latter is new in principle, and as demonstrated in the rough, did a fine job of
cutting.
The main tournament in the afternoon was a best ball, with each greenkeeper having as his partner a club official from his club. Net awards went
to:
312 Mt. P l e a s a n t St., Fall River, Mass.
M. O'Grady and D. Whiteside, 75-9-66.
G. West and P. Squire, 84-11-73.
JAMES McCORMACK . Business Mgr. P. Cassidy and F. Whitton, 88-12-76.
450 William St., S t o n e h a m , Mass.
A medal tournament was also held
for those without partners. Prizes here
to:
June. 1936
Vol. 8, No. 6 went
N. Sperandio, 82-14-68.
W. Howe, 79-6-73.
TO THE JUNE BRIDE
M. McDonoigh, 89-16-73.

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

Marriage is the most important conn-act ever entered by two individuals.
It creates a new social entity, the
family. Marriage not only defines the
relation of the consorts to each other
but also their status in society. It imposes duties and responsibilities, not
only mutually between the contracting
parties but to their descendants. As the
basis of the laws of inheritance, it is
one of the foundations of property
rights; and the whole system of the
rights and obligations which constitute
marriage has been laid down by traditions, which equal in age if they do
not antedate the earliest traditions
which have long since crystalized into
our common law.
No ritual as ancient as this can have
failed to accumulate superstition
through which man has struggled on
his march toward civilization. Each and
every attendant rite, the groomsman,
the bride's cake, the rice, the wedding
gift, has its symbolical significance. The
bridal bouquet, the ring, the bridesmaid,
the march down the aisle, even the
slipper thrown after the bride, are all
a tribute to some remote ancestor who
saw in these some definite function essential to insure success and happiness.
—The Thread of Life.
JUNE

MEETING

NORTH LEAVES RHODE

ISLAND

Prof. H. F. A. North, for six and a
half years Asst. Agronomist at zhe
Rhode Island State College, left there
last month to take over new duties as
assistant to Dr. Monteith in the Green
Section of the U. S. G. A., taking the
place formerly occupied by Ken Welt;n.
We of New England are very •
t:
lose North, who had endeared himself
to all turf men, but we feel sure that
our loss will be the gain of the Green
Section, and hence of the country at
large.
During his stay at Rhode Island,
North was in charge of the turf experimental plots and the turf experiments,
and published in 1934 a very fine
bulletin on bent grass management.
The success of the annual Field Days
for greenkeepers in May of the last
few years has largely been due to his
efforts. For the last few years, he also
acted as Secretary of the R. I. Greenkeepers Association.
The annual John Shanahan Memorial
Tournament will be held at the Brae
Burn Country Club, West Newton,
Mass. on July 20th. This is the greenkeeper-pro best ball tournament for the
New England Championship. You
should be there with your pro!

The June meeting was held at the
Rhode Island Country Club, West Barrington, R. I. on June 1st. In the late
Congratulations to the Lloyd Stotts
morning there was a demonstration of of the Meadowbrook Golf Club on the
the Ideal power putting green mower recent arrival of their first "ray of sunand the Buck Horn Power mower. This shine", a baby girl!

THE

GREENKEEPER'S
REPORT

ANNUAL

by Everett J. Pyle

Most greenkeepers keep records of
one kind or another. Some find time
merely to keep account of the hours
their men work. Many keep detailed
cost accounts and can tell just how
much money was spent cutting greens
or raking traps during the season. It
is a common practice for some greenkeepers to keep accurate records of top
dressings, fertilizer treatments, application of fungicides, insecticides and
^ K chemical weed eradieators for each
green. Although I feel that sometimes
this is overdone, it is evident that many
greenkeepers neglect this all-important
part of their job. During the year, the
greenkeeper should make notes or keep
records sufficient for him to formulate
an intelligent annual report.
Reason for Annual Report

