity, these heavy rains would wash out 
the slight traces that were there, and then these diseased spots in the 
tobacco leaves would appear. Also, from some early experience in 
the use of potash fertilizers there had been a gradual development of 
the idea that sulphate of potash was a fertilizer necessary for quality 
in tobacco. Chloride of potash would give the same or greater bulk 
in the tobacco crop, but a poorer burn. The leaf was not of as good 
quality. The use of sulphate of potash went a little too far. It now 
appears certain that if sulphate of potash is used exclusively and for 
a period of years, so that the chlorides in the soil are reduced too far, 
then the yield suffers, and the quality also.

The same problems in Florida have brought to light more unique 
fertilizer materials. In certain parts of Florida, the use of salts of 
copper and manganese is essential for proper crop production. Mi­
nute quantities only are needed, perhaps only a few pounds to the 
acre.

Thus it is that the fertilizer problem is being made very much 
more complex as time goes on. The more we know about it, the more 
complex we can see that proper fertilizing is bound to be.

I have gone into the tobacco problem at length because we know a 
little more about tobacco fertilizing than we do about grass fertiliz­
ing. We are, I think, barely starting on our understanding, not only 
of the needs of turf grass in general but the different needs of the 
different kinds of grass. From what we know of the behavior of such 
crops as cotton, tobacco, and corn, we can predict with certainty that 
the different grasses are going to need different kinds of compounds 
for their best development, and that under the different soil condi­
tions, possibly also in different climates, these compounds will have 

February, 1930

27

to be varied to bring about the most healthy growth of turf and cor­
respondingly the greatest freedom from disease.

The disease problem is not necessarily connected with the vigor of 
the growth of turf or of other crops. There are some diseases which 
can attack a crop more successfully that is growing luxuriantly than 
if it is more or less stunted; but a large number of the milder dis­
eases, and especially the milder root parasites, are dependent to a 
very large degree for their opportunity to injure these plants on a sub­
normal condition of the plant itself, and this can be brought about 
by unwise use of fertilizers or unbalanced fertilizers, as well as by 
drought, or drowning from too much rain or too heavy watering.

So we find a need for the closest possible cooperation in these diffi­
cult and unknown problems. Even the farmer in the long run is 
going to benefit from the very close cooperation that has existed, and 
that I hope will continue to develop, between the United States Golf 
Association and the Bureau of Plant Industry. If, through the keen 
interest in turf production and turf maintenance, these researches 
will give us a similar knowledge of grass management as we are now 
securing of tobacco management, then these same ideas can be ap­
plied on pasture lands, lawns, and other parts of the farm and home­
stead, no less than on the golf courses.

I want to add one word of caution, however. Because work is 
done scientifically, it does not mean necessarily that it is going to be 
done rapidly. I think much excellent work is spoiled by a desperate 
attempt to reach conclusions too suddenly and before the problems 
are thoroughly understood. In urging more attention to research 
problems, I wish to appeal to all of you not to be insistent on immedi­
ate application of results, and especially do not feel that the work is 
useless if such application of results shows that the work was not 
sufficiently understood and that parts of it may have to be done over 
again.

Colloidal Phosphate as a Fertilizer

From time to time the Green Section receives inquiries as to the 
merits of colloidal phosphate as a grass food. One of the most com­
mon phosphatic fertilizers is superphosphate, previously widely 
known as acid phosphate. As far as we have been able to ascertain, 
there appears to be no difference between grasses and farm crops in 
their utilization of different forms of phosphate. The evidence avail­
able however indicates that grass requires relatively less phosphate 
than do many of the farm crops but shows no special preference for 
any certain form of phosphate from which to obtain its supply. A 
rather complete estimate of the value of colloidal phosphate as a fer­
tilizer has been published by the Massachusetts Fertilizer Control, in 
its 56th report, in Bulletin 51 of the Massachusetts Agricultural Ex­
periment Station, Amherst, which appeared under date of November, 
1929. Its report on colloidal phosphate is quoted below. In this 
report we wish to call special attention to the difference in cost of 
colloidal phosphate as compared with superphosphate. This differ­
ence is even more striking when one takes into account the relative 
percentages of phosphoric acid contained in these two forms of phos­
phorus, and its relative availability. In discussing colloidal phosphate 
the report says:

