There's a w h o l e day t o m o r r o w that hasn't yet

been

f r i e d , a d a y w h e r e n e w c o u r a g e m a y fling o l d f e a r s a s i d e ;
a n e w d a w n that's c o m i n g to bring a nobler noon;
may be troubled
There's

tomorrow's coming

a whole

day

tomorrow

today

soon.

thmt h a s n ' t

yet

been

tried, w i t h h o u r s still u n w a s t e d , a n d h o p e s still u n d e n i e d ;
free

from

fret and

f o l l y , it l i e s u n t o u c h * ^ ,

T o d a y ' s p a g e is b l o t t e d

yet

t o m o r r o w ' s s t i l l is c l e a r !

—Priscilla Leonard.

8 E P T E M B E I

near.

This N E W S L E T T E R is published
monthly by the Greenkeepers Club of
New England, and sent f r e e to its members and their Green's Chairmen. Subscription price ten cents a copy, or a
dollar a year.
GUY C. W E S T

Editor

R h o d e I s l a n d C o u n t r y Club
W e s t B a r r i n g t o n , R. I.

GEORGE J. ROMMELL, JR.
Business Mgr.
28 G r a n v i l l e St., D o r c h e s t e r ,

September, 1938

Mass.

Vol. 10, No. 9

The ideas and opinions expressed in
the subject
matter
of this
NEWSLETTER
are not necessarily those of
the Editor or the members of the club
as a whole.

FORE!

Well, boys, the worst is over, but the
scars remain. Do they teach us a lesson? What have we learned? Will we
be better prepared another year if such
weather hits us?
The need of knowing just what the
grass on your greens will stand, the
positive proof that good drainage, both
surface and sub-surface, were certainly
demonstrated this season. Are you improving those places on your course that
need more tile, different contours?
Certain strains were found wanting.
Are you still using these?
Turf nurseries are important. What
are you planting this Pall f o r next
year ?
How's your acidity? When did you
test last? The Fall, the best time to
apply lime, is close at hand.
Some of our f r i e n d s haven't been
around to many meetings of late.
What's the m a t t e r ? Don't be so distant. We need you, and perhaps you
need us!
Let's have some answers to the article which friend Charlie has sent in f o r
discussion. He has helped us with a
pertinent discussion. Maybe your ideas
are good too.

By the way, fellow directors, thanks
f o r all those articles you promised us
f o r this issue. We are using every
one!
Why not drop us a line with siriie
news. Sit down some one of these rainv
nights, write it out, then get out the
hip boots, hitch up the old mare, drive
down to the post office and mail it
along. If the roads are still under
water, use the boat. It all helps!

AN

OPINION

It ill behooves me or any other member of the Greenkeepers Club of New
England who did not attend the August
meeting to criticise the ethics of less
than 5 0 % of the membership voting
money f r o m the heretofore untouchable
Trustees Fund to promote a very
nebulous project the benefits f r o m
which are as yet entirely impossible of
positive demonstration.
Through the medium of the monthly
meeting notice we were informed that
the Directors were recommending such
an appropriation and that money f r o m
other sources is to be solicited to build
the f u n d f o r turf research at the Field
Station in Waltham to $1000. If we
did not- like the sound of this we could
have attended the meeting or imparted
our opinions to the officers of the Club
beforehand with the assurance, I hope,
t h a t such adverse sentiment would have
been conveyed to the meeting.
Without any knowledge of how the
presentation was made or what the discussion was before voting I am assuming t h a t it was brought out that the
whole idea of this cooperative f u n d of
$1000 is but another attempt to bring
to life the turf research bill which the
Club has sponsored f o r two successive
years and that has died an inglorious
death each time in the Ways and Means
Committee of the Legislature.
It has been a source of considerable
doubt to me whether a full understanding of this bill has ever been clearly
held by the entire membership of the
Greenkeepers Club. I t is with this
thought in mind t h a t I am offering my
opinion—the opinion of an individual
and as such quite definitely open to
question. Too; I am presenting this in
the Newsletter where it may be read by
all rather than holding it f o r the relative secrecy of some subsequent meeting where representation is rarely over

^^

40 9c. Perhaps appearing in print replies and counter replies will be generated all of which will promote interest as well as help the Editor by supplyhim with live copy for f u t u r e numbers
of the Newsletter.
The first turf research bill sponsored
by the Club had my hearty support and
approval for the reason that it specified
tnat all money appropriated was to be
spent at the Meld Station in Waltham.
in tracing down why this bill failed, the
committee that has so ably handled the
promotion, ascertained that the specification that all money must be spent at
the Meld Station was not agreeable to
^•k, the parent of the Field Station—Massachusetts State College—and so, upon
assurance f r o m the parent that if this
specification as to where the money
must be spent was omitted active cooperation would be given in every way
possible, the bill was rewritten asking
for a sum of money f o r Massachusetts
State College to be used for turf research. This may seem a rather harmless change of wording but actually it
is one of serious import for Greenkeepers.
Had the bill gone through as first
written with the specification that all
money must be spent at the Field Station 1 am convinced beyond a doubt that
the Greenkeepers not only would have
been consulted and asked to cooperate
but would have been expected to be
active and in close touch with this work
indefinitely. There could have been no
diversion of f u n d s and in a very short
time there would have been a turf research set-up of incalculable value established at the Field Station. Obviously that is not my belief now.
It may seem somewhat obscure why,
inasmuch as the Field Station is a
branch of the State College, such a
difference can come to pass if money
is appropriated for Massachusetts State
College for turf research rather than
for turf research to be carried on entirely at the Field Station. Irrespective
of any designation of where such an
appropriation is to be spent the creation of any turf research project must
come under the Agronomy Department
of the State College. If an assistant
professorship is created to carry on the
work at Waltham it will be in this department and though the work may be
carried on entirely at the Field Station
the policy will be being dictated by the
Agronomy Department of Massachusetts