Annual reports, carefully prepared,
are the history of the improvements
and maintenance practices on the course
and are valuable references for the rclub
and the greenkeeper alike.
Many club members, in the routine
of their vocations, are in the habit of
measuring progress and the ability of
those who are responsible for that progress through the reading of reports of
one kind or another. Therefore, when
a greenkeeper presents an annual report to his greens chairman, he is
probably employing the very best
medium to focus the attention of his
chairman and the club members on the
work he is doing.
^^
The preparation of his annual report
will give the greenkeeper a great opportunity to review his season's work; to
realize some of the mistakes he has
made (for which, however, there is no
place in his report); to obtain added
satisfaction from the problems he has
successfully solved; to find a joy in the
fact- that he made definite progress in
doing his job well.
The annual report might be submitted
in the winter when the course is closed
and when some of the members may be
wondering why they are still paying
the greenkeeper. What a fine opportunity there is here to make a detailed
record of the work done during the
closed season—overhauling . machinery,

painting, repairing, keeping drains open,
removing ice from the greens, pruning
and transplanting trees, etc. After all,
you can't blame any member for wanting to know where his money goes. It
is the greenkeeper who neglects to keep
that member informed who is at fault.
C o n t e n t s * of t h e R e p o r t

The annual report depends for its
substance upon the records of one kind
or another, which have been kept by
the greenkeeper during the year. A
well-kept diary will be of great assistance to him. From these detailed
records, he should be able to prepare
an interesting and informative report.
The

Year's

Maintenance

Program

might be the first item in the body of
the report. This could be sub-divided
into the following: General Consideration, Greens, Tees, Fairways, Traps,
etc. Any innovations in the program
should be mentioned and the reasons
stated. Some idea of the amount of
work done about the club house, parking grounds or tennis courts might be
given. How often were the greens cut,
top dressed, fertilized, etc? What has
been done on the tees and fairways?
What has been the procedure in regard
to traps and rough? These items have
value as future references and if put
into the annual report, they can be
easily located at a moment's notice.
The next item in the report could be
Improvements and Construction: The
installation of new drains, the filling-in
of traps, enlarging greens and tees, improvements in the water system, landscaping, etc. should be recorded here.
It is true that most of this work done
on the course is known to the greens
committee and noticed by most of the
club members as they play the course.
To some, it might seem unnecessary to
mention these projects in the report.
However, as. the months go by, improvements made on the course become dim
in the memories of those who pay the
bills and the greenkeeper certainly
wants to impress upon the members the
fact that they have received full value
for their money. Photographs taken
before and after changes and improvements tell the story even better than
words and the opportunity to include
them in the report should not be overlooked.
The greenkeeper should take the
initiative as to the future of the course
whether this involves changes in the

maintenance policy or necessary improvements. The annual report gives
him the best opportunity of presenting
Lis recommendations to his chairman in
a business-like manner. His recommendations may or may not be adopted, but
his interest in the future development
of the club and the initiative displayed
will most certainly. he appreciated.
Probably the most important part of
the greenkeeper's report is that concerning finances. What is the budget
and how is the money spent? This
particular section of the report is so
interesting to the members that I like
to place it near the end so that some of
the other material will have a better
chance of being read. If the budget is
specific as to the amounts allocated for
labor, equipment, seed, fertilizer, etc.,
the report of expenditures should
utilize these exact divisions. But even
if the budget is a lump sum or simply
divided into labor and materials, the
greenkeeper should show just how the
money was expended. The items in his
financial report might include labor,
equipment and tools, seed, fertilizer,
fungicides, insecticides, water, lights
and power, gas and oil, buildings, roads,
etc. These divisions are for maintenance only. Improvements and new
construction should appear u n d e r t h a t
h e a d i n g , and it is always advisable to
show these expenditures apart from
those for purely maintenance work.
The greenkeeper who, because of his
better knowledge gained through experience, study, and an intimate acquaintance with research work, uses a
more economical fungicide or a better,
yet cheaper, fertilizer mixture, will
watch with interest the decreasing
amounts spent for these items in his
budget and so will the greens chairman.
If costs of the various operations on
the course have been kept and charts or
diagrams made, these could be included
in the report. The distribution of costs
is a study in itself, but one well worth
while on many courses. Such a study
gives the greenkeeper facts and figures
with which to back up his recommendations.
M e t h o d of P r e s e n t a t i o n

Forty percent of the effectiveness of
an annual report depends upon the
method of presentation. Attention
must be given to the following: (1)
Organize your material in a logical
manner by placing it under the proper
headings, as I have tried to point out.

