G r e e n k e e p e r s

C l u b

of

N e w

K u r l a n d

N E W S L E T T E R
December, 1929.

Vol. 1, No. 8.

'"// is not doing the things we like to do, but liking the
things we have to do, that makes life blessed. "
—Goethe

W e wish f o r YOU a Very H a p p y and Merry Christmas! W e hope
t h a t much of the happiness will be due to t h e f a c t t h a t t h e y e a r
nearly over has been successful, and t h a t YOU can look f o r w a r d
into t h e y e a r s to come with pleasure and hope f o r continued success.

Now is t h e time to so plan your W i n t e r work t h a t you may know
all t h a t needs doing - during this season, and can so plan your work
t h a t t h e w e a t h e r will not hinder. A d a p t your work to t h e w e a t h e r .
Then you will be able to s t a r t a new golfing season with all p r e p a r a tory work done.

Think ! W e have h e a r d of one complete f e r t i l i z e r which h a s
sand and b i c a r b o n a t e of soda used f o r filler—others have cocoa
shells and castor bean pumice. W h a t has yours?
Screened compost is mixed under cover with poultry m a n u r e ,
allowed to heat, t u r n e d several t i m e s ; possibly h e a t kills weed seed
in compost. Is t h e r e s u l t a n t loss of ammonia compensated by killing
of weed seed? Several of our m e m b e r s are trying this method. W h a t
do you t h i n k ?
W h e n you clean out t h a t w a t e r h o l e of yours, do you save t h e
muck, leaves, etc. which you d r a g out, and compost it? Mixed with
lime, m a n u r e , and sand, in different quantities according to t h e
n a t u r e of your material, it will produce compost f o r your course.
Have you tried " A d c o " f o r b r e a k i n g down straw, leaves, etc. into
manure ?

NEWSLETTER

2

This N E W S L E T T E R is published
monthly by the Greenkeepers Club of
New England, and sent free to its members and their Greens' Chairmen. Subscription price ten cents a copy, or a
dollar a year.
GUY C. W E S T
Editor
MARSTON B U R N E T T
Business Mgr.
GROUP

INSURANCE

IMPOSSIBLE!

A f t e r considerable work for group
insurance, and a f t e r the Greenkeepers
Club of New England had voted to adopt it, and a f t e r everything was set
to put it into working operation, the
whole matter was found impossible to
put across because of the regulation of
the State Legislature forbidding insurance companies to issue group insurance
to organizations, clubs, or unions where
there is no common employer. Investigating f u r t h e r to see if the f a c t that
our club is made up of members in the
New England States and not only in
Massachusetts, we found that we were
unable to get group insurance in any
case.
The ruling came as a surprise to your
committee and the insurance men themselves did not know of it until the day
before our December meeting. Thei*e
seems to be no question that a month
or so ago this insurance could have
been put thru, before the ruling went
into effect, and perhaps if the members
as a whole had got behind the committee
sooner, we might now be enjoying group
insurance.
At the December meeting of the club,
methods were discussed to try and bring
about some form of benefit to fill the
gap left by the failure of the group
insurance plan. It was suggested t h a t a
death benefit be arranged—-increasing
the dues, setting aside a portion of this
as a death benefit fund, and at each
death the members be assessed to keep
the f u n d intact, and the whole sum be
issued to the family of the deceased
member. There was some opposition to
this plan, and it was suggested to increase the dues, and a certain sum be
set aside along with the trustees' fund,
now on hand, and this to be known as a
Benevolent Fund. In case of the death
of a member, a cei'tain sum would be
issued to his dependents when needed.
Other suggestions were also offered, but
it was voted to refer the matter to the

Board of Directors and for them to
bring in a plan to be voted on at the
the annual meeting in J a n u a r y .
CARLTON E. T R E A T .
WINTER
GOLF