State College who cannot and will not
be in sufficiently close touch with the
turf minded public to mould the policy
to the need. Opposed to this is the fact
that if the appropriation be designated
for Waltham, while there can be no
change in administrative set-up, the
interest from the department at State
College will be perfunctory and a compromise between those two trouble producing factors, theory and practice, will
be more happily worked out.
Having nothing but the utmost respect for the aspirations and ability of
the staff of the Agronomy Department,
when a respectable sum of money is
added to the budget of that department
with no other string attached than that
it is to be used for turf research—a
broader designation than perhaps meets
the eye—I can anticipate that some of
this money will be diverted from the
Field Station even though the bill committee was assured by the President of
the College that deleting the specification, "to be spent at the Field Station
in Waltham" from the bill will make
no difference in the actual spending of
any appropriation. Perhaps!
Last Spring a different committee
met with the President of the State
College in an endeavor to straighten
out the unsatisfactory situation that has
developed over the policies relating to
the Winter School for Greenkeepers.
The committee was assured that the
opinions of the greenkeepers are of inestimable value and that they will be
given serious consideration but that no
immediate or direct answer is possible
inasmuch as this school is such a minor
project in the college curriculum he has
no real knowledge of how it came into
being or what its policies are. Five,
ten or fifteen thousand dollars is a real
sum of money as a unit but in a college budget of several hundred thousand dollars it becomes relatively small
and it is not at all inconceivable that it
too may be such a minute part of the
whole that the President cannot be expected to know exactly how it is being
apportioned within its respective department.
True it will be that, if this bill is
passed in its present form, the Greenkeepers will have sold their birthright
for a mess of pottage. Perhaps this is
your desired heritage to the greenkeepers of the f u t u r e .
—Charles W. Parker.

CAN WE

ERADICATE THE
ELM D I S E A S E ?

DUTCH

B y D r . J. H . F a u l l
Pathologist, Arnold Arboretum,
Harvard University

New England is faced with the threat
of loss of her elms, trees beloved above
ail others as graceful f e a t u r e s of her
landscapes, distinctive settings of her
towns and the joy of multitudes of her
homes. The same menace confronts all
other parts of America in which elms
grow or are grown. The Dutch elm
disease,
a
devastating,
contagious
malady to which all our American elm
species are highly susceptible, has been
brought to the United States in elm
logs imported f r o m Europe and has already begun its attack. That we stand
to lose our elms unless we maintain
without wavering a vigorous, intelligent,
unrelenting campaign against the alien
is demonstrated by what has happened
and is happening to the elms in western
Europe and to the elms in an infected
area t h a t centers about the city of New
York. The European situation is hopeless. In Europe the disease is now so
widely spread, no action having been
taken to check it in time, that any hope
of eradicating it f r o m Europe is not
entertained there. Thus, speaking f o r
the Netherlands Dr. C. K. Buisman, a
pioneer investigator of the Dutch elm
disease in Europe, remarked in a letter
written to me last October—"For Holland, I see the. only solution in the
'hunting up' of resistant types." Fortunately the epidemic has been detected
in America before it has had a chance
to get very f a r , and in that respect the
situation is very different f r o m what it
is in Europe.
As early as 1929, a year before any
case of the Dutch elm disease was
known to be in America, Dr. Buisman,
on leave of absence f r o m the Netherlands, was making studies on the diseases of American elms a t the Arnold
Arboretum of Harvard University. Indeed it was Dr. Buisman who, during
her sojourn with us, participated in the
recognition of the first case of the
Dutch elm disease in the United States.
Following her departure in 1930 our
studies of elm diseases were continued
and extended with increasing zeal, always with the end in view of serving to
the limit of our capacity in guarding

America's elms. As part of our undertaking at the Arboretum, we have endeavored to acquaint the public concerning the Dutch elm disease, we have
cerning the Dutch elm disease, we have
made f r e e examination of hundreds of
suspected cases submitted f o r diagnosis, and we have established an adjunct laboratory on Long Island. The
Arboretum, therefore, joins
wholeheartedly with the Massachusetts Forest
and Park Association in the crusade
against the new threat to our elms.
This brings me to the subject on which
I am invited to speak—"Can we eradicate the Dutch elm disease?"
At the outset I wish to state em- ^ps.
phatically that in my judgment there is
no alternative to eradication if our elms
are to be saved. The reasons f o r such
conclusion are based on the characteristics of the disease and the means of
its spread.
The f u n g u s t h a t causes
Dutch elm disease enters at the crotches
of tender, healthy twigs, usually well
up in the crown. It then grows down
under the bark, invading all parts of
the stem; its essential attack is on the
water - conducting tissues.
Eventually
the flow of water to the foliage is so
reduced that the leaves on the branch
first attacked wilt and then in succession the leaves of the other branches.
But a period of f r o m one to five years
may elapse before the first conspicuous
wilting shows, or in other words the
disease is in the tree f o r f r o m one to
five years before detection is possible.
Ordinarily when the first wilting symptom shows the f u n g u s is so extensively
established that even drastic pruning
cannot save the tree. The tree soon dies
or it may linger f o r a period of years in
a chronically sick condition. Soon a f t e r
the first wilting, bark beetles, more often
^
than not, lay their eggs in the obviously
decrepit parts of the tree and a f t e r an
incubation period of two or three
months, or early in the spring in the
case of overwintered broods, a new
generation of beetles emerges carrying
the spores of the f u n g u s with them.
These beetles, before entering breeding places, eat the tender bark in the
crotches of healthy twigs and at these
points infection takes place. The time
f o r action, therefore, is when the first
wilting occurs.
Such trees should be
immediately removed and burned.
As an alternative to complete eradication, control without attempting eradication is being proposed in some quarters. But because of the nature of the