(2) Be certain that your information is
stated correctly. (3) Have the report
typewritten by the best typist you can
find—poor typing makes 'a messy and
amateurish-looking job. (4) Make two
copies and be sure to keep one. (5)
Enclose the report in some simple cover
so it will hold together in a book or
pamphlet form, as this will give to it
the appearance of completeness and
permanence.
To me, it seems to be a part of the
greenkeeper's job to prepare a written
record of each year's work and to
present it to his chairman as an annual
report. To do this, it is necessary for
him to keep records of his work as he
goes along, to select and organize his ^immaterial, and to render it in a proper
*
manner. When the job is done, however, he will have compiled information
of much value to his chairman and to
himself.
F E E D I N G T U R F E A R L Y IS B E S T

It is said that, whenever the mean
temperature rises above 4 5 . grass
starts to grow, whether in Maine or
Florida. It is also known that grass
really grows in the sense of spreading
out and making deep roots during cool,
moist weather of Spring and Fall.
Too much importance cannot be
placed upon feeding turf early, in order
that ample nutrients may be .available
when the turf needs this aid, for it is
at this time that your grass will establish itself to withstand the battle with
encroaching weeds that germinate and
grow when the temperature gets above
65°. This same higher temperature
tends to hinder and retard turf. Most
weeds, like most gangsters, are cowards
when cornered. Fertilizer, properly
selected and opportunely applied, is the
best weed eliminator there is, bar none.
Nearly all soils are low in Nitrogen
in the Spring. It is one of Nature's
fancies to exhaust this important plant
food, either by consumption by the
plant during the previous season, by
leaching or by evaporation. It is gone
and must be replaced if good healthy
turf is to be maintained.
In replacing this nutriment, considerable thought should be given to the
nature and availability of the Nitrogen
used. Chemical or inorganic Nitrogen
is quickly available and stimulates

growth -within a few days. It has value
as a quick stimulant, but it should not
constitute the whole source of Nitrogen
supply, for its quick solubility and
availability also means quick exhaustion.
Organic Nitrogen is more slowly made
available, and various sources of this
element become available to the plant
at intervals. This means what the automobile manufacturer would term "con
tinuous power". By the time one source
of Nitrogen is exhausted, another begins to function.
Some organic nitrogen is known as
"water-soluble", others as "water-insoluble". This does not mean that all
"water-insoluble" Nitrogen is of no
value, but merely that much of it will
become available after the "watersoluble" supply has been used up.
It is our opinion that the Nitrogen
content of a complete plant food for
turf should contain approximately 1-3
chemical (inorganic) Nitrogen for immediate effect, 1-3 "water-soluble"
material, and 1-3 slowly liberated Nitrogen. Such a formula gives an uninterrupted food supply throughout the entire growing season if applied early,
and this should be almost all used up
by the time hot weather sets in, when
the turf should be in good condition to
meet all comers in the form of weeds,
the seeds of which are ever present in
practically all soils.
Often it happens that soils become so
acid that the bacterial action necessary
to break down plant foods is lacking.
When this occurs, no plant food is made
available to the plants. Check your soil
for this. It may save you money and
many headaches.
—Turf Topics.
CRAB

GRASS

A M a j o r A n n u a l E n e m y t o All L o v e r s
of F i n e T u r f

In a nation-wide survey Crab Grass
was rated second only to the Dandelion
as the greatest lawn pest. It appears
to be indigenous to soils of all types
and is a problem which has never been
conclusively solved to the satisfaction
of all.
There are two species of this weed
known as Large and Small Crab Grass.
Both are annuals appearing as broadleaved grasses in mid-June, and very
annoying as "wiregrass" in August and

September. The large type is distinguished from the small by its hairy
sheath and toothed ligule (that shelflike appendage found at the base of
each blade). The sheath of the latter
is glabrous or smooth and the liguile is
entire. They are rapid growers and fast
and heavy feeders. Due to their very
fibrous root system they absorb a great
deal of moisture and grow well during
warm weather in either acid or alkaline
soils.
The lawn mower is the greatest distributor of seed, although quantities
may be brought into a given area with
top-dressing, or blown in from adjaeent
lawns or fields.
Don't doctor the grass! As yet, no
satisfactory control-spray has been discovered. Many materials have been experimented with in varying solutions
and compounds, and those which have
proved successful in eliminating the pest
have destroyed all other vegetation also.
Authorities of the U. S. D. A. and State
Experiment Stations recommend crowding out Crab Grass with grasses of a
desirable and basic nature. This method
will cut down from 70 to 80 per cent
of the weed in one year and is confirmed by many practical greenkeepers.
The following program of elimination
is based entirely upon the growing
stages of the plant:
Throughout the latter part of June
and during July one may distinguish
the Crab Grass seedlings from the
desirable grasses by their flat, sparsely
hairy, wavy-margined blades which are
about one-quarter inch wide with sharply pointed tips. D i g g i n g o u t a t t h i s
s t a g e of g r o w t h is t h e m o s t s a t i s f a c t o r y
m e t h o d of r i d d a n c e , and a practice to
continue. All plant material removed
should be dried at once and burned, for
se^ds sometimes mature after the plants
are uprooted. This caution holds true
also with the next procedure.
The fact that this pest is an annual
emphasizes the need to catch and destroy all seed-heads before they have
an opportunity to mature and drop
their seed. At the time one observes
the tendency of these plants to extend
themselves and produce spikelets, it is
a wise plan to allow the lawn or turf
area to become tall (3 inches), then
clip closely, using a grass catcher.
Further mowing operation should be
preceded by a roughing up of all prostrate seed-heads to allow for a maximum catch of the fruiting bodies. Destroy the catch effectively, as already
prescribed.

