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AUGUST

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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.

tucket, R. I., practically all the golf
courses within twenty miles at least report a marked falling off in play during
the afternoons. The golfers have gone
to the races!

GUY C. W E S T

The annual Greenkeeper-Pro tournament is only a little over a month away.
Get your pro lined up, and help to
make this event as successful as the
last two were. It will be held this year
on October 1st at Braeburn.

Editor

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

HOWARD D. FARRANT Business Mgr.

132 R u s s e t t Rd., W e s t Roxbury, Mass.

August, 1934

Vol. 6, No. 8

If Ye Editor had nothing else to do,
he would write each member asking f o r
contributions of articles and news f o r
the coming issues of the NEWSL E T T E R ; but, as he has other work at
hand, all he can do is plead thru these
columns f o r a little assistance, and hope
t h a t a f e w will take pity and desire to
help.
The N E W S L E T T E R and Ye
Editor need your support. Why not
help?
Each year brings some new contribution or new idea which is of especial
interest or help to us all. I t seems to
us t h a t the new idea of the result of
volatile mercury on the soil microorganisms, and hence on the t u r f , is of
great importance. This idea would explain that retardation often noticed f o r
a f e w days on turf to which mercury
has been applied. The f a c t that the
effect on the soil which has a slightly
acid to neutral reaction is not so marked
as it is on a more acid soil would be
another reason f o r not keeping greens
so acid as has been the custom f o r
several years.
As a result of the reduced income of
most golf clubs the past several years,
most greenkeepers are now forced to
maintain their courses with less manpower than is really needed f o r good
maintainence. It is certainly to be
hoped t h a t when better times come with
more money with which to work, t h a t
greens committees will realize t h a t more
men are needed, and not t r y to get
along with the present reduced manpower.
That the average golfer is a born
gambler seems to be borne out by the
f a c t t h a t during this month's racing a t
the new Narragansett Track in Paw-

More and more greenkeepers have
learned the wisdom of keeping exact
records of all fertilizers and chemicals
applied to their greens, tees, etc. during the year.
Records of this work
should also include acidity readings of
each area at the start of the season,
and also near the end of the season,
and records compared f r o m year to
year.
Most thinking greenkeepers these days
are keeping their greens only slightly
acid, in most cases, we believe, as near
as possible to a pH of 6.0.
Is the nitrogen which you feed to
your greens all f r o m one source, or do
you have several sources? Do you use
a complete fertilizer occasionally?
The value of a good turf nursery was
demonstrated this year with its large
amount of Winter-kill, and the scald of
the Summer. Those clubs which had
good turf nurseries realized on their
investment, and proved it wise.
Fall is nearly with us and with this
season comes one of the best times f o r
f a i r w a y fertilization. Have you decided
what to use, and is your greens committee convinced that your fairways
need the fertilizer?
The above are a few observations
upon subjects which we believe to be
important. Possibly one may s t a r t someone thinking a bit. Oftimes the perfectly evident subject is the one we forget.
Anyone who disagrees with any of the
above is invited to send along his
comments. We shall be delighted to
have t h e m !

^

NEW

BULLETIN

BY

DR.

SPRAGUE

Recent work by Dr. Howard B.
Sprague of the New Jersey Agri. Exp.
Station is described in a recent bulletin by that station, No. 570, "Utilization of Nutrients by Colonial Bent
(Agrostis Tenuis) and Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa P r a t e n s i s ) " . This bulletin describes the various experiments conducted and then goes on with the following:
Discussion

