Newsletter

GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION OF NEW ENGLAND

F E B R U A R Y ,
T h e weather is such an important factor in the
every day life of the Golf Course Superintendent one
cannot go far wrong in discussing it. Particularly,
since we are all still mindful of the adverse conditions
of last year. What is the summer weather going to be
in 1956? At the moment the turf on all golf courses
in this area is quite dormant. It is lying under a six
to eight inch layer of snow, with plenty of ice on the
bottom and frozen ground under that some two to
three feet deep. What will be the condition of that
turf the end of March, and then again in July and
August? Will it be another hot summer and will we
be pestered again with hurricanes and heavy rains?
It is doubtfuf if we would be better superintendents
if we knew the answers. All the same we are curious
enough to take a peek if we had the opportunity.
T h e Government Weather Bureaus are reluctant
to forecast the weather more than a few days in advance although their present knowledge of the high
speed jet air streams tempt them to make monthly
predictions. They say, however, that they have no
reliable method of long range forecasting of weather
except the simple-minded "average" of what happened
in the last 5, 10 or 15 years. How ridiculous. Then
there is another method of forecasting based upon
scientific astronomy, taking into account the relative
positions of the sun, moon, earth and other planets.
This sounds ridiculous, too, because so little is known
about it. This editor, however, has been impressed
with the accuracy of the astronomical seasonal temperature forecasts by Ernest Wykes of California during the past several years. For instance, he predicted
for the Northeast areas in the Daily Planetary Guide
Book last December 1954 that the months of July and

19 5 6

thousand sq. ft. without injury. Its price may seem
prohibitive until labor saving and ease of handling
is considered. T h e best method of application is by
spreader.
"If a man empties his purse into his head, no man
can take it aiuay from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest." - Franklin.
Narry Sperandio did an excellent job in properly
introducing the educational program and later ably
conducting our business meeting in the absence of
President O'Grady, 1st Vice-President Francis, and
2nd Vice-President Allen. T h e first two, it was understood, were still in California. Their reports on the
National Convention at Long Beach will be anticipated at our next meeting. T h e following applications for membership were read:
For associate
membership:
Walter C. Greus, Cedar Glenn Golf Club
Roger Hines, Sherwood-Natick Golf Club
Thomas Farrington, Wampatuck Golf Club
Regular
membership:
Donald. Mitchell, Kearsarge Valley C.C.,
Sutton, N. H.
Incidentally, our present membership has already
passed the 100 mark, the highest in our history we
believe.
of

"Progress is the activity of today and the
tomorrow."—Emerson.

assurance

There were two committees appointed by the chair
to expedite and bring up to date our association
» S S l , a s „ f o l l ° w s : g 5 , Y e a r _ P i n Committee, Cassidy

above average. T h e reason being that Mars, the most
heat radiant of all planets, was to be in the north
where its heat reflections came directly on the earth.
What does he say about 1956?? A much cooler summer can be expected. A fairly early spring. A better
spread of rainfall. No wholesale dumping of rain in
a few hours. Mild early fall. Cool late fall. Mild
winter 1956-57 and again a hot summer in '57 but
not as hot as 1955. Much less destruction from storms
and hurricanes in 1956. Let's see how this works out.
Our regular meeting held February 13, at the
Waltham Field Station was another harmonious and
enjoyable gathering. T h e usual excellent luncheon
was followed by the attendance prize drawing, going
this time to Guy Tedesco, William McBride and Albert Allen. T h e educational feature for the afternoon
was sponsored by the Sawtelle Bros, and the Dupont
Company. Here are brief notes on the talks: Bob
Miller spoke on Turf Diseases and Control. — Tersan
and Semesan for dual use may be mixed and applied
together without counter reaction. Use as little water
as possible in order to keep down labor cost. Use 3 oz.
Tersan and 1 oz. Semesan per 1,000.
William Boyd on Weed Control
talked about
2 4 5 T both Ammine and Esther for control of clover
using 1 lb. per acre. T h e use of esther is safer where
drift may be expected to do some damage. There is
less damage with fall applications. Mid-October is
the best time for clover control. Spring usually okey
but some damage may be apparent then. T h e recommended strength for 2-4-D is 1 pint to the acre. T h e
use of C M U on driveways may cause damage to
nearby shrubs and trees. Be careful with this. In
traps fairly successful. Follow directions. Ammate
most popular for ivy control. One spraying and a
follow-up should keep clear for several years.
Dupont's New Uramite was explained by George
Stewart. It's a combination of formaldehyde and
urea in the proper combination to feed out slowly
through the season with one application. Containing
3 8 % nitrogen it is recommended for both crops and
turf. It may be used as high as 10-12 pounds per

C. xviiLcuen anu /v. v.ouy. rsy-jLaws Committee: Darling, Ash, Cassidy, N. Sperandio and Tedesco. T h e
latter committee is requested to meet at 11 a. m. on
the date and place of our regular March meeting for
preliminary work. T h e positions filled announcements were flying thick and fast at this meeting.
Orville Clapper introduced his new man, T e d Stevens,
who replaces Aubrey Clapper. Sam Mitchell introduced Don Mitchell as the manager of their New
Hampshire turf production. Narry Sperandio announced that his brother Tony was leaving the Framingham C. C. to accept a position with Paulini Bros.
Garden Shop, Newton Center, It was also learned that
Ed Curran had left Lexington C. C. to accept a civil
service position at the Framingham Post Office. We
all wish these nice fellows the best of luck and wonderful success in their new locations. They will be a distinct loss to our association. Tony has done a remarkable job as our Educational Committee Chairman,
always handling the outdoor and indoor meetings efficiently, diplomatically, and expediously. And we
thought Ed Curran had a promising future in our
association. We shall miss them both.
F O R SALE
1 Carpenter Mower Grinder.
1 Toro Sod Cut.
Contact — Arthur Anderson, Brae Burn.
T h e above advertisement is a reminder to our
members that here is a little used medium to buy, sell
or exchange many things in golf equipment. What
little it has been used has been successful. T h e cost
is 10c a word.
THE MARCH MEETING
Place — Waltham Field Station, Waltham, Mass.
Date — March 5th.
Luncheon - 12:30.
Subject — Aero-Cyanamid. Speaker from the Cyanamid Company. This product deserves our close
scrutiny.
W I L L YOU B E T H E R E ?
H. DARLING, Editor