WORK

ON

A

COURSE

A f t e r the season's play is over, and
the rounds of golf begin to get less
each day, the greenkeeper's mind is
pretty well fixed in regard to what jobs
he would like to have done before the
r e x t season's play begins.
The most important thing is how
much money he has left to carry on his
Winter's work; or possibly the grounds
committee may feel t h a t when the golfing season is over, the work on the golf
course is over. If the latter be the case,
there in not much use in preparing for
work on the coui'se or around the shop
in the Winter months.
Considerable work may be accomplished during the off season. For example, major jobs of filling in where
necessary may be done by covering the
points to be cut away with old hay or
other material fit for covering- purposes
to keep out the frost. Similar coveringmaterial may be used around trees to be
removed, providing the stumps are to be
removed.
Compost piles out of doors to be used
the following Spring may be covered and
hauled out when convenient. Brush and
scrub growth may be cleared providing
the snow is not too deep. Sand may be
hauled to sand t r a p s where needed,
ready for spreading in the Spring.
Equipment may be gone over, all
mowers taken apart, thoroughly cleaned,
worn parts replaced, sharpened; tractor,
gas engines, electric motors, etc., overhauled and painted. Who wants to s t a r t
work in the Spring with these things undone?
Wagons, wheelbarrows, tee benches,
etc., should be gone over, and repaired
where necessary. All equipment and
supplies should be checked and complete
stock taken, and compared with the previous year's list, to see what has been
lost or mislaid. (You'd be surprised!)
In regard to screening compost in the
Winter months, I have said nothing;
while I know that some greenkeepers are
lucky to have a house to screen compost
in during the Winter months, I think
the majority do it in the Fall.

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NEWSLETTER!

3 NEWSLETTER
Where club house is open the year
round, snow has to be cleared f r o m
walks, roads kept open, and parkingspace cleared.
Winter sports may be promoted by the
grounds committee to give the members
some recreation during the
winter
months.
In general there is plenty t h a t can be
done around the course in the Winter,
if the budget is matched accordingly.
WILLIAM J. McBRIDE.
SHOW

YOUR

COLORS!

Flags and flag poles are necessary
equipment on all golf courses, and to my
way of thinking, should be kept in tiptop condition. It surely is a disgrace to
look over a fine layout with good greens,
fairways, and tees and see some of the
things that are out for flags and poles.
You can't make me believe than any
golfer likes to shoot to any green over
which holds sway an old dirty r a g stuck
on the end of a bent, wobbly, worn-out
pole. Personally, I'd rather curtail expenses somewhere else to have, at least,
one set of flags on hand to replace the
worn ones when needed.
The flags and poles should not only be
necessary equipment on the course but
also an exhibit, so why not keep them
bright and clean, fixed so they will stand
erect and dare anyone not only to shoot
at them, but inspect them as well.
When you make up your budget for the
coming year, make allowance for this
item and always have a good, clean,
clear-cut target for the golfers to shoot
at—then if they miss, and they sometimes do—at least it will not be because
they cannot see the pin.
C. E. T R E A T .
A VISIT TO A SEED

TESTING

On my arrival I was not welcomed
with open a r m s ; on the contrary I heard
the analyst say, "Aha, much chaff!" I
was then mixed mechanically, and a sample of me weighed very exactly, (I
found out a f t e r w a r d s that all weights
are to the thousandth point a f t e r the
decimal) and this sample was then
separated mechanically by vertical air
blast machine and by screens; and by
hand into four parts, pure seed, inert
matter, commercial seed, and weed seed.
The analyst then identified and counted the commercial and weed seeds, and
altho no noxious weed seeds were found,
I blushed with shame t h a t I was so impure !
Then the four parts were weighed
back, and percentage figured on these
weights. The pure seed was examined
closely, and I heard with dismay,
"Nearly fifty percent Red Top!"
Germination tests were made from this
pure seed. The germinators are certainly
wonderful, with electric control for heat
and ice control for low temperatures.
The germination tests of me were done
in duplicate. Each test was made in a
sterile petrie dish on a sterile blotter,
treated with one half of one percent
solution of potassium nitrate. These
tests kept me in the germinator for twenty-one days, but my cousin Red Top, who
also visited the laboratory, was only
kept in ten days. On the other hand, my
old friend Kentucky Blue was kept in
nearly five weeks!
Upon my return home, with the results known to Mr. A. Wise Greenkeeper, and he knew t h a t I wasn't too pure,
and that I didn't germinate any too well,
he said that the test had certainly
saved him money, and chat I wasn't
good enough for him. I am not worrying
tho, for surely some other buyer, not
so wise, will soon come along, and buy
me at a fancy price!

