KEW§ H E W E R

December, 1930.

Vol. 2, No. 12.

"Not what we give, but what we

SHARE

For the gift without the giver is bare;
Who GIVES HIMSELF

with his alms feeds three,

Himself, his hungering neighbor and ME.''

—Lowell

We are glad to have this opportunity to wish for all of the
friends of NEWSLETTER a very happy Christmas. As a special
Christmas surprise, we are pleased to announce that Mr. Orville
Clapper, Mgr. of the New England Toro Company, has presented a
dozen Toro Golf Balls, to be awarded the writer of the best article
for NEWSLETTER on the subject "Problems of the Past Season and
How I Solved Them." This competition will close on March 15th, and
we hope that all members will send in their articles to compete for the
prize. Articles may be in long hand or typewritten, on one side of
the paper only, and should be sent to the Editor. This competition
is open to all members of the Greenkeepers Club, all have an equal
chance—here is an opportunity to win a dozen golf balls!
Plan to attend the annual meeting in Boston, probably on
January 5th. You should be interested in the proceedings of this
meeting.

This N E W S L E T T E R is published
monthly by the Greenkeepers Club of
New England, and sent free to its members and their Greens' Chairmen. Subscription price ten cents a copy, or a
dollar a year.
GUY C. WEST
Editor
312 Mt. P l e a s a n t St., Fall River, Mass.

MARSTON BURNETT . Business Mgr.
330 W a l t h a m St., W e s t Newton, Mass.

December, 1930.

Vol. 2, No. 12.

MEETING WITH NEW ENGLAND
AGRONOMISTS

Several of our members accepted
with pleasure the kind invitation extended the club to meet with the New
England Agronomists at the Saturday
morning session of their annual meeting, held at the Hotel Belleview, Boston,
on November 29th.
At this meeting a symposium on Turf
Experiments for Lawns and Golf
Courses was presented. The first speaker
was Professor Lawrence S. Dickinson
of the Massachusetts Agricultural College. Professor Dickinson spoke on
"Strains and Varieties of Golf Grasses
for the Northeastern States;—classification, adaptation, and disease studies."
Professor Dickinson brought out that
the game of golf requires—for t e e s a
continuous turf capable of withstandingclose clipping (%") that gives a firm
footing, and can be easily cut into by
the club; for f a i r w a y s , a continuous
turf capable of being- closely clipped
(1") and strong- enough to hold a golf
ball well off the ground, must also
assure a firm footing; for the g r e e n ,
a continuous turf capable of being very
closely clipped ( 4 " - % " ) and to offer
uniform resistance to a rolling ball without deflecting it from its initial course;
for the r o u g h , an open turf having hollows large enough to hold a golf ball,
yet not deep enough to make it difficult
to find the ball; also tufts of grass in
sand traps and on bunker tops and face.
The first consideration to the average
golfer is that playing conditions are
ideal. Soil, climate, and fertilizer requirements are secondary.
In the genus poa, Kentucky Blue
prefers alkaline soils, well drained, is
adapted to fairways, but not to putting
greens, or rough, is a fair tee grass.
1

/

Canada Blue can be used on fairways
on poor clay soils, makes a fair rough
if frequently clipped. Rough stalked
meadow prefers alkaline soil, in shaded
locations, can be used on tee, fairway,
and green, better if used in conjunction
with a basic grass. Annual blue enjoys
any soil having plenty of food elements,
undesirable except on tees.
Among desirable fescues, European
red fescue is adapted to light sandy
soils, can be used anywhere, but alone
only on green or rough. Chewings fescue is a better grass than European red
except for rough. Sheeps fescue is best
suited for soils having low fertility,
especially sandy, best of rough grasses,
undesirable anywhere else. .Fine leaved
fescue is very desirable for shaded tees
if mixed with rough stalk meadow
grass, prefers a light sandy loam,
neutral or alkaline. Hard fescue is
suitable only for dry sandy rough areas,
especially along- pine margins.
Of the desirable bents, red top is
used only as a nurse grass. Colonial
bent prefers moderately heavy acid
soils, is excellent for fairways, very
good for greens, good for tees, poor for
rough. Creeping bent demands an acid
soil rather high in clay content, is not
so popular as it was six years ago, used
on greens and tees; is propagated from
stolons, no pure seed being available.
German bent demands an acid soil, is excellent for greens, turf is never of one
texture. Velvet bent prefers an acid soil,
is best putting green grasses; propagated from stolons or seed. Seaside
bent withstands frequent salt water
washings, prefers acid soil of a rather
open texture.
Other grasses occasionally used include Awnless brome, adapted to sand
traps, on sand bunker mounds; Poverty
grass, adapted to gravelly soils for the
rough, also for bunkers.
Most troublesome diseases are small
brown-patch which attacks all bents and
is frequently fatal to grass; large
brown-patch which attacks creeping
bent, and colonial bent, seldom fatal,
seldom seriously affects velvet bent,
only occasionally appears in fairways or
on grasses other than bents; zonate
eyespot, partial to blue grass, but also
found on bents, in New England it has
been of no alarming consequence; leaf
spot, attacking Kentucky blue; and colletotrichum, on annual blue grass.
The second speaker was Dr. H. B.
Sprague of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. Dr. Sprague

