I wish to be simple, honest, f r a n k — natural,
clean in mind and body, unaffected—ready to say
"I do not know", if so it be, to meet all men on an
absolute equality—to face any obstacle and meet
every difficulty unabashed and unafraid—to cultivate the hospitable mind and the receptive heart.
•—Elbert Hubbard.

J A N U A R Y

k

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 G r e e n ' s Chairmen. Subscription price t e n cents a copy, or a
dollar a year.
GUY C. W E S T

Editor

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

G E O R G E J . ROMMELL, J R .
Business Mgr.
54 E d d y S t . , W e s t N e w t o n ,

J a n u a r y , 1939

Mass.

writes, " I have been a less t h a n m o r e
f r e q u e n t c o n t r i b u t o r of late, due to the
f a c t t h a t I have t h r e e other publications
on my contribution list. My 'kibitzing'
column is being discontinued, and material t u r n e d over to Don Young, who
is s t a r t i n g 'Why'. His w r i t i n g is like
champagne, opens up with a pop,
bubbles with vitality, and leaves t h e
reader stimulated."

BOOST S E N A T E BILL NO. 38

Vol. 11, No. 1

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.

At the a n n u a l meeting, the following m e m b e r s were made C o n t r i b u t i n g
E d i t o r s of t h e N E W S L E T T E R :
R. A. Mitchell
F r a n k Wilson
Howard Fan-ant
Charles P a r k e r
Homer Darling
E a c h of these m e m b e r s is to contrib u t e or secure an article a m o n t h f o r
the N E W S L E T T E R , we hope, we h o p e !

A r e c e n t letter f r o m Carl T r e a t
points out t h a t a r e c e n t r e p o r t f r o m
New J e r s e y in t h e
NEWSLETTER
m i g h t be m i s i n t e r p r e t e d . A r s e n a t e of
lead is being used f o r J a p a n e s e beetles
a t r a t e of 250 pounds per acre with
success in m a n y cases, but more o f t e n
a t the heavier r a t e , especially w h e r e
t h e r e are heavy clay soils or w h e r e
h e a v y i n f e s t a t i o n is expected. Thanks,
Carl, f o r this correction!

W e are r e p o r t i n g r a t h e r f u l l y in this
issue on a r e c e n t i m p o r t a n t m e e t i n g of
the New J e r s e y g r e e n k e e p e r s , because
t h e s u b j e c t s u n d e r discussion are of
i n t e r e s t t o all of our r e a d e r s . This rep o r t has been made available t h r o u g h
the cooperation of K e n t Bradley, who

The eleventh a n n u a l Short Course in
Turf M a n a g e m e n t will be held a t t h e
College of A g r i c u l t u r e of R u t g e r s University on F e b . 13 - 18, 1939. As usual,
the course will be u n d e r t h e supervision
of Dr. H o w a r d B. S p r a g u e .
Anyone
wishing to enroll should apply to F. G.
Helyar, Director of Resident Instruction,
College of Agriculture, New Brunswick, N. J.

The 1939 Recreation C o n f e r e n c e a t
the Mass. State College will be held on
March 10, 11, and 12th. Keep these
dates in mind !

ANNUAL MEETING

The a n n u a l m e e t i n g of the Greenkeepers Club was held at the W a l t h a m
Field Station on J a n u a r y 9th. Officers
and committees r e p o r t e d f o r the year.
John L. Counsell of Salem C o u n t r y
Club was elected president. He succeeds R. A. Mitchell of Kernwood.
Others officers elected included :—
H o m e r C. Darling, J u n i p e r Hill, first
vice-president; A r t h u r Anderson, B r a e
B u r n , second vice-president; Charles W.
P a r k e r , Wianno, third vice-president;
Philip I. Cassidy, Needham, s e c r e t a r y ;
F r a n k Wilson, . Charles River, t r e a s urer;
W. D. Maxwell,
Marshfield,
t r u s t e e f o r t h r e e y e a r s ; Samuel Mitchell,
Ponkapoag,
chairman
entertainment
c o m m i t t e e ; Lloyd G. Scott, Meadowbrook, chairman golf committee, and
Henry
C.
Mitchell,
Walpole,
and
Thomas F . Burke, Cohasset, a u d i t i n g
committee.

