[LEWdR
MEETING AT EXPERIMENTAL PLOTS
OCTOBER MEETING
THE FUTURE OF THE CLUB
WINTER SCHOOL AT MASS. STATE
THIS MOTORIZED AGE
TURF NOTES FROM IOWA
OUR TENTH
ANNIVERSARY
LA WN SEEDS AND SEEDING

OCTOBER
1933

This N E W S L E T T E R is published as crab grass, (4) possible overwatering,
monthly by the Greenkeepers Club of with the resultant too soft turf.
New England, and sent free to its mem"Feeding is necessary to provide
bers and their Greens' Chairmen. Sub- plant
food; watering simply takes away
scription price ten cents a copy, or a the
moisture as a limiting factor. Feeddollar a year.
ing will be necessary besides water.
GUY C. W E S T
Editor
"Some soils are too acid to get best
312 Mt. Pleasant Si., Fall River, Maws.
results on fairways; these effects are
evident in hot weather. There is
HOWARD D. P A R R A N T Business Mgr. most
a difference as f a r as the kind of grass
132 R u s s e t t Rd., W e s t Roxbury, Mass.
is concerned; the fescues and bents will
stand
acidity best. Lime may be needed,
October, 1933
Vol. 5, No. 10 but should
not be used to excess as it
will bring in clover. Factors governing
how much lime to use: (1) degree of
MEETING AT EXPERIMENTAL
soil acidity, (2) kind of grass, (3) soil
PLOTS
texture—sandy or loam or clay-—smaller amounts of lime are required to give
change in sand than in heavy soil. It is
A joint meeting of the Service Station better to use one of the dolomitic limeof the M. G. A. and the Greenkeepers stones which contain some magnesium.
Club of New England was held at the Apply either in Fall, Winter, or Spring,
Charles River Country Club, Newton as f a r in advance of any phosphatic
Centre, Mass. on October 10th. The fertilizers as possible. Lime should
afternoon meeting was held a t the Ex- never be used at same time or just
perimental Plots, and the various ex- previous to use of ammonium salts.
periments and grasses there were ex"Potash is least important on fairplained and discussed by Frank H. Wil- ways,
the clippings fall, and this
son, greenkeeper at Charles River, and potash asgoes
into the soil. Potash enKenneth Welton of the U. S. G. A. courages clover,
is to be considered
Green Section. There was also a demon- most on sands, mucks,
and peats. Phosstration of the new fairway watering phorus shows most prominently
on new
system.
seedlings, and on established fairways
The evening meeting followed dinner the results are less striking. The
at the club house, and was in charge amount of phosphorus to use is governed
of Rogers Dow, Chairman of the Ser- by the amount of available P in the
vice Section Committee. Mr. 0. J. Noer soil, the kind of grass, and the texture
spoke on "Fertilization or Irrigated of the soil.
Fairways", and said in part:
is the element responsible
"Reseeding of fairways is now al- for"Nitrogen
active
growth,
is the element
most a thing of the past, fertilization primarily responsibleand for
of
is now used. Fertlization alone pro- clover. For quick results use control
inorganics.
motes growth in Spring and Fall when
Fall use the organics are well '"""N
moisture conditions are favorable. Be- For
adapted.
Spring and Fall are best time
cause fairways are often brown in Sum- to apply fertilizers
as the air temperamer is responsible for interest in fair- tures are more favorable.
way irrigation. Some people think that
"The tendency is to cut fairways too
fairway irrigation is panacea of all ills; closely
because golfers demand it.
but other means besides irrigation are There would
be better turf if we could
necessary. There are liable to be ill have turf longer.
effects from watering, such as an in"Fertilization is absolutely necessary
crease in clover.
when fairways are watered."
"In Metropolitan districts there is a _ Wendell Miller, Irrigation Specialist,
decided demand for watered fairways discussed fairway irrigation and the
and clubs are turning more and more system at Charles River. He pointed
to water. Irrigation provides green turf, out that ten years ago there were very
insures positive results from any ferti- few systems East of the rockies. Drainlizer we may use, prevents loss of turf age was in demand for several years,
f r o m drought. The disadvantages are and is more essential than irrigation.
(1) increases labor costs, (2) accentu- Fairway irrigation has now spread from
ates plant food losses, (3) further the less than ten to from 90 to 100
complications such as clover control, courses East of the Rockies. It is now
and in some sections, other weeds such almost a necessity upon the well fitted

