i

M1EWS H H W I S K

I

A WRONGDOER IS OFTEN A MAN THAT HAS LEFT
SOMETHING UNDONE, NOT ALWAYS HE THAT HAS DONE
SOMETHING.
—Matcm Aurdius

AUGUST
1030

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
Rhode Island Country
Club
W e s t B a r r i n g t o n , R . I.

GEORGE J. ROMMELL, JR.
Business Mgr.
54 E d d y S t . , W e s t N e w t o n ,

August, 1939

Mass.

Vol. 11, No. 8

Contributing

Editors

Homer .Darling
R. A. Mitchell
Howard F a r r a n t
Charles Parker
P r a n k Wilson
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.
A

REPORT

This is a general outline of the 1st
Eastern Sectional Educational Conference held at the Canoe Brook C. C.,
Summit, New Jersey or, in short, my
impressions of the Conference. My impressions may not be minutely correct
but in the main I believe they will coincide with the actual happenings.
The Registration booth was set up on
the lawn at the Canoe Brook C. C. and
during the course of the two day Conference (June 5th and 6th)- some 150
registered at this point, although others
met with this group at the New Jersey
Experimental Plots.
The registration was at 9:30 in the
morning. At 10:30 there was an inf o r m a l inspection of the Canoe Brook
Golf Course which was in fine shape,
no ill effect f r o m the Japanese Beetle
grub being apparent on lawns, tees, fairways, and greens due to the application
of Arsenate of Lead.
However, the rough in some spots was
seriously infected and it was here that
the New Jersey State Department of
Agriculture in conjunction with the
United States Department of Agriculture was trying Parasitical Control of
the Japanese Beetle. This work was
fully explained by H. B. Girth of the
New Jersey State Department of Agriculture.

Several 100 sq. f t . plots had been
staked out on an affected area. And
here men had removed a number of
1 f t . sq. sections of turf and soil to a
depth of approximately 5 inches, testing each patch very thoroughly on a
table. In some plotsHLOO or more grubs
were being found.
Thes'e areas were'i/next treated f o r
control, tests. The Parasitic method of
control, using what are/commonly called
nematodes, was being used. The nematodes, under a microscope, looked to
be a very short maggot, in fact, they
are practically invisible to the naked
eye, having the appearance of a silver
dust in the concentrated solution they
w.ere in. In this case the r a t e of application was 10,000." ThC.liejnaVod<Ss/were
put in a watering can
fflter
mixed
at the plot in a calibrated concentrated
solution and water and then watered
onto the soil. Dry weather is not ideal
f o r this application as some of the nematodes dry up before working into the
soil. About 14 days a f t e r the application these plots are again tested. Approximately 25 different 1 f t . squares
of turf of the same depth again being
tested f o r grubs which have become infected by the nematodes.
The nematodes enter the grub through
the mouth and slowly devour it and it is
thought t h a t possibly the beetle in its
flight may carry some of the nematodes
to its destination. How the nematode
weather the winter was not definitely
known. The nematodes are grown in a
culture and can be raised very rapidly,
and it is thought that in time colonies
of these nematodes can be placed in affected areas with good success.
A fine luncheon Was enjoyed at the
Club House at noon.
A t two o'clock two busses left the
club f o r the New Jersey experimental
plots at New Brunswick.
During the Conference a new type of
" B u g " was discovered but no one objected to their advances, man being a
vain c r e a t u r e : yes, they were "Camera
bugs", notably, Professor Dickinson,
Gus Brandon, Ed. Cale, Kent Bradley
and others.
Dr. Sprague, Agnonomist at the Field
Station, welcomed the group and explained the experiments being carried
out on the numerous plots of different
grasses f o r putting greens, lawns, etc.
Of particular interest was a plot of
Raritan velvet bent, five weeks old, being cut at putting green height and
making a fine appearance. The relationship of lime and different fertilizers on

