NEW

WORK BY DR. SPR AGUE

A REMEDY
A

FOR

CLOVER

TRIBUTE

NOVEMBER
TRADE
A GREENSMAN'S

MEETING
NOTES
GLOSSARY

NOVEMBER
1933

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 Greens' Chairmen. Subscription price ten cents a copy, or a
dollar a year.
GUY C. W E S T

Editor

312 Mt. P l e a s a n t St., F a l l River,

Mass.

HOWARD D. F A R R A N T Business Mgr.
132 R u s s e t t Rd., W e s t R o x b u r y , M a s s .

November, 1933
"Are

NEW

Vol. 5, No. 11

you using your mind or
being a regular
feller?"

WORK

BY

DR.

just

SPRAGUE

A paper entitled "Root Development
of Perennial Grasses and Its Relation
to Soil Conditions" by Dr. Howard B.
Sprague of the New Jersey Agri. Experiment Station, a reprint f r o m SOIL
SCIENCE, has recently come to our
attention. This paper describes the
methods, etc. relative to the experiments conducted by Dr. Sprague in the
root development of Kentucky Bluegrass and Colonial Bent. Observations
as set f o r t h in the " S u m m a r y " of this
report are of interest:
Summary

"An orginal method f o r determining
abundance of roots f o r pasture and
turf grasses was devised to permit a
study of root development on a typical
podzolic soil of the gray-brown forest
soil group.
"Periodic harvest of roots on Kentucky bluegrass and colonial bent grass
during the months of April, May, and
June indicated t h a t bluegrass began
formation of new roots approximately
2 weeks earlier than bent grass, apparently because of a difference in the minimum temperatures at which growth
could proceed. New roots were produced
on bluegrass until May 4, whereas
formation of new roots on colonial bent
continued intermittently until about
June 15.
"The maximum root weight for bluegrass occurred in early May and practically 2 weeks later f o r bent grass. The

maximum root weight was approximately twice as great as the quantity
present at the beginning of the season,
indicating t h a t at least one-half of the
root system is newly generated each
spring. This being the case, soil and
cultural conditions in early spring are
more likely to affect root development
than at other seasons. Practically all
of the roots for both species were found
in the upper 9 inches of soil on the soil
type investigated, the abundance decreasing rapidly with depth.
"The subterranean growth in the first
inch of soil always consisted of stems
and roots. Since total root weight was
highly correlated with root weight
below the first inch, the latter value may
be relied upon for comparative root
studies, thus eliminating the necessity
for separating roots and stems in the
upper soil level.
"A detailed comparison of the root
development of six grass species in J u n e
1931 showed hard fescue to be the only
grass with roots extending in significant
quantity below the depth at which the
soil had been plowed in previous cropping'. There was a rapid decline in the
abundance of roots of all species between the first and sixth inch soil layers.
This reduction was apparently not
caused by changes in soil reaction, available phosphorous supply, or quantity of
soil organic matter as measured by
organic carbon content. In general,
reduced root development below the
sixth inch was associated with greater
soil acidity, lower available phosphorous,
and lower carbon content, but the relation was apparently not one of cause
and cffect.
"Mowing twice weekly at a height of
^ - i n c h greatly restricted root development of colonial, seaside, and velvet
bent grasses, as compared with %-inch
with the effect most pronounced f r o m
the third inch downward.
Although
hard fescue possessed more abundant
root growth than the three bent species,
when cut at ^ - i n c h , this characteristic
did not prevent eventual killing of the
fescue. The death of hard fescue under
close mowing was apparently a case of
gradual starvation caused by continuous
and severe defoliation made possible
by the erect habit of growth of the tops,
"The root development of Kentucky
bluegrass clipped at %-inch twice
weekly was fully as abundant as t h a t of
uncut bluegrass.
Root development of
redtop was reduced by regular mowing
at %-inch. From the behavior of the two