golf course. It has now assumed a
competitive phase in Metropolitan
centers.
A pitfall of irrigation is that an excess of water is liable to do more harm
than good, it may run out the grass
plants and bring in weeds. Only a definite amount of water is needed.
In planning a system, the amount of
water needed is the starting point, the
source of the supnly is all important,
the rainfall, run-off, etc. are considered.
Weather records are studied. Items of
pumping plant, source, are very variable, make it impossible to advise costs
without detailed study. Clubs should
not rush into irrigation unless the
supply is sufficient. Small sized pipe is
not efficient. Irrigation should be put
on according to need not according to
the clock.
The life of the pipe is probably
twenty years at least, and of the pump
ten years.
Kenneth Welton of the Greens Section summed up several of the points
previously discussed and told of Ms
travels around the country this past season in the interests of the Green Section.
It is important not to cut too short
because of the fact that the leaf is the
"stomach" of the plant, the manufacturing plant, and by cutting too short we
prune this "stomach". Clover can stand
close cutting as well as grass.
Superfluous watering is not desired.
It is most important to pick up water
table before it is lost. It is a good idea
to rip up a little once in a while to Belt
where the water is; use the spade and
there will be no guess work. We can
not water on schedule.
Conditions around the country this
Summer: generally dry with very little
trouble on turf, some cut worm and
sod web worm injury. There was somewhat extensive damage to greens by
storms. Investigation showed that the
root systems had been badly damagsd!
due to lack of oxygen. The so-called
"scald" was . probably due to lack of
water, the greens drying up in the top
quarter inch.
The use of sand and organic matter
to break down clay was discussed.
Various questions were asked all the
speakers following their talks.

OCTOBER

MEETING

The second annual Greenkeeper-Pro
tournament was held on October 2nd
at the Charles River Country Club. An
eighteen hole best ball tournament was
played with the following winners:
1st gross, Emil Masciocchi and A.
Briggs, Oak Hill Country Club, 73.
1st net, Bill Lindsay and Jim Hendry,
Manchester (N. H.) C. C., 74-67.
2nd net, Jim McCormack and Roland
Hancock, Unicorn C. C., 74-69.
There were forty-four teams entered,
and also three single players. Phil
Cassidy won the net prize of these later
with a 99-71.
Jim Hendry with an individual score
of 74 was low for the pros, and Roland
Hancock had a 75.
Emil Masciocchi was low for the
greenkeepers with a score of 78.
Hancock and McCormack had the
low score for the inward nine, a 35; but
we saw Tom Jones get an individual 36
coming in, with a 6 on the par 4 twelfth,
which was good golf.
We wished Frank had put the markers back a few feet further, we would
have been off the back side of the tees!
At the luncheon following play, Jim
McCormack for the greenkeepers and
Les Cottrell for the pros both expressed
the desire that this meeting be made
an annual affair.
Frank Wilson led a personally conducted tour to the Experimental plots
following lunch, and also showed his
new fairway watering system in operation.
We are pleased to get some reaction
to one of our ideas! What do you think
about this greater club?
The Editor.
THE FUTURE OF THE CLUB
Under this title there appeared in
the September issue an article with
which, in the main, I am in hearty
agreement. However, I certainly do not
agree with the idea of tieing "these
sectional organizations to our club."
I have had several years of pleasant
and educational associations as a member of the Greenkeeper's Club of New
England and feel that it is a worthwhile organization as is, but t h a t
it is now time that the club ceased to be

the Greenkeeper's Club of Boston and
truly lived up to its name.
If I remember correctly, the major
reason that we did not join with the
National Greenkeeper's Association was
the fact that we did not care for their
system of representation. Does not the
same condition exist for any greenkeeper outside of a fifty mile radius of
Boston? I personally have been able
to attend only two meetings in the last
two years. Small return for the dues
paid, yet I have continued my membership because I believe in the organization and hope that some change will
be made.
Sectional groups can be very strong
and in many cases sufficient unto themselves. I cite those of the Connecticut
and the Westchester County groups.
However, for real strength and for the
good of the cause a central organization is needed which will tie together
the local groups. This body could be
organized as any of the national or
international lodges, fraternities or
clubs, with delegates from each section
to elect officers, and so get away from
the point which in my mind seems to
be the only reason that we are not
affiliated with the National Association
of Greenkeepers.
I sincerely hope that any one reading
this article will see it as it is intended;
a constructive criticism with the hope
that the Greenkeeper's Club of New
England may continue its good work
but with a vastly increased scope.
Marston Burnett.
WINTER SCHOOL AT MASS. STATE