several plots was of interest. An experiment being conducted to show which
grass was the " t o u g h e r " or, more resistant to wear, was explained. The test
in this case being a steel tube, with one
end closed, and rod which fitted snugly
into the tube. Different grass blades
were compressed in this chamber f o r
moisture content. This being the basis
for determining the resistance to wear.
Fairway grasses were then discussed
and the main point of interest was the
recommended height of cut, that beingone and one quarter inches ( 1 % ) .
Pamphlets pertaining to turf insects,
etc. were available. The busses reached
^•s. Canoe Brook C. C. about 6:15, a short
while before the scheduled banquet.
At the banquet an official of the
Canoe Brook C. C. welcomed those attending the Conference and Bill Richardson, Golf Editor of the New York Times,
•was introduced as toastmaster.
The toastmaster introduced Greenkeeper Club officials representative of
different sections attending.
F r a n k Ermer, President of the G.S.A.,
was introduced and stressed harmony as
the basis f o r success.
A. L. Brandon, Secretary-Treasurer
of the G. S. A., spoke briefly.
Professor E. N. Cory, State Entomologist of College Park, Maryland, spoke
on "Turf Insect Pests", namely, Japanese Beetle, Hairy Chinch Bug, Sod-webworms, Ants, their signs and habits, and
recommended certain controls.
H. B. Mu sser, Associate-Professor of
Experimental Agronomy at Pennsylvania State College, was scheduled but
was unable to attend. Dr. Fred Grau,
Extension Agronomist f o r Pennsylvania
State pinch hit for Dr. Musser and
generalized on work being conducted on
fairway grasses. Fairway grasses cut at
f r o m one inch (1") to one and one
quarter inches
(1*4")
proved less
troublesome and less expensive to maintain. He stated that they were breeding fairway grasses at Pennsylvania
State. In regard to weed control on
fairways, Dr. Grau stated that in spraying with sodium arsenite three times
each fall at ten day intervals f o r two
consecutive falls, 98 to 99 9; control
was experienced.
These
treatments
were followed by a strict fertilizer program, the fairways were cut at one
inch ( 1 " ) .
Lawrence S. Dickinson, Professor of
Agronomy at Massachusetts State College, then spoke on "The Business of
Manufacturing Pleasurable Golf". T h b
talk was very interesting and Professor

Dickinson pointed out, Greenkeeping
was still a profession although f u r t h e r
duties which were once optional, are
now necessary. F u r t h e r topics were:
committee changes, course improvement,
credit, costs, values, results, lack of
carry over of funds, and stated that
when budgets are cut the ultimate cost
is increased.
The meeting lasted well into the
evening.
Tuesday morning, June 6th, we again
l e f t Canoe Brook C. C. by bus to tour
the section visiting various Golf Courses.
The busses drove by many courses, we
stopped at John " Anderson's Essex;
County C. C. course and inspected several holes; f r o m there we went to Montclair C. C., Carl Treat's course. We
left the bus and walked across the course
to be picked up by the bus again at the
f u r t h e r side. We were to have visited
Kent Bradley's course but as it was
getting very late we were forced to give
up this plan and proceed to the Knoll
at Boonton, New Jersey, where we were
to have luncheon.
The Knoll C. C. is a f o r m e r millionaire built course with a fine club-house
and a beautiful setting. Incidentally,
only a few plants of poa-annua had been
found at this club (on the practice putting green) and these had been removed.
A f t e r luncheon Carl Treat, as chairman, called on Messrs. Cale, Ermer,
Brandon, Ryan, Thompson and Cassidy
to act as mediators in answering questions and leading discussion. Topics of
special interest were poa annua, watering, fairway grasses, and the relationship of these to each other.
Dr. John Montieth of the U. S. G. A.
Green Section who had been scheduled
to speak on "Diseases of Grasses", had
suffered f r o m heat prostration and was
not able to attend.
John Bengtson
Agronomist f o r the Greens Section of
the U. S. G. A., substituted f o r Dr. Montieth and gave an illustrated talk on
diseases of grasses showing the comparative immunity of different strains of
grasses, being developed at Arlington,
f r o m disease.
Dr. Bengtson in answer to questions
stated that no f u r t h e r developments had
been made in determining the cause of
existing trouble being experienced with
Piper Velvet Bent.
The Conference was very ably handled
and the program was well rounded out.
Its many phases being conducted with
thoroughness.
—Phil Cassidy.