"These results are of considerable interest in view of the general practice
of fertilizing heavily with sulfate of
ammonia the turf on lawns, golf courses,
parks, and similar areas. There is also
an increase in the adoption of intensive
fertilization of pastures with ammonium compounds. It is not uncommon for
sulfate of ammonia to be applied a t
the rate of 500 to 600 pounds per acre
yearly on such areas, irrespective of
the types of vegetation present. Since
these experiments indicate that bluegrass is much more sensitive to excess
ammonium nitrogen that is bent grass,
it is obvious that in preparing a rational
system of fertilization, more attention
might well be given to the species present in the sod. Moreover, strong evidence of failure of even bent grass to
assimilate liberal supplies of ammonium
nitrogen in strongly acid solutions,
coupled with the positive i n j u r y to both
tops and roots, points to the need f o r
the careful use of ammonium fertilizers.
The inability of bent grass to utilize
more than a portion of the ammonium
nitrogen when supplied in abundance in
mildly acid solutions, points to the possibility of uneconomical use of ammonium fertilizers by plants growing in
mildly acid media. Under conditions
permitting the utilization of nitrogen
by the plant, liberal feeding with this
element
undoubtedly
increases
top
growth at the expense of root development. Under field conditions, this means
a less extensive occupation of soil by
the roots of grasses, with consequent
danger of i n j u r y or of reduced yield in
summer resulting f r o m failure to obtain
adequate moisture in dry periods f r o m
the limited soil volume occupied. From
the standpoint of either turf maintenance on playing and recreation areas or
pasture management, the most desirable system of t r e a t m e n t is one which
provides f o r a relatively uniform growth
throughout the entire season.
Heavy
nitrogen fertilization during the seasons
of new root development would thus de-

f e a t the purpose of the t r e a t m e n t even
though the soil reaction were such t h a t
direct i n j u r y to the plants were avoided.
Summary

Kentucky bluegrass and Colonial bent
grass showed similar growth responses
in the optimum t r e a t m e n t of a series
of sand cultures supplied regularly with
various nutrient solutions of the modified Tottingham type. Colonial bent was
considerably more tolerant of deviations f r o m the optimum nutrient solution than Kentucky bluegrass, in both
root and top growth.
The quantity of ammonium nitrogen
contained in the nutrient solutions employed was the dominant factor controlling development of both grasses.
Solutions containing the lowest amount
of ammonium sulfate produced the
most growth, and yields of dry m a t t e r
fell with increasing amounts of this
substance, even though the total osmotic concentration of the solutions
was held constant. Variations in the
supply of potassium phosphate and
magnesium sulfate were of minor importance in controlling yields of dry
matter.
Chemical analyses of tops and roots
showed a higher percentage of nitrogen
in both species when grown in solutions
with larger amounts of ammonium sulfate. The content of nitrogen was inversely correlated with total growth, indicating that the absorbed nitrogen had
accumulated sufficiently in the plant
roots and tops to become toxic.
The relative amount of phosphorous
was about 50 per cent, greater f o r
plants grown in phosphate-rich solutions
than f o r those supplied with phosphatepoor media, with both Colonial bent
grass and bluegrass. The percentage of
phosphorous was essentially the same in
similar cultures of the two grasses.
The percentage of magnesium contained by roots and tops of the two
grasses was very poorly correlated with
the supply of this element in the nutrient solutions.
The calcium content of Colonial bent
grass was consistently higher than t h a t
of bluegrass grown with identical solutions. The calcium content of both
species varied greatly in the several
cultures although the quantity of this
element was constant in all nutrient
solutions. Fluctuations in calcium content were more marked with bluegrass
than with bent grass.
The greatest amount of nitrogen was
absorbed in the entire growth period by