Crab Grass dies at first frost. When
this occurs pull out the plants with iron
rakes; then dry and burn them. Early
the following spring, about two months
before their reappearance, the combat
must be renewed. About mid-April
feed the turf. This will not only
strengthen each individual plant and
encourage the basic grasses to extend
themselves into a thicker sod, but will
act at a time when Crab Grass is dormant and can reap no benefit from it.
It is common knowledge that a healthy
growing turf will usually crowd out any
weed.
The persistence of Crab Grass is
acknowledged in the fact that seed will
live in the soil for years, and when one
can visualize a Crab Grass plant producing as many as 200,000 visable seeds,
he begins to understand why this enemy
cannot possibly be eliminated in one
year's time. Patience and diligence of
purpose are necessary factors toward
accomplishing this goal. Having started
the program, keep on. Halting means
loss of past effort and more Crab Grass.
—Turf Topics.
RHODE ISLAND FIELD DAY

The seventh annual Greenkeepers
Field Day was held at the Rhode Island
State College on May 27th. Late morning was devoted to registration and a
trip to the experimental plots under the
direction of Dr. T. E. Odland. The
many experiments being conducted on
these fine turf plots again proved of
interest to all present.
Following lunch, two short talks were
followed by a period of discussion.
Guy C. West, Editor of the NEWSLETTER brought greetings from the
greenkeepers. He said that golf seemed
to be on the upgrade, with many clubs
reporting an increase in membership
and hence an income. He stressed that
this increase in income should be spent
in the proper places, and not thrown
carelessly here and there to suit the
whims of various committees. He urged
each greenkeeper to go on record to his
greens committee with his recommendations as to where more money is most
urgently needed. With the reduced
budgets of the past few years, it is imperative that when more money is available that it be used wisely.
The next speaker was Prof. Lawrence
S. Dickinson of the Mass. State College.

Prof. Dickinson discussed various
errors of some greenkeepers. The first
error is to think that there is any
panacea, that any one treatment will be
right for all greens, tees and fairways.
Error No. 2 is that some greenkeepers
modify when they tell how to care about
anything, but expect a specific cure
when they ask advice.
Greenkeepers are held in check by
chairmen, many changes in chairmen;
chairmen press for cure; error No. 3.
Greenkeeping is a very queer kind
of agricultural practice. The farmer
and gardener make soil conditions right
and then select the kind of crop they
want and erradicate all others, also
rotate their crops; because of these
methods the farmer has a long range of
tolerance. The greenkeeper raises one
crop, hopes to raise it for 25-30 years,
raises it by trying to make conditions
right for one plant. Such practice requires great skill—"to farm back-side
to". There are many reasons to believe
that bent grasses will grow best in nearly neutral conditions, but this makes
conditions best for all kinds of plants.
Bents are more tolerant of acid conditions. A study of the limits of tolerance of all factors in greenkeeping,
and a study of the ranges of tolerance
is of the utmost importance. The
failure to study ranges of tolerance as
well as the limits is error No. 4.
It is possible that we do not need
much more science at present; we need
to consolidate the science we already
have, and fit what we know to our needs.
Experimental stations so aptly fitted
with personnel as the R. I. Station
should continue investigational work,
and others should undertake the task
of consolidating what science we already have. There is a need for greenkeepers to be put more on their own;
they are capable of being on their own.
Possibly some research men have been
at fault in passing out information too
easily, greenkeepers have been lazy in
solving problems by using information
passed out. Research men should not
feed greenkeepers too much; their job
is to' help the greenkeepers to use
scientific facts already found out.
Rhode Island and a few other stations
must keep on finding out new facts;
there is still plenty more experimental
work to be done.
Demonstrations of some golf course
equipment and golf for those who
wished at the Narragansett Golf Club
completed the day's program.