28

Vol. 10, No. 2

“This product was temporarily registered in Massachusetts as 
‘Florida phosphate with colloidal clay.’ Later, through mechanical 
separation of the product supplemented by a chemical analysis of the 
various separated portions, both made at this institution, it was de­
termined that the material was largely of a colloidal nature (having 
diameter of particles from .005 to .0001 mm.). Registration has since 
been completed under the name ‘colloidal phosphate.’

“This product is a low-analysis natural Florida phosphate known 
to the industry as ‘pond phosphate,’ a by-product in mining Florida 
rock phosphate. In the recovery of this Florida rock phosphate, water 
is used. The soft, finely divided phosphate, with more or less clay 
and silt, is washed into ponds or basins, the finer material separating 
more abundantly at points farthest from the washer. When the 
water evaporates, the very finely divided deposit remains, and this is 
the source of the product under discussion.

“The material is not sufficiently rich in phosphoric acid and, more­
over, contains too much iron and alumina to warrant its use in the 
manufacture of superphosphate. Its use as a fertilizer is therefore 
restricted at present to direct application to the soil. The product is 
in no sense a complete fertilizer as it contains no nitrogen or soluble 
potash, but furnishes phosphoric acid in the form of tricalcium, iron, 
and alumina phosphate, forms considered unavailable according to 
official methods of analysis.

“With reference to its purchase as a source of phosphoric acid, 
without consideration of the claims of the producers as to merits 
based on its colloidal nature or any unique feature of its chemical 
composition, it might be compared to superphosphate. The more 
common grade of superphosphate sold in Massachusetts contains 16 
per cent available phosphoric acid of which from 9 to 11 per cent is 
in water soluble form. This product cost on the average during 
1929, $20 a ton, delivered, thus making the unit cost of available 
phosphoric acid from this source $1.25, which is at the rate of 614 
cents a pound. The colloidal phosphate is guaranteed 22 per cent 
total phosphoric acid, no claim being made for either water soluble 
or available phosphoric acid. The ton price quoted for the product 
is $55 f. o. b. Boston, thus making the unit cost for total phosphoric 
acid $2.50, which is at the rate of 1214 cents a pound, or more than 
double the cost from superphosphate.

“This station has made two analyses of the colloidal phosphate, 

with results as follows:

“Total 
phosphoric 
acid
“Sample received from Natural Products Corporation.. 20.40 
“Sample received from Market Garden Field Station... 21.18
“The product was registered under a guarantee of 22 per cent 
total phosphoric acid, no claim being made for water soluble or avail­
able phosphoric acid, nitrogen, or potash. Our analyses, therefore, 
did not include these determinations. The variations noted in the 
composition of the two samples as compared with the guarantee are 
not surprising, as such a product is likely to vary in composition, and 
it would hardly be an economical proposition to attempt its stand­
ardization.”

February, 1930

29

Blasting Stumps

There is little danger in blasting stumps as long as the blaster 
does not become careless or fail to observe certain precautions. In 
Circular 191 of the United States Department of Agriculture, entitled 
“Use of Explosives in Blasting Stumps,” the most important precau­
tions to observe are listed as follows:

When you buy an explosive find out from the dealer at what tem­
perature it will freeze and secure directions for thawing it out if it 
must be used in cold weather. It is dangerous to handle frozen 
explosives. Some explosives freeze at comparatively high tempera­
tures while others do not freeze at all. Safety fuse cracks and breaks 
easily in cold weather.

Store explosives and caps in dry places. Do not store them 

together. Keep both under lock and key.

Handle blasting caps carefully and keep them away from children. 
These caps are very sensitive and have more “kick” than a high-power 
rifle bullet.

Do not carry blasting caps in your pockets.
Do not attempt to take blasting caps from the box by prying them 

out with a nail, wire, or anything sharp or hard.