Follow the
f o r

g r a s s

t h a t

g r o w s

b e s t

i n

t h i s

r e g i o n

Do you want to get the most value for your seed dollar this
fall? O f course, you know that good seed is cheapest in the
long run. But Woodruff can give you even more than that.
Woodruff, the largest supplier of Colonial Bent, is an expert
in the grasses native to this section of New England. Woodruff

CRASS

SEED

DIVISION

¿WOODRUFFS

SONS
TOLEDO* ©Hi®

GOOD

SEEDS

| is intimately familiar with local soils, and is able to give you
unusual assistance in developing the best mixture for your
particular land. When you buy from Woodruff you buy more
. t h a n seed. Enioy this extra value by ordering from Woodruff.

disease and the impossibility of control
with adequate thoroughness, even granting a possible reduction of the number
of carriers, the notion of continuously
protecting selected trees and simultaneously tolerating the disease in other
trees of the neighborhood is fantastic.
It is, of course, conceivable that a given
tree might be kept sufficiently coated
with a repellant so that the newly
hatched beetles would choose death by
starvation. But even were such a repellant known, how many owners and
how many communities would for all
time to come so protect the elms of
their homes, towns and landscapes? The
cost alone would be prodigious;
it
would be prohibitive. The conclusion is
inescapable that eradication in the long
run is not only infinitely cheaper, but
also that it is the only means if we
choose to preserve our elms.*
In the United States thus f a r (that
is, from 1930 to 1935) a policy of
eradication has prevailed wherever the
disease has shown itself. This includes
Cleveland, Cincinnati. Baltimore. Norfolk, Indianapolis, Old Lyme (Conn.)
and the New York area. By early April
it is anticipated that every known infected tree will have been destroyed

except for a comparatively small number that have been heavily pruned and
placed on a probation list for continued
observation. In every one of these locations, except the last, the number of
affected trees was small and eradication is conceded by everyone to be possible. But as to the New York area, an
area extending for 45 miles out from
the port of New York, an area involving parts of New Jersey, New York and
Connecticut, an area in which about
7600 elms attacked by the Dutch elm
disease have been found, the situation
is different. The disease in the New
York area, unlike the others, had a good
start before it was detected. The first
trees were probably infected in 1926—
trees located somewhere around the port
of New York, quite likely in Brooklyn
or on Staten Island. The beetles recognized as carriers were already established throughout an extensive zone
*"From
the
economic
point
of
view
prompt eradication offers an enormous saving-. S h o u l d t h i s d i s e a s e be p e r m i t t e d t o go
u n c h e c k e d t h e c o s t of r e m o v i n g d e a d t r e e s
a l o n e w o u l d r u n i n t o t h e h u n d r e d s of m i l lions of d o l l a r s , w h i l e t h e loss t o p r o p e r t y
values would r u n into billions."
From a
f o r m l e t t e r b y C h a r l e s F . I r i s h , P r e s i d e n t of
A m e r i c a n S o c i e t y of A r b o r i s t s , J a n u a r y 28,
19o5.

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against BROWN PATCH

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square feet per pound for as little as $1.29—gives it its low
cost. May be applied in solution with water or dry with
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$33.00; 100 lbs., $129.00. Turf Disease pamphlet free.

BAYER-SEMESAN

COMPANY,

DU PONT BLDG., WILMINGTON, DEL.

b o r d e r i n g on the Atlantic, t h o u g h up
to t h a t time considered of little imp o r t a n c e because of their habit of restricting their a t t a c k s to very decrepit
t r e e s ; so the stage f o r an epidemic was
f u l l y set. The disease, however, was
n o t detected until 1933, and by t h a t
time it was well e n t r e n c h e d . Moreover,
because of the f a c t t h a t f r o m one to
five y e a r s m a y elapse b e f o r e the disease
shows itself it is reasonable to assume
t h a t t h e r e are still t h o u s a n d s of a f f e c t e d t r e e s in t h a t a r e a in which the
wilting sympton has not yet developed.
Naturally
these
circumstances
have
raised a doubt in the minds of some,
and u n c e r t a i n t y in the minds of others,
aside altogether f r o m unsound opinions
based on ignorance or misconception of
f a c t s , as to the successful outcome of a
p r o g r a m of eradication.
Concerning the m a i n t e n a n c e of a
policy of eradication t h r e e views are
held. A very few, so f a r not yet vocal
in public print, m a i n t a i n t h a t eradication c a n n o t be a t t a i n e d and likewise,
because of the f a c t o r s peculiar to the
disease, control is equally impossible.
This is but a concrete expression of
their belief t h a t t h e world is now so
small t h a t the world-wide spread of
p l a n t diseases is inevitable. They would
abolish all q u a r a n t i n e services.
And
with r e s p e c t to our elms t h e y would
w r i t e t h e m off as a loss, and t h a t is all
t h e r e is to it. Such an a t t i t u d e of mind
is too f a t a l i s t i c and too passive to merit
f u r t h e r consideration here.
A r a t h e r larger g r o u p assert the impossibility of eradication b u t claim,
w i t h o u t a vestige of proof, t h a t the

INC.