grass supplied with the least ammonium
sulfate in n u t r i e n t solution.
Total
growth was more important than percentage content of nitrogen in determining the total nitrogen recovered.
Nitrogen recovery by Kentucky bluegrass was equal to t h a t of Colonial bent
when both were grown in the most
favorable nutrient solution, but bluegrass utilized 35 per cent less nitrogen
than did bent when the least favorable
medium was supplied to both grasses.
Bluegrass appeared f a r less capable of
utilizing ammonium nitrogen in these
acid nutrient solutions (pH 4.8 to 5.1)
than bent grass.
The total phosphorous removed varied
f r o m 0.280 to 0.575 gm. per culture
of Colonial bent grass, and f r o m 0.175
to 0.537 gm. for bluegrass. Yields of
dry m a t t e r were closely correlated with
total phosphorous recovered in both
species. Apparently, Colonial bent may
exhaust the supply of available phosphorous in the soil quite as rapidly as
bluegrass.
Total absorption of calcium was consistently greater with Colonial bent than
with Kentucky bluegrass.
The wellknown tolerance of bent grass to acid
soils is not proof of a smaller demand
of this species f o r calcium.
In contrast with additions of ammonium sulfate, which inhibited growth,
increasing the supply of nitrogen by
adding sodium nitrate to the nutrient
solution greatly stimulated growth of
bent grass.
Ammonium chloride additions to the
standard nutrient solution had essentially the same effect as ammonium sulf a t e in reducing growth of bent grass.
The addition of N a 2 S 0 4 did not inhibit
growth, but NaCl reduced growth to
the same degree as did ammonium
chloride.
Adjusting the reaction of the nutrient solutions to pH 6.5 with NaOH
largely overcame the toxic effects of
ammonium sulfate additions, but total
growth of bent grass in such solutions
was not augmented by additional nitrogen in this form.
Nitrate of soda produced greater
growth responses in nutrient solutions
with pH values of about 4.5 than in
similar solutions with the pH adjusted
to 6.5 with NaOH. However, nitrate of
soda was superior to sulfate of ammonia
in promoting growth, even at pH 6.5.
The ratio of roots to tops was greatly
changed by adjusting the pH values of
the solutions; roots were relatively

more abundant in the strongly acid
media. Nitrate additions to the acid
solutions greatly stimulated top growth
without markedly affecting root development, but when nitrate additions were
made to similar solutions with pH 6.5,
root growth was actually reduced 35
per cent, or more. Ammonium sulfate
additions to nutrient solutions with pH
4.5 did not modify the root-top ratio,
probably because of failure to assimilate the nitrogen under such conditions.
Relative abundance of roots was reduced by ammonium sulfate additions
to solutions with pH 6.5."

LAWN

DAY

AT

STATE

MASSACHUSETTS
COLLEGE

The annual Lawn Day was held at
the Mass. State College on July 25th,
as p a r t of F a r m and Home Week. The
program was presented under the direction of Prof. Lawrence S. Dickinson,
and included talks and a trip to the
various turf plots on the campus.
The first speaker was Mr. Arnold M.
Davis of the Landscape Department.
Mr. Davis spoke on "The Design and
Use of a Lawn", and brought out that
a good lawn is the greatest horticultural triumph which can be achieved.
Any piece of property should be divided
into three areas, public area, private
area, and service area.
In designing
the public area, the house should stand
out to its best advantage, the lawn
serves as a setting f o r the house;
should radiate an air of dignified hospitality. The lawn should be level or
slope away f r o m the house. The lawn
has to be mowed. Any planting should
be against house, around the edges or
possibly a hedge in f r o n t of lawn a r e a ;
keep f r o n t area as open as possible,
except f o r a possible tree to add shade
or a p a t t e r n of tracery.
The service area, where "laundry is
dried" or "car is. washed", etc., the
"workshop" area, is screened out if
possible. If space is too small, some
f o r m of a fence may be used, the possible use of grapes on a wire fence as
a screen.
In the private a r e a the one thing
wanted is privacy. Possible background
planting, the area should be as large as
can be conveniently maintained. Lawn
area which is level is much better than
any other, a slope should be away f r o m

CHAMPIONS
against

BROWN
Semesan

PATCH
Nu-Green

Most practical and effective fungicides yet developed.
Semesan and Nu-Green will prevent the development of brown patch
as long as any known fungicide.
Also, they quickly control the brown
patch f u n g i even under the most
severe conditions and aid in restoring the diseased turf to normal
health.
Be Prepared

for Brown

mzsm
Acclimated

BENT

SEED
for

New England Golf Courses
Direct

the

Grass

FERTILIZE and ECONOMIZE
with

L A N - F E B
Special

Golf

Course

FERTILIZER
(8-6-2)

M. F. Lansill
Special
86

Fertilizers

CHARLES

RIVER

NEWTON,
Newton

North

PKY.