PRESIDENT'S

REPORT

1938

To the Greenkeepers Club of
New England,

In spite of floods in July, a once in
a c e n t u r y h u r r i c a n e in S e p t e m b e r with
a tidal wave, you who suffered little or
w e r e hard hit carried on and will in
1939.
R e s p e c t f u l l y submitted,
Robert A. Mitchell.

Fellow M e m b e r s :
First, I wish to t h a n k all the officers
a n d committees who have cooperated in
c a r r y i n g out t h e work of the y e a r 1938.
The most i m p o r t a n t piece of work
which we have u n d e r t a k e n d u r i n g r e c e n t
y e a r s has been the endeavor to get a n
a p p r o p r i a t i o n to s t a r t r e s e a r c h work
h e r e a t t h e W a l t h a m Field S t a t i o n of
t h e Massachusetts S t a t e College.
The Greenkeepers Club of New E n g land has shown their i n t e r e s t is real
by a p p r o p r i a t i n g to the cause a considerable portion of their Club savings.
Ahead of us is the job to keep this
p r o j e c t alive a n d growing until it produces a crop; namely, t u r f r e s e a r c h a t
Waltham.
The W i n t e r Classes f o r Greenkeepers
held a t the W a l t h a m Field Station was
a successful v e n t u r e of 1938 and should
help the first mentioned p r o j e c t .
The p r e p o n d e r a n t l y educational prog r a m s which the Club desired the E n t e r t a i n m e n t Committee to put on are
strictly in line with our Club aims.
The p a r t t a k e n by the Greenkeepers
Club of New E n g l a n d a t the Recreational C o n f e r e n c e is along the same track.
When anyone tells you t h a t skill a n d
science combined with common sense
have no m a r k e t value when selling a
Greenkeeper's Services, " D o n ' t you believe it."
I t has been said t h a t Greenkeepei's
are
the
"World's
Lousiest
Press
Agents."
If this association belongs to t h a t class
I hope t h a t in t r y i n g to change t h a t
r e p u t a t i o n the f a c t s will be w e l l presented to the Public b u t w i t h o u t any
stretching, t h a t r e a d e r s m a y learn to
k n o w that w h a t we say is n o t ballyhoo,
b u t a r e dependable f a c t s , n e e d i n g no
g r a i n of salt.
Those who t h i n k t h a t the Club should
provide something, lest "All work and
no play make J a c k a dull b o y " had their
w a y in 1938 with an enjoyable occasion
a t the Weston Club.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Fellow m e m b e r s :
I w a n t to c o n g r a t u l a t e our r e t i r i n g
president on the f a i r and conscientious
m a n n e r in which he has administered
t h e office of p r e s i d e n t of our club f o r
the past two years.
I w a n t to t h a n k you f o r the honor
you have c o n f e r r e d on me. I appreciate the duties and responsibilities of
the office and I will discharge t h e m t o
the best of my ability. I will endeavor
with your assistance to elevate our profession and our organization so t h a t w e
will obtain t h e recognition we deserve.
I think our club should receive m o r e
publicity and t h a t all of our m e e t i n g s
and activities should be given t h e p r o p e r
kind of publicity. In this way we can
contact the m e m b e r s of golf clubs so
t h a t they will become conscious of t h e
f a c t t h a t we are organized to e d u c a t e
the greenkeeper, advance greenkeeping,
and to provide improved playing conditions on the golf course.
Your E n t e r t a i n m e n t Committee has
provided a fine educational p r o g r a m ,
and every m e m b e r should t a k e a d v a n t a g e of this o p p o r t u n i t y to benefit h i m self by a t t e n d i n g our W i n t e r meetingsLet us continue to keep our club f r e e
f r o m i n t e r n a l dissention or h a r m f u l outside influence, and conduct ourselves
in a m a n n e r t h a t will reflect credit
upon us and the Greenkeepers Club of
New England.
•—John Counsell..

The a n n u a l convention of the Greenkeeping
Superintendents'
Association
will be held a t Kansas City, Mo. on
Feb. 7 - 10.

