"V

1

LNJ

Hoiv much easier our work would be if we put forth as
much effort trying to improve the quality of it as most of us do
trying to find excuses for not properly attending to it.
GEORGE W. BA LLINGER

JANUARY
1936

TCTAl.TAWAWAlirAWAlitA^

MlfritltAritAtH

This NEWSLETTER is published
monthly by the Greenkeepers Club of
New England, and sent free to its members and their Green's Chairmen. Subscription price ten cents a copy, or a
dollar a year.
GUY C. WEST
Editor
, 312 MtJ Pleasant St., F a l l River, Mass.

JAMES McCORMACK . . Business Mgr.
450 W i l l i a m St., Stoneham,

January, 1936

Mass.

Vol. 8, No. 1

ANNUAL MEETING
The annual meeting of our club was
held on January 6th at the Hotel Minerva, Boston, Mass. The following officers and committees were elected for
1936:
President
Howard D. Farrant
1st V. Pres
Robert A. Mitchell
2nd V. Pres
T. W. Swanson
3rd Y. Pres
John L. Counsell
Secretary
Charles W. Parker
Treasurer
Frank H. Wilson
Trustee, 3 yrs.
James C, Sullivan
Entertainment Committee

Homer C. Darling
John Latvis
Harold Mosher
Paul Wanberg
Philip Cassidy
Leslie Wildgust

Golf C o m m i t t e e —

Arthur E. Anderson
Paul Hayden
Joseph Oldfield
Thomas Mattus
Wallace Peckham

Auditing Committee

James Holden
Lloyd Stott

PRESIDENT'S

REPORT

To the Members of the Greenkeepers
Club of New England:
It is customary at this time to review
somewhat the events of the past year,

and to give an account of our stewardship.
Your president has endeavored to
conduct the affairs of the club to the
best of his ability; he has attended all
meetings, and also all other joint meetings, conferences, etc. held in New England during the year. He has spoken at
four such meetings.
Your secretary will doubtless comment in his report upon the various
meetings. I should like to specially recall the first John Shanahan Memorial
tournament held at Brae Burn in July.
It was very fitting that the first tournament held for the trophy presented by
the Greenkeepers Club of New England
and the New England section, P. G. A.
should be held at Brae Burn. We hope
that each succeeding year may continue
the popularity of this tournament so
that the memory of John Shanahan may
ever be with us.
Our membership has shown a slight
reduction during the year. This is due
in part to the unfortunate financial condition of some of our clubs so that some
of our members have been forced to assume other work. We have made no
concerted drive for members, and perhaps should not, but let us not be ever
satisfied with ourselves. Let us be ever
willing to tell other potential members
of the value of our club to them. Let
us make a real effort to increase our
membership and to provide more activities for our members.
For the past year, all of the activities
of our club have been conducted by
about twenty of our members. It would
be a fine thing for our club if more of
our members would assume more of its
responsibilities.
With no apologies made nor needed
for the activities of our club over its
nearly twelve years of existence, let us
gird ourselves anew to push ahead to
greater endeavors, to higher responsibilities. We see on all sides activities in
other organizations. Let us keep step.
As we realize that a brother organization is attempting to teach greenkeeping
to its members so that they may be of
more value to their clubs, let us analyze
the possibilities of teaching club house
management and professional duties to
our members—to the end that our
members may be of greater value to
their clubs. Let us not fall back, let us
keep step, indeed, let us lead the way!
Our opportunity for research work,
to conduct some ourselves, and to cooperate with others who are now conducting experiments, was never greater

than it is at present. Let us forget
petty jealousies, and cooperate to our
utmost with those who have shown us
so often that they desire our cooperation.
It has been an honor for me to have
been your president these last two
years, and I have been happy in your
cooperation with me. If I were to have
one wish as a greenkeeper, for all greenkeepers, it would be that "any inferiority complex which may exist in
the mind ox any greenkeeper today be
abolished". Let us work toward that
end. Let us keep up the work for which
this club was started, and for which it
has labored during its existence.
In closing, I wish to express my best
wishes to our incoming president for a
very successful administration, and to
pledge my support to him for the good
of our club.
Respectfully submitted,
GUY C. WEST, President.
January 6, 1936.
GREETINGS FROM OUR PRESIDENT

At this time I wish to urge all of our
members to make every effort to be
present at our meetings. Special
features have been planned for the next
two meetings in particular, and every
member should avail himself of the
right of his membership and gain from
the programs presented. By attending
our meetings and taking part in the
discussion, you are bound to benefit
both yourself and your fellow member.
HOWARD D. PARRANT, Pres.