MASS.
0992-M

BOSTON

NEW ENGLAND GROWN
Winter-hardy,

Starve

Patch

Greenkeepers, knowing how quickly disease can damage t u r f , should
keep an ample supply of Semesan or
Nu-Green on hand f o r prevention
and control.
Both Semesan and Nu-Green can
be shipped immediately f r o m Boston
warehouse. Distributed by:

85 S T A T E STREET,

Don't

from the farms

of

Howden
says. Prices are advancing.
Place your orders N O W f o r
fall delivery on Velvet Bent,
Colonial and South German
Bents, Kentucky Blue and
Chewings Fescue and save
money on Quality Seeds.

N. HOWDEN
Seed

Merchant

1131 Washington Street

A. N. PECKHAM
KINGSTON,

R.

West Newton, Mass.

I.
Telephone

PARkway

3467

"TONAGREN
Brown Patch

Eliminated
&. C l o v e r

T h a t ' s w h a t the O k l a h o m a City
Golf a n d C o u n t r y Club said a f t e r
using- T O N A G R E N on their greens.
Dozens of o t h e r golf clubs r e p o r t
similar success w i t h this scientific
product.
To prove to you t h a t T O N A G R E N
will stop brown p a t c h a n d eliminate
clover on y o u r g r e e n s we now m a k e
this sppecial—
TRIAL
OFFER
S e n d $1. f o r a t r i a l p a c k a g e of
T O N A G R E N — e n o u g r t o t r e a t 1,500
square
feet two
times.
If
after
the second t r e a t m e n t , T O N A G R E N
has not secured t h e results
you
expect,
your
dollar
will
be
refunded.
Take
advantage
of
this
trial offer today.

P. & M . T O N A G R E N
COMPANY
6324 B r o o k l y n
K a n s a s C i t y , Mo.

house if possible. A lawn is the most
r e f r e s h i n g type of a garden; if there
are gardens, the lawn serves as their
background.
U s e s of

lawns:

Entertainment:
Lawn
furniture
should be of type which can stay out
of doors, durable and comfortable. The
lawn area should be the center of
family life f o r Summer months. Should
be the picnic area, the game area. As a
picnic area, there is a place f o r a fireplace, also to be used possibly as an
incinerator. Water should be available,
pipe run out underground to which hose
m a y be attached, should be laid at incline toward house, so that water may
be drained in Winter.
Recreation on Lawn: Croquet, possible Lawn Tennis, Badminton. Horseshoes, etc.
A good reference book is "Games f o r
Small Lawns" by Sid G. Hedges, published by J. P. Lippincott Company.

In any plan f o r development of lawn
area, remember that it must be cared
for, should have ease of circulation.
Prof. Dickinson, speaking on the
general subject "Varied Experiences
with T u r f " , discussed the so-called
Winter-kill, which has been prevalent
this year. He said that 9 0 % of this
winter-kill has been due to one of three
reasons, poor or sluggish surface drainage, acidity of the soil, or compaction
of the top soil. A survey of many putting greens showed that where there was
a slope of a t least 15 inches to a hundred f e e t there was very little winterkill; lawns also followed this rule.
T r e a t m e n t f o r winter-kill, where patches
were completely killed, lightly raking
and brooming was best treatment. The
object is to open the crowns of grass
to air and to dry soil. Where there was
organic matter, spiking and the application of a small amount of hydrated
lime seemed effective. The grass was
not killed by freezing.
Bare edges around an area usually
caused by turning lawn mower in same
place too much. Eliminate this by going around the edge a different number
of times before going across.
Prof. J. W. White of Penn. State
College gave an interesting talk on
"Soils f o r T u r f " . Prof. White brought
out that the soil is the source of all
life and all wealth. The soil is very
complex. One gram of soil contains
some twelve million soil particles, the
actual surface would spread out over
three square feet, contains about thirtyfive minerals. Spread over these particles are colloids, a jelly-like substance,
also crystaloids. The colloids hold the
crystaloids, keep them f r o m washing
away. The organic part of the soil is
called humus. There are also a hundred
million soil micro-organisms, divided into various groups. Whatever grows
above ground is dependent upon what
goes on below ground. Pressure and
water are two factors which govern the
conduct of these micro-organisms.
The tendency in fighting turf diseases
is to overdo r a t h e r than to underdo.
Applications of mercury will kill diseases; it seems logical t h a t it will affect organisms below the ground. Experiments seem to point out t h a t three
or four ounces of mercury per thousand square f e e t have a pronounced
effect on organisms which are responsible f o r nitrification in soils. So f a r it
has not been found t h a t arsenate of
lead has any effect on micro-organisms.

