This NEWSLETTER is published
monthly by the Greenkeepers Club of
New England, and sent free to its members and their Greens' Chairmen. Subscription price ten cents a copy, or a
dollar a year.
GUY C. WEST
Editor
312 Mt. P l e a s a n t St., Fall Paver, Mass.

HOWARD D. FARRANT Business Mgr.
132 R u s s s t t Rd., W e s t Roxbury, Mass.

February, 19;s5

Vol 7, No. 2

kept pace with the changing times. His
helpfulness to others was one of his outstanding characteristics. If you were in
trouble and took your problem to him,
he was always willing to help.
His sound judgement helped in a
large degree in the developing of The
Greenkeepers Club of New England into an organization which has prospered
for eleven years, done an incalculable
amount of good for greenkeepers and
golf clubs. In his quiet unhurried way
he has been a steadying influence which
we all miss.
I cannot help thinking of William
Cullen Bryant's words in Thanatopsis:
"So live, that when thy summons comes
to join
The innumerable caravan, which moves
To that mysterious realm, where each
shall take
His chamber in the silent halls of death,
Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at
night,
Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained
and soothed
By an unfaltering trust, approach thy
grave,
Like one who wraps the drapery of his
couch
About him, and lies down to pleasant
dreams."
Clean living, his trust in God, helpfulness to his fellowmen, a ready smile,
a hearty laugh, a warm handshake are
some of the things I remember in my
friend John Shanahan.
Frank H. Wilson.

"Blessed is that man who has found
his work."
In the spirit of honoring a dearly
loved brother the Greenkeepers Club of
New England is presenting' this issue of
the NEWSLETTER as a John Shanahan
Memorial. We trust that his memory
may ever be revered among us, and his
teachings followed.
It is perhaps fitting that we here announce that the Greenkeepers Club,
with the New England Section of the
P. G. A., and the Brae Burn Country
Club cooperating, is establishing the
John Shanahan Shield as a trophy
which will be hung in the trophy room
at Brae Burn, and upon which will be
inscribed yearly the names of the winners of the annual Greenkeepers-Pro
Championship.
The Greenkeepers Club of New
England has also voted to award annually a John Shanahan Award of Merit
to the person or persons who make the
most outstanding contribution to GreenAS FRIEND AND NEIGHBOR
keeping- in New England.
We are indeed pleased to include some
simply fail when one wishes to
of the many tributes to the memory of payWords
full tribute to John Shanahan, as
our friend.
friend and neighbor.
At all times he was painstakingly considerate in his advice to the younger
Brae Burn and -John Shanahan, the greenkeeper. His criticism was of the
two are inseparable in one's mind. We most kindly type, always given with
judge a man by his accomplishments in that gracious smile of his that we all
to love. His wisdom in greenlife and Brae Burn is known through- learned
affairs, and affairs in general
out the length and breadth of this land keeping
for its beautiful golf course. John was as large as the man himself.
lived with his work. He knew every
The many talks we've had. The visits
green, tee, fairway and bunker inti- back and forth are things of the past
mately. Those who know Brae Burn now but they will always linger in my
memory. John could say so little and
know that his work was well done.
yet say so much; I am indeed grateful
John was the dean of greenkeepers that
work in greenkeeping brought
in this country. His wide knowledge and me inmytouch,
in such close touch,
years of experience made him an with a man ofand
his caliber.
authority on golf course problems. He

I like to think of John Shanahan as a
greenkeeper, better yet, I like to think
of him as the out-standing one in his
profession, but best of all I like to think
of Dear Old John as my neighbor and
greatest friend.
Carlton E. Treat.
My first acquaintance with John
Shanahan was shortly after Brae Burn
opened its first course of nine holes.
When Fred Hood organized the New
England Service Section, John was one
of our most valuable members, and
continued with his advice after the Service Section was consolidated with the
Massachusets Golf Association.
During the two years that I was
President of the Massachusetts Golf
Association, I asked John many times to
go to different Clubs, and help out with
suggestions to some Greenkeeper who
was having troubles. He never failed me.
I always considered John as the
premier Greenkeeper of Massachusetts,
if not of the country. He was a credit
to the game of golf.
Charles H. Cross,
Past Pres., M. G. A.

granted in that line but, unlike many
arriving at his years, his vision always
was forward, seeking new truths and
their application to his problems.
His knowledge of men and his keen
sense of humor often caused us to marvel at the breadth of his point of view.
Generosity, loyalty to his family and to
his Club, and helpfulness to his fellowmen, were John's chief characteristics.
Associated with him for ten years,
first as a member, and then as Chairman of the Brae Burn Country Club
Grounds Committee, I have never heard
John speak ill of any man, and if an
occasional report reached him as to
misfortune befalling another greenkeeper, he would always reply that
probably he could not have done as well
under the same circumstances.
We have indeed lost a friend as well
as a master craftsman.
C. A Sawyer, Jr.,
Chairman, Greens Committee,
Brae Burn Country Club.
While I have known John Shanahan
only a few years, and while we did not
always see things in the same light, I
always found him honest and sincere,
firm in his convictions, always ready to
applaud good, and denounce wrong. I
considered Mr. Shanahan one of our
leading pioneers and Dean of the
Greenkeepers of America. Through his
untiring efforts, he has helped to advance the cause of greenkeeping to a
higher standard. Few men have lived
so usefully, so richly endowed in friendships and so tenderly held in the memory of all who knew him.
John Morley,
Pres. Emeritus, N. A. G. A.