pass, then you will have the Exhibitors
Show that will be open for four days
which will give you the latest data on
golf course equipment for the benefit
of your particular course along with the
many disease control and fertilizers.
The Carter Hotel is centrally located
within walking distance of all depots
and bus stations, rooms ranging from
$2.50 and up including ice water, shower, and bath.
We again are making reservations for
reduced railroad fares whereby providing we have 100 validated certificates
at the close of the Convention you will
receive one third fare on your return
trip. So don't forget to ask your ticket
agent for a convention certificate as
you are purchasing your ticket and turn
this certificate in at the registration
desk at the Show to be validated as you
will not get reduced fare unless you
have a certificate.
Get the moth balls out of your grips
and I'll be seeing you in Cleveland.
P. W. E R M E R , Chairman,
Show Committee.
A t a n i m p o r t a n t m e e t i n g of t h e
B e a r d of D i r e c t o r s h e l d at B r a e B u r n
on January 13th, James McCormack of
Unicorn was appointed Business Manager cf the N E W S L E T T E R .

Ort Wendell of Locust Valley is in
St. Petersburg, Pla. for the Winter.
Others who are going South this Winter
include Tom Mattus for January and
February, and Joe Oldfield for a six
weeks trip soon.

CONVENTION

Dues are now payable to Frank H.
Wilson,
Treasurer,
Charles
River
C o u n t r y C l u b , N e w t o n C e n t r e , Mass.

The Tenth Annual Greenkeepers
Convention and Golf Show will be held
at The Carter Hotel in Cleveland, Ohio,
February 4th to 7th, 1936.
Cleveland is within an overnights run
from most any city in the east and
who wouldn't spend this little time for
the value received in return.
First you will get an educational program lasting three days which Mr.
Burkhardt, our President, promises that
you will have to go a long way to sur-

From an announcement of the Golf
Course Management Short Course,
Jan. 6th to March 6th, at the Michigan
State College.
We want to remind the presidents,
green chairmen, directors, and club
members of the complexity of problems
which the greenkeeper must be able to
solve in the ordinary daily routine. The
g r e e n k e e p e r must be a soil and fertilizer expert, a plant doctor who can diag-

N . A . G. A . A N N U A L

nose and cure plant diseases, a bug
specialist who can identify and control
insects which ravage the greens, a
mechanical wizard who can keep
tractors, mowers, top-dressing mixers,
fertilizer distributors, pumps, and electrical equipment in running order, a
plumber who can keep the showers
working, a bookkeeper to keep accounts,
a floriculturist to keep the flower
gardens around the course looking beautiful, a tree surgeon to be able to prune
and care for shade trees, a landscape
architect to be able to properly beautify
the course, a zoologist to be able to
eradicate animals which are pests
around the course and to attract birds
which are not only beautiful but also
help keep down the insect pest, and a
grass expert to know which kind of
grasses are most suitable for e v e r y
p u r p o s e . Golf Clubs of Michigan will
find the small investment needed to
send their greenkeeper will pay them
large dividends in the increased efficiency and capacity of the man, which
will reflect itself in better greens, fairways, and roughs. Individuals who attend the course will find the answers to
many of their problems, a satisfying
confidence in their ability to meet
problems which arise, and a firm foundation for personal advancement. Your
club will appreciate and respect your
opinions much more when they are
backed by sound, scientific, and technical knowledge.
. The tenth annual Golf Course Maintenance Conference and Exhibition will
be held at the Massachusetts State College, March 13, 14, 15, in connection
with the third Outdoors Recreational
Conference.
The Golf Conference was started as
a finale of the first Winter School for
Greenskeepers. The Massachusetts State
College was the first institution in the
country to offer instruction to Greenskeepers and Growers of fine turf the
first course being offered in 1927. Since
that time other colleges have presented
shorter courses of a similar nature.
The M. S. • C. school is under the direction of Professor Lawrence S. Dickinson, the founder, and is of ten weeks
duration. Graduates of the course are
to be found in responsible positions on
many golf courses throughout the
country and in Canada.
Last year five thousand persons attended the conference. This year the
program is to be stronger and better.