G R E E N K E E P I N G GOES TO
YORK) TOWN

(NEW

A special business m e e t i n g of the New
J e r s e y Association
of Golf
Course
S u p e r i n t e n d e n t s was held on December
19, 1938 a t the S u b u r b a n Golf Club,
Union, New Jersey. Considerable business was discussed relative to local a f f a i r s and efficiently dispatched.
Discussions were opened on certain
business of joint i n t e r e s t to individual
g r e e n k e e p e r s , this and
other
local
organizations, and the national association.
Certain views were expressed by and
as individuals, motions were m a d e and
passed on some of the topics which
were mentioned. As a r e p o r t i n g greenk e e p e r the a u t h o r a t t e m p t s to give you
a cross-section of w h a t occurred.
I t was f e l t t h a t membership and officials of t h e various organizations should
be made a w a r e of the f a c t t h a t the
national organization as such has distinct obligations to individual greenkeepers and local clubs whether t h e y be
"affiliated", or " c h a r t e r affiliation" or
not allied with t h e policies of the
G. S. A.
N u m e r o u s criticisms were
made and practical r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s
offered. The more i m p o r t a n t ones, to
quote, w e r e :
" A local association should not have
to b e a r expenses of bringing a convention to its a r e a f o r g e t t i n g morale and
other s u p p o r t . " I t was questioned if a
local should be called upon to finance
e n t e r t a i n m e n t of visitors.
"Inasmuch
as the national organization profits
financially
and in other ways, all expenses of a convention should come out
of convention income."
Qualifications f o r candidates of the
national organization were discussed.
'.Members who show their w o r t h by att e n d a n c e and activity in local meetings
are usually candidates f o r local office."
" A f t e r such men have held office in
their local, they become conversant with
association affairs." "These men should
be those best qualified f o r G. S. A.
p o s t s . " "Consideration should be given
t o the a m o u n t of time a man could dev o t e to G. S. A. work and his ability
to get a r o u n d and handle corresponde n c e . " " T h e f a c t t h a t t h e r e are dir e c t o r s a l r e a d y in office f r o m a district

w h e r e a n o t h e r man qualifies f o r a new
candidacy should not p r e v e n t the new
man being n o m i n a t e d if he is of definite
v a l u e . " "All local organizations should
be r e p r e s e n t e d a t f r e q u e n t and semif o r m a l m e e t i n g s along the lines of a
g r e e n k e e p i n g congress."
"G. S. A. Board action should be
based on the r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s of t h e
m a j o r i t y of the congress.
The local
organizations should pick their own
r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s and the national b e a r
some of their congressional expenses."
"Qualifications f o r G. S. A. officials
should not be based
on personal
notoriety, popularity or the influence of
the district they come f r o m . If these
be qualifications, t h e y should be of
secondary consideration."

^^

The New J e r s e y association is dedicated to b e t t e r t u r f culture t h r o u g h
education, cooperation and professional
i m p r o v e m e n t of its m e m b e r s and sharing i n f o r m a t i o n to others interested in
fine t u r f m a n a g e m e n t .
Opinions were voiced on the method
of selection of a n n u a l conferences. " I n asmuch as directors a r e elected by
national vote, t h e y should be i m p a r t i a l
in the selection of a f u t u r e convention
site." " T h e y should consider things in
t h e light of T H E A S S O C I A T I O N , not
'my district'."
" T h e Board
should
realize t h a t in the so-called New E n g land and Middle Atlantic States, comprising Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont,
Massachusetts,
Rhode
Island,
Connecticut, New Jersey, P e n n s y l v a n i a
and New York, t h e r e are, according to
t h e figures of May 6, 1938, 381 clubs
belonging to the U. S. G. A., or 4 7 %
of the total membership in all states,
the Hawaiian and Philippine Islands.
The highest state outside this district,
with 59 U. S. G. A. clubs is Illinois."
"Ohio has 56, California 39, Michigan
28 and other states f r o m b u t one to 19
clubs." " A s of October, 1937, t h e r e
were 851 private clubs in this region
t h a t have g r e e n k e e p e r s and 916 have
Greens Chairmen who receive ' G o l f d o m '
magazine. The . circulation of 'Golfing'
in these a r e a s as of J u n e , 1937, was
95,744. This was n e a r l y one-third of
the t o t a l private golf club r e a d e r list
of this well-known publication." Some
of these figures were obtained f r o m
" T h e Golf M a r k e t " issued by the publishers of " G o l f d o m " , the
business
j o u r n a l of golf a n d "Golfing", the
national players »magazine.