^

The most lasting effect was on soils
which were acid; on soils between pH
of 6 and 7 the effect didn't last long.
There is a possibility of volatile mercury killing the plant or having an eff e c t on it.
Soils in Kentucky luxuriant grass
regions are high in phosphorous. This
shows t h a t it is necessary. Rake in at
least a ton of superphosphate or its
equivalent per acre before seeding.
In the past, recommendations went
too f a r in controlling weeds by acidity.
Bacteria disappear as acidity increases
and f u n g i come in. Now the tendancy
is to use too much lime. Soils between
5.8 and 6.5 are O. K.
There is competition in the soil f o r
the nitrogen between the roots and the
micro-organisms. There should be diff e r e n t sources of nitrogen.
I m p o r t a n t recommendations are to
know the exact area of all areas such
as greens, and to keep accurate notes of
all treatments, etc.
Mr. R. D. Pryde of Orange, Conn,
spoke on "Turf Tips by a Turf Grower".
Mr. Pryde discussed his experiences
over several years of maintaining t u r f .
He belives t h a t velvet bent is ideal, but
very susceptible to disease and slow of

growth. Stolons are preferred. There
are no set rules. Greater cooperation
with experiment stations and colleges
is urged. Arsenate of lead is not a positive control f o r earthworms in some
cases. Cut with a sharp mower and
leave the grass cuttings each day, do
not use boxes.
In concluding the day's program,
Prof. Dickinson noted various points
which had been brought out during the
program.
1. Use of lawn more.
2. Preseeding fertilization unnecessary except f o r superphosphate.
3. Use of lime to bring soil to more
normal state.
4. Use of phosphorus.
5. Effect of mercury on soil organisms.
6. Know the area.
7. Stolons correctly used make good
turf.
8. Varying fertilizers as sources of
nitrogen.
9. No guaranteeing results.
10. Cutting 50 inches of grass yearly.
11. Light f r e q u e n t applications of
fertilizer.
12. Clippings l e f t on lawns, desirability on putting greens.

MARTINDALE COUNTRY CLUB
Auburn, Maine
Ideal Mower Sales and Service,
August 1, 1934.
Brookline, Mass.
Dear Sirs:
Kindly permit me to write t h a t both the Committee and
the men on the course are enthusiastic over the p e r f o r m a n c e
of the Ideal Power Putting Green Mower we recently purchased. It has cut our labor costs considerable and the quality
of the work it does is outstanding.
The men on the course seem to think we ought to have
the BRUSH which fits on the f r o n t of the machine and which
we believe costs $5.00. Will you kindly f o r w a r d the brush
as soon as convenient and invoice same to A r t h u r J. S. Keene,
% Androscoggin County Savings Bank, Lewiston, Maine.
Kindly f o r w a r d the BRUSH m a r k e d f o r the MARTINDALE COUNTRY CLUB, AUBURN, MAINE.
Truly yours,
EDWARD F. KENNEY,
Chairman Greens Committee.
T h i s is t h e t y p e of t e s t i m o n i a l s w h i c h a r e c o n s t a n t l y p o u r i n g i n t o
our office f r o m I D E A L u s e r s w h o h a v e p u r c h a s e d I D E A L P o w e r P u t t i n g
G r e e n M o w e r s , as p r o o f of the e x c e l l e n t p e r f o r m a n c e t h e s e m a c h i n e s
are giving.

The "PORCUPINE'
P a t e n t e d J u l y 3,

1934
$135.00 F.O.B.
East

Northfield,
Mass.