I never knew John Shanahan personally. I did know what kind of a man he
was, because of what he did, and on account of hundreds of friends he had who
spoke so highly of him. Every golfer
who had the privilege of playing at
Brae Burn recognized that the course
was groomed by a great master.
Mothers have told me that they never
worried when their children were at
Brae Burn, for John Shanahan would
look out for them. When the greenkeepers organized their club John
Shanahan was the unanimous choice
for president. He was a hard worker—
willing, able, unselfish. His standards
were the highest.—only the best would
suffice. His life was an example from
Greenkeepers and research workers
which we can all well profit.
in the field of Agrostology must never
Charles E. Mason,
permitted to forget John Shanahan.
Pres. Mass. Golf Assoc. be
It is the duty of us who knew him to
carry his splendid teachings and the inspiration of his rare personality to the
future
generations.
Were I a master of the English
Greenkeeping was not his chosen prolanguage I could not write a tribute
worthy of John. His greens and fair- fession, but a profession adopted by
ways were always so uniformly good necessity. Thus his complete success bethat we seemed to take his ability for come a greater tribute to his character.

John Shanahan was successful during
the early period of greenkeeping because he realized that he was working
with living plants: he was a clear observer and wise interpreter of signs
and omens; he was not excitable, but
calm and conservative; he had great
faith in Nature and wanted to help her.
In the middle period of his greenkeeping he was even more successful
and a stronger and wiser leader and
example. He was tolerant of new ideas
and leaders, never destructive in criticism, but always encouraging, yet he
never hesitated to give an honest opinion. His valuable influence was felt in
this period by leading the greenkeepers
to give of their knowledge, and by his
willingness and desire to direct scientists
in the solution of their research problems.
We are thankful that we were permitted to have John Shanahan with us
during the final period of his greenkeeping career. For then he was to
demonstrate by his practices and life
the value of his example, teachings, and
ideals. His acceptance, and adaptation of
the results of scientific research was
proof of their soundness, and his leadership was followed throughout the
country.
The greenkeepers of New England
have lost an able adviser, a living example of their ideals. The research
worker has lost a true friend, a wise
counsellor with an inspiring personality.
The community has lost a valuable
citizen.
Prof. Lawrence S. Dickinson,
Mass. State College.
It is given but to few men to rise through
hard work and eternal vigilance to the
peak of their individual professions. Mr.
Shanahan did accomplish this feat and
maintained his "second to none" reputation to the very end of his life. It is
truly inspiring to those of us, who have
yet to make our mark in this world to
have known and associated with a man
of his excellent qualities. He leaves a.
heritage of which any man might be
proud.
Orville O. Clapper, Mgr.,
New England Toro Co.

RESOLUTIONS

Adopted December 17, 1934, at a
meeting of the Board of Directors of
the Brae Burn Country Club, West
Newton, Massachusetts
WHEREAS:
THE BRAE BURN COUNTRY CLUB
records with deep regret the decease of
JOHN
SHANAHAN
its beloved and loyal Greenkeeper; and
Whereas: For thirty-two years Brae
Burn has enjoyed the benefit of his
knowledge and industry, resulting in the
attainment of one of the finest examples
of golf course architecture and maintenance in the United States; and
Whereas: During his long years of
service, spanning the growth and development of golf as a National recreation
in this country, John Shanahan prepared the Brae Burn course for many
State and National Tournaments; and
Whereas: He was recognized as the
Dean of Greenkeepers, holding membership on the Advisory Committee of the
Greens Section of the United States
Golf Association and on the Executive
Committee of the Greenkeepers Club of
New England;
Whereas: Sincerity and sterling integrity were the basic attributes of his
character and a remarkable influence
for good among his fellowmen; and now
therefore be it
RESOLVED
That the Club express its appreciation
of John Shanahan's long and faithful
service, and extend to Mrs. Shanahan its
sympathy in her loss of a loving companion, and be it also further
RESOLVED: That this tribute be
spread on the records of the Club and
that a duly authenticated copy be engrossed and presented to Mrs. Shanahan.
BRAE BURN COUNTRY CLUB
Leon B. Rogers,
President.
William H. Rice,
Secretary
C. A. Sawyer, Jr.,
Chairman, Grounds Committ'ie.

