PRESIDENT'S REPORT This NEWSLETTER is published monthly by the Greenkeepers Club of New England, and sent free to its members and their Greens' Chairmen. Sub- To the Members of the Greenkeepers Club of New England. scription price ten cents a copy, o r a dollar a year. Gentlemen: I wish to take this opportunity to reGUY C. WEST Editor view greenkeeping in our district dur312 Mt. P l e a s a n t St., Fall River, Mass. ing the past year. The general conHOWARD D. F A R R A N T Business Mgr. ditions brought about a considerable re132 R u s s e t t Rd., W e s t Roxbury, Mass. duction in the funds available for golf course maintenance. Yet it was the genJanuary, 1934 Vol. 6, No. 1 eral opinion that golf courses were maintained in as fine a condition as at any time in the past. We must realize, however, that cutting down on our JANUARY MEETING fertilizer programs, the use of old machinery and other such methods canbe continued indefinitely without The annual meeting was held at the not affecting the standard of maintenance Hotel Statler, Boston, on January 8th. of golf courses. It is important that Officers were elected for 1934, as fol- we our meet this emergency by new methods lows : and careful management. The trouble caused by webworm durPresident Guy C. West the past year was an added expense 1st V. Pres Howard D. F a r r a n t ing clubs in our district. We understand 2nd. V. Pres Ted Swanson to this pest is expected to be even more 3rd V. Pres. James C. Sullivan prevalent during the coming season and Secretary Charles W. Parker I strongly recommend preventive treatthan waiting until the Treasurer Frank H. Wilson ments rather damage is done. This will not Trustee, 3 years . . . . James McCormack actual only be more economical but also Trustee, 2 years . . . Robert A. Mitchell eliminate much serious trouble. The National and State golf assoEntertainment Committee ciations have invited the greenkeepers Homer C. Darling to cooperate with them in the problems Alex Ohlson of golf course maintenance and it is Ray T. Granger important that the members of the John Latvis Greenkeepers Club of New England George Volmer should be prepared to assume this responsibility. Golf Committee It is my opinion that we are entering Paul Hayden a new era of golf course maintenance. Emil Masciocchi Players are demanding better conditions Joseph Oldfield and less money is being spent by clubs Thomas Galvin for their golf course maintenance. Arthur Anderson The Greenkeepers Club of New England must continue to provide eduAuditing Committee cational programs which will assist its Philip Cassidy Paul Wanberg members to meet prevailing conditions. Our members have shown that they Plans for the big anniversary protaking more interest in the club by gram on February 5th were discussed. are increased attendance at our meetThe club is providing a fine banquet their ings during the past year. entertainment, and dancing, for the The joint meeting held at the Brae members and their wives and sweet- Burn Country Club last February with hearts. Plan to be present at this out- the Massachusetts Golf Association I believe, the most important meetstanding social event of your club. was, ing of ever held in our district Woodland Golf Club, February Bth, and we itsfeelkind highly satisfied with the results of that meeting. dress informal. At our outdoor meetings we were privileged to visit some very fine courses and we appreciate the courtesies extended to us by the officials of these clubs. At one of our outdoor meetings the ladies were invited to join with us and this proved to be a most popular and enjoyable event. I have no doubt that the ladies will see to it that this meeting is held anuually. We held our second annual Greenkeeper-Professional meeting and it was again a very successful get-together with about one hundred greenkeepers and professionals taking part. I would like to see an annual Greenkeeper-Chairman meeting, similar to the oae held with the professionals, which I believe would be a profitable event to the members of our club. To the incoming President, I pledge loyal and hearty support and assure him he will have sincere friendliness in his new duties. It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve during the past two years as your President and I wish to thank one and all for your splendid cooperation during that time. I would like, also, to thank the Directors for their splendid support and assistance in the management of the club during the past year. Wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous 1934. Respectfully submitted, James McCormack, President. ment committee should be complimented for having secured these fine speakers for us. Our outdoor meetings were held at the following Clubs: Kernwood, Kittansett, Tatnuck, Belmont Spring, New Bedford, Charles River and Rhode Island Country. For our final meeting of the year 1933 we returned to the Statler Hotel, a lively question box was