PREVENT

BROWN PATCH

DO THE JOB RIGHT WITH
BUCKNER SPRINKLERS

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that M e r c u r y is the effective ingredient for control of Brown Patch. Our
M i x t u r e , 2-3 Calomel, 1-3 Corrosive
Sublimate, is endorsed.
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81 M a i d e n L a n e — N e w York, N. Y.

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Winter-hardy,

A c o m p l e t e s t o c k o n h a n d a t all
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B U C K N E R booklet.

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130 Broad St.—Boston, Mass.
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Following the discussion period, the
annual meeting of the R. I. Greenkeepers Association was held and the following officers elected for the coming year:
Pres., R. W. Peckham; Treas., Martin
Greene; Sec., T. E. Odland.
The following letter sent in by Chan
Baker of F. H. Woodruff & Sons, is of
interest.
Mr. William H. Woodruff recently
unearthed a number of very old newspapers among which was a copy of the
New England Farmer for March 31st,
1855 and in going through the advertisements we found the following which
we thought might be of interest to you
for publishing in the News Letter. The
ads read as follows:
GRASS SEEDS
The subscribers offer for sale at lowest cash prices, the largest and best
selected stock of Grass Seeds in the
country, at wholesale and retail.
White Dutch Clover Seed, imported
direct from Holland
Large Red Dutch, imported direct
from Holland
Penn and Ohio
Large Sapling, Vermont
Lucerne or French Clover.
Herds Grass
Red Top, Southern and Northern
Fowl Meadow
Blue Grass
R. I. Fine Top
Orchard Grass
Fine Mixed Lawn, Rye Grass
Sweet Vernal, Rye Grass
Meadow Fescue, Rye Grass
English and Italian Rye Grass
RUGGLES, NOURSE, MASON & CO.
Quincy Hall Agricultural Warehouse
(over the market)
Boston, March 10, 1855

W h e n a country club seeks the
s e r v i c e s of a g r e e n k e e p e r it is
f a c e d w i t h t h e t e d i o u s t a s k of investigating the records and refere n c e s of n u m e r o u s a p p l i c a n t s ,
m a n y of w h o m l a c k t h e p r o p e r
qualifications.
Our E m p l o y m e n t Committee offers a h a p p y solution to this problem by placing the country club
in c o n t a c t t h r u w r i t t e n a p p l i c a tion or personal interview, with
m e n w h o s e q u a l i f i c a t i o n s fit t h e m
for the particular position to be
filled.
G u y C. W e s t , C h r .

NOURSE & COMPANY
No. 9 and 13 Commercial Street, Boston
(foot of South Market Street)
March 17, 1855—1 mo.
GRASS SEEDS
The subscribers have for sale, at the
lowest cash prices, a good stock of pure
Grass Seeds, consisting in part of
Northern Clover, Ohio Clover, Penn.
Clover, White Clover, Lucerne or
French Clover, Northern Herdsgrass,
Western Herdsgrass, Northern Red Top,
Southern Red Top, Rhode Island Fine
Red Top, Orchard Grass, Blue Grass,
Fine Mixed Grasses for Lawns.
NOURSE & COMPANY
No. 9 and 13 Commercial Street, Boston
(foot of South Market Street)
March 17, 1855—2 mo J
Big men grow by their mistakes.
Others make the same mistakes again.

Controlled imagination is a great
CLOVER SEED
productive
force.
The subscribers have just received a
choice lot of pure Northern Clover Seed,
raised by the Ebenezer Society. We
can warrant this Seed to be free from
wise decision counts for more
all foul seeds, and of the large growth thanOneweeks
of blind activity.
or Sapling Clover.
—from "Brown Patch".

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B i c h l o r i d e of M e r c u r y , S e m e s a n , B a r b a k 2 1 1 & X X , M i l o r g a n i t e , S a n d ,
Calomel, Calo-Clor, Humus, Nu-Green, Cottonseed Meal, Bone Meal,
Vigoro, Mowrah Meal, Agrico and T O P D R E S S I N G F O R G R E E N S , FAIRWAYS, LAWNS.
N o t e : — W i l l h a n d l e M o i s t P r e p a r e d T o p Soil a p p l y i n g 3 5 0 l b s . p e r
1 0 0 0 s q u a r e f t . of m a t e r i a l w e i g h i n g 7 0 lbs. p e r c u b i c f t .