JOHN

SHANAHAN

GOLF CLUBS

What the Green Section of the United
States Golf Association has done for
you.
Are you doing your part!
This article is not written to emphasize the benefits derived by all golfers
by the various activities of the United
States Golf Association, such as maintaining the standards of the game, the
handling' of tournaments and the standardization of golfing equipment, etc.,
but to point out what the Green Section
has done of a beneficial nature for all
golf clubs whether members of this
Association or not.
Let us just state that membership in
the United States Golf Association costs
only $30 per club per year. On the basis
of an average membership of 200 members per club, this represents the small
outlay of fifteen cents (15 cents) per
member.
The Green Section, through years of
experimentation, has done the following
for you:—
1. Grasses: Developed superior grasses for putting greens. Defined adaptability of various grasses for fairways
and tees. Determined economical seeding rates and methods.
2. Fertilizers: Determined the relative values of various fertilizers for turf
production by tests on different soils.
3. Diseases: Devised remedies (including corrosive sublimate and calomel) for control of brownpatch, dollarspot, snowmold and other turf diseases.
4. Insects: Sponsored tests leading to
arsenate of lead treatment for control
of grubs and earthworms. Tested other
remedies for insect pests.
5. Weeds: Demonstrated several effective means for reducing weed problems on golf courses.
6. Soil Improvement: Developed methods for improving soil conditions to
make them more suitable for golf course
conditions.
7. Mowing: Determined favorable and
unfavorable effects of mowing turf at
different heights; thereby modifying
unfavorable mowing practices on golf
courses.

8. Watering: Demonstrated advantages in improved methods of applying
water and removing excess water.
9. Advisory service: Advised clubs on
all types of questions concerned with
materials and methods used in golf
course construction and upkeep, including soil and seed analyses. (This service has not been connected with purchasing bureaus.)
10. Bulletin: Published 13 volumes
constituting the most authoritative and
useful reference work on turf culture
that is in existence.
11. Educational Work:
Conducted
educational work which has raised the
standards in greenkeeping in every part
of the country.
12. Interpretation:
Served to interpret related agriculture science so that
it might be applied to modern greenkeeping.
From the above brief summary the
Greens' Chairman or Greenkeeper, who
is a keen student of his duties, can readNew England Distributors
for

FLORIDA HUMUS

What is Florida Humus?
H u m u s in its purest, richest
form—
w i t h a h i g h c o n t e n t of o r g a n i c n i t r o g e n
w h i c h m a k e s it a p l a n t food in itself.
It
is d e c a y e d v e g e t a t i v e m o l d f r o m u n d e r w a t e r deposits where, for centuries, the
life-giving
organic
matter
has
been
s e a l e d i n a n d a l l w e e d seeds, w a s t e a n d
f o r e i g n m a t t e r sealed out. A i r - d r i e d and
c o n v e n i e n t l y p a c k a g e d , i t is l i g h t , f l u f f y ,
clean,
odorless—and
more
highly
absorbent than any other humus known.
Ready

to

use

as

received.

C a r l o a d s w e r e used on N e w
England
g o l f c o u r s e s d u r i n g t h e 1S33 a n d 1934
seasons.
T h e r e s u l t s have been
most
satisfactory.
S h i p p e d e i t h e r i n 200
crates.
Delivered prices
quest.
A s p e c i a l b o o k l e t on t h e
H u m u s for golf courses
on request.

lb. or
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ily appreciate that the services rendered to his club have been of inestimable value.
It might be well for us at this juncture, to correct an erroneous impression
in the minds of many, to state that no
member of the Executive Committee of
the United States Golf Association receives, or has received, any remuneration for his services or expenses either
for travelling or otherwise.
The United States Golf Association
in the last fourteen years has spent over
$335,000 in research and development
work for the benefit of its member clubs.
We have been compelled to reduce the
budget for Green Section work because
of operating deficits of the Association
in 1931, 1932 and 1933. Our present
budget, however, is sufficient for us to do
a great deal of constructive work for
the clubs both by helping them to correct erroneous practices of greenkeeping
and to avoid mistakes which may be
very expensive. In other words, our tremendous investment in research and experimental work has brought us a fund
of knowledge which will be of lasting
benefit to our clubs, and which, we believe, you cannot afford to be without.
There are in this country approximately 5,800 golf clubs. We had at our
peak 1,129 member clubs, which has
now been reduced through resignations
to about 800 member clubs. This alone
accounts for $9,000 less income which
previously was used by the Green Section in experimentation work.
A fact that should not be overlooked
is that research results of the Green
Section not only have saved thousands
of dollars for golf clubs, but sports
fields, tennis courts, bowling greens,
lawns and ball parks have been able to
benefit as well.
This brings us to the main question.
In view of the fact that all this has
been done for you, what are you doing
to help? In other words, are you doing
your part? The question has many
times been asked of a United States
Golf Association official—What does the
United States Golf Association do for
my club? It seems to us that the shoe
is most certainly on the other foot.
United States Golf Association,
By Harold W. Pierce,
Chairman, Green Section.
1