the feature of this meeting. In February and again in October the Service Section of the M. G. A. sponsored meetings at Brae Burn and Charles Rive/-. The Greenkeepers Club co-operated with the Service Section in these meetings which were exceedingly well attended by Greenkeepers and club officials. In comparison with clubs of all types, the membership of the Greenkeepers Club was held up remarkably. Seven new members were elected which is approximately the average annual new membership for the past nine years. Five members were dropped from the rolls for various reasons and the Club and individual members suffered a great loss through the death of Eliott Tierce of Kittansett. With a loss of six members and seven new members elected the net gain for the year was one. In a year when clubs have been struggling and using all sorts of methods to keep members, a gain no matter how small is truly a remarkably record. Your Secretary has tried to carry out his duties to the best of his abilities, he has hoped that notices have reached the members f a r enough in advance for them to make their plans and where some notices have been brief it has been because committees furnishing special SECRETARY'S REPORT attractions for these meetings have not informed him of the set-up in time for it to go on the notice. Your Secretary Mr. President:— that educational work in conMy second annual report to you finds believes with the out door meetings can the activities of the Greenkeepers Club nection and should be greatly increased. There of New England for the year 1933 very are possibilities along these lines which similar to previous years. can to be of much interest and At our well attended annual meeting valueprove to the and in no way inlast January we had as our guest Mr. terfere with members the tournament features Charles H. Cross, president of the M. G. of the outdoor meetings. A. Mr. Herbert Jaques president of the closing my report I want to thank U.S.G.A. was prevented by illness from youIn Mr. and my brother coming. For the February, March and officers forPresident their co-operation with the April meetings the entertainment com- Secretary and the attention of mittee set a high standard for speakers. the members as toa call whole to the faithful Mr. Henri Haskins, Director of Fertilizer and conscientious work and effort that Control for Massachusetts, Prof. L. S. officers have expended in the adDickinson reporting on his experimental their ministration of the Greenkeepers Club work which was financed in part by this for the year 1933. Club and Dr. Howard Sprague of the Respectfully submitted, New Jersey Experiment Station all attracted large audiences. The entertainCharles W. Parker, Secretary. SOME IDEAS ON GRINDING BY A grinding of Fairway Mowers and I would like to express my opinion on MANUFACTURER OF MOWERS this subject. I cannot agree that all makes of mowers should or can be ground alike In the first place I want to say that it and give the same results, as the steel is absolutely necessary for a reel to be is very much different in one mower cylindrically ground in a perfect man- than it is in another. In other words I ner. Another statement I want to make wish to say that it is possible to grind is that it is physically impossible for three different makes of mowers with a any mechanic to have a reel cylindri- pitch of about three degrees on both the cally ground where the grinder is made reel knives and bed knife, put them only for backing off or bevel grinding, side by side to work and the life of the for one blade must be ground at a time. cutting edge will be longer on one than The usual custom of a mechanic in the other, although the steel in one is using this type of a grinder is to grind as good as in the other, this is caused a long bevel on the blades, leaving a by the different actions of the steel. thin edge, which wears away a valuable You can take the same three mowers, part of the reel blade in one day's use, grind them different pitch allowing a and a few such grindings on a reel different land or flat face with emery cause it to wear down and become too and oil and get about the same results. small in diameter for use in half the Clearance or pitch in my opinion is time as that of a reel that is properly necessary on both the bed knife and ground. the reel if you are to have a free workWe have had a great many putting ing unit, also of a 1/32 of an green reels ruined by the operators in inch will add atoflatthelandstrength the trying to grind them on the bevel grind- cutting edge. In no case should theof pitch ing machines, as the blade on this reel be so great that the cutting edge is not is thin and made of such high quality properly backed up, this will result in of alloy steel that the only process re- rolling or crumbling of the edge, and quired is cylindrical grinding, and no the reel. back-off or bevel on the cutting edge. causing rapid wear on Service Manager. When