GREENSKEEPERS

Before the Fall Top Dressing
use a
" P O R C U P I N E "
P e r f e c t Penetration
P e r f e c t Construction
Positive Action
Punches P e r f e c t Holes
Does Not Rip The Turf
Write
For

FRED STONE
New England Agent
1 2 0 C h e s t n u t St.
Wakefield,
AUGUST

Manufactured
Ma

MEETING

A

R. W. Peckham and E. Phinney tied
f o r first net with 65; Phinney won in
playoff.
H. C. Darling. 3rd net, 67.
P. Hayden, 4t'h net, 70.
A. Barney, 5th net, 71.
Class

Demonstration
by

PHILIP PORTER & SONS

The August meeting was held on the
6th at the Agawam Hunt Club, East
Providence, R. I. Results of the golf
t o u r n a m e n t were as follows:
Class

A

B

H. Cottelle, 1st net, 65.
C. O'Keefe, 2nd net, 69.
E. Hansen, and M. Greene tied f o r
3rd net with 71; Hansen won in playoff.
Special prize f o r players over 60,
donated by Chairman of the Greens
Committee Merriman was won by R. W.
Peckham, a f t e r a playoff with H. Cottelle, both having net of 65.
During the day there were various
demonstrations, such as of the new
spiker, the Porcupine; and of the McClain Barrel Pump Hydro-Mixer Shower
Nozzle outfit, also various sprinklers.
The July meeting of the Rhode Island

East Northfield,

Mass.

Greenkeepers Association was held a t
the Wannamoisett Country Club on
July 24th. An educational program consisted of talks and discussions on various turf diseases. Dr. Howard of the
R. I. State College spoke on "Fairy
Ring", pointing out that there are two
types, one which kills the grass, the
dead area being caused by lack of water
due to the compact mass of mycelia,
and the other type where area is stimulated due to the liberation of ammonia
f r o m digestion of organic matter. For
control, use copper sulphate solution, 4
pounds to 100 gallons used as a drench,
or a 10% solution of iron sulphate.
Prof. Erwin spoke on brown-patch,
telling of the susceptibility of various
strains to both large brown-patch and
to dollar spot. Minimum temperatures
are being studied around the state this
season, and there seems to be a correlation between the attacks and minimum
temperature. The dollar spot will come
in on much lower temperatures. Organic vs. inorganic mercury was discussed.
A golf tournament was held following the educational program.

Fancy Recleaned Grasses of
All Varieties and of Hovey's
Usual Fine Quality

Grass

Seed

F. H. Woodruff & Sons
Main

Milford,
VICTORY

FERTILIZER

Brand A f o r P u t t i n g Greens
Brand B f o r P u t t i n g Greens
Brand C f o r Fairways
VICTORY

Division

Office

Connecticut

The Home of
7-9-2
6-8-2
4-8-4

WOODCO

HUMUS

New Price List being mailed. If you
do not receive one, write us and we
shall be glad to send you one.

Brand

SEEDS

Highest Purity
Maximum Viability
Minimum Weed Content

Write f o r information on our
F R E E Consultation Service
and visit our PROVING GROUNDS
f o r Turf Grasses at Milford.

HOVEY & COMPANY
1 5 0 Milk Street
HAN.

Boston,

Mass.

1454

The

S i g n of

Good

Seeds

CYLINDRICAL GRINDING

The

Buel

Perforator

For Better Greens
A e r a t e s —— P e r f o r a t e s

—

Power

Water

reel?

cylindrical

ground:

They will
Wear Longer
Last Longer
Have F e w e r Nicks
Need Fewer Adjustments

Prices:
Fairway units completely overhauled
and painted $10.00
(cylindrical
ground)

Fertilizer

Attachments

your

Cultivates

Saves
Labor

Have

30" Reel and Bottom Knife
together $4.00

Furnished,
We

If D e s i r e d

h a v e ai» a l m o s t n e w R o s e m a n
T r a c t o r a t t a c h m e n t f o r s a l e at
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We specialize in mower
service,
and solicit your
patronage.

J- F. BUEL
Woburn

—

Massachusetts

POWER

LAWN

SERVICE
IS

T e n n e y Court,
Somerset

MOWER

COMPANY
Somerville,
0504-W

Mass.