A recent letter f r o m Prof. Lawrence
S. Dickinson of the Mass. State College
indicates that the Winter School for
Greenkeepers as outlined for 1934 will
present the best program yet. The
courses will remain the same but have
been revamped to place emphasis in
accordance with the trend of the times,
and because it will be impossible this
year to give the advanced course, some
of the work it ken by that group will be
added to the regular course.
Prof. Dickinson states that he finds
the men taking the course are more
familiar with the problems each year,
and for this reason the course this year
will be more professional.

The enrollment this year already includes men from Washington State,
Canada, and other Western states.
Those in Massachusetts who are thinking of taking this course should get
their applications in at once before the
enrollment is filled. The limit of enrollment may be increased a bit this year,
as the State College desires to serve
Massachusetts and New England particularly.
THIS MOTORIZED AGE

by Leslie Wildgust, Winchester C. C.,
Winchester, Mass.
A motor driven walk type machine
called a Tillavator, brought here from
Denmark, was given a practical tryout
recently by Orville Clapper of the New
England Toro Company, on one of our
greens that had been stripped of the
old turf preparatory to the laying of
a new surface.
This machine did in one operation a
job that would need a plow and harrow,
in less than half the time usually required and actually replaced five men.
A series of hooks mounted on coiled
springs rotating at about 350 RPM on
a width of 20 inches, makes a perfect
mulch at a depth of six or eight inches.
It pulverizes the soil and smooths it
out at the same time, thus saving a
great amount of hand raking. It also
tosses out all stones easily, enabling a
man to follow the machine with a pail
and pick them up. In this manner 1V2
yards of large and small stones were
removed, leaving the soil in a light
fluffy condition.
I am so impressed with the Tillavator's performance, that we are going
to rent it by the day for use on another
green and also our first fairway and
nursery.
We can prepare these areas for resodding and planting in less than half
the time it would take in the ordinary
way, and in addition, gives us a perfect bed for the new sod.
It will pay all our members to look
at this machine. You will do a much
better job than is possible under the
old methods and save money besides.

—\

TURF NOTES FROM

IOWA

Altho Iowa is some distance from
New England, we are pleased to hear
f r o m that State from time to time. At
the Iowa State College, the turf work
is in charge of Dr. Y. T. Stoutemyer.
Dr. Stoutemyer recently wrote us that
they have now several plots of turf
grasses at the college, and are espeiially
interested in determining the merits of
the velvet and seaside bents for that
locality. So f a r the seaside bent does
not seem to be showing up as well as
, the creeping bents in that region. There
is very little velvet bent turf in the
state at present. The strain called
"Woodhill" seems to be the most
promising bent at present, as it stays
green much later in the Fall than does
the Metropolitan and Washington bent.
The following is a list of bents in
the plots at the Iowa State College:
Creeping Bent
(Agrostis palustl'is)
1. Atlantic City (U.S.G.A.)
2. Columbia (U.S.G.A.)
3. Flossmore (Mass, Agr. College)
4. Flossmoor
5. Metropolitan (U.S.G.A.)
6. Metropolitan (Wakonda Club)
7. Penn. State 2 ( 2 9 ) 4
8. Penn. State 6 ( 2 9 ) 1
9. Penn. State 7 ( 2 9 ) 3
10. Penn. State 8 ( 2 9 ) 3
11. Virginia
12. Washington (U.S.G.A.)
13. Washington (Wakonda Club)
14. Washington (0. M. Scott and Sons)
15. Woodhill (Wayzata, Minn.)
16. Collected Sioux City C. C.
17. Collected Hyperion Club
18. Collected Des Moines C. C.
Seaside Bent

Agrostis palustris var. maritima
19. Seaside Bent (Canadian)
20. Seaside Bent (Coos County)
Velvet Bent
(Agrostis canina)
21. Acme
22. Arlington or B. P. I. 14276
(U.S.G.A.)
23. Cunningham or B. P. I. 15640
24. Elizabeth
25. Fall River " C "
26. Highland
27. Kernwood
28. Mountain Ridge
29. Newport
30. Nichol Ave. No. 1
31. Nichol Ave. No. 2
32. Penn. State 3 ( 3 0 ) 3
33. Penn. State 4 ( 3 0 ) 2

34.
35.
36.
37.
38.