^ ^

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6

NEWSLETTER

As this is the largest m a r k e t f o r golf
course supplies, golf playing equipment
and club house needs, it is obvious t h a t
this is the most strategic a r e a to promote our profession. H e r e we find a
somewhat higher m a n in charge of
supervision, b e t t e r m a i n t e n a n c e standards and the largest golf interest. " W e
owe some cooperation to the m a n u f a c t u r e r s of golf course e q u i p m e n t so
t h a t they could exhibit in the region
w h e r e i n t e r e s t in n e w equipment is
g r e a t e s t . " In New York City t h e r e are
a t t r a c t i o n s to a l a r g e r n u m b e r of exhibitors. Most of the press wires and
radio broadcasting which originate f r o m
New York City receive a t t e n t i o n a n d
publicity t h r o u g h o u t the country. "Conventions should be held in this metropolis more f r e q u e n t l y t h a n once in
seven or eight y e a r s . " "Local i n t e r e s t
should be k e p t up in this region by
holding conventions somewhere in the
vicinity at least every other y e a r . "
" T h e G. S. A. should financially aid
this and other sections so t h a t personal
contact could be m a d e to local greenkeepers and club officials. In line with
big business and other golf organizations, this district is in need of an official r e p r e s e n t a t i v e of the G. S. A. with
office facilities."
In going over the list of membership
of the New J e r s e y organization whose
m e m b e r s belong to the G. S. A., some
questions arose.
I t has been learned
t h a t certain men belonging to the
national organization have not yet applied f o r membership or a t t e n d e d meetings in this local district. "These men
should be advised by the G. S. A. of
the local organization when it is f o u n d
t h a t they are not m e m b e r s of their
sectional club." Some men m a y be
G. S. A. and local members. They m a y
be in good s t a n d i n g with the G. S. A.
a n d in a r r e a r s with their local dues.
Some r e g u l a r m e m b e r s of the New J e r sey association who did not see a n y adv a n t a g e of their s u p p o r t i n g the p r e s e n t
and past G. S. A. p r o g r a m f e l t t h a t if
it were necessary f o r the local to have
the r e q u i r e d 80 % G. S. A. membership,
they would resign. This was met with
a l a r m as some of those who would m a k e
this sacrifice r e g u l a r l y a t t e n d the local
meetings.

P A R T II.
Re. Turf Research
T h e resolution of the G. S. A. supp o r t i n g the so-called " F e d e r a l Turf Re-

s e a r c h " was b r o u g h t up. Disapproval
was voiced on the practice of an individual who, when addressing a g r o u p
of g r e e n k e e p e r s and chairmen, casts
aspersions upon the sincere efforts and
findings of t u r f research men connected
with various S t a t e E x p e r i m e n t Stations
and colleges.
Such procedure
was
deemed, " V e r y e m b a r r a s s i n g to those
men who r e p o r t to their club officials
basing their f a c t s on r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s
of their local and other men connected
with s t a t e t u r f e x p e r i m e n t s . " "A person who, by i n f e r e n c e a n d implication
when in g e n e r a l s t a t e m e n t , condemns
our reliable firms and supply a g e n t s was
considered not to be using good judgment."

^ ^

It was f e l t that, " O u r commercial
f r i e n d s r e n d e r us valuable service and
help, s u p p o r t our efforts of professional
a d v a n c e m e n t by advertising in magazines t h a t b r i n g us valuable i n f o r m a tion and aid our periodic g a t h e r i n g s by
exhibiting their w a r e s . " I t was questioned if t h e r e was a n y value in some
of the r e c e n t r e p o r t s on certain types
of t u r f work. These included artificial
t i n t i n g of t u r f t h a t was off-color due to
various causes. " T h e f a c t t h a t t u r f is
blighted when in poor health is an indication t h a t more t h a n superficial t r e a t m e n t s are n e e d e d . " "So long as one
has a n a t u r a l color indication, the condition of t u r f can be determined, and
r e s o r t i n g to u n n a t u r a l m e a n s of coloring of the p l a n t s u r f a c e hinders one
f r o m knowing the s t a t e of its r e c o v e r y . "
" I t was questionable if chemical t r e a t m e n t f o r weed eradication is entirely
practical, p a r t i c u l a r l y when t h e r e a r e
physical soil conditions which contrib u t e to weeds being p r e s e n t . "
Some r e p o r t s on research have been
duplications of e x p e r i m e n t s made elsewhere and on earlier dates.
"If t h e U. S. G. A. Club m e m b e r s are
not i n t e r e s t e d enough in t u r f r e s e a r c h , "
it was asked, "why should club employees a t t e m p t to go over their h e a d s
in order to secure F e d e r a l a i d ? "
Among the local members, indications
were t h a t t h e y were in f a v o r of considerable review, compilation and b r i n g i n g
scientific m a t t e r s up to date, this material to be published in practical f o r m
f o r g r e e n k e e p i n g application. "Research
should continue, b u t not f r o m any centralized point or u n d e r the control of
any one individual b u t by and t h r o u g h
S t a t e E x p e r i m e n t Stations close to the
local problems." "If such research were
asked f r o m F e d e r a l H e a d q u a r t e r s , t h e