EVERYTHING
By

NOT
Ernest

BROWN

PATCH

Law

Reprinted f r o m
"The Pacific Greenkeeper"
During all the f u r o r this season in
regard to brown patch it would be well
f o r all greenkeepers on the Pacific coast
to take care t h a t their enthusiasm f o r
combatting this one disease does not
obscure to them some of the most vital
considerations in maintaining
good
greens. Some few years ago Shakespeare in his play, "The Merchant of
Venice," voiced the eternal verity that
"all that glitters is not gold" which currently may be paraphased into "all t h a t
is brown is not brown patch." Brown
patch is certainly prevalent and f o r that
reason greenkeepers only too f r e q u e n t ly have been willing to blame discolorations on their greens to this ailment and
t r e a t i n g accordingly rather than investigating the true cause of the difficulty.
Occasionally the earnest efforts of
greenkeepers to prevent brown patch
themselves have led to patches of turf
being burned out by the chemicals that
have been applied. Others who have
seen their grass yellowing under the
glare of the midsummer sun have prescribed a tonic in the f o r m of sundry
topdressings and fertilizers which also
have served to burn unsightly patches on
the best of greens. Stiil other greensmen have been scared into frenzied application of preventatives by the sight
of one or two brown spots the size of a
dollar which may have been caused by
nothing more than a discarded cigaret.
The presence of cutworms in the green
may account for other brown spots
which have raised the hue and cry
against brown patch.
A good rule to follow is to give
the greens nothing during the warmest
weather except plenty of water unless
careful investigation has proved beyond
the shadow of a doubt t h a t the green
is inflicted with brown patch, and even
in this extremity proceed in treatments
with extreme moderation and care.
Grasses do not need building foods in
hot weather any more than do humans,
but grasses not being supplied with bicarbonate of soda and other human
remedies express their distaste f o r force
feeding by burning up. Any application of fertilizer slight or mild enough
as not to burn the grass plants is not
great enough to have any effect what-

soever and most of it will be leached
away at the first irrigation, or washed
into hollows where it will burn the grass.
So beware; it is also economically unwise to apply fertilizers in extremely
warm weather.
Something else to watch out f o r in
connection with the brown patch season
is the visits of salesmen of spurious remedies. The cry has been p r e t t y well
broadcast that greenkeepers would barter their souls f o r a reliable preventative of the disease and there are plenty
of unscrupulous salesmen out of employment just now who would sieze upon the
opportunity to peddle rattlesnake oil if
they thought they could persuade someone to buy it as a cure f o r brown patch.
So beware again.

It is of interest to note that the disease found by Dr. L. E. Erwin of the
R. I. Experiment Station last year, the
f u n g u s Corticum fuciforme, which is
distinguished by the t u f t s of bright
coral pink which stand out f r o m the
leaves and stem of the grass, has been
found on five Rhode Island golf courses
this season. Among others was R. Wallace Peckham's Sachuest, and Wallace
has at last found out what real disease
is! Dr. Erwin is conducting experiments with this disease a t Louisquisset
Golf Club in North Providence.

The August meeting of the Rhode
Island Greenkeepers Association was
held on August 20th at Kingston. A
trip to the experimental plots and to
the new football field where Prof. North
is conducting an experiment with various grasses and mixtures, was the first
part of the program.
Golf followed
lunch, some twenty endeavoring to come
even close to par at tricky Annaquatucket in Wickford, where Colonel Milton is genial host. Golf prizes were
won by Oscar Chapman and Everett
Pyle.
There recently reached our desk the
"Results of Turf Experiments at Milford, Connecticut" by C. W. Baker of
F. H. Woodruff & Sons. This bulletin
is of interest as it shows what one seed
house is doing to show its buyers what
various grasses will do under various
conditions.