Penn. State 7 ( 3 0 ) 1
Philadelphia No. 2
Valentine No. 2
Yorkshire
Wykagyl

Colonial Bent

(Agrostis capillaris or A. tenuis)
39. Colonial or Rhode Island Bent
40. Astoria Bent (Classification
in doubt)
OUR TENTH

ANNIVERSARY

We soon will be celebrating our tenth
anniversary as a club. A committee has
been appointed to fittingly commemorate this event. This committee would
appreciate suggestions from any member relative to this celebration. We already expect to have some meeting,
either the annual or the February meeting, have a special program, and we
have talked of a special issue of the
N E W S L E T T E R for February. We
would appreciate further suggestions.
The committee appointed is Guy West,
John Shanahan, Frank Wilson, Carl
Treat, and James McCormack.
LAWN SEEDS AND

SEEDING

by H. F. A. North—Rhode Island
Agricultural Ex. Station.
The Experiment Station is often requested to suggest seed mixtures suitable for planting lawns and other areas
where a good turf is desired. It is not
always possible to say definitely that a
certain kind of grass or mixture is the
best for a given condition. Several different mixtures might be suggested f o r
some conditions where it would be difficult to say which one might prove the
most suitable. The care used in planting, fertilizing and after care, may have
more to do with the success of the venture than the original selection of a
certain seeding mixture. Some general
suggestions for making a choice of a
certain kind of grass or mixture can
usually be made. The following are a
few suggestions of grasses or mixtures
that should prove well suited for the
conditions mentioned.
(A) For the average Rhode Island
soil that either has not been limed or

only to a small extent so that it is still
somewhat acid:
(1) For finest quality turf, seed
R. I. (Colonial) bent alone at
the rate of 2 to 3 pounds per
1000 sq. ft. of lawn.
(2) Good quality, less expensive
than (1).
R. I. (Colonial) bent
80%
Red Top
20%
Seed 2 to 3 pounds per 1000
sq. ft.
(3)* Good quality and permanent in
dry soils and shade. This makes
a tough sod and can be cut
short, but is rather hard to
mow.
R. I. (Colonial) bent
40%
Chewings or Red Fescue 40%
Red Top
20%
Seed 4 pounds per 1000
sq. ft.
(B) For the moist and relatively
fertile soil where lime has been used
recently.
(1)* Good quality turf which stays
green both early and late in the
season.
Kentucky Bluegrass
60%
R. I. (Colonial) bent
20%
Red Top
20%
Seed 3 to 4 pounds per 1000
sq. ft.
(2)* Good quality turf under shady
conditions.
Chewing's or Red Fescue 50%
Rough-stalked Meadow
grass
30 %
Ryegrass (perennial)
20%
Seed 4 to 5 pounds per 1000
sq. ft.
*Canada Bluegrass may be added to
this mixture for thin soils.
P l a n t i n g Time. The chances for a
good lawn are the best if it is planted
in late August or early September. The
grass planted in the spring must compete with all of the summer weeds and
the dry weather as well. Seed on a day
soon after a soaking rain if possible. If
it is necessary to seed a lawn in the
spring of the year some ryegrass should
be added to the mixture. This makes
a very quick growth and helps to keep
the weeds down until the fine grasses
can get started. About 20 per cent of
the total weight may consist of perennial rye grass.

j-dht i l l n u n riant
It is with extreme regret that we
announce the passing on October
7th of our friend and fellow member, Elliott D. "Mike" Pierce of the
Kittansett Club, Marion, Mass.
Mike has been one of us for so
long, and had always taken such an
interest in the affairs of the club,
that his passing will be deeply felt
by all.
Two new Extension Leaflets issued by
the Extension Service of the Massachusetts State College are of interest. One,
No. 70, "Control of Cutworms", describes the life history and habits of
cutworms, tells of their enemies, and
suggests remedies. The second, No. 31,
"Control of Aphids or Plant Lice",
gives a description of these insects, and
suggests various control measures.
Both of these leaflets are more for the
flower or vegetable grower than for the
grass grower, but most of us grow other
crops but grass in some quanity, and
hence are interested in such information
as is contained in these leaflets.
"The spirit of the present day is
making new demands upon us. In our
hope for the f u t u r e and our forward
look we are not unmindful of the lives
and services of those who have preceded us. The memory of them gives
us a greater determination to prove
worthy of the ideals which they and we
hold in common. Yet we are pledging
ourselves not to rest on past glory; but
to move forward, in the spirit of the
times, to new heights of aspiration and
accomplishment."
The Rhode Island Greenkeepers Association held its October meeting at the
Ledgemont Country Club, West Warwick, Rhode Island on October 9th.