Dutch elm disease is amenable to control. Not only do they speak w i t h o u t
any proof of their view, b u t they reveal
a lack of u n d e r s t a n d i n g of the essential
f e a t u r e s of the disease, t h e y have misi n t e r p r e t e d f a c t s concerning the progress of the epidemic, both in E u r o p e
and in the New York area, they cite inapplicable examples of other epidemics
as precedents, and t h e y virtually r e f u s e
to give t h e eradication plan a reasonable chance to see what can be done.
The best t h a t can be said f o r a n y control p r o g r a m t h a t falls short of complete eradication is t h a t the progress
of the disease might t h e r e b y be slowed
up somewhat. But the u l t i m a t e r e s u l t
would be the s a m e ; one of our most
cherished heritages would be claimed by
pestilence, once gone never to be restored to u s — a n America without its
American elms.
The third view is t h a t in complete
eradication of the disease f r o m Ameri- flk
ca lies t h e only chance of saving our
elms. This is now the view of the majority. To some of t h e m it is a f o r l o r n
hope, to others it means a hard battle.
Back of it all is the conviction t h a t
every possible effort should be m a d e ;
n o t h i n g less will s a t i s f y t h e responsibility we owe our c o u n t r y and our
science. If we fail, we go down with
our colors flying. But g r a n t e d sound
leadership and a d e q u a t e financial supp o r t until the issue is settled one way
or the other, t h e r e are substantial r e a sons f o r anticipating a successful outcome. They are as f o l l o w s : —
(1)
Public opinion is f a v o r a b l e . I
think it can be maintained and s t r e n g t h ened.

At the recent Boston American Christmas Basket Fund
exhibition match at the Belmont Country Club, it was reported
the following comment was made to the American's representative without solicitation on the p a r t of any of the interested parties, Jimmy Thomson, Lawson Little, Horton Smith
and Harry Cooper all declared that "the Belmont Country
C l u b g r e e n s w e r e t h e b e s t t h e y h a d p l a y e d o n t h i s s e a s o n , in
c h a m p i o n s h i p , t o u r n a m e n t s or e x h i b i t i o n m a t c h e s . "
BELMONT

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(2) We are equipped at the very beginnings of the epidemic, as we were
not in the case of chestnut blight, with
knowledge of essential scientific facts
—thus, we know the cause of the disease, its nature and how it is spread.
This does not mean that research should
be discontinued. On the contrary, research should be continued and at a
high level of efficiency. It may well be
that important additions to and refinements of our knowledge will result.
But to delay action for f u r t h e r research
is both needless and potentially fatal.
(3) We have learned how the disease found its way into America, and
the entrance doors have been closed.
(4) Observations have shown that
the disease does not spread by long
leaps, as was true of the chestnut
blight. In every instance, except for
the one tree at Old Lyme, the infection
has been traced to local veneer factories
or to infected logs in transit. In this
connection it is of interest to note that
a veneer factory in Brooklyn, handling
diseased logs in 1926, was located a
short time ago. The New York area infection probably started f r o m that factory.

Since

Mass.

1818—

There are two reasons why the disease does not spread by long leaps except through the agency of m a n — ( a )
the spores of the causal fungus are produced in wet masses and so are not
liable to be carried by wind — again a
contrast with the chestnut blight; (b)
the insect carriers make comparatively
short flights.
I would pause for a moment to challenge the fairness of citing failure to
deal with the chestnut blight, or, indeed, of any other tree disease, as a
reason for anticipating failure in attempts to eradicate the Dutch elm disease from America. Yet this argument
is being innocently repeated by many
well-minded people who are not in a
position to know how fallacious and
mischievous it is. There was a time
when human medicine did not know how
to prevent or eradicate any of the contagious diseases of man. But in more
recent times science has taught us how
to counteract many such diseases. Thus
we have learned to deal with yellow
fever by eliminating a certain kind of
mosquito, malaria by eliminating another kind of mosquito, smallpox by
using a special type of vaccine, typhoid

by using another type and by p u r i f y i n g
milk and water, leprosy by cleanliness,
segregation and the use of a specific,
and so on. Note t h a t in each instance,
each disease is a separate problem, and
that in no way does failure with one
preclude success with any other. So it
is with tree diseases. And step by step,
as adequate study is given to tree diseases, we shall learn how to counteract one a f t e r another. As a matter of
fact, we have already learned how certain plant diseases can be prevented or
eradicated wherever so desired. As instances of tree diseases I would cite
the blister rust of 5-needled pines in
the case of pine stands, and citrus
canker in the case of citrus orchards.
(5) A study of the occurrence of
the Dutch elm disease in the New York
area is encouraging.
Concerning the
status of the disease in t h a t area there
has been considerable misinterpretation. Comparisons made between the
large number of diseased elms found
up to the end of 1934 with the small
number found up to the end of 1933
have led some people to draw erroneous
conclusions as to the rate of spread of
the disease. They claim to see in the
numbers proof of a spread so rapid
t h a t the disease cannot be stopped.
Parenthetically it does seem incongruous that at the same time they advise
limited control measures. The numerical jump as between 1934 and 1933 is
easily explained and it will be seen t h a t
it is no cause for panic alarm. The f a c t s
are as follows—(a) that scouting was
not begun in 1933 until July 10, t h a t is,
not until a f t e r the most favorable
period f o r scouting (May 15—July 1)
was past, (b) t h a t because of the size
of the area and the large number of
elms within its limits the completion of
adequate scouting was not possible until well on in the 1934 season, and (c)
the scouts began without experience.
So the increase in numbers r e f e r r e d to
reflects not the r a t e of spread of the
disease, but mainly the progress of the
scouts in their work. In reality we have
little more than the first inventory bef o r e us, and this inventory will be of
limited value as a basal index except
in comparison with the inventories of
f r o m three to five years hence and the
years t h e r e a f t e r .
Subdividing the entire New York area
into small unit areas, as has been done
f o r administrative purposes, it is noteworthy t h a t the units within a comparatively short distance of say Staten

Island as a center show much the heaviest infection, those somewhat f a r t h e r
away show appreciably less infection,
and not one of those in a broad zone
occupying the remainder of the New
York area have shown more than f r o m
none to five recognizably infected trees.
In the surrounding belt, ten miles in
width, not a single case has so f a r been
detected. Another point of great significance is that a large proportion of the
infected trees in the New York area had
not harbored insect carriers before being felled and destroyed. Such trees
then did not participate in the spread
of the disease. With prompt detection
and removal and improved sanitation
with respect to as yet uninfected trees,
the affected trees f r o m which the disease can be carried will be eliminated.
It is reasonable to conclude, therefore,
t h a t working f r o m the outside towards
the center, surely the infected area as
a whole can gradually be reduced in
size until eventually it will reach the
vanishing point. But it will be more
than a one-year project.