^^

• H E f u n d a m e n t a l j o b of a m o w e r
1 i s t o m a i n t a i n t h e finest p o s s i b l e
p l a y i n g turf at t h e l o w e s t c o s t p e r
year. It's as s i m p l e as t h a t — t h i s
selecting the line of m o w e r s best
suited to the particular conditions
of y o u r course. Study the specificat i o n s of t h e t w o
Pennsylvanias
described below.
Compare them
with t h o s e of any o t h e r m o w e r s .
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Cylinder adjustable to take up wear. Raised
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Individual alemite lubrication. Steel roller
with improved dust-proof hardened steel
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SUPER-ROLLER GREEN5MOWER—High
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r e q u e s t should be explicit in detail as
to a m o u n t of money needed, f o r w h a t
kind of research, and u n d e r whose advisement and direction."
" T h e f a c t t h a t 'research' comes to
t h e g r e e n k e e p e r s to 'lobby' f o r it indicates t h a t it has little value as a source
of publicity and recognition." _ " T h e
a v e r a g e m a n t a k e s b u t casual notice of
so-called 'scientific m e n ' and
their
activities." " W h e n one meets with a
difficulty on his course he is expected
to use his head and the knowledge acc u m u l a t e d t h e r e i n and t h e alibi t h a t we
need m o r e research is a lame one."
" W e are expected to r e m e d y things
when t h e y go w r o n g or make practical
a t t e m p t s and not m a k e excuses."
" W h e n a g r e e n k e e p e r is n o t certain
of procedure, it is b e t t e r policy to call
in a n o t h e r g r e e n k e e p e r f o r practical
consultation r a t h e r t h a n rely solely on
t h e advice of one who has n o t supervised the f u l l operation of a golf
course."
He who helped d r a f t the resolution
should have advised against the wording, " W h e r e a s the U. S. Dept. of Agric u l t u r e has r e n d e r e d considerable technical assistance to the g r o w t h of various
p l a n t s b u t has a p p a r e n t l y overlooked the
study of t u r f f o r m i n g plants
"
" I t is a p p a r e n t t h a t this and other
F e d e r a l D e p a r t m e n t s do look into t u r f
r e s e a r c h . " " W e have such indications
as:
"1. Some t u r f gardens, laboratories and offices now used f o r
t u r f work are F e d e r a l property.
"2. S t a t e colleges and E x p e r i m e n t
Stations are land g r a n t instit u t i o n s of the F e d e r a l Governm e n t . H e r e are Reserve Officers T r a i n i n g Corps f o r the
United States Militia.
Cars
used by various individuals of
the U. S. G. A., Greens Section, a r e m a r k e d with U. S.
Dept. of A g r i c u l t u r e r e g i s t r a tion plates. Various books and
bulletins have been w r i t t e n by
men who definitely have had
connection with F e d e r a l t u r f
research."
__
" T h e G. S. A. Resolution on Turf
Research is too v a g u e — i t was n o t sufficiently specific as befits a n organization of m e n whose profession largely
involves t h e m a i n t e n a n c e of fine t u r f . "
" I t is n o t in accord with traditional
g r e e n k e e p e r economy to 'get our share
of G o v e r n m e n t money since others are