A new code recently adopted by the
mower makers is of interest to all of us
who use mowers. We are indebted to
GOLFDOM for several features of this
code which should help to clear up some
conditions which have existed to some
extent.
1. Uniform classification of dealers,
distributors, etc.
2. No mowers to be sold on consignment or at prices less than advertised list prices. Trade-in allowances
will be limited to schedules as shown in
Association Blue-Book of trade-in allowances. Terms of sale will be
sight draft, 2 % ten days, 30 days net.
3. Guarantees limited to replacement
of defective material for a 90 day
period.
4. Equipment may not be left on
trial for a period exceeding 24 hours,
and such trial shall be limited to 4
hours actual use.
5. Granting of secret rebates,
special discounts, gratuities to employees or others, or any other act to
falsify the correct and true selling price
of the product will be unfair competition. Dealers and representatives will
Now on the

uy^VELVETw
0

P u

£p!®

Right along this line we understand
that the New England Toro Company
are now operating under the code with
all employees working forty hours. (We
shall be pleased to hear of any other
dealers, etc. operating under the code,
and of their reactions to it.—Editor).
Frank Robinson reports that he has
been experimenting with the velvet No.
14276 this past Summer, and likes it
very much, finding it immune to disease
this season. Ten rows set a foot apart
in June have already run together.
Other rows were allowed to go to seed,
the tops cut off, and these show better
results in growth. Frank calls this
strain a wonderful grower, and says
that it grows as a putting green grass
should, thick and upright.

Market

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

W94 /.

not engage in wilful or malicious defamation of a competitor or competitor's
products.

r m

-88 /.
0

""ten million to t h e pound*

NEW ENGLAND GROWN
^

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 o f 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 less in q u a n t i t y r e q u i r e d t o
sow, top-dress and water.
SOLD only through reliable seed
h o u s e s in U n i t e d S t a t e s a n d
Canada.
G R O W N only and warranted pure
as advertised w h e n packed by

Winter-hardy,

Acclimated

B E INT S E E D
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

Hyper
- Humus Co.
of Newton, N. J.

A. N. PECKHAM

Philadelphia, Pa.

K I N G S T O N , R. I.

M a i n Office: M o r r i s B l d g .
Write Us for Name of
Nearest Dealer

T i 11 a v a t o r

Hovey & Company
150 MILK S T R E E T
BOSTON

T h e T i l l a v a t o r is a n e w t y p e of
m o t o r d r i v e n c u l t i v a t i n g or p u l v e r i z i n g m a c h i n e w h i c h will c o m p l e t e l y
d i s t u r b a n d t h o r o u g h l y m i x soils t o
a d e p t h of e i g h t i n c h e s .
T h i s t y p e of m a c h i n e will be of
great benefit when completing the
t o p soil of a g r e e n or t e e .
W e will g l a d l y s e n d f o l d e r s , a n d
p r i c e s o n a p p l i c a t i o n . W e w i l l also
demonstrate on request.
W e have one 8 horsepower machine
here which may be rented. W e supply
t h e o p e r a t o r a n d all e x p e n s e s o f
o p e r a t i o n . P r i c e s will b e q u o t e d if
y o u g i v e u s a n i d e a o f t h e t y p e of
w o r k a n d t h e a r e a to be w o r k e d .

Grass Seed
All V a r i e t i e s

Special Mixtures on Request

Victory Fertilizer
Brand A—7-9-2
Brand B—6-8-2

If y o u h a v e n o t r e c e i v e d o u r N e w
F a l l P r i c e List w r i t e us a n d w e
shall b e l e a s e d to m a i l
you one.
TELEPHONE HAN.

Distributed by

New England Toro Co.
1121 W a s h i n g t o n S t r e e t
West Newton, Mass.

1454—1455

Newton North 7900

WORTHINGTON MOWER COMPANY
(New England Branch)
Announces

New Service Shop
Factory

Sharpening
Overhauling

Supervision

Repairing

Rebuilding

Factory Supervision
SERVICE SHOP
15 T e n n e y Court, Somerville, Mass.
Somerset 0504-W

OFFICE
1 State Street, Boston, Mass.
Lafayette 1413