Address before the Annual Meeting
of the Massachusetts Forest and P a r k
Association, J a n u a r y 31, 1935.

TRADE

NOTES

We have been informed t h a t A. M.
Peckham of Kingston, R. I. has about
500 pounds of Kernwood strain velvet
bent seed, and about 300 pounds of
Piper velvet bent seed f o r sale.

We have been notified by the New
England Toro Company that the prices
of McClain products, as given in their
advertisement on page 15 of the last
issue were prices f. o. b. Canton, Ohio.
Prices at West Newton would be:
Fungol

10 lb. Drum
25 lb. Drum
50 lb. Drum

$19.00
45.00
85.00
Veg-E-Tonic

100 lb. Drum

$17.00

/ear Round Utility with the

A Power L a w n M o w e r — a Power Sweeper — a Power
Roller a l l i n o n e c o n v e r t i b l e c o m b i n a t i o n — t h e I d e a l
Caretaker.
T h e m o w e r a s s e m b l y e m b o d i e s a d v a n t a g e s f o u n d in n o
other mower
Full-floating, power-driven cutting unit
w i t h 8" reel. Will t r i m close a r o u n d flower beds, d r i v e s ,
a n d will h a n d l e a w i d e v a r i e t y of m o w i n g c o n d i t i o n s
_h m a x i m u m efficiency.
T h e s w e e p e r a s s e m b l y offers a n efficient m e t h o d of
w i n d r o w i n g — l e a v e s in t h e fall; s w e e p i n g d e a d grass a n d
d e b r i s f r o m l a w n s in t h e s p r i n g ; s w e e p i n g s n o w f r o m
w a l k s , d r i v e w a y s , p l a t f o r m s a n d s k a t i n g r i n k s in t h e w i n t e r .
I t t a k e s less t h a n 30 m i n u t e s t o c o n v e r t t h e " C a r e t a k e r "
f r o m a p o w e r m o w e r t o a p o w e r s w e e p e r or vice v e r s a —
t h e p o w e r u n i t will h a u l l a w n roller, s p i k e r , etc. T r u l y a n
i m p l e m e n t of p r a c t i c a l , y e a r - a r o u n d u t i l i t y .

W r i t e for c o m p l e t e
information and
c a t a l o g , or a s k t o
h a v e our n e a r e s t
r e p r e s e n t a t i v e call.

IDEAL P O W E R LAWN M O W E R COMPANY
New York Branch:
12 H a r r i s o n St.
N e w Rochelle, N . Y .
N e w England Distributor:

436 K a l a m a z o o S t r e e t
Lansing, Michigan

Ideal M o w e r

Sales & Service,

Canadian Distributors:
Aikenhead Hardware, Ltd.
17 T e m p e r a n c e St., T o r o n t o , O n t .
111 Cypress

S t . , B r o o k l i n e , Masls.

A

TIMELY

Rhode

SUMMER

BULLETIN

Island D e p a r t m e n t of A g r i c u l
ture and Conservation

Burton K. Harris, Director
Division of Entomology and Plant
Industry
John J. Barry, Chief
Japanese

Beetle

Control

for

1938

So f a r as can now be predicated it is
likely t h a t in common with other infested areas Rhode Island will have an
increase in damage f r o m the Japanese
beetle during the next 7 or 8 weeks.
The Division of Entomology and
Plant Industry, Department of Agricult u r e and Conservation has In the past
been combating this insect so f a r as its
f u n d s permitted and it has succeeded in
reducing the numbers to such an extent
that although the insect has been present in the state f o r over 8 years it has
done relatively little damage to Rhode
Island crops or lawns. It has, however,
been impossible to wholly prevent
spread and as the area to be protected
becomes greater the work done becomes
less thorough since there are no f u n d s
with which to purchase more traps and
spray apparatus or material or to hire
more workers to carry on increased
work.
Organized pest control carried on by
trained state workers is the most economical and effective but when as already in the case of the gipsy moth,
and in the near f u t u r e , of the Japanese
beetle the areas become too great to be
effectively protected by the number of
men, that can be employed by the state,
property owners must themselves take
measures to check the depredations of
destructive plant pests.
The Division of Entomology and
Plant Industry is now entering on its
Japanese beetle t r a p p i n g campaign and
is setting out traps in the most heavily
known infested sections of the state. It
has no additional traps f o r new areas
and cannot therefore comply with the
many requests coming f r o m private
owners to set traps on their land.
Owners must therefore secure and take
care of their own traps or, what is
probably f o r them the simplest and best
method, be prepared to spray such

plants as are attacked as soon as the
beetle appears.
This procedure f o r small trees,
shrubs and herbacious plants is relatively simple and consists in spraying
with arsenate of lead in the proportion
of one pound powdered or dry arsenate
of lead to ten gallons of water. The
same spray will also protect large shade
trees but application is more difficult
since it requires climbing or use of high
powered sprayers which can force spray
into tops of tall trees. A little hydrated
lime added to this spray is helpful since
it colors the foliage white and the
Japanese beetle seems to shun whitened
leaves. A sticker of some kind such as
Kayso or fish oil is also desireable except on plants or plant products which
are later on to be used f o r human food.
In f a c t all plants or plant products
sprayed with arsenate of lead to be used
f o r food must be thoroughly washed.
The Division of Entomology and
Plant Industry, 310 State House, will
be glad to identify suspected insects,
investigate extent of infestations or
suggest the best methods of spraying or
other ways of reducing damage f r o m
the Japanese beetle.