told of his "Experiments with Fertilizers and Lime for Lawns and Golf
Courses in the Northeastern States."
This work is explained in detail in the
recent Bulletin 497, "Experiments with
Turf Grasses in New Jersey" from the
New Jersey Agricultural Experiment
Station at New Brunswick, N. J., a
copy of which was passed to those present. (It would prove of interest and
help to all greenkeepers.) Dr. Sprague
brought out that acidity had not controlled weeds with them in all cases,
that as there are many varieties of
weeds, acidity probably affects some
weeds differently than others. Plots
heavily limed, and which also received
nitrate of ammonia had as few weeds
as the sulphate of ammonia plots. Experiments with lead arsenate were also
explained.
Dr. T. E. Odland of the Rhode Island
Experiment Station spoke concerning
the work being done at the R. I. Station, "Experiments in Soil Acidity Control and in Seed Production of Bent
Grasses," and showed several lantern
slides of various plots, etc. We present
a copy of the outline given those present, as it gives a large amount of interesting information concerning the work
being done at the Rhode Island Station:
"The R. I. Agricultural Experiment
Station has for many years been interested in the study of soil acidity. The
effect of soil reaction on the growth of
lawn grasses is a phase of these studies
that received early attention. An experiment started in 1893 with sulphate
of ammonia compared with nitrate of
soda as the nitrogen source demonstrated that redtop and Rhode Island
bent would thrive under the more acidsoil conditions produced by the sulphate of ammonia than could Kentucky
bluegrass. Liming the soil was beneficial to the bluegrass but not to the
bent and redtop.
In 1904 further experiments devoted
exclusively to lawns were started. Fertilizers calculated to produce acid,
neutral and alkaline soil reactions were
to be compared. Some of these plats
are still being maintained in accordance
with the original plans. Sulphate of
ammonia is used on the plats where an
acid reaction was desired and nitrate
of soda on the neutral and alkaline
plats. Kentucky bluegrass, Rhode Island
bent, red fescue, redtop, and several
mixtures were seeded on these plats at
the beginning of the experiment. At

the end of 12 years estimates were
made of the condition of these plats
as to composition, vigor and weed infestation. Similar data were obtained
at the end of a second 12-year period in
1928. The most striking thing observed
at both times was the freedom from
weeds in the plats with the acid reaction. The Kentucky bluegrass had
practically all disappeared in the acid
plats at the end of the first 12-year
period. A more vigorous growth of
vegetation was noticeable on the medium and alkaline plats but this material
included considerable weeds. The
Rhode Island bent had persisted better
on the acid than on the medium or
alkaline plats. The same was true of
redtop. Red fescue persisted well under
both acid and alkaline conditions but
there were less weeds on the acid plat.
Similar conditions to the above were
also found at the end of 24 years in
1928. In 1928 the pH of these plats
ranged from 4.4. to 8.0.
During 1926 and 1927 a survey of
the golf courses in Rhode Island was
made and among other data the soil
reaction was ascertained. The general
condition of the greens was graded according to classes designated A, B, C,
and D. The best greens, included in
Class A, ranged in pH from 4.6 to 5.5
with an average of 5.06, B from 4.7 to
6.2 average 5.41, C 5.1 to 7.0 average
5.77 and one course D with an average
of 5.7. The better greens apparently
were those with a fairly acid-soil reaction.
In 1928 the station started a number
of experiments with bent grasses for
seed production. The seed setting
ability of different strains and varieties
of bents are being compared under uniform fertilization while different fertilizers are compared on Rhode Island
bent. A seed crop varying from approximately 50 to 300 pounds per acre
was obtained this year. Kernwood was
among the highest producing velvet
bents while the Washington strain was
among the highest producers in the
creeping bents. Astoria and Rhode
Island were about equal in seed production and out-yielded Seaside bent.
A fertilizer high in nitrogen such as a
6-10-3 or 6-6-1 produced the best seed
yields of Rhode Island bent. Varying
the phosphoric acid and potash had
little effect upon the quantity of seed
produced."