we formerly used a high carbon crucible steel in our fairway mowers, the blades were thicker, which was We believe the reel should be ground necessary to give them the proper with a slight bevel as the cutting edge strength. For the past three or four becomes rounded on account of the grit years, since we have been using the which it encounters, so if there is no special alloy steel, the cutting part of clearance to allow the knife to wear the blade has been reduced in thickness down easily the knife will soon become so that it is not necessary to grind them dull. A wide land or contact with the but cylindrically. straight blade makes a hard running mower and it is the writer's experience in calling on numerous golf clubs using MY THEORY ON GRINDING our equipment that all grind with a slight bevel which also facilitates fitting the reel knife or lapping it to the straight blade when necessary. With It is true that most cutting tools are the latest grinding equipment, using subject to abuse, it is also true that im- a variable the reel knives can be proper grinding or sharpening of such ground to fitfeed, the straight blade so actools causes more damage and abuse, curately that no lapping-in is required. than the work the tool must render. Let Manufacturer. us give some consideration to the Greenskeep's tools, his chisels, drills, axe and such tools that need sharpenWe find in our service work that ing. You will agree with me, when I say that there is a right and wrong some of the makes of mowers require way of grinding these tools, poor cut- more bevel than others, and some reting results and delays are the results quire no bevel. The quality of steel has great bearing on this. of improper grinding. Many mowers through a season During the several years I have been in the grinding business I have heard or two of use have been adjusted tighter many discussions regarding the proper on one end, the reel has then worn to a conical shape. This is corrected by grinding the reel on its bearings in the lathe type specially built grinder. Bed knives are ground on the cutting and front edge leaving the top forward surface higher than the rear. This provides a clearance in its proper relation with the bevel, if any, on the reel grinding. It insures less reel wear and ease of operation. Hand Greens, Tees and Fairways mowers are all finished with emery and oil reverse action grinding. The grit is selected for the several types of machines. This operation insures a perfect smooth shearing action, it also removes the fine hair edge of the reel blades. All of our grinders are equipped with variable feed speed adjustments in order that movement may be adjusted for the size of cut and the quality and thickness of the steel blades. We have never in the thousands of reels ground seen one where any signs of burning or overheating has taken place. Service Station. The Sixth Annual Short Course in Turf Management will be held at the College of Agriculture, Rutgers University, February 19-23 inclusive. As explained by Dr. Howard B. Sprague, who is the leader of this Course, "the guiding thought in arranging this Course is to provide an explanation of the Scientific principles underlying the successful growth and maintenance of turf on golf courses, parks, lawns and estates". Registration is limited to sixty persons. WELCOME New England Greenkeepers and Chairmen FERTILIZE and ECONOMIZE to the Eighth Annual National Greenkeepers' Golf Show, Convention and Educational Conference to be held at THE WILLIAM PENN HOTEL Pittsburgh, Pa. January 30 - February 2 - 1934 The National Association of Greenkeepers of America Fred A. Burkhardt, Secretary. Editor: "To be quite candid, I can't make out this drawing at all." Temperamental One: "Drawing! That isn't drawing, that's writing." Don't Starve the Grass ivith LAN -FER (8-6-2) (6-8-2) Special Golf Course FERTILIZER also Super-Phosphate Bone Meal Castor Pomace Chemicals and ARSENATE OF LEAD flpUs for prices. M. F. LANSILL Fertilizer Specialist 86 CHARLES RIVER PKY. NEWTON, MASS. Newton North 0992-M CONFERENCE AT MASSACHUSETTS STATE COLLEGE Advance notices relative to the annual Conference held each Spring in connection with the Winter School for Greenkeepers indicate that the Conference this Spring will be enlarged so as to "bring together the leading groups and agencies interested in outdoor recreation in order to give intensive study to technical problems involved and to co-ordinate the work of all agencies for the better conservation, maintenance, improvement, and utilization of natural resources." The golf part of the program will include the playing as well as the course, and will also devote some time to the club house. The exhibition will be expanded to include equipment for the playing of the game, and also equipment for the maintenance of sports, fields, wood trails, etc. The dates for the conference are March 15, 18, and 17. Further news of this conference will be