A new feature will be the first annual
dinner of the golf section which will be
held Saturday evening at the Lord
Jeffrey Inn. This promises to be an
unusual event in many respects. Immediately following the dinner, the
Roister Doisters, the college dramatic
society, will present in costume a series
of colorful dramatic skits depicting the
history of golf. This program is being
compiled from authentic data by Professor Frank Prentice Rand, playwright
and Head of the English department of
the college.
Arrangements are being made for the
usual number of prominent speakers to
appear on the program. There will be
more fifteen minute papers followed by
discussion than last year and the longer
talks will be fewer but of very high
caliber.
Opening the conference, Friday
morning's program will begin at tenthirty and close at four-thirty after
which there will be ample opportunity
to visit the exhibition hall. In the
evening there will be important discussions on issues of common interest.
Saturday's program will start at ten in
the morning and end at four-thirty followed by a visit to the exhibition hall
The S I L V E R K I N G Tractor

..

f

King combines low first
cost, low maintenance cost, low gasoline and oil consumption, high speed
and great power. Investigate. Catalog and prices upon request.
The Silver

POWER LAWN MOWER
SERVICE COMPANY

15 T e n n e y Court, Somerville, Mass.
Somerset 0504-W

NEW ENGLAND GROWN
Winter-hardy,

SEEDS

not

Acclimated

BENT SEED
for

New England Golf Courses

WEEDS

Write for your
N E W

"Something About Turf"

Direct from the farms of

A. N. PECKHAM
KINGSTON, R. I.

F. H. Woodruff & Sons
Milford, Conn.

MODERN SERVICE
All who are interested in

Lawn Mower Repair Service

are cordially invited to visit and inspect our
Modern Service Shop
and also our display of equipment

OUR SERVICE INCLUDES:
Every mower, including the engine unit in power mowers, is taken
apart and completely REBUILT (not merely repaired).
Every part is thoroughly cleaned and any worn parts replaced.
Cylinder and bottom knife are reground in a specially constructed machine
that assures you of perfect alignment and a true cutting edge. All mowers
are painted without additional charge.
We will examine your mower and furnish estimate without cost.
Truck service is maintained for collection and delivery within one
hundred mile radius of Boston.

IDEAL
MOWER SALES and SERVICE
111 Cypress Street, Brookline, Mass.—Telephone Beacon 2 8 9 8

and the banquet at the Lord Jeffrey Inn
in the evening. Sunday the morning
session will open at eleven and the conference will end with an exceptional
speaker at two o'clock. The exhibition
will remain open until six p. m.
The exhibition which has become a
prominent feature of the year will be
held in the Physical Education Baseball
Cage which is 178 feet by 148 feet,
and is exceptionally well lighted and
ventilated. All exhibitors are invited
and arrange their exhibits to comply
with the high educational standards of
the conference. All lines of equipment
for playing and maintenance are to be
exhibited as well as equipment and
demonstrations from the other sections
of the conference.
The Recreational conference is
divided into four sections, Golf and
Parks, Hunting and Fishing, Sports and
Games, not including baseball, football
and similar games, Nature and Forestry.
Each section will present programs and
exhibitions of greatest value and interest to their proponents. Combining
with the Golf section will be the New
England Hotelmen and Clubmanagers
and the New England Park Superintendents Association. In the exhibition hall
there will be a daily program of exhibitions of skill in the various recreational activities.
The complete program should be
ready by February first and a copy will
be sent to any one desiring it. Send
your request to Professor L. S. Dickinson, Massachusetts State College, Amherst, Mass.
The Rhode Island Greenkeepers Association met at the Narragansett Hotel,
Providence, on January 13th. A talk
by Prof. J. B. Smith of the Rhode
Island State College on "Soil Reaction
and the Availability of Plant Nutrients"
featured the program.
Prof. Smith spoke from a large chart
devised by Dr. N. A. Pettinger of Va.
on the relation between soil acidity and
the abundance of the fertilizer _ elements the plant may absorb. Nutrients
that were discussed included the basic
elements, Calcium, Magnesium, and
Potash; Nitrate, Ammonia, Nitrogen;
Phosphorus, Aluminum, iron, and
Manganese.
Calcium was shown to be deficient
below pH 5.0 because of loss from
previous leaching, while magnesium becomes deficient at approximately pH 4.5.