IDEAL
MOWER SALEVand SERVICE
Ideal Power and Fairway Mowers—Golf Course Equipment
111 Cypress Street—Boston, Massachusetts
Telephone Beacon 2898-2899

SPECIAL

LAWN

DAY

PROGRAM

FARM AND HOME WEEK
Massachusetts State College

—-

Amherst, Massachusetts

Thursday, July 30—StocIAridge Hall

R. 20

The entire programme deals with the practical management of fine turf
grasses, and although a subject may appear to be of a technical nature, each discussion will be developed for the benefit of professional and private turf growers.
Dr. T. E. Oclland of the Rhode Island Experiment Station and Dr. Howard
B. Sprague of the New Jersey Experiment Station are both nationally known turf
experts and the day should be of interest and value to the home owner, estate,
park, golf course and cemetery superintendents.
The "round robin" idea which was considered very successful last year will
be tried again this year. Each speaker will take 15 minutes to present the subject
and 5 minutes will be allowed for discussion. The schedule will be strictly followed.
10.00 A. M. Introduction
1. 10.05 A. M. Soil water and its relationship to the
grass plant
10.25 A. M. Artificial watering of fine turf
10.45 A. M. The fungus and how it works
11.05 A. M. The desirable range of soil acidity
11.25 A. M. Conditions favorable for weed growth
11.45 A. M. Fifteen minutes with the lawn mower
12.05 P. M. Discussion of the common grass fungi
12.25 P. M. Vegetative indications of plant food
deficiencies

L. S. Dickinson
Dr. H. B. Sprague
L. S. Dickinson
E. Klaucke
Dr. T. E. Odland
Dr. H. B. Sprague
L. S. Dickinson
E. Klaucke
Dr. T. E. Odland

12.45 P. M. Luncheon at the College Cafeteria
9.

10.

11.
12.

13.
14.

2.00 P. M. Fundamentalsi in the control of turf weeds Dr. H. B. Sprague
2.20 P. M. Duration of efficiency of various
L. S. Dickinson
fertilizers
E. Klaucke
2.40 P. M. What happens inside a grass blade
Dr. T. E. Odland
3.00 P. M. Turf Insects and controls
Dr. H. B. Sprague
3.20 P. M. Changing the soil structure
L. S. Dickinson
3.40 P. M. Lawn Management facts

THE SIGN OF GOOD SEEDS
Blue Grasses, Colonial Bent, Seaside Bent, Velvet—B. P. I.
14276 and Highland, New Crop Chewings Fescue, Fine
Leaved Fescue, Red Top and all Fine Grasses.
CLEAN
WEED-FREE
HIGH VIABILITY
GRASS SEED

DIVISION

F® I f , W o o d r u f f & S o o ®
MILFORO, CONN.

ANTUBE

The first practical ant control for use on putting greens. Though for
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A few minutes weekly routine stops the most difficult infestations.
It is now a standard maintenance product in over a thousand clubs
throughout the country.
You take NO RISK when buying Antube. A box of one dozen
COUNTRY CLUB SIZE is $9.25. Use a tube. If not satisfied with results,
return 11 and owe nothing. Two DROPPER attachments in each dozen
box prevents any waste and cuts application time in half.
Start Antube control early

THE ONE DROP

Less trouble later on

'Trade W"" 1

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1X21 W a s h i n g t o n S t r e e t , W e s t N e w t o n , M a s s .
R e a d the ads as well as t h e news.

TRAINING THE GREENSMAN
Good Work Depends Upon Good Men

By Robert S. Greenfield
Reprinted from

(THE

PACIFIC GREENKEEPER)

While a golf course superintendent's
job is one that calls for his closest personal attention at all times, he can
avoid to a great extent many small
petty details that would steal away his
time if he has a well-trained maintenance crew. Unfortunately labor on a
golf course is classified as unskilled.
Greenkeepers are supposed to be able
to hire a man, put him to work, and
guarantee a good job, but it has been
my experience that the new man is
more of a liability than an asset. In
breaking in new men a knowledge of
the game of golf and its rules, written
and unwritten, should be the first thing
instilled in them. I believe that a knowledge of the game is essential before a
man is safe if left alone on a golf
course.
Let us assume that the new man has
been educated to the point where he
does not question the sanity of a golfer
who demands absolute silence while he
is playing a stroke, and knows it is a
little dangerous to head across a fairway while players are approaching, or
in other words can get a fair day's
work done without being a nuisance to
the players. The next step in his education is the care of greens. To teach a
man to be a good greensman requires
patience, particularly in regard to the
matter of weeding; it seems to be
weakness of human nature to take the
easiest path, and this weakness crops
out very prominently when the pursuit
of the wary weed is involved. Some
years back. I had the misfortune to
suffer yearly infestation of Bermuda
grass in my greens. Although I kept up
a regular weeding schedule I did not
seem to be making any progress until
I discovered that the men, when my
back was turned, merely were cutting
off the runners and leaving the roots to
multiply the runners one hundredfold.
I put an end to this business by discharging the offenders and starting a
system whereby I inspected the weeds
each man had pulled each day. If there
was not a large proportion of roots in
the day's takings, there was the devil