Do not try to withdraw the wires from an electric blasting cap. 
Use nothing but a pair of crimpers to crimp a cap to the fuse. 
Do not cut safety fuse short to save time in its operation.
Use blasting caps or electric caps of the size recommended for the 
particular explosive being employed. Weak caps result in misfires 
and incomplete explosions.

Do not smoke or carry matches while handling explosives.
Do not shoot into explosives with either pistol or rifle.
Do not leave explosives where livestock can get at them. Some 
explosives contain ingredients of which cattle are very fond but which 
will poison them.

Open boxes containing explosives with a wooden wedge, never with 

a nail puller, ax, or pick.

Wait five minutes before loading a “sprung” hole. If the gas in 
the chamber has not had time to cool, it may cause a premature 
explosion when the charge is put into the chamber.

Use no iron or steel tamping bars, only wooden bars.
Be sure that everyone is in a safe place, that the extra explosives 
and caps are protected, and that all persons in the vicinity are warned 
before firing a charge.

Do not connect the lead wires to the electric blasting machine 
until you are ready to fire. Immediately after firing disconnect the 
lead wires.

Allow no one but the blaster to approach the electric blasting 

machine while charges are being wired up.

Do not investigate a misfire until the next day if you are using a 

safety fuse and cap.

Do not attempt to dig up or pick out a charge which has failed 
to explode. Put down another charge at least 2 feet from the one 
that failed.

This 15-page circular also contains directions for placing the 
blasting charge, for loading, priming, and tamping the charge, and 
for the use of explosives in splitting stumps that have been pulled or 
blasted out. It is illustrated with 11 figures showing approved steps 

30

Vol. 10, No. 2

in the use of explosives. A copy may be obtained from the Depart­
ment of Agriculture.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

All questions sent to the Green Section will be answered in a letter 
to the writer as promptly as possible. The more interesting of these 
questions, with concise answers, will appear in this column. If your ex­
perience leads you to disagree with any answer given in this column, it is 
your privilege and duty to write to the Green Section.

While most of the answers are of general application, please bear in 
mind that each recommendation is intended specifically for the locality 
designated at the end of the question.

Average cost of maintaining an 18-hole golf course.—We have 
just finished the reconstruction of our golf course and should like to 
get some idea as to the approximate cost of maintaining an 18-hole 
course, including all labor and supplies outside of the greenkeeper’s 
salary. We are figuring on operating during the coming year on a 
budget of $10,000 to $12,000. (Indiana.)

Answer.—-From an estimated average maintenance cost of $18,000 
a year, exclusive of greenkeeper’s salary, for 18-hole courses through­
out the Northeastern States, it would seem that your figures are hardly 
adequate. It is difficult to quote figures regarding maintenance costs 
which will be helpful in a general way. Moreover a comparison of 
maintenance costs on various golf courses is often unfair to one or 
more of the courses being compared. Soil conditions, the contour 
of the land, variety of grasses, method of construction, size of the 
property under the greenkeeper’s care, and similar factors, and most 
important of all the demands of the club membership, influence the 
maintenance costs to a very great extent. Some clubs demand that 
the course be in excellent condition the year round. Other clubs 
prefer to get along at less expense and hence cut down on the number 
of men employed. Consequently at various times the rough on the 
course is neglected, the sand traps are not raked daily, greens are not 
weeded regularly, and perhaps the putting surface becomes irregular 
at times due to lack of top-dressing. The yearly fertilizing of fair­
ways is a well-warranted expense. Some clubs, however, neglect this 
item for a number of years, which means that on certain soils the 
fairways will in time become very poor and the clubs will have to go 
to special expense to recover their turf. It is thus apparent that a 
large number of widely varying factors must be taken into considera­
tion in preparing an annual budget to cover the cost of course 
maintenance.

Value of a chemical analysis of soil.—The condition of our greens 
and fairways has not been satisfactory to us. We are wondering 
whether the difficulties we are encountering in producing satisfactory 
turf are due to an inherent defect in the soil. So that we may ascer­
tain whether or not the composition of the soil is responsible for our 
troubles, we should appreciate your suggestions as to the value of a 

February, 1930

31

chemical analysis of the soil and the best method to pursue in having 
such an analysis made. (New York.)