FEBRUARY MEETING

The February meeting was held at
the Hotel Statler, Boston, on the 4th.
Representatives of several golf supply
houses were present and gave short
talks on various subjects, the program
being presented under Chairman
Darling of the Entertainment Committee.
The following were the speakers. and
their subjects:
Mr. Kylander of the New England
Toro Co., "Rubber Tires for Fairway
Mowing".
Mr. Coles of the Antube Co., "Control
of Ants".
Mr. Stone of Philip Porter & Sons,
"Adding Humus to Established Greens".
Mr. Goldthwait of Duro Pump Co.,
"Fairway Irrigation".
Mrs. Smith of Ma-Ches-OK, "Organic
Matter in Native Peat".
Mr. A. N. Peckham, "Growing' and
Harvesting Turf Grasses".
Mr. Reid of Hovey & Co., "Irrigation".
Mr. Sawtelle of Worthington Mower
Co., "How to Prolong the Life of Fairway Units".
Mr. Dodds of Thomas Emerson Co.,
"The Seed Market in 1935."
Mr. Berecz of Power Lawn Mower
Service Co., "The Economy in Golf
Maintainence of Modern Equipment".
Mr. Nye of F. H. Woodruff & Sons,
"Advice in Purchasing Grass Seed."
Mr. Preston of General Chemical Co.,
"Japanese Beetle".
These talks were interesting and made
the meeting a very successful one to all
those present.
The speaking program for the Conference was still incomplete when we
went to press, but we understand that
Herb Graffis of Golfdom is to speak on
"The Prevention and Cure of Brainpatch in Greenkeeping", and this alone
should take you there.
The Greenkeepers Frolic will be held
around the first of April, date not set
as yet. Buy the wife a new dress, brush
off the suit, and be ready!

/f^-,

SOIL - CO

T h e p e r f e c t soil c o n d i t i o n e r

Is t h e w a t e r a v a i l a b l e in t h e soilconditioners you are using?

SOIL-CO has a water holding capacity of 379.5%. Find out how much
of your water holding capacity is
available. Our material has an availability of 313.2%.
Organic matter
Nitrogen

93.13%
1.41 %

Organic matter and nitrogen tests
were run at the Mass. Agri. Ex. Sta.

BRAGUEJ
INC.
Hinsdale, Mass.
Richard D. Mansfield, Sales M g r .

SOIL-CO was
n a m e of

formerly
Hinsdale

sold u n d e r
Leafmold.

the

REFERENCES:
Suffield C o u n t r y Club, Conn.
Wellesley Hills C o u n t r y Club, Mass.

NEW ENGLAND GROWN
Winter-hardy,

Acclimated

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

GRASS

SEEDS

a r e only v a l u a b l e in e x a c t p r o p o r t i o n
to the results o b t a i n e d f r o m their use.

A-sk your seedsman to help you.
It is his business to sell good seeds
suitable for the purposes for which
they are purchased.
Woodco Lawn Food
feeds grasses.

Woodco Brand

Seeds

produce healthy plants.
Grass Seed Division

F. H. Woodruff & Sens
Milford, Conn.

N e w arjd L o w e r P r i c e s on
Victory Fertilizer
The same unique and popular fertilizer with its successful feature,
the humus base.
V i c t o r y Putting Green Fertilizer
6-8-2
$55.00
V i c t o r y Putting Green Fertilizer
7-9-2
$60.00
V i c t o r y Fairway Fertilizer
4-8-4
$50.00
V i c t o r y Humus, without bags $15.00
V i c t o r y Humus, with bags . . $18.00
FANCY RECLEANED GRASSES
OF FINE QUALITY
1935 Price List Out Shortly.

Hovey
& Company
ISO Milk S t . — B o s t o n , Mass.*
Han. 1454

T hree - Day Golf Conference
at Mass. State College

—

M a r c h 15-16-17

The ninth annual Golf Course Maintenance Exhibition
and Conference will be held in connection with the Recreation Conference at the Massachusetts State College on
March 15-16-17.
The programme will start early Friday morning,
March 15, and the eighteenth hole will not be reached
until Sunday afternoon, March 17. This conference concludes the ninth annual eleven weeks winter school for
greenkeepers, and will be the largest golfing meeting in
the East in 1935. To provide continuous entertainment
the program is divided into three definitely scheduled
divisions.
The education division will have very strong speakers to cover all phases of golfing—professional, player,
greenkeeper, club officials and club manager. A majority
of the speakers will be new to the conference and included will be prominent greenkeepers with practical
suggestions, and practical-minded scientists who will
offer scientific facts to be heeded. The Massachusetts
Golf Association is actively cooperating to make the exhibition and conference a success and representatives
from the M. G. A., U. S. G. A., and P. G. A. are to be
on the programme.
The exhibition is to be held in the college baseball
cage, an area larger than most exhibition halls, and
nearly all space has been already reserved. Club officials
and merchants find this conference a rare opportunity
for interviews and the only opportunity in New England
to inspect the various types of equipment and to converse
with reliable seedmen, all collected under one roof.
To supply amusement and to relieve the tension of
serious lectures, real entertainment is being arranged for.
This conference and exhibition will be a part of the
General Recreation Conference which includes all winter
sports, hunting and fishing, and archery. Each of these
groups will have a fine exhibition.