EXPERIMENTAL

GREEN

AT

PONKAPOAG

The U. S. G. A. has sponsored the
planting' of twenty greens throughout
the country including one or two in
Canada to t r y out the ability of various. bents to withstand t h e wear of
playing traffic. The green f o r New
England is planted at Ponkapoag Golf
Course in Canton, Mass. It will be used
as a practice putting green.
Most of these greens are 3,000 feet
in area. We f e l t t h a t we would like a
larger green so got permission f r o m
Dr. Montieth to add a few sections to
make a green of 8,000 f e e t of area.
The green is laid out in a regular
shaped circle with a 100-foot diameter
and then divided into 16 pie shaped
sections. The stock to plant 12 of these
was supplied by the U. S. G. A. Nine
sections to creeping bent planted with
stolons.
Two sections with Colonial
Bent seed, one section with Seaside
Bent seed. Seed rates at rate of 5 lbs.
per 1000 feet.
The other f o u r sections are as follows: 1 section of Kernwood Bent Seed
that came f r o m R. I. Mitchell, Greenkeeper at Edison Country Club of
Schnectady, N. Y. 1 section of Piper
Velvet Bent Seed f r o m Dr. DeFrance of
Rhode Island State College. 1 section
of a mixture of 75% Colonial Seed,
25 9'r Prince Edward Island Velvet Seed,
which is the mixture we expect to use
on the new nine here at Ponkapoag.
The last section is divided into thirds.
One third planted with Raritan Velvet
f r o m MacMullen - Terhurne Company of
Rochelle Park, N. J. through Dr.
Sprague. One third planted with Piper
stolons f r o m stock I had here. One third
planted with Piper sod f r o m Mr. T.
Swanson of Bear Hill Golf Club.
The green site was stripped of loam
and a sub grade with a slope of 1-foot
drop across the green established. The
sub soil is a well drained open gravel.
8 inches of loam was put back and 6 or
7 inches of Royer screened loam with
2 5 % sand, 25% n a t u r e peat and 50%
loam put on f o r top. We used 100 lbs.
of 8-7-6 fertilizer raked in and green
planted on May 17, 1939.
1-inch x 6-inch boards on edge were
pegged into place to separate the various
sections. Some differences were noted
in germination of seed and also in
starting of stolons. Seeded areas are

about alike now but there are still big
differences in creeping bent.
A t present we have a fine crop of
crab grass over the entire green. The
worse infestation is in creeping bent
due no doubt to more open spaces f o r
it to grow in.
Samuel S. Mitchell.

EDUCATION

"An educated person is not merely
one who can do something, whether it is
giving a lecture on the poetry of
Horace, running a train, trying a lawsuit, or repairing the plumbing. He is
also one who knows the significance of
what he does, and he is one who cannot and will not do certain things. He
has acquired a set of values. He has
a 'yes' and a 'no,' and they are his own.
He knows why he behaves as he does.
He has learned what to prefer, f o r he
has lived in the presence of things that
are preferable. I do not mean that he
is merely trained in the convention of
polite society or the conformities of
crowd morality. He will doubtless depart
f r o m both in many
things.
Whether he conforms or not, he has
learned enough about human life on
this planet to see his behavior in the
light of a body of experience and the
relation of his actions to situations as a
whole. Such a person is acquiring a
liberal education and it makes little difference whether he has been trained in
philosophy or mechanics. He is being
transformed f r o m an automaton into a
thinking being. . . . And as personality
does not exist in a vacuum, but in the
relationships established between organism and environment, no improvement
of it can fail to make itself felt in the
quality of one's work. Animal training
may give one the means to make a living; liberal education gives living a
meaning."
— E v e r e t t Dean Martin,
in The Meaning of a Liberal Education.

Your attention is called to an advertisement of the Carpenter grinder in
this issue. Formerly sold by the Carpenter Tool Company, this grinder is
now being m a n u f a c t u r e d and sold by
the N a r r a g a n s e t t Products Corporation,
45 Baker Street, Providence, R. I.