Answer.—A chemical analysis of soil is generally expensive, and 
our observations have led us to the conclusion that the expense of 
such analyses is not justifiable. Should you have such an analysis 
made you would then probably have to do what most other clubs have 
done in such cases, namely secure the services of some one to inter­
pret the meaning of the analysis. Many years ago soil analyses be­
came very popular in agricultural work, but they have since fallen 
into discard, when agricultural chemists found that the growth of 
plants depended on the chemicals they could absorb from the soil 
rather than on the chemicals the soil contained. Chemicals may be 
present in the soil but be so completely locked up that they are not 
available to plants. This point was not appreciated several years ago. 
A similar situation has presented itself in the study of foods for 
human consumption; a few years ago nutrition experts were talking 
merely about so many calories in a pound of a certain kind of food, 
but later it was learned that the amount of energy in food was not the 
measure of its value but rather the amount of energy that could be 
absorbed by the body and the maintenance of a proper balance with 
other essential chemicals, and also the presence of vitamins. We 
doubt that a chemical analysis of your soil would do you any good.

Preventing the deposit of hard dirt balls when top-dressing putting 
greens.—The compost mixer we are using is the best machine we 
have been able to find. It nevertheless invariably leaves a quantity of 
small, hard balls of dirt on the greens, which cause loud complaints 
from players. Do you know if there is a mixer on the market that 
will grind compost sufficiently fine to give a top-dressing material 
that will not interfere with putting? (Illinois.)

Answer.—We do not know of a compost mixer which is any better 
or will do the work any more economically than the machine you are 
now using. We suggest you examine the top-dressing material you 
are using to see if it does not contain too much clay. We find it is 
best to keep the top-dressing material on the sandy loam side. This 
may be done by increasing the amount of sand and well-rotted manure 
in the mixture if you are using silt or clay as a base. We do not 
know of any machine that will reduce compost to a dust if it is in­
clined to form balls.

Efficiency of mercuric compounds when applied with a sprayer in 
brown-patch control.—Are mercuric compounds all equally effective 
whether in suspension or in solution and do they all have the same 
corrosive action on spray pump valves? (Virginia.)

Answer.—We have been unable to detect any difference in the 
efficiency of mercuric compounds in the control of brown-patch 
whether they are applied in the form of dry powder or in suspension 
or solution provided in each case an even distribution is obtained. 
Red oxide of mercury and calomel are just as effective when applied 
with a spray pump if there is a device in the apparatus to keep the 
liquid thoroughly agitated. Most spray pumps are now equipped 
with satisfactory agitators. Some of the compounds of mercury have 
a corrosive action on spray pump valves, corrosive sublimate being 
by far the most damaging in this respect. Red oxide and calomel, 
however, are practically harmless to the valves of spray pumps.

32

Vol. 10, No. 2

Controlling earthworms in putting greens.—What are your recom­

mendations for ridding putting greens of earthworms? (Ohio.)

Answer.—The quickest way to rid putting greens of earthworms 
is to apply bichloride of mercury, mowrah meal, or one of the com­
mercial preparations on the market. Bichloride of mercury is very 
effective and often the most economical. It is applied at the rate of 
3 ounces to 1,000 square feet. It should be mixed with dry soil or 
other inert material and applied to the surface. Immediately after 
it is applied it should be watered into the soil, using a fine spray, care 
being taken not to water so heavily as to cause puddles to occur on 
the green, for in these puddles the chemical would tend to accumulate 
in stronger solutions. It is safest to use bichloride of mercury in the 
spring and fall. During summer the rate should be reduced some­
what to avoid burning the grass. Mowrah meal is used in the same 
manner, except that 15 pounds is required for 1,000 square feet. On 
a good many soils, however, complete control of earthworms is main­
tained by keeping the surface soil poisoned with arsenate of lead. 
This chemical, when properly applied, does not injure the common 
putting green grasses, and remains active in the soil for a year or 
more. The usual rate of application is 5 pounds to 1,000 square feet. 
After the surface soil of a green has been poisoned it is a common 
practice to add enough arsenate of lead in each top-dressing to equal 
the addition of 5 pounds of arsenate of lead a year. It is usually 
mixed with some inert material before being applied so as to assist in 
obtaining even distribution. It is generally watered into the turf 
after being applied; this is, however, not necessary unless there is 
danger of the material being wasted by wind, since when applied at 
the rate mentioned it will not burn turf grasses.