For The Finest Greens

J ^ BETTER job of cutting—every day—the season through—
that's what you can expect when using the Ideal Power
Greensmower.
These precision built power putting green mowers are
designed to do the finest work possible—the power driven, high
speed, keen cutting reel glides through the heaviest turf with
a smoothness that produces the most accurate putting surface
imaginable.
Certainly, they save labor also—and take the hard work
out of mowing greens—but the high quality of their work is
the big reason for their fast growing popularity.
See our complete exhibition of golf course equipment at
the Amherst Show, March 15-16-17.

IDEAL MOWER SALES and SERVICE
111 Cypress Street, Brookline, M a s s . — T e l e p h o n e Beacon 2898

RUBBER TIRES FOR
MOWING

FAIRWAY

(Presented at February Dealers'
Meeting.)
The subject assigned to me to be
covered in five minutes is "Rubber Tires
for Fairway Mowing". It is my belief
that insufficient evidence is available to
limit myself to this one phase of Rubber Tires on Tractors and with your
permission I will treat of Rubber Tires
for Tractors in a general manner and
deal more specifically with the mowing
towards the end of my address.
The trend during the past recent
years has been very definitely toward
rubber tired equipment on all types of
tractors. While our interest here is
primarily with mowing it might give me
a better background to touch on general usage.
The Agricultural Wheel Equipment
Committee of the American Society of
Agricultural Engineers decided to make
one of its major activities for the year
of 1934, a study of rubber tires for
tractors by means of a questionnaire
sent to owners. Such references as I
may make are based on 373 returned
questionnaires as compiled by Prof. C.
W. Smith of the University of Nebraska. Of course every one did not
answer every question with a definite
yes or no.
Tractors were used from 70 to 4,000
hours per year, 260 reported that they
used their tractors more since having
them equipped with rubber tires. Nearly
100 % of these reported a fuel saving.
261 gave figures on this subject and the
average saving was 24.1%. Following
is a brief resume of the questions and
answers.
How much more can you do in a day
with rubber. Answers ranged form 0%
to 100%.
Were breakage and repairs reduced
through use of Rubber Tires. 198
answered yes.
Was your tractor operated in higher
gear with Rubber Tires. 332 answered
yes.
Do the tires give satisfactory traction.
334 answered yes.
Do you ever use chains with rubber
tires. 274 answered No and 79 answered
yes.

Do Rubber Tires ride easier?
363 answered yes.
Do Rubber Tires pack the soil more
than steel wheels? 301 answered No.
If buying a tractor would you want it
equipped with Rubber Tires? 343
answered yes.
A summary would read something like
this—
A marked saving in fuel—Faster
Operating Speed—More comfortable
riding.
Less repairs thus longer life—Better
traction—More power and work done.
Less soil packing with rubber.
End of quotations from Prof. Smith's
compilation of questions and answers.
Perhaps one of the reasons why rubber tires were not so quickly adopted
for Golf mowing was that the size of
wheels used on Golf tractors did not
permit the use of Farm Implement or
Tractor Type Tires. A few attempted
using the pleasure car or truck type of
tires but experienced wheel slippage
causing turf burns, which was partially
overcome by using chains and then
damage to turf invariably resulted. This
can be verified by your own experience
with your own trucks on your golf
course.
In the most recent years the large
tire companies have made great strides
in the development of tires built
specifically for tractors and now make
sizes for the popular golf tractors.
These are not pleasure type tires but
have special treads designed for
efficient traction and a softer and more
elastic cord permitting the tires to
adapt itself to the ground contours. The
average tire pressure is 12 lbs. and
chains are not recommended on the
tractor type tires for turf work.
Of the many sizes in our experimental
work two stand out as the most satisfactory. These are the 6:00 x 16 and
7:50 x 16 either of which will fit the
4:50 x 16 rim. The maximum load is
915 and 1350 lbs. respectively and the
ground contact area is 25 and 41 square
inches respectively. Dual tires are
recommended on the rear rather than
large single tires as this permits
greater contact area with the ground,
insuring better traction under all conditions with minimum slippage. Tests
have proven dual tires will take seven
units or a dump cart load over hills