'v

THE FAST - ECONOMICAL - ACCURATE

WAY

Keep Mowers

SHARP
with this
CARPENTER
MOWER

SHARPENER

No skill required to sharpen
either power or hand lawn
mowers with this machine ; its
straight-line grinding assures precision contact of cutting blades.
Grinds bottom knife and reel blades on any mower, including large
power and tractor-drawn units up to 36". No attachments to put on
or take off.
Write

today for descriptive

NARRAGANSETT
4 5

B A K E R

literature and

PRODUCTS

S T R E E T

AUGUST

MEETING

The A u g u s t m e e t i n g was held on the
7th a t the New B e d f o r d C. C., N o r t h
D a r t m o u t h , Mass., a j o i n t m e e t i n g with
the R. I. Greenkeepers Association.
Following a n 18 hole medal handicap
t o u r n a m e n t , a clam-bake w a s served
some seventy-five members, wives, and
guests. Notable d u r i n g the day was the
hospitality of all connected with t h e
New B e d f o r d Club, including Pres. and
Mrs. Morrissey, p r o John
Gilholm,
Greenkeeper-host Mike Grady, several
members who donated prizes, and m a n y
others. I t isn't really necessary to add,
" A fine time was had by all p r e s e n t " !

prices.

R .

I.

VELVET BENT GRASS SEED
The finest of all t u r f grasses f o r
golf greens.
Strains f o r sale: Emerald &

Raritan

Purity—95%,
Inert matter—4%,
Other g r a s s e s — 0 . 1 % ,
Germination—85 %.
I n q u i r e of y o u r seed dealer, or
write u s directly.

Emerald
Get in t h e habit of mentioning t h e
N E W S L E T T E R when w r i t i n g or ordering f r o m our advertisers. This helps u s
to give you a b e t t e r club paper.

CORP.

P R O V I D E N C E ,

Newton

Fawn
New

Jersey

(Growers of Velvet B e n t Grass Seed)

A LETTER TO THE

EDITOR

"Dear Guy":
(an open letter to Guy C. West,
Newsletter Editor)
I read Charles P a r k e r ' s article "What
Shall The Standards B e ? " in the July
Newsletter, when I came in the other
night f r o m The Job. I assume Charlie
means by no returns, comments f r o m
the New England Members on his article "Think This Over". He did get two
letters f r o m "outside" t h a t I know of,
(one, I wrote), commending his viewpoints.
As f o r the points of qualification on
the national basis, these are the high
spots, as I find them: In every business
or "profession", those best qualified to
set standards, are the men who make
it their means of livelihood, and are
organized f o r the vocational advancement. Soon, blanks will be sent each
G. S. A. member, to write out a list of
some 15 questions and answers on the
various phases of greenkeeping applicable to his region. From those returned, the special committee on G.S.A.
membership qualifications, will select
test questions grouped f o r various sections of the country. The committee, in
f a c t the entire matter, is to be handled
only by those in charge of golf course
maintenance, and members of the G.S.A.
Volunteers will take the tests to determine if they are f a i r and sound. Then
when everything has been adjusted, the
committee will hand its recommendations to the Board, which has been
authorized by the membership, to accept or revise as seems necessary. Then
the new standards of G.S.A. membership qualifications will become official.
Many feel that each existing member
should then take the official test, get a
r a t i n g or grade, and improve on his
weak subjects of information. However,
all new applicants will take the test,
and perhaps still have to show sufficient
time service in greenkeeping experience.
This matter has not been rushed into,
without first thoroughly
considering
numerous angles. It is so easy to jump
at conclusions, and make mistakes' t h a t
take a lot of time to correct later if
found wrong.
The time will soon be here, when a
greenkeeper or golf course superintendent (or some such title) will have
a great asset in—to paraphrase the car
dealer's slogan—"Reviewed and Graded,
with an O. K. that COUNTS". Said re-

