NEWSLETTER

JANUARY, 1951

"This was a good country in the past, it
is a good country today. It will be a good country
tomorrow unless we fail it."
DAN

BEARD

The spacious new building at the Waltham
Field Station was the scene of the annual meeting of the Greenkeepers Club of New England.
It was the Twenty Seventh Annual, by the way.
It started off with a caterer's delicious roast beef
dinner topped off with ice cream rolls of many
flavors. Judging from the number of requests
for seconds and thirds, many of our members
are cultivating new rolls, or should we say roles.
The meal was even more enjoyable when we
were informed that Orville Clapper had volunteered to assume the entire cost. Thanks Orville
that was a fine gesture.
A preliminary to the business meeting was
a short talk by 0. Clapper briefly outlining
the increasing difficulties in securing certain
equipment and materials, the rapid upward
changes in market prices and the advisability
of acting now to cover on all seasons requirements. He also enthusiastically described the new
book on the market, "Turf Management", by H.
Barton Musser. Editor's note. Ye Editor has
examined this book and would say it is positively
a must for all greenkeepers. It is authentic and
practical, backed up by a board of editors consisting of well known authorities. Fred Grau, Herb
Grafs, 0. J. Noer, and Marshall Farnham. It
brings up to date a coverage of the whole field
of turf management chapter by chapter. And
the tables in the back of the book are invaluable.
They cover for example, rates of treatment for
control of turf insects, sizes of pipe for transporting given quantities of water, friction losses
in fittings, pipes, and hose, horse power requirements for irrigation, etc. The book is tops
gentlemen. By the way 0. Clapper has a supply
on hand. Price $8.00 and well worth it.
The business meeting wasn't exactly a knock
down drag out affair, but "it wern't no Quaker
meeting neither." It vibrated with vim and vigor.
HIGHLIGHTS. Officers and Committees presented their annual reports—The officers for 1951
listed in the December Newsletter were duly
elected . . . Anthony Caranci, Jr., Louisspuisset
Golf Club, North Providence, Rhode Island, was
voted a member . . . The Golf Committee reported its correspondence with the U.S.G.A. regarding the controversial October Shanahan

Greenkeeper-Pro tournament. The committees
decision based on this correspondence awarded
the win to Anderson-Sheppard. So that's settled.
Arthur Anderson was voted our delegate to the
National Turf Conference at Chicago. Secretary
Sperandio has mailed Proxy Vote cards to all
of our members who are also members of the
National. These cards should be signed with
your membership number and returned promptly
to Arthur Anderson. An appropriation of $200.00
was voted to cover the expenses of our President
Harold Mosher to the Chicago Conference with
the proviso that it will not be used if his employer pays, the expense.
Discussion and action on the change in our
by-laws was next on the docket and this consumed the balance of the afternoon. Certain
changes received a favorable two-thirds vote
and in other instances additional changes were
made requiring publication in the Newsletter and
action at the February meeting. Those changes
favorably voted upon were:
1. Bring up to date the list of club presidents.
2. Incorporate in the history of the club that
we were instrumental in bringing the National Turf Conference to Boston in 1950.
3. Omit paragraph (g) in article III.
4. Under article V change paragraph (a) to
read (The annual membership dues shall be
ten ($10.00) dollars payable in advance. New
members shall be required to pay an initiation fee of ten ($10.00) dollars. Omit paragraph (b).
5. Under article VII paragraph (b) change
(Golf and Entertainment) to read (Golf and
Educational) and after this add (these chairmen shall select two other members for their
committees. In the second section of this
same paragraph (b) re-arrange the wording
so that it will read—(The President shall appoint a Welfare Committee of three (3), an
Employment Committee of three (3), a Turf
Research Committee of three (3) and a Publicity Committee of three (3).
6. Under article VIII paragraph (h) have it
read (Educational) instead of (Entertain-

ment). Omit the last sentence in paragraph
(i).
The following changes are proposed for action at the February meeting.
1. Under article II paragraph (f) change to
read (Any member who has ceased to be employed in the work of greenkeeping may be
dropped as, a member).
2. Under article VII paragraph (b) change to
read (A nominating Committee of five (5).
As was expected the greatest difference in
opinion occured over the change in the name of
the Club. It was wisely decided to lay this on
the table for future discussion. This discussion
should continue until a substantial majority of
our members are in complete harmony on the
best name for our organization. Ralph Thomas
helped to focus attention on the subject by exhibiting a chart with the following names;
Greenkeepers Club of New England.
New England Greenkeepers Association.
New England Greenkeeping Superintendents
Association.
New England Golf Course Superintendents
Association.
Which do you like and why? Give us your
opinion at the next meeting.
WARNING. If there is anyone in our organization who has not yet ordered for immediate
delivery complete seasons requirements on materials and equipment—boy, you better get busy.
DUES. Our Club dues are due and payable
in January. Let's make our treasurer smile early
this year.
PROXY VOTE. Send that proxy vote to A.
Anderson pronto.

NATIONAL TURF CONFERENCE
AND SHOW
JANUARY 29 to FEBRUARY 2
Some of the boys are already pressing those
loud ties, shining the brogans, and removing old
banquet stains from the conference vests in
preparation for the trip to Chicago. Just how
many are going from this area is difficult to say
at this moment. Quite a few perhaps. For those
who are in doubt, here are some transportation
costs.
Rd. Trip from Travel
Boston (Approx.) Time
American Airlines
$115.46
41/2 hrs.
Pullman
116.00
17 hrs.
Day Coach
66.00
17 hrs.
(Reclining Seats)
Greyhound Bus,
36.69
35 hrs.
(Excursion Rate)
Better go fellars. Its educational, rejuvenating, and well worth it to you and to your club.
For the benefit of those who cannot possibly
go, here is an idea for our February 5, meeting.
Stage a panel discussion on the main points of
the Turf Conference with practically everyone
who attended participating. This would not only
pass along interesting information to, those who
were unable to go but the rehearsing and redigesting would increase the value of the information to those fresh from the conference.
What about the February 5, meeting? It
will be held in Boston, at the Hotel Bradford
at 1.30 sharp. The Educational Committee is arranging an interesting program. We'll be seeing
you.
"Difficulties, hard physical work and simplicity are still invaluable assets in evolving the
world's most important product—a real man.

SIR WILFRED GRENFELL

H. DARLING, Editor