included in the February issue of the N E W S L E T T E R . Don't forget the second annual Short Course for Greenkeepers at the Rhode Island State College, from Jan. 29— Feb. 2. AT SACHUEST The late unpleasantness, popularly called the Depression, forced the exclusive Sachuest Golf Club to open its course to the public. With a manager to report to, five dollars worth of advertising, a good Toro tractor, three worn out units, a Jacobson power greens mower, f a r from new, one ton of Milorganite, my tractor man and I managed to keep the course in fair condition, pay all bills, and turn over $500 clear to the owners. Green fees were fifty cents a day except for one dollar on Saturdays, and Sundays. Collecting of the fees was strictly according to the advertisement "pay as you play", not before. Whenever I happened to be working or playing I met them and held them up, only making sure that they had as much as nine holes of play. The kindly attitude and loyalty of my clientelle made me realize that there is certainly a place for a public type of course, where golf lovers can play for a modest sum, without membership, initiations, or customary social privileges. Although every effort was made to save time and money, old worn equipment is f a r from economical; however, my policy is to have the greens come first, fairways next, then rough near the greens, and bunkers last. A real golfer expects trouble in a bunker, that's what they are for), and takes his medicine like a man. Good golfers were invariably generous with their praise of the course, and profoundly impressed with the scenic beauty of the countryside and ocean. Amateurs and duffers often complained of losing too many balls; it pays well to return them whenever possible to identify the loser; and the rest it pays to sell at a dollar a dozen to all comers. However we were sufficiently encouraged last season to lease the course for 1934, and new units to go with the tractor are all ready for another season. R. Wallace Peckham. President West has appointed the following committees for 1934: Welfare: James Sullivan, Chr., 47 Hammond Street, Waltham, Mass.; Martin Greene, William Lindsay. Employment: John Shanahan, Chr., 256 Fuller Street, West Newton, Mass.; William McBride, Michael O'Grady. Inter-relation, Mass. section: Paul Wanberg, Chr., 8 Curtis Street, Waltham, Mass.; Marston Burnett, Lloyd Stott. Rhode Island section: James Lawson, Chr., Watch Hill Road, Westerly, R. I.; Ray Granger, Everett Pyle. Dues are now payable to the Treasurer, Frank H. Wilson, Charles River Country Club, Newton Centre, Mass. Elected to membership at the January meeting were George Lodge, Ronald Sturtevant, Arthur Fontaine, and Robert MacBey. Peck—"What's the difference between an orphan, a bald headed man, and a monkey's mother?" Ham—"I'll bite, what is it?" Peck—"An orphan is no heir apparent, a bald headed man has no hair apparent, and a monkey's mother is a hairy parent." CYLINDRICAL GRINDING Have your reels cylindrical ground: They will Wear Longer Last Longer Have Fewer Nicks Need Fewer Adjustments Prices: Fairway units completely overhauled and painted $10.00 (cylindrical ground) 30" Reel only $3.50 (cylindrical ground) 30" Bottom Knife only $1.00 iwet ground) 30" Reel and Bottom Knife together $4.00 We specialize in mower service, and solicit your patronage. POWER LAWN MOWER SERVICE COMPANY 15 Tenney Court, Somerville, Mass. Somerset 0504-W NEW ENGLAND GROWN Winter-hardy, Acclimated BENT SEED for New England Golf Courses Direct from the farms of A. N. PECKHAM KINGSTON, R. I. WORTHINGTON MOWER COMPANY "The Standard Golf Course Mowing Machinery of the World" New England Branch Office C. M. SAWTELLE—MANAGER Grinding ONE STATE STREET—BOSTON, MASS. Telephone: Lafayette 1413 Overhauling SERVICE STATION 15 TENNEY COURT—SOMERVILLE, MASS. Telephone: Somerset 0504-W Rebuilding A REAL MOWER SHARPENER at a real LOW PRICE The PEERLESS JR. Here's a real Mower Sharpener that meets the demand for a highgrade Sharpener of ample size and capacity at a very low price. It grinds all makes of powei mowers and tractor units with blades up to 36 inches wide, as well as putting green and hand lawn mowers, without removing mower wheels or reel knives. It employs the well-known Peerless principle of grinding the blades with the proper clearance or bevel. It also grinds the reel knives to make a perfect contact with the straight blade, even though the latter is bent or sprung. New automatic weight feed—very fast and accurate. Equipped with Reconditioner for "lapping in" putting green and thin-bladed mowers with emery paste, Attachment Bar for grinding badly worn straight blades, and Special Grinding Wheel for grass and hedge shears, sickles, scythes, etc. Direct-drive 1-3 H. P. Westinghouse motor, or with tight and loose pulleys for belt drive. 4 A Fate - Root - Heath Product Descriptive Folder and Prices Upon Request Distributed by NEW ENGLAND TORO COMPANY WEST NEWTON—MASS.