^^

without slippage while the same machine with the same load and steel
wheels with spuds will slip and tear the
turf. Also side hill slippage has been
practically eliminated.
Last and certainly not least is the
tractor operator: "The Forgotten Man'.
On Rubber Tired Tractors he rides in
comfort, he is better satisfied and it is
reflected in his work and frame of
mind. His efficiency can be increased
by minimizing jolts and jars throughout his working day.
0. 0. CLAPPER, MGR.,
NEW ENGLAND TORO, CO.
Mr. Richard D. Mansfield has recently joined the organization of
Brague, Inc., of Hinsdale, Mass. as
sales manager for their product, SOIL-

CO. SOIL-CO was formerly sold under
the name of Hinsdale Leafmold.
Mr. Mansfield is a graduate of the
Stockbridge School at Mass. State College, having majored in golf course
maintenance. He was with the Newbergh, N. Y., Country Club for one year
and has been with Colonial Country
Club, Lynnfield, Mass., for eight, the
past year as assistant greenkeeper.
He is a member of this year's class
for greenkeepers at Mass. State College
and is student chairman of the golf division at the Recreation Conference Exhibition in Amherst to be held March
15-16-17.
He has many friends among the
greenkeepers throughout New England
and all wish him the best of success in
his . new position.
Brague, Inc.

THE PORCUPINE
P a t . J u l y 3, 1 9 3 4

$135.00 F. O. B.

East Northfield—Mass.

"Greenkeepers"'—

Before the spring topdressing, use a " P o r c u p i n e " — the spike roller
that gives perfect holes
and satisfaction. Does
not rip the turf. Put this
in your budget for 1935.

FRED STONE

New England Agent
120 Chestnut Street
Wakefield, Mass.

Manufactured by

Philip Porter

Sons

E. Northfield, Mass.

HOSELESS FAIRWAY WATERING
(Presented at Feb. meeting)
The accepted hoseless fairway watering system in the Eastern States is the
one-man operated, high pressure, center pipe system devised by Wendell P.
Miller and installed by him at Albany
Country Club in 1930. Every hoseless
system in the East, installed since
1930—except one—is a Miller system,
no matter by what name called. The one
exception is a hoseless system of the
original Buckner type installed at Lido
Club, Long Island, in 1932. New England examples of the Miller system are
The Country Club, Charles River, and
Hyannisport.
This one-man system can be either
looped or non-looped. The original
Albany system was looped, with a few
separated, non-looped, fairways, called
"appendages". The Country Club and
Charles River are looped systems; both
have "appendages". Hyannisport System is non-looped. In practical operation there is no difference between
looped and non-looped systems. For example, no difference in a practical way
can be detected between Fresh Meadow
(1932) which has no loops whatever —
and its immediate neighbor, Queens
Valley (1930) which is looped.
The choice between loops and no
loops lies in the layout of the course*—
in fact, there is little room for choice,
as the course itself determines the design. Far-flung courses with far wandering' fairways;—courses which are spread
over rough country and vast acreages,
are best handled with a loop, like the
two Boston clubs mentioned, while
groups of parallel holes, like Hyannisport, are best handled without loops.
There is no especial merit in loops as
a mere principle of design for golf
courses. The loop idea comes from city
water pratice, where loops are used to
equalize pressure over large areas, to
meet unknown peak loads of domestic
demand, and to carry large volumes of
water for fire protection. These peak
loads do not exist on golf courses,
where the demand is definitely calculable. Loops are unnecessary to equalize pressure on fairways because pressure is easily maintained throughout
the fairways except on the far ends of

the mowed areas. The ends of most fairways are narrow by intention of the
golf architect, hence some pressure loss
can be sustained at the ends.
As for economical delivery of water
to the fairways, one pipe does the job
at less investment than two pipes. An
8" pipe carries more water than two
(2) 6" pipes and costs 35% less installed. Likewise, a 6" pipe is bigger
than two 4" pipes, a 4" bigger than two
3", and a 3" is bigger than a 2" plus
a 2Vz", and in each case the single pipe
represents a smaller investment.
"Equalization of pressure" and ^ ^
"looped systems" are nothing more than
catch words to lure the unwary into
the belief that there is some special
merit in the looped system.
Vendors of watering equipment are
promoting the idea that there is merit
in loops because loops permit the operation of more sprinklers in any single
fairway at one time than a non-looped
system provided, however, the capacity
of the loop exceeds the capacity of the
non-looped header. Here is the catch!
This is likewise a "catch" idea because
for any given investment more water
can be delivered to any single fairway
by a single pipe than two pipes.
The number of sprinklers to be operated on any one fairway at one time is
determined by the size of the pipe
rather than loop design. The full capacity of the pumps can be used on one
fairway if the pipes are large enough—
regardless of the design adopted.
There is little or nothing to be gained
by operating quite a few sprinklers on
a single fairway at one time. With
night watering it is usually difficult, if
not impossible, to utilize the workman's
time between sprinkler moves- —and if
the time saved by concentration of
sprinklers cannot be effectively utilized,
the extra investment which permits such
concentration is wasted. A system
which gives . the workman maximum
time to sit and think between rounds—
or merely just to sit—is nice for the
workman but hard on the club purse. It
is simpler to get a smaller appropriation—and let the workman walk more
and sit less.
Staggered sprinkler operation means
operating the usual 7 to 10 sprinklers
over a number of fairways at one

Makes Turf That Wins Praise!