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THOMAS W. EMERSON CO.
BOSTON, MASS.
"New

England's

Largest

Wholesale

Seed

House"

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W*' :
* - MB

JWM...
s S S f•e s

THE WORTHINGTQN OVERGREEN
Always on the

Go Saving You

N exactly 6 m i n u t e s one m a n can
cut a n a v e r a g e green with a n Overgreen. In 4% h o u r s he can cut
every green on a n 18-hole course. It
t a k e s 3 m e n 4 h o u r s each to do it By
hand, or a total of 4% hours a g a i n s t
12 hours.
Besides, the Overgreen Mower is a n
all-day worker. A f t e r one m a n mows
all your greens w i t h it in a forenoon;
all the a f t e r n o o n he is free to spike

I

Main

l H o r t m n g t o n

Office:

STROUDSBURG,

Money

disk w i t h it; roll; a n d distribute compost. All day long, one m a n is doing
with it, the work of three. F i g u r e
t h a t out a n d see the m o n e y you save.
T h a t ' s w h y we don't a s k you to buy
our Overgreen P o w e r Mower. W e are
content to take our p a y in the money
it saves. W h i c h is the s a m e thing,
a s its not costing you a cent.
Send for circular Get the facts.
See for yourself.

PA.

Mower
\crmbanu

Boston
1

STATE

Office:
STREET

FOR FALL USE
l ^ s J l M ILWAUKE E J U ^

Ii l ej^ fiT E M
S l "f" tfH S
IOEAL
II LAWN i GARDEN II
VEBTILIZER^

is the

Outstanding Fertilizer
In 1 9 3 5 , w h i c h
player membership?
condition.

s h a l l it b e — d i s g r u n t l e d g o l f e r s o r a n e n t h u s i a s t i c
The answer depends primarily upon f a i r w a y turf

E x c e s s i v e clover, w h i c h fails to s u p p o r t t h e ball, or i n n u m e r a b l e
s m a l l c u p p y d e p r e s s i o n s a r e t h e c u r s e of m e d i o c r e f a i r w a y s .
Players
b e c o m e j u s t l y i n c e n s e d w h e n t h e y f i n d t h e b a l l n e s t l i n g in a c l o v e r
p a t c h , o r i m b e d d e d in o n e o f t h e s e d e p r e s s i o n s .
J u d i c i o u s f e r t i l i z a t i o n , i n c l u d i n g t h e g e n e r o u s u s e o f n i t r o g e n , is
the e f f e c t i v e and economical w a y to o v e r c o m e both faults.
Nitrogen,
besides being the element responsible for clover suppression, encourages
e x i s t i n g grass p l a n t s to s p r e a d and thus o b l i t e r a t e the cuppy' lies.
Fall and spring are the logical seasons for f a i r w a y fertilization,
because of more abundant rainfall and moderate temperatures.
M i l o r g a n i t e is t h e o u t s t a n d i n g fertilize*- f o r f a l l u s e .
Generous
f e r t i l i z a t i o n is t h e f i r s t e s s e n t i a l i n t h e p r o d u c t i o n o f u n i f o r m l y g o o d
turf.
U n l i k e most fertilizers, M i l o r g a n i t e can be
used
in
generous
q u a n t i t i e s w i t h o u t d a n g e r of i n j u r i n g t h e g r a s s .
Its o r g a n i c n i t r o g e n
e n c o u r a g e s g r o w t h in t h e f a l l , a n d r e s i d u a l e f f e c t s p r o d u c e b e n e f i t s e a r l y
in t h e spring. B e s i d e s its v a l u a b l e n i t r o g e n , 1 0 0 0 p o u n d s of M i l o r g a n i t e
c o n t a i n s all t h e p h o s p h o r i c a c i d u s e d b y a n a c r e o f t u r f d u r i n g a g r o w i n g
s e a s o n . T h e n , t o o , M i l o r g a n i t e is e a s i e s t t o a p p l y , a n d b e s t o f all, it is
reasonably priced.
Distributed

by

THE NEW ENGLAND TORO CO.
1121
liunm
w
W L g W M M
T

WASHINGTON

STREET

West Newton, Mass.

MANUFACTURED ONLY BY

'HeSewerage Commissi
MILWAUKEE.

WIS.

Newton

North

7900

—

West

Newton

1658