view and grading of a man's working
knowledge, and general approval is best
made by those who should know—the
majority of the leading men in this particular line of work. Our lawyers, engineers, doctors, chemists, and other men
whose work is vital to human welfare
are judged and accepted in the same
manner. So much f o r that.
Regarding Charlie's observation on a
ski instructor's code of ethics, and qualifications, I have some personal thoughts
to offer, regarding this golf and greenkeeping angle. Having been admitted
into membership of five greenkeeping
membership organizations during the
past 16 years I've been in golf course
construction
and
maintenance
may
qualify me as an observer,—to some extent—cockeyed, dog-legged,—or otherwise. From what little I know of skiing,
most of the terms used, the maneuvers,
the clothing, etc. are standardized, and
brought over f r o m Europe. They tried
to do that with golf, greenkeeping—
and greenkeepers, at first—and failed.
One thing we did inherit, and that is—
the lackadaisical - dont - giva - damn - let
George - do - it attitude prevalent among
greens sections, green committee chairmen, yes, and greenkeepers, even officers of various associations of the latter.
Right here on my desk is a copy of a
letter t h a t I wrote such an officer over
a month ago — and I have not heard
f r o m him yet—. Perhaps I over-estimate
the importance of my inquiry, but at
least the guy should be polite enough
to acknowledge the receipt of it.
So—after centuries of golf, and the
men who have been in charge of maintenance, a little guy out in the midwest, bubbling with initiative, and on
his own, wrote Messrs. Funk & Wagnalls, called to their attention that the
words greenkeeping and greenkeeper
were not in their dictionaries—and now
I understand, the new edition defines
these. (The crawl of progress!)
An interesting booklet was handed to
me the other day. It describes the beauties and wonderful f e a t u r e s of a certain
resort golf facilities. It goes into detail
on the wonderful layout, the t u r f , and
course historyEven the "staff" is
listed,—and omitting names, here are
their titles: The General Manager, Consulting Engineer, Chairman of Golf
Committee, Two Golf Professionals,
Two Caddie Masters, Two Tennis Professionals, the Head Waiter, Purchasing
Agent, Chairman of Tennis Committee,
and the Secretary. I looked all through

S P E C I A L

S E M E S A N

1. Effective in both prevention and cure of large
brown patch and dollar spot, even under adverse
conditions.
2. Does not burn, "thin" or otherwise injure the
turf when used at recommended strength.
3. Gives greater coverage—one pound treats 6,000
square feet of turf (average green) f o r as little
as $1.23.

O EMESAN
G

4. Easily applied in water solution or dry with
compost. No damage to sprayers.
5. Fewer applications required—saves needless
labor.
6. Contains

two organic mercuries
protection.

ArtjjgSfor
°lfLawn Turf»

f o r quick,

longer-lasting

5 lbs. $7.00

25 lbs. $33.00

100 lbs. $122.85

BRECKS
—Seedsmen

Since 1 8 1 8 —

85 State Street—Boston,

ONE O F AMERICA'S LARGEST H U M U S DEPOSITS

Mass.

WINTER

HARDY—ACCLIMATED
RHODE

MATTER

89.8 %

10.2 _%

POTASH
LIME

AMMONIA

NITROGEN
PHOSPORUS
P. H. V A L U E (Acid)
W A T E R ABSORBING

TESTED

ABILITY

100.0 %
9.80%
4.95%
2.95%
3.02%
6.30%
5.5 %

82.00%

BY

MASS. A G R I C U L T U R A L
COLLEGE
CORNELL
UNIVERSITY
N. J. A G R I C U L T U R A L
COLLEGE
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT

Highland Humus Corp.
HIGHLAND,
J.

VELVET

G R A S S

ANALYSIS
ORGANIC
ASH

ISLAND

CREEPING

20,000 Yards
of P u r e
Humus,
No
Muck, Aged, Wintered
and
Above
For Shipment.
A
Ground,
Ready
U. S. G o v e r n m e n t
Certificate
with
every
load,
guaranteed
free
from
Japanese or Asiatic Beetle.

N. Y.

New England
Solicitor:
WHITEHEAD
Cromwell, Con.

and

S E E D

Fairway

Mixtures

of h i g h e s t q u a l i t y f o r lowest price t h a t
s e e d of e q u a l q u a l i t y c a n b e 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 i s 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 seed w h i c h g r o w s in
Y O U R latitude in Y O U R country.
SAVE f o r y o u r c l u b :
B u y your
direct from t h e grower.

seed

A. N. P E C K H A M
KINGSTON

RHODE

ISLAND

that booklet, but found no credit given
to God, or the Greenkeeper-superintendent that had their part in producing
and keeping the wonderful golf and
tennis t u r f ! Oh would it be, that the
playing public be told!
It seems (to me) that every greenkeeping organization has four general
groups:
1—The progressive - thought - advancing - let's - try - it - workers.
2—The hangers - on - office acceptors
that get self - aggrandizement on
whatever title they may hold, or
committee they are on.
3—The I'm against - it, but, - but,
why, wherefore - in - other words
- what's the use faction.
4—The jury - sit - backers, that pay
dues, but otherwise serve on no
committee, offer no comment, and
help make up the majority of
votes for the side that presents
the loudest (but not essentially
the soundest) arguments.
Oh, well, I suppose it does just have
to take all kinds. The college prexy
might put it as, "Schools of thought
turn out many pupils, a few students,
and an occasional scholar".