"Don't hesitate at any job f o r f e a r
you aren't good enough. The world is
r u n by mediocre people."
"Don't sow small potatoes and
pect a crop of laurels to accrue."

ex-

"The boss who makes his orders stick
has no internal problem."

"Getting the breaks is more o f t e n
than not a matter of looking ahead."

"Good talking is
listening an art„"

a

virtue.

Good

"The ability to deal with people is as
purchaseable a commodity as sugar or
coffee! And I will pay more f o r t h a t
ability than any other commodity under
the sun."—John D. Rockefeller, Sr.

NEW ENGLAND DISTRIBUTORS OF

TORO

Power Mowers—Gang Mowers—Hand Mowers
T r a c t o r s a n d G a n g M o w e r C o m b i n a t i o n s of 3 - 5 - 7 U n i t s
Rollers—Spikers
Sod Cutters—Soil Screens

BUCKNER
— Fairway — Tee •— Green Sprinklers and Valves
Milorganite — Netco 8-6-2 Putting Green — Fertilizers
FRIEND
LEWIS

Power Sprayers
Tee Equipment

—
—

McCLAIN

STANDARD

Hand Pressure Outfits

Green and Tee Equipment

WORCESTER
Lawn Mowers — PEERLESS
and CARPENTER
Grinders
Antube
—
Arsenate of Lead
—Brown Patch Preventatives
Flags — Poles — Tools — Fertilizer Distributors —
Seeders
Hose — Markers — Ball Soap — Burners — Sod Cutters — Towels
Grass Seeds
-—•
Special Mixtures
—
Certified Bents

New England Toro Co.
DISTRIBUTORS FOR N E W E N G L A N D
1121 Washington St., West Newton

CLUB

m

—

WESt New. 1658

CHAMPIONSHIP

Walter Howe of Wellesley won the
annual club championship, played at the
September meeting, held at the Winchester Country Club, Winchester, Mass.
on the 12th. Howe had a fine gross of
80, which was three strokes better than
the runner-up, Ralph Thomas.
Net
prizes were awarded as follows:
H. Mitchell—98-28-70.
P. Hayden—91-18-73.
T. Mattus—89-14-75.
A. Barney—93-18-75.
The October meeting will be held at
the Vesper Country Club, Lowell, Mass.
on October 3rd. A best ball tournament
will be held with green chairmen as
partners.
Another Sex

ARE YOUR
GREENS RAZZ PROOF?
The average
yes, even the good
g o l f e r s c a r c e l y " s m a c k s " h i s first
ball until he joins the
razzing
chorus. H e misses a putt ( u s u a l l y )
and the green committee catches
h
. G r e e n s of Scott's C r e e p i n g
Bent provide slander insurance to
said c o m m i t t e e .

Distinction

The three-year-old had taken his
mother's powder puff and was in the
act of powdering himself, when his
small sister, age five, snatched it from
him, exclaiming:
"Here, you mustn't do t h a t ! Only
ladies use powder. Gentlemen wash
themselves."
•—Anon.

O. M. S C O T T & S O N S C O .
MARYSVILLE,

OHIO

SCOTTS SEED tmAa. BEAUTIFUL T U R F /

NEW J E R S E Y NOTES
by Kent Bradley

September Meeting New Jersey Golf
Course Superintendents' Association—
September 12.
Barney
Roth,
Superintendent
of
Hackensack
Country Club,
Oradell,
N. J. was host to an attendance of
thirty members and guests of the New
Jersey Golf Course Superintendents'
Association here today. The late Robert
Bullock who was superintendent of
Aldercress Country Club, Demarest,
N. J., died Thursday, Sept. 8, and was
given a two minute rise and silent tribute at the opening of the meeting.
Main speaker of the evening was Dr.
O. J. Noer of Milwaukee, Wis! Dr. Noer
is an eminent turf authority and is consultant advisor of the Milwaukee Sewerage Commission that produces a wellknown brand of fertilizer. Noer said
t h a t trying conditions found on golf
courses throughout the central territory
this year resembled in many respects
those of 1928. While turf damage due
to f r e a k weather this season was severe
—in many cases, the a f t e r m a t h and fall
conditions of turf are much better.
This he said, "Is largely due to the fact
t h a t those in charge of golf courses today are much better versed in their
calling and know more of how to go
about in aiding the recovery of damaged t u r f . "
"Conditions this year emphasized the
importance of good surface and subsurface drainage; proper soil t e x t u r e ;
wise selection of grass strains, and the
importance of careful irrigations."
Kodachrome lantern slides were projected on a screen and discussed by Dr.
Noer to illustrate turf injury, the effect of fertilization, irrigation and other
topics.
It was announced that a meeting will
be held September 26th a t Arlington
Turf Gardens, Washington, D. C., sponsored by the nation-wide Greenkeeping
Superintendents' Association and the
Greens Section of the United States
Golf Association. The next .meeting of
the New Jersey Golf Course Superintendents' Association will be held at
Yontakah Country Club, Nutley, N. J.
on October 10. John Cameron, President of this Association is Superintendent at Yontakah. Chairmen of Greens

Committees f r o m all golf courses in this
region are invited to attend, as are any
golfers who are interested. A golf
tournament will be held during the day.
A demonstration and discussion of the
modern irrigation system of Yontakah
will be held in the afternoon and evening.