Preparation of rotted tanbark for use as a top-dressing.—We are 
sending you a sample of rotted tanbark of which abundant quantities 
are available to us at an old dam near our property. This tanbark lies 
beneath a 1-foot layer of sand and leaf mold. Is this tanbark in its 
present state suited for use as a top-dressing on our fairways? 
(Pennsylvania.)

Answer.—We have tested your sample of rotted tanbark for 
acidity and find it is quite acid, showing a pH of 4.5. The material 
is not of much use for top-dressing purposes unless thoroughly mixed 
with soil and decomposed more than it is at present. A very good 
way to prepare the tanbark for top-dressing purposes is to spread it 
liberally on an area where it may be plowed in and cultivated from 
time to time. At the same time ground limestone at the rate of 1 or 2 
tons to the acre, superphosphate at the rate of 400 to 500 pounds to 
the acre, and muriate of potash at the rate of 150 to 200 pounds to 
the acre should be applied and disked into the soil with the tanbark. 
It would also help greatly to apply as much strawy manure as can be 
procured and plow and disk it into the soil. This treatment of the 
tanbark will increase its decomposition, adding to the organic con­
tent of the soil as it becomes incorporated therewith, and will give 
you an excellent top-dressing material. Probably one application of 
the rotted tanbark in its present state will do no harm to your fair­
ways and perhaps some good; if so applied, the application should be 
followed with at least 1 ton of rock limestone to the acre.

February, 1930

33

Controlling the tendency of creeping bent to mat.—Our putting 
greens are planted to Cocoos bent. This grass has formed such a 
heavy mat over the ground that our greenkeeper is having difficulty 
in keeping a good putting surface. Can you suggest means of han­
dling this situation? We use a power putting green mower. 
(California.)

Answer.—After Cocoos bent is established on a green its habit 
of growth is similar to other strains of creeping bent. The treat­
ment should therefore be similar. When the growth of creeping bent 
is so heavy that it tends to mat in spite of close cutting, it is well to 
cut down on the fertilizing. Too heavy fertilizing of creeping bent 
during the growing season tends to develop a growth which would 
be too heavy and lush for putting purposes. Greens upon which 
there is a healthy growth of creeping bent should occasionally be 
raked to pull up the runners so that the mowers may thin out the 
turf. Frequent light top-dressings tend to fine down the turf and 
keep the bent from forming a nap or grain. The greens must be 
cut close regularly with a mower suited for the purpose.

Providing the top soil of the greens is open and porous in struc­
ture, none of the recognized power putting green mowers on the 
market would be injurious, since their weight is usually well dis­
tributed and would be considerably less than the weight applied by 
the trampling of players. In your case it would seem that the mower 
has not destroyed the soil texture, since your turf is thickening so 
well. It might be that the power mower you use will not cut close 
enough to keep your Cocoos bent from forming too dense a mat.

Rats and field mice in drainage lines.—We are troubled consider- 
erably on some of our fairways with field mice occupying drainage 
lines and continually undermining the fairways. What would you 
recommend for getting rid of these pests? (Connecticut.)