to pay. The greenkeeper who has a
weed problem like that which I have
described will do well to investigate his
men's weed pulling methods, as it is
extremely hard to get men who have
enough patience to do a proper job of
weeding.
In the matter of mowing greens, particularly as applied to hand mowers, the
average man left to himself will never
push his mower up a slope, so it is
necessary that he be taught the necessity of mowing north and south, and
east and west on alternate days in order
to help prevent the tendency of turf
to run one way.
On some greens, particularly on short
holes, carelessness on the part of the
man repairing ball gouges in the turf
can be very annoying to the players
and will not add to the greenkeeper's
prestige. This simple little operation of
filling in the gouges can be done well
just as easily as it is often done badly.
A properly trained man will never
dump his grass clippings in a conspicuous place, nor allow clippings to fall
from the catcher through trying to make
another trip with the mower when the
catcher is already full. These are but
small things but they spoil the appearance of a golf course to a marked degree.
When a man is trained to the point
in which he will do the work on the
greens in the correct manner described,
he is valuable and should be rated as
such. Go the limit to get him a fair return for his s k i l l e d labor; if dull time
call for cutting down on your crew,
hang on to the greensmen.
By giving a man so many greens to
take care of, always the same greens,
always the same operations, responsibility is fixed on that man. If he is the
right kind he will do his best under
such a condition; any other system
means that one man does not know
from one day to the next what work
he will be called upon to do; if work
is not done properly, there is no method
of fixing the blame, and the careless
worker corrupts the good ones.
What applies to the greens crew applies to every other department of the
golf course. The greenkeeper should be
experienced in every phgge of upkeep
work and should insist that everything
being done must be done big way. If
he is up to his job, the greenkeeper's
men will respect him and bo-operate
with him.
;

.

t

-VM

THE PENNSYLVANIA
• W H E T H E R it be the creation of a fine
S U PER ROLLER
pair of shoes or the making of a fine putting surface, machine..
M
GREENS-MOWER
there is no substitute for the handwork of an expe- 'Z Proved in competitive tests on
numerous golf courses all over the
rienced craftsman. As a matter of fact, practically all E3
world as the precision machine for
the championship courses in the country maintain ,
the creation of the finest possible
'fl
putting
greens. . . . H i g h - s p e e d
their smooth ribless greens with hand-pushed lawn
cylinder with 8 blades of finest
steel.
Interchangeable
mowers. . . . And as the fine bootmaker uses the best Ml rollers. Cylinder runs aluminum
in dustpossible tools, so the better greenskeepers use the finest proof, self-aligning ball bearings.
SEND

FOR C A T A L O G

COMPLETE

LINE

OF " T H E W O R L D ' S
OF L A W N

LAWN MOWER WORKS

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Train of three cut gears are dustprotected. Alemite lubrication.
Width of cut is 18 inches, height
can be regulated to cut between Vfi
and l'/s inches. Stay-Tite Handle.

Stay-Tite
Handle

A good workman requires good tools.
Mowers should be adjusted and sharpened before they go out on the course.
If trouble develops in equipment on
the job, no attempt at repairs should be
made except by a competent man who
should be available always if he is going to be of any value. If a club cannot afford a regular repair man, the
greenkeeper should be able to make
necessary adjustments himself.
One last suggestion is in regard to
the personal habits of the crew. Razors
are comparatively cheap and men on
the course should be made to understand that two or three days' growth
of beard will not be tolerated; also,
that work on the course is not so dirty
that greasy overalls are necessary. A
dirty slovenly crew reflects on the
greenkeeper and is out of place on the
golf course.
"SCALD" AND LEAF SPOT
DISEASES
S c a l d of B e n t G r a s s