PITTSBURGH

LABORATORY

I am a bag of bent seed, not as pure
as I should be. My owner tried to sell
me to Mr. A. Wise Greenkeeper for pure
bent, but Mr. Greenkeeper insisted on
sending a sample of me to a reliable seed
testing laboratory f o r analysis before he
bought me. I am going to tell you about
my trip there.

DEMONSTRATION
PLOTS

Some observations concerning
the
plots in the Pittsburgh district, taken
f r o m the Bulletin recently sent out by
the Golf Service Bureau of Pittsburgh,
may be of interest as to how they compare with the similar plots at the
Charles River Country Club.
There are two sets of plots in this

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To Our
Greenskeeper Friends
Club Chairmen
"Pros"
And Our Competitors
We Wish You

A iHerrg GHtrtsimas
And A

liappg Prosperous New fear
WOODWORTH BRADLEY
SEEDSMAN

136 South Water St., Prov,, R, I.
Box 1534—Phone Gaspee 8789
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5 NEWSLETTER
Dr. Basil B. Brook, Horticulturist
and Specialist in Turf Maintenance,
Golf Courses. Parks, etc., who has
charge of the Golf Course on the
famous Davis Islands, Tampa, Florida, writes as follows:
"For a considerable time I
have been very carefully studying, testing and checking
up
with C O L L O D I A L
PHOSFOOD
upon the greens.
Results have
b e e n so r e m a r k a b l y g o o d I a m
convinced
that
we
have
in
COLLOIDAL
PHOSFOOD,
a
plant
food that
green-keepers
should be fully acr/uainted with,
a s it w i l l fill a g a p in h i s f e r t i lizer program that has
always
been vacant."

FOR QUALITY

LAWNS, GOLF
and SPORT TURF

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SALES COMPANY
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126

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Mass.

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One State Street, Boston
E.

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Telephone, Hubbard

Manager

Breck's Announcement
Stepehen Berecz, previously Jacobs e n S a l e s a n d S e r v i c e M a n a g e r , is
n o w in o u r e m p l o y in c h a r g e o f t w o
new services.
A c o m p l e t e line of Golf C o u r s e
Construction and Maintenance Equipment.
A R e p a i r S e r v i c e f o r all t y p e s
M o w e r s in o u r n e w s h o p w h i c h
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Tel. Hubbard

Course
Mass.

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of
is
of

NEWSLETTER

6

district, one at the Oakmont Country
Club, and the other at the Allegheny
Country Club.
A f t e r a season of heavy Spring Rains,
followed by extreme Summer drought,
the present impressions a r e : "Coocoos
bent has been excellent at both stations.
Kentucky Blue Grass is poor; it will
not stand short cutting. Velvet bent seed
and stolons are making slow but steady
progress. Washington, Virginia
and
Columbia bent stolons and Coocoos bent
seed had an attack of small Brown Patch
later in the season than any other plots.
"Allegheny" Creeping bent stolons first
resembled Metropolitan bent stolons, but
later became coarser."
Present impressions among faii*way
mixtures are that Kentucky Blue was
rather poor a f t e r the drought, and the
best mixture seemed to be 80 G Chew
ings fescue and 20 G South German
mixed bent.
Among the cutting experiments it was
proved that Chewings fescue will not
stand the close cutting necessary for
most putting greens, and t h a t stolon
bent becomes loose and fluffy if not cut
short.
Plots poisoned with arsenate of lead
before seeding, were slightly slower in
germinating than the unpoisoned plots.
No grubs or worms were noticed in
either Turf Garden.
in general, results shown were quite
similar to those at Charles River Country
Club.