—

^ ^
J

I
*

species bluegrass appears better suited
than redtop to the repeated clipping
occurring on pastures and lawns.
"Although the three bent species tolerated regular mowing at a height of
i/i-inch, the ratio of roots to tops produced was considerably lower t h a n when
mowed at a %-inch length. The longer
cut favored relatively greater occupation of the deeper soil layers, and therefore greater opportunity to maintain
growth in periods of adversity. The
ratio of roots to top was comparatively
low for bluegrass, not because of scanty
root development but because of abundant top growth. The low root-top ratio
of this species was compensated for by
the underground placement of the
creeping stems and the ability to become dormant in unfavorable seasons.
"The root development of creeping
bent grass cut at 14-inch length with 12
different systems of fertilization indicated t h a t the residual effect of fertilizers on the soil is of great importance. Total root weights in the upper 10 inches of soil were several times
as great on plots with pH values below
5.5 as on those with reactions of pH
5.8 or above. Since the vigor of tops was
inversely
correlated
with
root
abundance, and many of the grass roots
in the strongly acid soils appeared to be
dead, the conclusion is drawn t h a t the
roots produced in previous years had
accumulated because the soil reaction
was not favorable f o r their decay.
"Comparisons of grass root systems
under different types of management
should not be used to measure the effect
of the treatment on root development,
unless the soil reaction has permitted
decay of dead roots.
"A lack of correlation between the
supply of available phosphorous, organic carbon content, or abundance of lime,
arc! root development suggests t h a t
certain unidentified factors control root
development and occupation of soil
layers on such soil types. Aeration and
physical resistance to root penetration
are suggested as possible factors t h a t
would merit consideration.
"Slowly available nitrogenous fertilizers permitted somewhat greater root
development than soluble fertilizers
supplying equal amounts of total nitrogen. Since relatively high ratios of
soluble nitrogen to carbohydrate reserves have been shown to favor top
growth rather than root development,
it seems possible that early spring applications of available
nitrogeneous

fertilizers in abundance may reduce the
quantity of new roots formed and thus
limit utilization of the soil resources f o r
the remainder of the season."

A REMEDY

FOR

CLOVER

For the benefit of those greenkeepers who have had difficulty in controlling clover on their greens, may I
pass along my experience with a remedy
this season which appears to be a sure
thing.
Our 4th green at Juniper Hill was an
eye sore because of the heavy infestation of clover. I t was about the worst
case of the kind I have seen. In fact it
was almost impossible to find a decent
cupping space anywhere on the green.
It was apparent t h a t the well known
remedies already tried were not making
any appreciable change. To make the
situation more discouraging a few other
greens seemed to be doomed in the same
direction as the 4th.
Finally, having read in GOLFDOM
about a clover remedy called "Tonagren", I decided to give it a trial, even
tho I was r a t h e r skeptical about the results claimed for it.
A f t e r the first application, made in
early Summer, it was apparent t h a t it
was a worth while product. The clover
wilted, shriveled, and became smaller.
Likewise patches of chickweed were
affected, but with no burning or discoloring of the grass.
A f t e r the second and third applications the clover became smaller, and
grass blades were noticed coming t h r u
the clover patches. By the middle of the
Summer the 4th was a changed green.
Instead of the clover predominating,
grass now has the upper hand.
At the present writing, while all the
clover has not been entirely eradicated,
it seems evident t h a t Tonagren will do
the job.^ Incidently, I only made f o u r
applications, where the directions call
f o r six or eight on heavily infested
clover areas. Also the material was not
applied as early as recommended.
Following are the directions which I
followed: First, apply Tonogren on a
warm day, when the grass is dry and
a f t e r the green is cut. Use 2V2 pounds
to cover 5000-6000 square feet. Dilute
material with 3 gallons of hot water,
(taken f r o m t r a c t o r ) , mix slowly, and
screen into 50 gallons of clean water.
I applied the material with a power
sprayer, which we use in applying sul-

phate of ammonia. The power sprayer
does a quick job as well as a uniform
one. In Ave days a second application
was made. (Greens should not be
watered f o r ten hours a f t e r applying
Tonagren).
A week a f t e r the second
application I used sulphate of ammonia.
Following these directions apparently
secured the desired results. Gradually
and without leaving bare spots where
the heaviest clover patches occurred,
the grass just naturally grew where it
couldn't thrive before. Final results,
therefore, f o r this season were highly
gratifying.
Tonagren costs $1.10 a pound f. o. b.
Kansas City.
Homer C. Darling.

A

TRIBUTE

Those members of the Greenkeepers
Club of New England who ever met
"Mike" Pierce must realize t h a t something has gone f r o m their life and f r o m
Greenkeeping.
His capabilities and abilities have
been indelibly stamped on the golfing
world by his Course, Kittansett. Let
who will claim the credit, Kittansett is
"Mike" Pierce.
"Mike" was more than a Greenkeeper,
yes much more. Gentleman, Diplomat,
Councillor and Confident, all these and
more f o r above everything he was a
plain unaffected Man.
It was my privilege to have worked
f o r him. To have seen him in many
moods under many difficult influences
and never have I heard an unkindly
word f r o m him or seen either by act or
expression the slightest indication of
any traits which might have been construed as small or mean.
Whoever he was associated with, and
"Mike" rubbed elbows familarly with
men f r o m all walks of life, found him a
man to all men. Yes, he was one man to
all men; he was "Mike".
I might go on endlessly for "Mike"
was productive of innumerable amusing
and interesting anecdotes but to do so
brings home all the more poignantly this
irreparable loss.
If there is a Happy Hunting Ground,
and let us hope there is, there is "Mike",
his vocabulary, his pipe and his misbehaving "sticks" strolling over his beloved Kittansett.
Charles W. Parker.