The r i g h t fertilizer isn't all that's necessary in growingfine playing turf, but you'll agree it's mighty important. Swift,
manufacturer of fertilizers for fifty years, offers you a fertilizer
that is formulated especially to meet the needs of golf course turf.
It supplies all of the elements needed in proportions which assure
beautiful turf t h a t c a n t a k e it! Like so many other New England
courses, you'll find just what you want—exceptional results plus
economy — in

Swift's
SPECIAL GOLF FERTILIZER
Swift and Company
Fertilizer W o r k s

25 Faneuil Hali Square

—

—

—

Boston, Mass.

FRED W. GOLDTHWAIT
M . I. T . 1 9 0 5 M e c h ' I E n g n g .

Golf Course Irrigation

20 Y e a r s E x p e r i e n c e in P u m p i n g P r o b l e m s in N e w E n g l a n d .
1 5 , 0 0 0 I n s t a l l a t i o n s of A l l T y p e s .

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

S p e c i a l i z i n g In
Doctoring of "sick" irrigation systems by increase of capacity
or pressure.
Investigation of underground water and study of saving in
water cost through ground water.
Application of water with reference to particular soil and
turf requirements.
Comparative costs—electric vs. gasoline pumping.
Lower cost fairway irrigation.

RESIDENCE:
35 P a r k Ave., Wakefield, Mass.
Crystel X761-W

OFFICE:
175 H i g h St., Boston, Mass.
Hubbard 5580

time, so that the flow of water is spread
over as many different pipe lines as
possible. Thus pipe sizes can be kept
down. Usually one to three heads are
operated on a fairway—enough to water
each fairway within the shift. Usually
six or nine fairways are watered each
night.
There is no adequate reason for this
practice. Cost of construction can be
further reduced if only one head is
used on one fairway at one time.
Watering from the green, toward the
tee, it is possible in one shift to water
further back from the green than the
longest ball will carry, thus providing
a uniform fairway condition over the
longest approach shot. And if only part
of a fairway be watered in one night—
Who can tell the difference the next day?
And what difference does it make
whether the player passes from a fairway just watered to one not watered,
or vice versa, or whether the player
passes from an unwatered portion of a
fairway to a recently watered portion,
Greenkeepers will get fairway watering quicker if they will scale down
their ideas to the staggered system of
sprinkler operation—the results are the
same but the cost of construction substantially less—while the routine of
staggered watering is simple enough
for any workman to follow".
First-class cast iron piping systems
operating one sprinkler per fairway and
having a capacity of 350-400 G. P. M.
can be installed on many courses for
$7,000.00 to $10,000.00. These systems
will have adequate capacity, in fact in
most cases will permit getting clear
around the course in one shift when it
is desirable to prevent drying out in extreme weather. No system of this type,
to our knowledge, has yet been installed but we believe this idea to be entirely feasible, and to offer the opportunity to install fairway watering at a
price within the means of clubs not able
to spend $15,000 to $20,000.
Lower cost irrigation construction is
coming—and accordingly we recommend this new idea for consideration.
D. G. REID,
HOVEY & COMPANY,
Boston, Mass.

Attention is especially called to the
notice of the Recreation Conference
elsewhere in this issue. The Greenkeepers Club of New England heartily
endorses this Conference, as it has all
previous conferences held at the Mass.
State College, and believes that every
greenkeeper in New England should be
among those present on March 15-16-17.
As a means of spreading this message,
this issue of the NEWSLETTER is being sent to every greenkeeper in New
England whose address we have been
eble to find. We hope that you who receive the NEWSLETTER for the first
time will be interested enough in it to
get this message, and see us in Amherst
next month! You will find the regulars
there nearly 100%.-.
At this time we wish to urge every
m e m b e r t o m a k e b e t t e r u s e of t h e v a r i o u s c o m m i t t e e s of t h e c l u b , a n d akio
to cooperate with these committees.
A n y m e m b e r w h o k n o w s of a n o t h e r ' s
illness should c o m m u n i c a t e with the
C h a i r m a n of t h e W e l f a r e C o m m i t t e e ,
J a m e s C. Sullivan, 4 7 H a m m o n d S t r e e t ,
Waltham, Mass. A n y m e m b e r knowing
of a n o t h e r ' s n e e d ' s h o u l d c o m m u n i c a t e
w i t h t h e C h a i r m a n of t h e T r u s t e e s ,
C a r l t o n E. T r e a t , W o o d l a n d Golf Club,
Auburndale, Mass. The Trustees are
e m p o w e r e d t o u s e f u n d s in t h e i r c a r e
t o h e l p a n y m e m b e r s w h o m a y b e in
n e e d . F u r t h e r u s e of t h e E m p l o y m e n t
C o m m i t t e e is u r g e d b y i t s c h a i r m a n ,
J a m e i s C. M c C o r m a c k , 4 5 0 W i l l i a m S t . ,
S t o n e h a m , Mass., a n d he also would app r e c i a t e k n o w i n g of o p e n i n g s , a l s o
greenkeepers wishing positions. Club
officials a r e r e q u e s t e d t o w r i t e M r . M c C o r m a c k if t h e y n e e d a g r e e n k e e p e r ;
h e c a n f u r n i s h a list of q u a l i f i e d a p p l i cants.