Checking over the list of members in
good standing, that appears in the July
issue, I get satisfaction in finding so
few pupils, plenty of students, and a
good percentage of scholars.
From
pleasant associations in the past, these
scholars I know of, are well fitted to do
bigger and better things.
Apropos to what follows, is the cover
quote on the same July issue, "It is a
mistake to fancy ourselves greater than
what we are, but a crime to value ourselves at less than we are worth." The
leaders in greenkeeping organizations
are largely those that have something
better to offer their clubs, command a
higher salary—and get it. They look
about and find that they have a surplus
of vision and energy, and turn to bettering their vocation through association
work. These men realize that if greenkeeping is going to get public acceptance, it needs more than local color.
Thoughts, (as I once wrote) go beyond
terms of "me, my job, my local organization, and reach out toward n a t i o n a l
scope."
Golfers are traveling sports—the
parking space, and club guest register
show this. Last spring at MSC, a member of New England's Royal Greenkeeping Family said, "If greenkeeping is to

TERFERATOR
Is the Answer to Your Grass Problems
L o o s e Soil T e x t u r e
Proper

Aeration
Surface

Easy Means For Fertilizing

Drainage
ideal

Watering

This Work Can Now Be Done For You
For

J.
Box 203-A

information

write:

WHITEHEAD
Cromwell,

Conn.

be put across to the public it will need
be done on a national basis, and our
organization must soon get back of this
movement—and help push."
"Prince
H e n r y ' s " listener supplemented this
with, "Individual men f o r m the membership of the New England Association,
and neighbor organizations will get together to f o r m a North Eastern Greenkeeping Council in this section, and
other sections join in making a national
body of greater strength." Thoughts of
two individuals forming steps to achievement.
We need many more steps, with the
f r a t e r n a l cooperation and interest by
each, and in each other to cement together a strong stairway f o r ourselves—
and those t h a t will follow in our footsteps. And there is other work to be
done, but on that I will dwell some other
is a
time—elsewhere.
Since
golf
national f o r m of recreation, and players
travel, so must the thoughts of us who
stay on, and keep things right at the
home courses.
I read this the other day, under the
title of " T h e Thing That Counts": " I
perceive", remarked the Highbrow,
a f t e r witnessing his first ball game,
" t h a t success in this sport can be obtained only by perfect cooperation
among players, each subordinating his
own individuality to that organization
of which he is a p a r t . "
"You m a y be right at t h a t " , replied
the Lowbrow, " B u t t h e main thing is
team work." I once wrote that some of
our rugged individuals were too individually rugged f o r our collective
good. So mark me down as a Lowbrow, Guy.
Leo Peser, Chairman of the G.S.A.
Qualifications Committee said to me at
Kansas City, that, "Endorsement of
qualifications is not a geographical b u t
vertical m a t t e r . "

In turn, I feel that in building a
structure of thought, it is impractical
to start on the roof. I may be found
f o r some time yet, working in the
foundation excavation, sloshing around,
getting occasional mud in the eye, b u t
I do have on my hip boots, and oil-skins.
However, modern building
methods
trend to considerable préfabrication,
and in New England, a lot of this has
been done on the Greenkeeping House.
Here we had the first organization, the
first winter school, early instigation of
turf research work, advancement of
thought toward better methods of greenkeeping qualifications, and of no little
importance we find the July issue is the
seventh of the eleventh volume. Sevencome-eleven,—perhaps this is a good
omen.
I will not comment on G. S. A. President Ermer's Eastern Section address,
to do so obviously would be superfluous—the message speaks f o r itself.
Charlie Parker should get "a l i f t " f r o m
the f a c t that those who write f o r publication go down in recorded history, -and
will be given just tribute, long a f t e r
those that just sit back and verbally
spout, and are forgotten.
We know Charlie meant no disrespect
to age years, when he r e f e r r e d to "old
bellwethers", because we find them
What
among all birthday numbers.
concerns me are the barnacles clinging
to the backsides of progress—those that
anti-everything, and propose nothing.
And so, Guy, ends act f o u r of my
comedy of errors. Speaking of backsides, will you rough saw out a piece of
plank f r o m a gnarled old New England
elm that was felled in last year's hurricane? Send it to me. I'll plane down
one side, place it next the skin, in the
seat of my p a n t s — f o r protection f o r
what may follow publication of this.
Yours,
Kent Bradley.