NOVEMBER

MEETING

The November meeting was held a
week early, on October 30, a t the Rhode
Island Country Club, Nayatt, R. I. An
eighteen hole medal handicap tournament was held with following results:
Class A,—
1st gross, E. Phinney, 87
1st net, M. O'Grady, 89-73
2nd net, T. Mattus, 97-75
3rd net, J . McCormack, 90-76
Class B
1st net, H. Cottelle, 106-68
2nd net, A. Di Luccio, 97-71
We were pleased to have as a guest a t
this meeting Greenkeeper Hanson of the
Pines Hotel
Course,
Digby,
Nova
Scotia.
Extension Leaflet No. 85, "Facts on
Lawn Management" by Prof. Lawrence
S. Dickinson, and issued by the Extension Service of the Massachusetts State
College at Amherst, has recently been
revised. The revised leaflet may be obtained by writing the Extension Service.
We are pleased to announce the m a r riage of Ordert L. Wendell and Virginia F. Purvis at Lexington, Ky. on
August 8th. We really didn't believe it
of Ort, running off like t h a t and not telling us about it! Ort and his new missus
are spending the Winter in Florida, and
will be in Attleboro a f t e r April 1st.
The Directors held an important
meeting at the Woodland Golf Club on
November 13th.
Send any ideas f o r Winter meetings
to Chairman Robert A. Mitchell of the
Entertainment Committee.
NOTICE

TO

OUR

ADVERTISERS

In order that we may get the N E W S L E T T E R for December in the mails and
to our members before Christmas, we
must ask t h a t all copy for the December
issue be in our hands by December 10th.
This will give everyone an opportunity
to express any Christmas greetings desired.

TRADE

NOTES

Special attention is called in the New
England Toro ad. f o r this month to the
very positive increase in price of Milorgaivite a f t e r J a n u a r y 1st. "Believe this
ad", is the advice given, as the Code
under the NRA will make the increase
necessary.
We understand that the Worthington
Mower Company is putting out a new
dump cart to go with its tractor. A
reorganization of the company has taken
Ross Sawtelle f r o m the Boston office to
the New York office as V. President of
the company, and has left Robert B.
Beale, J r . in charge of the Boston
branch office.
We are pleased to hear f r o m Steve
Berecz of the Power Lawn Mower Service Co. relative to the Code. Steve
writes in p a r t :
"We have operated under the code
since its inception. We work on a f o r t y
hour week basis and pay a wage
schedule well above the minimum set in
in the code. Our shop is run on fixed
wage plan as we do not think t h a t
piece work or commission method of
compensating workmen is productive of
the best work or interest of the men.
" F o r the past three years we have
been giving1 a high character of service
to the leading private estates, institutions and muncipalities in
Greater
Boston. We have increased our plant
equipment and space to accommodate
the work which the Greenkeepers of
New England will send to us."

The Rhode Island Greenkeepers Association held its November meeting on
the 20th at the N a r r a g a n s e t t Hotel,
Providence. Plans for the annual Short
Course for Greenkeepers at the Rhode
Island State College were discussed. The
Short Course will be held this year the
week of J a n u a r y 29.

"Today's tough break may be tomorrow's stepping stone".

A

GREENSMAN'S
By Bobby

GLOSSARY
Joner

Reprinted f r o m
"The Pacific Greenkeeper"
Caddy—A young boy, not over
who carries your bag and helps you
balls. These he secretly recovers
you buy them back next week from
golf shop. You are cheap if you tip
less than four-bits.

Links—A lot of holes strung out up
and down in rough pasturage. The original pattern was discovered by a German sausage maker, hence the name
"links". (You are wrong if you supposed
it came f r o m the lynx-eyed caretaker.
You should know from the spelling.)
Golf Ball—A small white (in its original state) pellet, decorated (in its original state) with slight round concavities,
or cross bands of intricate design. Often
redecorated by particular players who
like to see facsimiles of the smiles of

Worthington
Mower Company
N e w E n g l a n d B r a n c h Office
(Sales and

ONE

STATE

Service)

STREET

BOSTON
Telephone Lafayette

R O B E R T B. B E A L E ,

1413

JR.