Potash remained almost uniformly
available throughout the usual range in
soil acidity but becomes rapidly less as
alkalinity increases. Calcium, normally
the most abundant element above pH
7.0 interferes with the absorption of
potassium and magnesium in the alkaline range.
Nitrate nitrogen, although utilized
better at acid than at neutral and alkaline reactions, is usually present in
smaller quantities in soils more acid
than pH 5.5 and may become deficient
at 4.5 and below. Although ammonia
nitrogen was not drawn on the chart
it was pointed out as being absorbed
and used to best advantage near the
neutral point. The less favorable use
of ammonia nitrogen by plants in the
more acid soils may in part account for
some of the weed control usually obtained. This does not indicate that ammonia nitrogen should be used only on
the neutral soils by any means.
The soluble supply of aluminum and
iron rapidly increases through the range
from pH 5.0 to pH 4.0, with the result
that weeds may be injured by the
aluminum and that insoluble phosphorus compounds are formed. In a
similar way the phosphorus applied to
the surface is "fixed" in the upper layer
of soil and moves down very slowly.
Manganese sulphate, applied to beets,
spinach, corn, and other plants, growing on a neutral soil resulting from
overtiming, gave relief from a deficiency
of the element. On the other hand this
element may be toxic in very acid soils.
This is reflected in the solubility shown
on the chart.
The discussion centered on phosphorus and liming. Limestone also
moves down through the soil slowly.
The stimulation of the rotting process
induced by an application of lime has
been found to be helpful in getting
greens moistened uniformly although
only a small proportion of the total
acidity had been neutralized. In other
words since grasses of the putting green
tolerate acidity and aluminum, it is
only desirable to prevent an increase
in the soil acidity which can be accomplished by the application of limestone
equal in weight to the sulphate of ammonia which was applied during the
current season. Probably the application of limestone in the late autumn
will interfere with play less and reach
a greater depth in the soil than the
same applied in the spring.
H. F. A. NORTH, Secretary.

The Carpenter
Lawn Mower Sharpener
It is e a s y to o p e r a t e .
necessary.

No

Grinds Mowers Properly.
F i t s r e e l - b l a d e s to b o t t o m k n i f e
precisely.
Grinds bottom knives straight, true
a n d in p e r f e c t a l i g n m e n t .
p r e v i o u s g r i n d i n g e x p e r i e n c e is

It will s a v e y o u r c l u b m o n e y .
It. w i l l e n a b l e y o u to k e e p y o u r m o w e r s k e e n a n d s h a r p at
all t i m e s .
It c a n b e p u r c h a s e d o n T H E B U D G E T P A Y M E N T P L A N .
W r i t e for details.

CARPENTER TOOL COMPANY

325 W A T E R STREET

W A R R E N , R. I.

The Worthiigton Gvergreen

Cuts Three Greens
In Less Time Than
It Takes One Man To Cut One
In short, it does three men's
work. Releases two men for
other work. These Overgreens
pay for themselves in the money
they save.
Send for Overgreen Catalog.
Get the facts. See for yourself.
M a i n Office:
STROUDSBURG
Pennsylvania

i- l '

"Uiortlungtan

Mower
I pnpanu

L

•si n

—

wf [ #1
If. S

S a l e s A g e n c i e s In A l l
P r i n c i p a l C i t i e s of
U . S. A .

Two New Putting Green Cups

R e s p o n d i n g t o t h e d e m a n d of o u r c u s t o m e r s w e o f f e r T W O
TIRELY N E W PUTTING GREEN CUPS.

EN-

T h e D i e - C a s t W h i t e m e t a l will b e k n o w n as t h e " T R U - C I Z E " . It
is a n p r e c i s i o n die c a s t h d l e c u p , m a d e in a n e x p e n s i v e s t e e l die f r o m a
c o m b i n a t i o n of m a t e r i a l s u s i n g Z i n c A l l o y . It is t r u e in e v e r y d i m e n s i o n
t o w i t h i n . 0 0 3 of a n inch. P e r f e c t l y s m o o t h i n s i d e a n d o u t s i d e , w i t h a
s a t i n a p p e a r i n g finish. It is t a p e r e d o n e - e i g h t h of a n i n c h to b o t t o m . W i l l
n o t c o r r o d e . It h a s t h r e e t i m e s t h e t e n s i l s t r e n g t h of a l u m i n u m a n d t w i c e
t h a t of c a s t i r o n , y e t is 2 5 % l i g h t e r t h a n a c a s t c u p . H e a v i l y r e i n f o r c e d
and drains properly. Will bend but not break. Bright interior color
makes excellent putting target. Furnished only with 1 1 / 8 " pole socket.
T h e C a s t I r o n c u p will b e k n o w n as t h e " T r u e - C a s t " . It is a n
e x c e l l e n t c a s t i r o n c u p of e x a c t s p e c i f i c a t i o n s . M a k e s a n e x c e l l e n t
p r a c t i c e g r e e n a n d w i n t e r cup.
T h e s e c u p s w e r e d e s i g n e d a n d b u i l t f o r u s at y o u r r e q u e s t .
" T R U - C I Z E " Die Cast, each $2.00.
Per 9 $17.00.
" T R U - C A S T " C a s t Iron, e a c h $ 1 . 0 0 .
Per 9 $ 8.00.

NEW ENGLAND TORO CO.
1121 W A S H I N G T O N

STREET

WEST NEWTON, MASS.