HURRICANE AND TIDAL WAVE
E x t r a ! As this issue is at press, we
are in the close a f t e r m a t h of the worst
disaster ever to befall the people of
New England.
Hurricane and tidal
wave, and floods in most river valleys,
have caused and are still causing much
loss of life and of millions of property.
The loss of millions of trees, one of our
valuable assets seems small as compared
to the loss of life, but, nevertheless is
a disaster of no small importance.
The known loss to golf courses is
large; there must be many others whose
losses are as yet unknown to us. Within a f e w miles of us here in Rhode
Island we already have heard of greens
washed out, whole holes inundated,
debris by the many tons scattered over
rough and green and f a i r w a y and trap,
flooded areas which will necessitate rebuilding some parts of the course.
At the Rhode Island Country Club
we were very badly hit by the w'inds of
over a hundred miles an hour force, by
the heavy driving winds, and by the
flood waters of the tidal wave, which
covered more than half of the course
with salty flood water, and which left
us a residue of clay over much of the
course, and of debris over it all. This
debris consisted of parts of homes,
f u r n i t u r e , hay, vegetables, lumber of all
description, bricks, broken boats, and
even bodies of some of the unfortunates.
We have seven greens of the twenty
we have including practice greens,
which were untouched by the flood
waters. These are marked with holes
where the wind ,drove pieces of wood or
stones into the soft t u r f .
We have
thirteen fairways which were covered
in whole or large p a r t by the debris
laden waters. A large highway bridge
which bordered our course, and which
with a flood gate prevented the tides
f r o m entering our central canal, washed
away, and allowed the tidal wave to

¿m,

_

inundate the whole central portion of
course. This is the section which is
now covered with a sticky clay residue.
Nine bridges across this canal were
washed away.
Trees by the thousand are broken off
or uprooted.
This describes in a few words what
has happened to one course; many more
have suffered. Truly the whole story
of this disaster is not yet written. We
would appreciate hearing your part in
helping us write it.
G. C. W.
TALKS

ON

TREES

By E. Porter Felt
Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories
Stamford, Conn.
Midsummer is a period when foliage
troubles become apparent. A number
of these are due to the relatively new
and comparatively unknown wilts.
Maple wilt, a fungus infection caused
by a vertieillium, an organism which
produces green streaks in the sap wood,
blocks the water channels and produces
a sudden wilting and later browning of
the leaves of individual branches and
occasionally most of a tree in midsummer. It appears to be particularly injurious to the Norway maple, though
sugar and other maples are affected. It
may spread from one tree to another
through interlacing roots. The prompt
cutting of the affected branches well below the affected portion and in the case
of a serious infection, feeding in order
to promote the development of healthy
wood are the two most promising
methods of treatment.
A related wilt of elm caused by a
fungus, Cephalosporium, produces symptoms similar to those of the much more
destructive Dutch elm disease. The sudden wilting and yellowing of the foliage
upon one or more branches indicates
the probable occurence of one or the
other of these troubles. The affected
portion should be cut well below the
invaded area and samples sent to a
laboratory for culture, since it is only
by this means that the trouble can be
definitely identified.
Wilts occur upon other trees, producing a sudden collapse of the foliage
upon individual branches or groups of
branches. A condition of this kind on
the smoke tree was brought to notice
recently and more serious damage of a
similar nature was observed upon a

'"Pioneers

in Soil 'Cesis for Seed

Last Call For Fall

¿Mixtures"

Seeding

T e l e p h o n e us collect or mail us
your fall seed order for immediate
shipment.
Market reports
c h a n g e d as y e t on
jrass and Redtop.
prices c o n t i n u e to

show prices
unthe Bents, BlueChewings Fescue
rise.

O u r j o b is t o s e r v e y o u t h r o u g h
a d v i c e on your turf problems.
So
feel f r e e to c o n s u l t us at a n y t i m e .

J O H N

II.

L Y Ü X

Seedsmen—Consultants
17

Bartlett

Ave.

Belmont,

Mass.

Tel. Belmont 2907-J, 4346-W
number of catalpas on the south shore
of Long Island. There is not much that
can be done for wilts aside from cutting
well below the affected area and destroying the diseased branches.
Clean culture, using this term in the
broader sense, is the most promising
method of controlling troubles of this
nature.

The evergreens have their difficulties
and this season the condition of white
pines in different sections has lead to
numerous inquiries.
The exceptional warm weather of last
winter at a time when the soil was frozen and the roots presumably unable
to supply the moisture demands of the
top appears to .be the most probable
cause of a much browning of the tips of
needles on individual trees or groups of
trees. This condition has come to notice
f r o m various areas in eastern and southern New England and southern New
York State. It is not due to either a
fungus infection or insect attack. The
cause is primarily physiological and may
be explained in general terms as being

WINTER

HARDY-—ACCLIMATED
RHODE

ISLAND

CREEPING
VELVET

B

E

N

G R A S S
and

T
S E E D

Fairway

Mixtures

of h i g h e s t q u a l i t y f o r l o w e s t p r i c e t h a t
s e e d of e q u a l q u a l i t y c a n be o f f e r e d .
NATURE HAS WRITTEN A
PRESCRIPTION for your course.
Right
h e r e in s o u t h e r n N e w E n g l a n d is t h e
n a t u r a l h o m e of t h e e n t i r e f a m i l y of
the Bent grasses, the principal member
of w h i c h , n a m e l y R . I. B e n t , d e r i v e d
its n a m e f r o m this, t h e s m a l l e s t s t a t e
in t h e u n i o n .
You c a n g r o w N A T U R E ' S O W N I N S U R A N C E into your turf
by
using
F R E S H , V I A B L E s e e d w h i c h g r o w s in
Y O U R l a t i t u d e in Y O U R c o u n t r y .
S A V E for your club: B u y your seed
direct from the grower.