G r a s § S e e d for F a l l

Sowing

The hot, d r y Summer is taking a terrific toll and much re-seeding of
lawns, fairways and greens will be necessary. Fall, all good greenskeepers
know, is an ideal time f o r this Work. P e r r y ' s is the ideal place to secure
supplies of H i g h e s t G r a d e seed of Bents, Fescues, Red Top and Kentucky Blue.
We will gladly quote on application.
Fertilizers, too—Country Club, 8-6-2 f o r P u t t i n g Greens, $2.90 p e r
100 lbs., or Country Club, 8-6-4 f o r Fairways a t $2.70 in ton lots.

P E R R Y NEED CO31PAKY
12-13 Faneuil

»

Hall Square,

Boston, Mass.

Tel. L A F . 6500

READ

THIS

TWICE!

The tenth annual Greenkeepers' Field
D a y w i l l b e h e l d a t t h e R . I. S t a t e C o l lege and E x p e r i m e n t Station, Kingston,
R . I. o n S e p t e m b e r 1 8 t h . S e t t h i s d a y
aside to c o m e d o w n a n d look over t h e
fine turf plots there, see w h a t the various strains h a v e d o n e d u r i n g this trying Summer, hear a f e w short talks by
choice after-lunch turf expert speakers,
and even bring your clubs for a late
a f t e r n o o n round at the Point
Judith
C. C. n e a r b y .

TALKS

ON

TREES

By E. Porter Felt
Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories
Stamford, Conn.
Shade trees, curbs and hurricanes do
not appear closely related.
Our notice was attracted recently by
the installation of a new curb on a
moderately wide city street. The inner
wall of the ditch dug for this curb was
from 6 to 9 inches from the bases of a
row of magnificent Norway maples,
most of them with a trunk diameter of
12 inches or more. This ditch was about
18 inches deep and in digging it the
men severed about one-third of the
principal roots and these were naturally
on the side next to the street. This account gives a general notion of how
curbs are installed and though the curb
itself may be 12 to 15 inches from the
trunk of the tree, the actual root cutting is considerably closer to the base
of the tree.
Keeping the above picture in mind,
it is perhaps easy to see why many of
the street trees were blown last September away from the street and toward
the dwellings rather than in the opposite direction because such a large proportion of the roots had been destroyed

President
Secretary
Treasurer
Chairman
Chairman
Chairman
Chairman
Chairman

at the time when the curb was installed.
It makes little difference whether this
was done within 1 or 10 years since the
curb itself would effectually bar any
material root development toward the
center of the street and make the trees
correspondingly vulnerable to winds
blowing across the street. There is no
question but that a curb gives a finish
to a street impossible with the rounded
bank. There is a question as to whether
this finish is worth what it costs in root
destruction. It is possible with breaks
in the curb 2 f e e t or thereabouts from
the trunk of each tree to secure much
of the finish of the curb with a great
reduction of root injury.
Such a
"broken curb" so to speak would prevent vehicles or even bicylcles running
up on the bank to any extent and permit keeping the ground between the
walk and edge of the street in a reasonably satisfactory condition.
Such a modification of curb installation would do much to permit satisfactory tree growth without sacrificing
essentials in street maintenance. Is it
worth while?

Teacher—"How did you get such
dirty hands?"
Bov—"Washin' my face."
—"Ex."

Motorist—"Was I driving a bit too
fast, officer?"
Policeman—"No, you were just flying
too low."
—"Ex."