Answer.—Field mice do not ordinarily live in drain tiles, 
although they may congregate in the lower areas through which 
drainage lines run. The common house rat frequently gives trouble 
on golf courses by living in drain tiles and opening burrows to the 
surface at frequent intervals. In the event they are rats and not 
field mice that are giving you trouble, it is thought the most prac­
ticable method of control would be the forcing of calcium cyanide into 
the burrows with a dust gun. If you are certain they are field mice, 
the use of poisoned bait would prove most satisfactory. A suitable 
bait may be prepared by dissolving 1/16 ounce of strychnine in 1 pint 
of boiling water and pouring it over as much oatmeal as it will wet, 
which will be about 2 pounds. The preparation should be well mixed, 
or until all of the oatmeal is moistened. A teaspoonful of the bait 
may be placed at such points as are within reach of the mice. Care 
should, however, be taken to see that the bait is sheltered from access 
by children, domestic animals, and birds. Detailed information on 
the control of rodent pests may be found in Farmers’ Bulletin 932, 
“Rodent Pests of the Farm,” which may be obtained by writing to 
the United States Department of Agriculture.

Ridding fairways of dandelions.—There are parts of our fairways 
that are so infested with dandelions at the present time that very 

34

Vol. 10, No. 2

little grass exists. We must take some steps to get rid of these weeds 
and are wondering what you would recommend. (North Dakota.)

Answer.—The dandelion problem on fairways is a serious one in 
many sections of the country. There are several methods which have 
been proved to be effective but have not become popular due to the 
fact that any of the chemicals which kill dandelions also injure grass 
to some extent. Therefore areas treated with these chemicals are 
badly discolored for several days and the treatments are objection­
able. Many clubs have found that dandelions become less and less of 
a nuisance as fairways are improved by some regular fertilizing pro­
gram. It is true that this weed also thrives on rich soil, but appar­
ently the grass, by feeding, is able to compete more successfully 
with such weeds as dandelions and ultimately greatly reduces their 
numbers. In your letter you did not state whether you had fertilized 
your fairways. If you have not done so we suggest that you first 
give this method a thorough trial. If dandelions persist in spite of 
adequate fertilization it would be well to use one of the chemical weed 
eradicators.

Colloidal phosphate as a fertilizer.—We are offered colloidal phos­
phate at $40 a ton in carload lots. We understand it contains about 
20 per cent phosphoric acid. What information have you as to its 
fertilizer value? (New York.)

Answer.—We have no information based on experimental results 
as to the value of this fertilizer. Colloidal phosphate is a natural 
material obtained as a by-product in the preparation of Florida hard 
rock phosphate for the market. It is a clay-lime material. The phos­
phoric acid in colloidal phosphate is not soluble in water, and 
could not be considered as available phosphoric acid in the sense to 
which the term is applied to the phosphoric acid in superphosphate. 
The material is moreover lacking in nitrogen and potash, the former 
of which is indispensable for best results with turf grasses. In our 
opinion the price quoted you is out of proportion for this kind of 
phosphatic fertilizer, especially when the market price of the more 
readily available phosphate carriers is considered.

Poultry manure.—Can you recommend poultry manure as a fer­

tilizer for golf course turf? (Pennsylvania.)

Answer.—Yes. It should be remembered, however, that there 
are various grades of poultry manure. Fresh manure from the drop­
ping boards is less concentrated than pulverized manure, since before 
being pulverized the manure must lose considerable moisture. Pul­
verized poultry manure usually contains some straw, dust, and 
waste, and analyzes from 2 to 3 per cent nitrogen, about 1.6 per cent 
phosphoric acid, and .8 per cent potash. There are brands of poultry 
packing house by-products on the market now that compare very 
favorably, in analysis and in results obtained from their use, with 
such fertilizers as cottonseed meal and sewage sludge. These poultry 
by-products are largely manure mixed with blood and offal from the 
killing room. The mixture is thoroughly dried and pulverized. It 
analyzes about 5 to 6 per cent nitrogen, 1.5 per cent phosphoric acid, 
and 1.25 per cent potash. When purchasing the above mentioned 
organic fertilizers it is largely a matter of the cost per unit of 
nitrogen that is to be considered.

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Though a man write a better book, preach a better 
sermon, or make a better mouse-trap than his neigh­
bor, though he build his house in the woods, the 
world w ill make a beaten path to his door.

Ralph Waldo Emerson