A . N.

PECKHAM

KINGSTON

USED

RHODE

GOLF

ISLAND

BALLS

due to deficient root action. In other
words, the demands of the top have not
been met by the roots. This latter may
be due to some other cause than that
indicated above. It may result in some
cases from the use of substandard
stock, poor setting, or unfavorable soil
conditions.
Another common trouble of white
pines is caused by the white pine weevil.
This insect attacks the leader, producing a wilting in early summer and
browning in midsummer. An examination shows that the bark of the leader
and sometimes the bark below the topmost whorl of branches has been mined
by the grubs of the weevil and the tip
as a consequence is girdled or nearly
so. This native pest is widely distributed and an idea of its abundance
may be gained by the condition of nearby pines. The "cabbage-shaped" pine in
the field is an indication of repeated
injury by the white pine weevil and
should be construed as a warning to
those planning to set out young pine
trees. Where such conditions obtain the
newly planted trees are likely to suffer
greatly when they have attained a
height of 2 to 7 feet. Cutting and burning the infested tips in mid-summer is
usually the most satisfactory control
although such procedure kills parasites
and, therefore, lessens the effectiveness
of natural control.

WANTED
Highest prices paid. Check mailed
within 48 hours a f t e r balls
are received.
Known to the trade for 15 years.
Get our prices before selling.
EASTERN

GOLF

CO.

2 4 4 W e s t 4 2 n d S t . — N e w York, N. Y.

OFFICERS'
President
Secretary
Treasurer
Chairman
Chairman
Chairman
Chairman

Any fool can condemn, criticize and
complain—and most fools do.
A great man shows his greatness by
the way he treats little men.
—Carlyle.
Don't talk about what you want.
Talk about what your listener wants.
—Dale Carnegie.
DIRECTORY

R. A. Mitchell, Kernwood C. C., Salem,
Philip Cassidy, 45 Grosvenor Rd., Needham,
Frank Wilson, Charles River C. C., Newton Centre,
Enter. Comm
Sam S. Mitchell, Ponkapoag G. C., Canton,
Golf Comm
Lloyd G. Stott, Meadow Brook G. C., Reading,
Welfare Comm
Paul Wanberg, 8 Curtis St., Waltham,
Employment Comm
Guy
NEWSLETTER officers, see page two.

Mass.
Mass.
Mass.
Mass.
Mass.
Mass.
West

NEW

ENGLAND

R . R. R I D D L E ,
N o r t h Wilbraham, Mass.
Tel. 72-3

ALLAN

STARKWEATHER

Dover,
Tel.

Mass.
309

DISTRIBUTORS:
E. N. B A N K S
230 Lowell Street, Waltham,
Tel. 1988

Mass.

R. J. A L L E N , J R .
1 Brattle Street, Worcester,
Tel. 5-2891

Mass.

PEARSON BROS. NURSERIES
Lynnfield Center,
Tel. 61

When

Mass.

writing,

mention

ERNEST ELFGREN
East Killingly, Conn.
Tel. Danielson 103-4

NEWSLETTER.

Ted

H u s i n g , C . B . S . , b r o a d c a s t i n g t h e P . G. A . T o u r n a m e n t a t S h a w n e e
from a specially equipped Worthington T r a c t o r and T r a i l e r D u m p Cart.

Worthing! on Equipment

helps you solve
many golf course problems-economically
W h e n y o u r g o l f c o u r s e is W o r t h i n g ton equipped, you save time, m o n e y and
m a n - p o w e r , f o r W o r t h i n g t o n is d e s i g n e d
to m e e t e v e r y m o w i n g problem. Not a
mowing problem, but an
example
of
Worthington's versatility was the Mobile
broadcasting
studio
from which
Ted
H u s i n g of t h e C o l u m b i a
Broadcasting
S y s t e m and H a r r y N a s h of the N e w a r k
News,
so
ably
reported
the
recent
P. G. A . T o u r n a m e n t at S h a w n e e .
This
Worthington Tractor and Trailer D u m p
Cart, radio equipped, enabled t h e m to
follow the players stroke by stroke and
to report the play
f o r t h e first t i m e i n
g o l f h i s t o r y — a s it d e v e l o p e d , f o r W o r t h ington kept them where they could see
e v e r y shot, o v e r t h e h e a d s of t h e pressing gallery, untired by running
from
v a n t a g e point to d o u b t f u l v a n t a g e point.
"Uear out this coupon for

handsome,

C. M. SAWTELLE. New Eng. Distributor
3 Walker Terrace, Cambridge, Mass.
Telephone: Trowbridge 7491

illustrated catalogue with full
money-saving
equipment.

U f ort]Tington

,ower
Kpm/Mny,
Main Office
Stroudsburg, Pa.

A
good tournament
on a
perfect
c o u r s e , k e p t in c h a m p i o n s h i p c o n d i t i o n
with Worthington Gang-Mowers for the
fairways and the rough, and Worthington Overgreens for the accurately true
g r e e n s — e q u i p m e n t that will put your
course in championship condition, too,
a n d k e e p it t h e r e .
It is i n t e r e s t i n g t o n o t e t h a t 4 4 o u t
of 5 8 c o u r s e s in t h e U n i t e d
States,
Canada
and
England,
on which
the
National Open and A m a t e u r Championships have been played, used Worthington e q u i p m e n t and that there are more
Worthington
Gang - Mowers
in
use
t h r o u g h o u t t h e w o r l d t h a n all
other
makes combined.

Sales Agencies
AH Principal Cities

details of Worthington

WORTHINGTON

MOWER

Stroudsburg,

Dept.

Please
ment

send
at

no

Pa.,

catalogue

time and

COMPANY

NL/S
on

your

obligation.

Name
Address
City

State

equip-