W e are also p r e p a r e d to quote on a
s e l e c t e d l i n e of g e n e r a l

"Looking wise is not a substitute f o r
knowing how".

70,
lose
and
the
him

tainance

main-

requirements.

f r i e n d w i f e on all sides of the sphere. A
loving tie which binds golf and home. A
reminder of the pleasant smile S u s a n
smiled when she said, "Go on and play
your old golf. Me settin' here all alone
all day's all right, I'm used to it,"—•
slam!
Lost Ball—A ball driven out a m o n g
the rubbish, or weeds, or woods, or oil
sump, or elsewhere, t h a t defies recovery
by anyone but a Scotchman. Counts an
e x t r a stroke and much e x t r a language.
The best way is to have another ball in
t h e palm of your hand, and drop it in the
weeds, a t the same time hollering, "I've
got it." Some will be foolish enough to
believe you. When helping a n opponent find his lost ball, if you find it and i t
is a good one, quickly substitute an old
one of yours, saying, " W a s it a F a i r way, or w h a t ? " He will claim it, not
knowing the difference.
Another kind of lost ball is one you
find lying on the f a i r w a y with nobody in
sight. P u t it in your pocket. Then when
t h e owner shows up over the hill, help
him h u n t a while, saying finally, " W h e r e
'nell could it uv w e n t ? " This is almost
c e r t a i n to convince the loser of your innocence.
Divot—A slice of sod dug with an
iron. Should be placed where it originated, upside down. O f t e n neglected.
O f t e n t h r o w n a t an old d r y scar. Well
practiced divoteers usually send u p a
word or two of appreciation with a divot. These words invariably begin with
D or H.
G r e e n — T h e smooth grassy s u r f a c e
you miss when approaching. Always too
f a s t or too slow. Original home of Old
Man Alibi. Always has one or more
sand t r a p s handy.
Sand T r a p s — A creation of the Devil.
H a s positive magnetism f o r rubber.
E a s i e r to approach to t h a n the pin. A
nice place to study English. Especially
interjections and adjectives. Here elaborate descriptions of the ball a r e heard,
with emphasis on canine ancestry.
To recover f r o m a t r a p : first, watch
to see t h a t opponents are not watching
you; second, carefully scrape a w a y sand
f r o m back of ball; third, t a k e two or
t h r e e practice tries (don't count) ; f o u r t h ,
then bloom! a m i g h t y swat, filling your
eyes with sand, and the a i r with brimstone; fifth, step one short step f o r w a r d
and repeat p e r f o r m a n c e . You should get
out in not over three (counted) strokes.

S t r o k e — A swing at or upon or t o w a r d
the ball. E a c h effort m u s t be counted
(new r u l e ) . Whiffs need not be counted
unless opponent is watching.
A d d r e s s i n g t h e B a l l — A m a n n e r of dis-

cussing publicly the ball and its f o r b e a r s .
Also r e f e r s to the multitudinous wigglewagglings indulged in by some p r e p a r a tory to whiffing. The more detailed the
address the more inevitable the whiff.
P u t t i n g — R o l l i n g or shoving the ball
into the oyster can. Any distance less
t h a n 4 f e e t should be conceded by your
opponent. If he doesn't holler loudly.
A slow follow stroke is best to shove
in a five-foot putt. P u t t i n g suggests
t h a t classic: "Merrily we dub along, dub
along, dub along, dub along; merrily we
dub along, o'er the bum pea green."
Those who habitually take 3 or more
p u t t s should get down on knees and elbows and shoot as if playing billiards,
using the b u t t end of the p u t t e r .
L i e — ( a ) E r r o n e o u s s t a t e m e n t of player, especially opponent. Difficult to improve. Three golfers on the E a s t Side
(no reference to any beverage) defy the
city to improve their lies.
(b) Position of ball on ground. If in
a bad lie, pick u p on p r e t e x t of identification, place back c a r e f u l l y on a g r a s s y
eminence, and resume play. If opponent
is a t some distance, one can improve a
lie with the club while addressing.
On the green, when you pick up f o r
opponent to putt, be sure to replace
ball 6 or 8 inches n e a r e r cup.
Stance—Position of f e e t in addressing
the ball. A f t e r m a k i n g a rotten shot
your opponent always says, "No wonder,
your stench was a w f u l ! "

OUR T E N T H

ANNIVERSARY

WHEN?
On
F e b r u a r y :>, 1934.
W H E R E ? At the Woodland Golf Club,
Auburndale, Mass. W H A T ? Our Tenth
A n n i v e r s a r y Celebration. H O W ? Dinner, E n t e r t a i n m e n t , and Dance f o r
Members and Wives.
P l a n now. M a r k the date. Date u p
your w i f e f o r the celebration. W e
should have the l a r g e s t crowd of the
year!