ACTIVATED

SLUDGE

Several members have written us for
opinions concerning the use of activated
sludge. We are unable at this time to
give very many opinions, but hope others
who have used this fertilizer will write
us concerning their experiences with it.
F r a n k Wilson has the following to say,
"Activated sludge is a very good Fall
fertilizer applied in
September.
If
applied in the Spring, it is so slow acting
that the time of the most rapid growth
of grass has gone by before the activated
sludge is available. Used in combination
with
Nitro-Phoska,
(15-30-15),
its
action is much more rapid, the Niti'oPhoska giving additional fertilizer, and
also causing the activated sludge to
break down and become immediately
available."

Our experience has been similar. It
doesn't show up when used in the
Spring, but we have had very good results, with it used in late Summer and
early Fall, especially on fairways which
were burnt badly. We used it in combination with sulphate of ammonia this
Fall and later alone on the burnt areas,
and the result has been very good. Our
fairways went into this Winter as long,
as dark green, and as thick as they did
last year, in spite of the difference in
rainfall between the two years. Under
our conditions here, used alone it is
from four to six weeks a f t e r application
that it becomes available. It has given
us satisfaction as a slow-acting organic
fertilizer.
G. C. W.

Even if group insurance is not possible
for the club, insurance can still be taken
out by individuals, and all who have not
sufficient coverage should bear this in
mind.
The Kernwood Country Club closed
for the season on November 24, a week
earlier than usual.
John Latvis is spending part of the
Winter in Europe; he expects to return
in early February.
Try to be present at the annual meeting in J a n u a r y ! Election of officers for
1930, reports of officers and committees
for 1929, BANQUET, etc. Come an enjoy the fellowship of your friends!
At the December meeting the Nominating Committee submitted the following slate of officers and committees for
1930: Pres., Carlton E. T r e a t ; 1st V.
Pres., Thomas F a h e y ; 2nd V. Pres.,
James McCormack; Rec. Sec., Robert
Mitchell; Fin. Sec., Howard F a r r a n t ;
Treas., James Sullivan; Trustee, Ted
Swanson; Trustee, (unfinished term)
F r a n k Wilson. Entei'tainment
Committee, Burnett, Maxwell, 0'Leai*y, Galvin, Wilson; Golf Committee, Sowerby,
Hayden, Oldfield, McBride, Shanahan;
Membership Committee, Parker, Greene,
Crowley, Pierce, Edwin Hansen.
The Board of Directors met with Tom
Fahey at Winchester on the evening of
December 16.

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NEWSLETTER
Greenkeepers of Massachusetts and
New England should realize that if they
ever think of taking the Winter Course
for Greenkeepers at the Massachusetts
Agricultural College during the Winter
term, they should get their applications
in early. This coming course, f r o m J a n uary 2, to March 20, was filled last October, and four applications have already
been received for the course in 1931.
Over forty applications were of necessity turned down this year, as the membership is limited to fifteen.
As this course has been arranged in
cc-operation with
the
Greenkeepers
Club, all of our members should take
special interest in the work being done
in it. Work covered during this term includes Motors, Botany, Water Systems,
Drainage, Equipment, Managerial Problems, Grasses and Grass Seeds, Cost
Keeping and Analysis, Soils and Fertilizers.
The annual exhibit for greenkeepers
is planned for March 15, and 16. Plan
to take a trip to Amherst on these dates!
Professor Dickinson and his class will be
glad to see you.

For Sale

JOHN J. NYHAN
GOLF

MOWERS

REPAIRED

Distributor for
PENNSYLVANIA
RED-E

In

GOLF COURSE GRASSES
AND EQUIPMENT
W h e n making out your budget
include a
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Tel. Aspinwall

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MAKING
1930

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Hardware

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Seed

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Mass.

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4-8-4 Fertilizer
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New York City

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WE WISH TO YOU—

F r o m the P e r s o n n e l of the

NEW ENGLAND TORO COMPANY