"Many pedestrians are prone to carelessness."
"After being careless, they surely are
prone."
—"Ex."

OFFICERS' DIRECTORY
John Corniseli, 5 Ellsworth Rd., Peabody,
Philip Cassidy, 45 Grosvenof 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
Edwin Hansen, Concord C. C., Concord,
Employ. Comm. . . . Arthur Anderson, 358 Fuller St., W. Newton,
Trustees
George Rommell, Jr., 54 Eddy St., West Newton,
NEWSLETTER officers, see page two.

Mass
Mass
Mass
Mass
Mass
Mass
Mass
Mass

GOOD GOLF
Depends on

GOOD TURF
Good Turf
Originates

Clean

GRASS

SEED

from

»

•

Seed

&
SONS Inc.

ALSO DISTRIBUTED BY

NEW ENGLAND TORO CO.

COOD SEEDS

NEW ENGLAND DISTRIBUTORS OF
1
A

fiT%. |P|j>
1 1
1 » I

V

Power Mowers—Gang Mowers—Hand Mowers
a c t o r s and 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
Rollers—Spikers—Sod Cutters—Soil
Screens

Tr

Units

BTJCKNER
— 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
—t
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

—Say

y o u s a w it in t h e

—

•

Reasonable

DIVISION

-t 3 3 1 m g r n S M mTaO L•E3D.O
T .. wOHIO
.I

THE SIGN OF

Good

Viable

H.WOOjgRUFF

• z \ H =m

•

WESt New. 1658

NEWSLETTER—

1» ^ f i
•"""f.*

m

SMìm »r

, .

ABOVE: Your choice of wheels ivith demountable metalrims or pneumatic tires,
as illustrated.
LEFT: Worthington Multigang [seven cutting units] used with the
Golf Chief cuts a 16-foot swath. This fast and flexible combination we believe to
be the most efficient and most economical gang-mowing outfit in the world.

The famous Worthmgton Ceiling Unit

gives
you more beautiful fairways and better lies

E v e r y W o r t h i n g t o n C u t t i n g U n i t is
s t u r d i l y b u i l t t o g i v e y o u y e a r s of s a t i s factory, economical service.
Gears are
a c c u r a t e l y m a c h i n e - c u t a n d t h e r e is a
s e p a r a t e t r a i n of g e a r s f o r e a c h d r i v i n g
ground wheel. Gear housings are dust,
sand
and
grease-proof,
and
require
greasing
ONLY
TWICE
A
YEAR,
knives are a d j u s t e d quickly and easily
by h a n d — N O
TOOLS
REQUIRED—
time and labor-saving features
exclusive with W o r t h i n g t o n .
Another exclusive W o r t h i n g t o n Gang
M o w e r f e a t u r e is t h e s p r i n g h o l d i n g t h e
c u t t i n g u n i t firmly t o t h e g r o u n d w i t h out
increasing
the
dead-weight
and
d r a f t . This gives an evener, s m o o t h e r
cut without the bobbing and
jumping
t h a t m a k e s r i d g e s in t h e g r a s s .

Worthington
Cutting
Units
are
equipped throughout with the highest
quality ball and roller bearings, insuring lowest friction and wear
and minimum draw-bar "drag".
T h o u s a n d s of golf c o u r s e s all o v e r
the world rely on W o r t h i n g t o n for m o r e
efficient golf c o u r s e m a i n t e n a n c e a t less
cost.
In t h e last 15 y e a r s , 4 6 o u t of
60 golf courses on which the British,
Canadian and United States Open and
the United States A m a t e u r
Championships have been played, used W o r t h i n g ton equipment.

ear out and mail this coupon today for handsome

UTorthington
Mower Comm
STROUDSBURG • PENNSYLVANIA
Sales Agencies: All Principal
Cities

C.
New
3 Walker

SAWTELLE
Distributor

Terrace

Telephone:

new illustrated

WORTHINGTON
Stroudsburg, Pa.,
Please send
obligation.

M.

England

Cambridge,
Trowbridge

26-page

Golf

Catalogue..

MOWER COMPANY
Dept. N L / a u .

catalogue

on

your

equipment

Name
Address
City

Mass.

7491

State

at

no