Noiv on the

Market

T h e Q u e e n of all G r a s s e s
NEW ENGLAND GROWN

uy^VELVETW
- Germ. g g " / .

SEED
" t e n million to t h e

^
Winter-hardy,

pound*
P R O D U C E S a hardy green velvety
t u r f , c o m p a c t , u p r i g h t a n d fine.
T R U E in p u r i t y of s p e c i e s a n d
c o n s i s t e n t in c o l o r a n d t e x t u r e .
S P R E A D S above and below ground
with short creeping stems.
C O S T S l e s s in q u a n t i t y r e q u i r e d t o
sow, t o p - d r e s s a n d w a t e r .
SOLD only through reliable seed
h o u s e s in U n i t e d S t a t e s
and
Canada.
G R O W N only and w a r r a n t e d p u r e
as a d v e r t i s e d w h e n p a c k e d by

Hyper - Humus Co.
of Newton,

N.

BENT

Acclimated

SEED
for

N e w E n g l a n d Golf C o u r s e s
D i r e c t f r o m t h e f a r m s of

A. N. PECKHAM

J.

Main Office: Morris Bldg.
Philadelphia,

Pa.

KINGSTON,

R.

I.

Write Us f o r Name of
Nearest Dealer

MODERN SERVICE
The day of the itinerant scissors grinder as an all around repairman
has passed. Modern times have demonstrated the need f o r specialization
along all lines.
Conforming to the spirit of the times we have developed the best
equipped and most efficient LAWN MOWER REPAIR SERVICE in New
England, working exclusively on f a c t o r y principles, where trained men
sharpen and recondition mowers, prolonging their life.
This service makes it unnecessary to discard a used mower, hand or
power, because of some defect that may be remedied.

W h a t O u r Service I n c l u d e s :
Every mower, including the engine unit in power mowers, is taken
apart and completely REBUILT (not merely repaired).
Every p a r t is thoroughly cleaned and any worn parts replaced.
Cylinder and bottom knife are reground. When assembled, the mower is
greased and the b'ade is again ground in a specially constructed machine,
assuring a p e r f e c t cutting edge. All mowers are painted without additional charge.
We will examine your mower and f u r n i s h estimate without cost.
Truck service is maintained f o r collection and delivery within one
hundred mile radius of Boston.

IDEAL MOWER SALES & SERVICE
111 C y p r e s s St. — B r o o k l i n e ,

Mass.

Announcement
The most modern, and completely equipped shop in New England,
devoted exclusively to the Repairing, Sharpening and Overhauling of
grass cutting equipment is now available to the Greenkeepers.
Steve Berecz, known to the Greater Boston Greenkeepers as one
active in the Mower Business for the past 14 years is in charge of this
service. With the background as manager of the Ideal Power Lawn
Mower Company's, Brookline Service, and Breck's Service Department,
Mr. Berecz promises to set the Standard for Quality Service in New
England.
W e earnestly solicit your p a t r o n a g e .

Power Lawn Mower Service Company
Somerville,

1934

Mass.

rimJWbAWiir

PRICES

N e w P r i c e s f o r D e l i v e r y of M i l o r g a n i t e A f t e r J a n u a r y 1
This is our third attempt to inform every probable purchaser of
fertilizer that MILORGANITE will advance on Jan. 1, 1934. This is
positively the dead line for shipping at today's price. We will accept
orders for shipment during November and December at the lowest price
in history. It may be many years again before a fertilizer of equal value
can be purchased at this low cost.
Less than car lots will advance at the same rate for shipment from
Newton stock. We will accept orders until the end of the year for shipment from stock at today's prices. A f t e r Jan. 1st shipment advance prices
will be charged.
Our sales of MILORGANITE for 1933 exceed 1931, showing that a
great many buyers are continuing its use on a definite program. Are you
one of these buyers? If not—then it might pay you to investigate its
advantages. Samples are still obtainable without charge.
Exclusive

New

England

Distributors

New England Toro Co,—West Newton, Mass.