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Greenkeepers Club of New England

NEWSLETTER
APRIL 1945

"A good man has meekness in prosperity and fortitude in adversity."—Anon.
The March meeting was held at the Hotel Statler on March 5th. Our guest speakers were
Mr. Chester Baldwin of Joseph Breck & Sons; Mr. J. Hunter Gooding, representing The DuPont
Company; Mr. Orville Clapper of The New England Toro Company and Mr. Chester Sawtelle,
Field Engineer for Worthington Mower Company. Each of the speakers gave an interesting and
instructive talk and then took an active part in the informal discussion that followed.
Apparently, the most serious problem confronting the greenkeeper today, is the labor
shortage. The War Manpower Commission ruling that all males, except war veterans, over
fourteen years of age must secure a permit from the United States Employment Service before
they can be hired appears to make it virtually impossible to hire a full-time man for non-essential
work in a critical area. The silver lining of this cloud is the hope that the collapse of Germany
will permit the lifting of some of the labor regulations.
There was some discussion about the new chemical, D. D. T., and the possibilities of its use
as an insecticide on golf turf in the future. Practically all of the present production is going to
the armed services for use in combating such pests as body lice, mosquitoes, flies and other insects.
Very small quantities have been allocated for agricultural experimental work, most of this material being used under direct supervision of the United States Department of Agriculture and the
various state experiment stations. D. D. T. as such will not reach the general public since, in order
to be effective against most pests it must be formulated with other materials to give effective results. Considerable research is necessary to develop the best formulations of D. D. T. to meet
specific uses in the control of pests affecting crops, livestock and the home.
Most of the mercury mines in this country are closed and present indications are that the
supply for civilian use is uncertain. It is expected that the price of mercurials will not decline in
the immediate future and it may continue to advance. Spain is producing some mercury but
there are no shipments being made to this country at present. Thiosan is not being manufactured because the basic material of Thiosan is used in making rubber.
We were also informed that the fertilizer outlook was not discouraging^ although each
manufacturer is limited to making one special mixture. Milorganite is expected to be available to
the extent of about 40 % of pre-war quantity and victory gardens will have preference. Cotton
goods are scarce and greens flags are being made from remnants of American flags. Metal equipment such as ball washers, tee markers and sprinklers are not manufactured at present. The
supply of repair parts for mowers is fairly good with the exception of malleable castings.
We were surprised to hear that one company could manufacture and sell without a priority, fairway gangmowers and tractors equipped with rubber tires. Why this concern should have
this privilege was not explained unless it is because they have recently completed a government
contract and their factory is located in a non-critical area.
In summing up the discussion, it appears that the future would not be too gloomy if we
could find some way to solve the labor problem. Discharged war veterans, supplementary workers and school boys seem to be the answer at present, if we can obtain them. It has been said that
there is a solution to every problem and we may be fortunate enough to find it, but it will require enterprise and ingenuity, plus plenty of aspirin.
The next meeting will be at the Hotel Statler, Monday, April 2, 1945, at 2:00 P. M. Mr. F.
Raymond Witham, Manager of The International Fertilizer Company, will be our guest speaker.
This will be our last indoor meeting of the season, why not make a special effort to attend and
take part in the bull session with your fellow members?
Does your cigarette taste different lately—or haven't you tried rolling your own with old
grass clippings?
JACK COUNSELL.