doing i t ' . " " S u c h spending will also
have to come f r o m the pocketbooks of
greenkeepers."
A f e w years ago we were asked to
and did donate f u n d s f r o m our associations to help keep up the U. S. G. A .
Greens Section experiments. We have
had no accounting on how this money
was spent. " T h e f r e q u e n t m e n t i o n by
turf technicians t h a t we are 'forgotten''
or 'unrecognized m e n ' is a w o e f u l and
self-sympathetic a t t i t u d e which does not
m a k e f o r inspiration or lead to professional progress."
The U. S. G. A. has a committee of
its m e m b e r s on the Research Board. I t
has been heard that, "these men have
not been called to m e e t i n g f o r a n u m b e r
of y e a r s . " The G. S. A. has had some
of its distinguished m e m b e r s on t h e
U. S. G. A., Greens Section Advisory
Board b u t no publication in the official
magazine has been m a d e of any r e c e n t
m a t t e r s upon which t h e y have been
called upon to advise or r e p r e s e n t the
opinions of their associates.
" T h e signing of blank checks and indiscriminate spending," was n o t looked
upon with f a v o r . " T h e G. S. A. and
locals should stress the importance to
club officials of winter school a t t e n d ance by g r e e n k e e p e r s . " "Club officials
should be u r g e d t o aid and p e r m i t their
men to a t t e n d local meetings, w i n t e r
schools and c o n f e r e n c e s of national
scope." " W e are doing considerable
f e n c e - m e n d i n g in the education and
stimulation of i n t e r e s t a m o n g g r e e n k e e p e r s . " " W e should finish one j o b
b e f o r e s t a r t i n g a n y others t h a t will mix
up this, our professional course."
All r e m a r k s , observations and opinions were m a d e with kindness b u t in
firm consideration of a t t e n d i n g to our
own business.
Order prevailed t h r o u g h o u t the meeting. E a c h r e g u l a r m e m b e r present, who
wished to speak his views, was given the
opportunity. T h e r e were no H o n o r a r y
members present.
Such opinions we have given herein,
and while m e n t i o n e d on the floor,
should
be c o n s t r u e d
as
individual
t h o u g h t s expressed by those in close
contact with g r e e n k e e p i n g m a t t e r s , and
are n o t necessarily those of the a u t h o r
of this r e p o r t , or of the membership of
the association as a whole.
As to g o v e r n m e n t a l t u r f research, a
motion was unanimously carried by those
p r e s e n t to the effect that, " A f t e r considerable discussion and c a r e f u l t h o u g h t ,

^^

^^^^
^ ^

^^

t u r f r e s e a r c h be continued, and increased by the personnel OF and AT
STATE
EXPERIMENT
STATIONS,
where golf course s u p e r i n t e n d e n t s or
g r e e n k e e p e r s cooperate, find the need
of, and are LOCALLY consulted with
t h e i r problems. The N. J . Association
does not approve of F e d e r a l Departm e n t control of t u r f r e s e a r c h a t or f r o m
a n y centralized office, l a b o r a t o r y or
field, or by any F e d e r a l appointed or
selected individual or persons. The N. J.
Association DOES, recommend, however, t h a t F e d e r a l Government Agricult u r a l Agencies, Bureaus, D e p a r t m e n t s ,
and Institutions, give all aid within their
respective means, and in all m a n n e r
possible to S T A T E E x p e r i m e n t Stations, if, and as r e q u e s t e d by Directors
of S t a t e E x p e r i m e n t Stations, f o r the
public in their respective S t a t e s . "
—Kent

Bradley.

T H I N K T H I S OVER
by Charles W. P a r k e r
Times and customs change much as
we dislike to admit it and p e r h a p s the
t i m e has come f o r The Greenkeepers
Club of New E n g l a n d to change its
custom of r e j e c t i n g , immediately and
vehemently a n y t h i n g and everything
t h a t comes b e f o r e it t h a t has the label
of the Greenkeeping S u p e r i n t e n d e n t s
Association
(National Association of
Greenkeepers of America) a t t a c h e d to
it.
There is no denying t h a t the old
N. A. G. A. had t h e f a c u l t y of saying
a n d doing the w r o n g t h i n g whenever
The Greenkeepers Club and it came in
contact with each other. N. A. G. A.'s.
initial approach to The Greenkeepers
Club r e s u l t e d in a fiasco. W h a t the details were has gone f r o m me and m a y
it be suggested t h a t these be p e r m i t t e d
to pass f r o m the memories of others
who still a p p e a r to cherish recollections
of the c o n t r e t e m p s of long ago. Again
a t the N. A. G. A. convention in New
. York several years ago relations were
not improved. Finally when the dir e c t o r a t e jazz band of the old N.A.G.A.
descended on Boston to high pressure
us into the fold the breach was
widened—some of us r a t h e r e n j o y e d the
f u r t i v e g e n t l e m a n who seemed continually slithering in and out of the
hotel suite leaving behind him a refill.
Yes; this was in the dry e r a — a n d f r o m