T h e M a r c h m e e t i n g of t h e G r e e n k e e p e r s C l u b of N e w E n g l a n d will b e
held at the Hotel Statler, Boston, on
M a r c h 4 t h a t 2 P . M . T h e s p e a k e r will
"be P r o f . J . W . W h i t e of P e n n S t a t e
College, a n d his s u b j e c t " T u r f P r o b lems". Because we believe that Prof.
W h i t e will h a v e a r e a l m e s s a g e , w e a r e
inviting each a n d e v e r y g r e e n k e e p e r in
N e w E n g l a n d to this meeting.

Efficient Performance of Mowing Equipment
!s L a r g e l y a M a t t e r of

CORRECT GRINDING

A n d c o r r e c t g r i n d i n g is a l m o s t
s o l e l y a m a t t e r of

A Good Grinding

Machine

" T h e C a r p e n t e r " s h a r p e n s a n d fits
all c u t t i n g b l a d e s t o t h e finest p r e c i s i o n a n d i n s u r e s o p e r a t i o n of m o w er's a t h i g h e s t e f f i c i e n c y .
S P E C I A L D E M O N S T R A T I O N S of t h i s g r i n d e r will b e m a d e a t t h e a n n u a l
R E C R E A T I O N C O N F E R E N C E being held at A M H E R S T ,
M a r c h 15-16-17. Be sure to see this d e m o n s t r a t i o n and
decide then to h a v e one installed at your club.
Address:

CARPENTER TOOL COMPANY
4 9 B r o a d w a y — P r o v i d e n c e , R. I.

— VVorthington Mowers --—Good News On H o w To Cut
Y o u r C u t t i n g Costs
If you are not interested in substantially cutting down your cutting costs, then this won't mean
a thing to you.
If you are, then we have something for you that's very much to
the point.
It is a 25 page book devoted to
just the subject of "Cutting Down

Down

Cutting Costs." It's just off the
press and now ready for you. It
won't cost you a cent to get it.
May save you many a dollar if you
do.
The edition is not a large one,
so send for it at once and make
sure of having a copy of this book
on "'Cutting Down Your Cutting
Costs".

gten

.©war
M a i n Office
STROUDSBURG,

PA.

1

Boston
STATE

Office
STREET

How Do You Lubricate
Your Mowers?
ifiiit

:

PIIAI

J gBagSStSg
-QEjca

If t h e y a r e T o r o L a w n M o w e r s ,
they are equipped with the Alemite S y s t e m t o m a k e it e a s y f o r y o u
to a p p l y l u b r i c a n t u n d e r h i g h p r e s s u r e t o all t h e b e a r i n g s .
Toro Mowers are engineered to
give long, f a i t h f u l service a n d
WILL, provided you protect their
vital moving p a r t s f r o m t h e des t r u c t i v e e f f e c t s of u n c h e c k e d
f r i c t i o n . T h a t p r o t e c t i o n is g o o d
lubrication, whfch means good
l u b r i c a n t s as w e l l a s t h e i r p o s i t i v e
application.

The New England Toro Company applies Alemite pressure gun
lubricant, produced by the makers
of t h e A l e m i t e S y s t e m , t o n o t o n l y
all T o r o M o w e r s b e f o r e t h e y l e a v e
t h e f a c t o r y b u t a l s o fills t h e g e a r
cases with Alemite G e a r Lubric a n t . I n s h o r t , it s t a r t s t h e k i n d
of t r e a t m e n t it w o u l d l i k e y o u t o
c o n t i n u e s o t h a t T o r o M o w e r s will
g i v e y o u t h e b e s t t h a t is in t h e m
— e v e r y day you have occasion to
use them.

A l e m i t e L u b r i c a n t s a r e a v a i l a b l e in a g r e a t v a r i e t y of cont a i n e r sizes, f r o m f u l l b a r r e l s to 1-lb. tins.

ALEMITE COMPANY OF NEW ENGLAND
Sole New England Distributors

712-714 Beacon Street
584 Commonwealth Avenue
BOSTON, MASS.
Sold By
N E W E N G L A N D T O R O CO.
—

W E S T NEWTON, MASS.