by H. F. A. North
"Scald" has been found by some
authorities to be due to a particular
fungus. The study of the disease is
rather recent and control measures
have not been satisfactorily worked
out.
Identification—Scald usually appears
as rather large irregular discolored
patches. It is usually worse near the
center and gradually less severe towards
the margin. The grass at first takes on
a purplish or bluish tinge, with the
leaves rolled and shrivelled as though
suffering from lack of water or as
grass clippings might appear in the first
stages of wilting. The spread of the
disease is usually very rapid. The wilting of large areas may develop in one
day. Unless very promptly checked
turf may be badly injured.
Control measures for Scald—(1) Resistant varieties—From the data obtained in the one season when an attack
was recorded in the experimental putting green plats, it seems that the creeping bents such as Washington and Metropolitan were the most likely to be
attacked. (2) Chemicals for control—

It has been found that Bordeaux mixture as used for spraying potatoes or
fruit trees will check this disease.
CAUTION: It is recommended not to
use this spray more than once or at
most twice during a season as the copper
from the spray may accumulate in the
soil and become toxic or poisonous to
the grass.
(3) Cultural practices which appear
to reduce Scald, (a) The use of limestone to neutralize the excessive acidity
of the soil, (b) The sparing use of
fertilizers, especially in hot muggy
weather, or when seeding a new lawn
or putting green.
Leaf Spot of Kentucky Blue Grass
(Helminthosporium vagans).
This is a fungus disease found to be
troublesome on Kentucky Blue Grass.
Identification—A reddish cast of
Kentucky Blue Grass often develops
during warm summer weather in addition to a natural browning which may
be due to drought. Upon close inspection the tinge or red will be found associated with a browning of small areas
of the blades. Usually, unless the spot
covers the entire width of the leaf,
there will be two similar spots one on
each side of the mid-vein. The fungus
often attacks and kills the parts of the
leaf as they are emerging. Badly diseased turf rapidly becomes open and
unthrifty.
The means for control thus far are
limited to cultural practices such as the
use of organic or slowly available nitrogen in the fertilizer and cutting the
grass high. The use of well rotted
manure or such fertilizer as cottonseed
meal applied in spring or fall has been
found desirable in the experimental
lawn plats. The heighth of cut should
be at least 1 to IV2 inches.
"Common sense is at the core of
every true success."
"How to get facts is your problem.
Theory seldom leads to sound decisions."
"No man who can lead others will
ever starve to death."

Seasonable Protection for the Greens
at Moderate Cost

Use Special Semesan and secure dependable brown
patch protection.

Special Semesan contains two organic mercuries.
One. p o u n d t r e a t s 6,000 s q u a r e feet of t u r f .
Saves in labor for application.
Easier on sprayer parts.
5 lbs., $ 1 0 . 0 0 — 2 5 lbs., $ 4 2 . 5 0 — 1 0 0 lbs., $ 1 0 5 . 0 0
W e also have available t h r o u g h o u t t h e season f o r i m m e d i a t e
s h i p m e n t B a y e r - S e m e s a n N u G r e e n ; also r e g u l a r S e m e s a n .
These a r e established a n d known remedies f o r brown patch.
Free pamphlets available o n brown patch prevention and control.

85 STATE STREET, BOSTON, MASS.
Tested Seeds, Florida Humus and V. C. Fairway Fertilizer
The Largest Seed House in New England.

No Cutting Unit
Stands the Gaff Like a Worthington

It i s not t h a t the m o w e r u n i t s are
e x t r a heavy. T h e y actually weigh loss-;
t h a n some. Their durability lies i n
their constructipn. T h e w a y t h e y a r e
perfectly balanced w i t h a n equal distribution of the w e i g h t o n both driving' wheels. Also t h e V - s h a p e d herring-bone reels t h a t h a v e a n even f o u r
point c o n t a c t w i t h t h e k n i f e a t a l l
M a i n Office:
STROUDSBURG, PA.

times. W e a r o n reel i s even, making'
cutting' even r i g h t o u t t o t h e very
end of each blade.
W h e e l s h a v e d e m o u n t a b l e rims,
costing only $1. each for replacements.
W i t h other m o w e r s you h a v e to buy
entire wheel costing $6. W o r t h i n g t o n
saves you $5. each time.

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1 STATE

Office:
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1121 W A S H I N G T O N S T R E E T , W E S T N E W T O N , MASS.
Newton North 7900—West Newton 1658
f