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Greetings
Arthur B. Porter, Inc. wishes
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the past year, and to wish all
a most Prosperous and Happy
New Year.
ARTHUR B. PORTER,
President.

DECEMBER

MEETING

The December meeting was held at
the Narragansett Hotel, Providence, R.
I., on December 1st, the club meeting
with the Rhode Island and Connecticut
Associations. Following lunch, R. Wallace Peckham, President of the Rhode
Island Association introduced Dr. T. E.
Odland of the Rhode Island Experiment
Station. Dr. Odland spoke on the types
of grasses for golf courses, and explained the work being done at the
station with fertilizers in the control
of weeds. Of the bent grasses, recent
work on red top shows that there may
be different strains. Also, R. I. bent,
Western bents, including some like
Rhode Island and some creeping, Astoria, Oregon, are of varying importance. Some varieties or strains of
creeping bent are satisfactory if handled
right, are not so popular as formerly.
Virginia and Columbia strains are not
recommended. Seaside bent, including
Cocoos strains, are used. German
mixed bent, with most velvet bent is
best. There are many strains of velvet
bent, some seem to be more resistant to
disease than others. Arlington or No.
14276 are good at Washington, Kernwood is very good at Kingston, best
seed producer of any velvet bent.
In the seed production experiments,
there are plots of all varieties and
strains. Uncleaned seed in pounds per
acre:
412
Red top
R. I. bent
306
Astoria
317
Seaside
216
Cocoos
235
Washington
350
Virginia
408
Metropolitan
146*
Arlington velvet
201
Kernwood
403
Highland
308
*Probably not a fair test.
On plots where fertilizers were applied on R. I. bent for seed production,
pounds per acre:
check
72
ratio 1-6-3
75
2-6-3
169
4-6-3
246
6-6-3
374
6-2-3
322
6-10-3
356
6-6-1
379
6-6-5
322

Dr. H. F. A. North described a trip
made this past Summer to the seed producing regions of Prince Edward Island.
There are some three hundred farmers,
with 1500 acres of Colonial bent, producing 32,000 pounds of seed, 30 acres
of velvet bent, 25 acres of seaside bent,
probably not much creeping bent. An
association, P. E. T. Grass Seed Corp.,
Inc., cleans the seed and markets it;
all that is sold in this country is sold
through McCullock. Seed fields are inspected by August 1st. The industry
is not important, as farmers have diversified agriculture. Very little fertilizing
is done, some phosphoric acid and
potash, limited to better farmers. At
cleaning, lots of like quality are
grouped into three grades 1, 2, 3, ten
cents more per pound per grade. Only
No. 1 seed is sold in Canada.
Pres. J. W. Whitehead of the Conn.
Association brought greetings from his
association.
A short business meeting followed.
In a recent letter from one of our
members, some questions are discussed
which are of interest to all of us, and
we are turning these questions over to
Frank Wilson, Chairman of the Information Committee. These questions deal
with brown-patch sprays with a spreader (casein), and whether the material
should be bought ready mixed or mixed
by the greenkeeper; if so, proportions,
cost, etc.; also question of whether it
would pay to buy chlorophenol mercury
and urea separately and mix.
These questions arose from a discussion between a greenkeeper and his
green chairman. Such discussions are
of .great value, and we all could benefit from them if you all would send in
the problems you discuss, and any
answers you may find.
Gerald Simonetti, Associate of Woodworth Bradley, lost two fingers on a
machine he had sharpened in Bradley's
shop. He will be laid up quite awhile,
but says to tell the boys not to get
discouraged as he will be out bright and
early next Spring to pester them just
the same.
We understand that the Braeburn
Country Club of West Newton, Mass.
has hired twenty extra men to clean
around the course, as a means of helping the unemployment situation.

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Established 1877
Philadelphia

MATERIALS
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(%xn\\kn#vx%

of 2Cnu E n g l a n d :

We extendi to you and yours
the season's greetings for a
MERRY CHRISTMAS
and may 1931 bring you
HEALTH, WEALTH and.
HAPPINESS.
From the entire organization of
WOODWORTH BRADLEY