t h a t day to this t h e r e has been a t e n d ency to place the t h u m b and f o r e f i n g e r
to the nostrils whenever N.A.G.A. is
mentioned.
W h a t e v e r the reasons m a y have been
f o r this quite general feeling about the
N.A.G.A., should we not b r i n g o u r selves up to date? When t h e Cleveland bank situation s t a r t e d a conflagration t h a t all b u t consumed N.A.G.A. did
not this p u r g e by financial fire r e n d e r a
distinct service to those who were and
are interested in f o r m i n g a r e p r e s e n t a tive national organization of Greenkeepers? W a s not this financial loss a
blessing in disguise and is not the present G.S.A. risen phoenix like f r o m t h e
ashes
of
the
Cleveland
holocaust,
cleansed of its weaknesses?
I t has never been conclusively proved
t h a t a national organization of such a
specialized group as Greenkeepers a r e
can j u s t i f y itself other t h a n on the
score of sociability, and a very expensive sociability it will have to be with
such a relatively small potential membership scattered over such a f a r flung
a r e a as are these United States. Be
t h a t as it mays while it is t r u e t h a t
it has never been d e m o n s t r a t e d t h a t
such an organization can j u s t i f y its
existence, neither has it been proved,
to date, t h a t such an organization cannot be developed. Witness the G.S.A.
So in the spirit of changing times and
customs, can we not afford to open our
minds to this latest a t t e m p t to f u r t h e r
t h e interests of Greenkeeping? Not to
the e x t e n t of clasping it to our bosom
unreservedly, but a t least to the point
of giving the organizers the benefit of
the doubt, and perhaps—shall it be
m a d e a very small p e r h a p s — g r a n t i n g
t h a t we m a y cooperate with t h e m in
policies f o r the good of all. Why not
go a little f u r t h e r and extend to this
group the hope, even though it m a y be
completely unofficial, t h a t t h e y will be
able to convince us t h a t t h e i r aims a n d
purposes are of the highest and t h a t it
will be to the m u t u a l a d v a n t a g e of us
all to e n t e r into a common organization. Or m u s t the E a s t (of the Connecticut River) r e m a i n effete f o r e v e r
and the "splendid isolation of New
E n g l a n d " , prevail once more.
If one accepts the belief t h a t an open
mind is a sound mind, a h e a l t h y mind
and a progressive mind, the opinion expressed in an article in the last n u m b e r
of the Greenkeeper R e p o r t e r by one
Leo Fezer m e r i t s applause.
H e r e we find set f o r t h the almost
r e v o l u t i o n a r y idea t h a t all p r e s e n t day

WINTER

HARDY—ACCLIMATED
R H O D E ISLAND
CREEPING
VELVET

BENT

GRASS
SEED
and 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 b e o f f e r e d .
NATURE
HAS WRITTEN A
PRES C R I P T I O N 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 smallest 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 .
SAVE for your club: Buy
direct from the grower.

your

seed

A, N. PECKHAM
KINGSTON

R H O D E ISLAND

Greenkeepers a r e not necessarily qualified Greenkeepers simply because t h e y
have satisfied the yardstick measurem e n t of experience in course maintenance. H e r e is suggested t h a t the
time is ripe to study seriously methods
a n d ways f o r d e t e r m i n i n g who is and
who is not sufficiently g r o u n d e d in all
t h a t goes to m a k e up a qualified Greenkeeper, and f r o m the results of such a
s t u d y limit membership in a n y Greenkeeping organization to those who can
d e m o n s t r a t e their competency. A minim u m s t a n d a r d m u s t be set up to which
we must c o n f o r m b e f o r e becoming eligible f o r membership in a Greenkeeping
organization.

No elaboration of this idea of a code
of s t a n d a r d s and ethics is necessary
here, other t h a n to point out t h a t such
a d e p a r t u r e f r o m p r e s e n t day practices opens up a vista i n t e r e s t i n g and
alluring, if viewed seriously, dispassionately a n d objectively.
If one has a mind not fitted with a
" z i p p e r " and still persists in a p p l y i n g
the t h u m b and finger to the nose because of t h e source of this embryonic
idea t h e s u b j e c t will be dismissed once
and f o r all, and if a n y comment is m a d e
it will be t h a t of the dancing m a s t e r in,
"You Can't Take I t With Y o u " ; " C o n fidentially.
It stinks."
But does it?

The Rhode Island Greenkeepers' Association m e t on J a n u a r y 16th at the
N a r r a g a n s e t t Hotel, Providence. A t the
business meeting, it was decided to
sponsor a short speaking p r o g r a m a t the
Recreation C o n f e r e n c e a t the Mass.
S t a t e College on March 10, 11, 12.
Among- those p r e s e n t was L a w r e n c e
Hay, who has been g r e e n k e e p e r a t the
A g a w a m H u n t Club f o r t h e past thirtynine years. Moving pictures of f o r m e r
g r e e n k e e p i n g activities w e r e shown by
Woodworth Bradley, and others of
Rhode Island S t a t e activities and f o o t ball games were shown by the R. I.
State
official p h o t o g r a p h e r ,
George
Gee. The n e x t indoor m e e t i n g of this
association will be held on March 20th.
The a n n u a l Field Day f o r this y e a r will
be held in S e p t e m b e r instead of t h e
usual May date.

It is with r e g r e t t h a t we a n n o u n c e
the death on J a n u a r y 11th of Mr. P u r dom C a r p e n t e r of B a r r i n g t o n , R. I.
Mr. C a r p e n t e r was the owner of the
C a r p e n t e r Tool Company, m a k e r of t h e
C a r p e n t e r Grinder, and well known to
m a n y of our members.

OFFICERS' DIRECTORY
President
Secretary
Treasurer
Chairman
Chairman
Chairman
Chairman
Chairman

J o h n Corniseli, 5 Ellsworth R d l Peabody,
Philip Cassidy, 45 Grosvenor Rd., Needham,
F r a n k Wilson, Charles River C. C., Newton Centre,
E n t e r . Comm
Sam S. Mitchell, P o n k a p o a g G. C., Canton,
Golf Comm
Lloyd G. Stott, Meadow Brook G. C., Reading,
W e l f a r e Comm
P a u l W a n b e r g , 8 Curtis St., W a l t h a m ,
E m p l o y m e n t Comm
Guy
Trustees
P a u l W a n b e r g , 8 Curtis St., W a l t h a m ,
N E W S L E T T E R officers, see page two.
— B O O S T S E N A T E BILL NO. 3 8 —

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

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O MUCH GREATER SPEED
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G A KNOCKOUT IN VALUE
G SEE IT A T KANSAS CITY
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When writing, mention NEWSLETTER.

AMHERST

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Tractor—
The Tractor you've been waiting for,
And vears ahead of the Field—
Will be unveiled for your inspection
At the Kansas City Show—
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Its Chrysler 6-cylinder industrial motor was selected only a f t e r
thorough tests had proved its efficiency and economy for golf course
work. A new, 3-ton capacity truck rear-end, specially geared for
hauling gang-mowers and for transportation from shed to. f a i r w a y s ;
hydraulic brakes; scientific non-glare paint work which saves eyestrain and lends it an attractive, harmonious appearance, are a f e w
of the highlights of this 1939 Worthington Tractor. The new gangmowers, new easier pushing Scout Hand-Mowers, and other Worthington accessories will be on view at the Show. Wait until you see
the entire line before deciding on your requirements.
Special showings are being arranged — if you can't go to the
Show, you can see the new Worthington line in your own locality.

3 Walker

C. M. SA W TELLE,
New England
Distributor
Terrace, Cambridge, Mass.
Telephone: Trowbridge

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W O R T H I N G T O N MOWER COMPANY
S A L E S

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