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 Mt. Pleasant St., Pall River, Mass.

HINTS ON TURF MANAGEMENT

T. T. Odland, R. I. State College
S o m e P r o b l e m s of T u r f G r o w i n g
in C e m e t e r i e s

Growing grass in cemeteries presents
a number of problems not so often met
JAMES McCORMACIC . . Business Mgr. with
in growing grass on home lawns
450 William St., Stoneham, Mass.
or on golf courses. Often the cemeteries
are located on very poor thin soil. It is
a struggle to get any kind of grass to
November, 1936
Vol. 8, No. 11 grow.
Artificial watering is usually out of
the question—at least over the greater
part of most cemeteries. The grass has
NOVEMBER NOTATIONS
to depend on the natural rainfall whatever that may be.
The upkeep budget is usually pretty
November-Thanksgiving-Turkey
meager so it is up to the superintendent
have we the thankful spirit—the Frolic to
each dollar available go just as
— t h e second issue of the Australian far make
as possible. This means that it is
Greenkeeper is with us, a fine and in- necessary
consider the kind of fertiteresting magazine—Mitchell is back be- lizer to beto used
carefully so the best
hind the brush—he hasn't had time to results
will be obtained for the money
shave as he has been building a new spent. The
same applies to seed, chemiladies' tee on the 15th at Kernwood,
with round corners so that it may easily cals, machinery and other items.
be cut with a power mower—the end
The lack of sufficient fertilization, I
of the season—bringing in the equipment
is perhaps the most common
—getting the mowers and other equip- believe,
cause of poor turf in cemeteries. We
ment ready to be serviced for another must
that grass is a erot> s-Jiat
season—Salem C. C. are installing a needs realize
some plant food regularly if it is
hoseless fairway watering system with to
show
results,
just the same as a crop
Skinner heads—we never saw as much of potatoes or corn.
A light sprinkling
work on bunkers as is being done at of superphosphate once
year is not
Newport this Fall—plenty of sand in enough. Too often even a that
much is
sight next season—talk up that appro- not done for the grass.
priation for turf work at Waltham next
year—next meeting of the R. I. Greenkeepers Association will be held at the
R e q u i s i t e s of G o o d C e m e t e r y T u r f
Narragansett Hotel, Providence on Jan.
18th—the Directors met with the EnterBefore considering what we should or
tainment Committee in Boston on the can do to obtain a desirable turf, it
3rd to talk over plans for the Frolic— might be well to consider for a moment
some of the things we think about when
say good turf. Perhaps the first
HOW ABOUT AN ARTICLE FOR THE we
thing
we look for is turf that has a good
NEWSLETTER?
green appearance for as much of the
growing season as possible. If the
grounds are well covered with something green we can overlook many other
shortcomings. We need to select a grass
or a mixture of grasses that will grow
The October meeting of the R. I. well
under our particular conditions and
Greenkeepers Association was held on then we should see that it is properly
October 19th at Comstock Park, Oak- fertilized and cared for.
lawn, R. I. and the November meeting
A second consideration is a smooth
on the 9th at Goddard Park, East Green- turf. This is necessary not only for appearance but in order to do the mowing
wich, R. I.

with any degree of satisfaction. A well
graded turf area also helps materially
in the drainage question.
Another consideration is that the turf
should be as free from weeds as possible. We must manage some way so
that the grass we plant will be able to
get the upper hand rather than the
other way around.
Then again we should try to have a
grass covering that is not too difficult
to care for. Some types of grass require considerable more attention than
others.
There are other considerations which
all of you no doubt have in mind but
these are some with which we might
begin.
Building t h e F o u n d a t i o n for Good T u r f

It is impossible to obtain a satisfactory turf where there is no foundation on which to build. If we are trying
to establish a lawn or other turf on soil
that consists almost entirely of sand or
gravel we have an almost impossible
problem on our hands. A thin and poor
soil can usually be improved in some
way, however, before attempting to
grow grass. Also we can select grasses
that will do better than others on thin
soil. To grow the best turf, however,
we should have a covering of 3 or 4
inches at least of top soil with a foot
or more of substantial subsoil below
this. The material below this will be
of less consequence.
We all know that this is an ideal goal
that many of us cannot reach in our
cemetery grounds. If we keep in mind,
however, what are the ideal conditions
then we have something for which to
aim in trying to build up the soil conditions on our own job.
When getting a piece of land ready
for seeding to grass, there is nothing
better for helping to build a good
foundation than a substantial covering
of well rotted barnyard manure. This
should be well mixed with the top layer
of soil by disking or otherwise working
it into the seedbed. In addition to this,

an application of 30 or 40 pounds of
superphosphate similarly worked into
the soil will help the grass get a good
start in life. The phosphorus helps
greatly in stimulating a good root
growth in the young grass.
Another way to get some organic
matter into the thin soil is to grow and
plow under one or more green manure
crops. Rye and vetch is a good combination for this.
Choosing the Right Kinds of Grass
f o r Seeding

There are a number of turf grasses
or mixtures of grasses that can be used.
The type of soil, climatic conditions,
money available, and personal preference are all factors to be considered.
Where the soil is of a substantial character, and is well fertilized and limed,
Kentucky bluegrass or a mixture consisting of a high percentage of this desirable grass, is nearly always a good
choice. For conditions less favorable,
Rhode Island Colonial Bent or mixture
containing a high percentage of bent
will be found very useful. The bent
grasses will, of course, make a beautiful turf on the best of soils also.
Then for our poorest soils the fescues
are probably able to survive the best.
For this reason fescue is usually a
favorite grass with many cemetery men.
Fescue seed can be used as part of the
mixture for almost any turf of this
nature to good advantage. Chewing's
fescue is the one usually best adapted
for turf conditions. Red top is a good
dependable grass for almost any condition. The seed cost is low compared
with most other turf grasses and it
makes a rapid growth. Probably no
other grass is used as generally in
mixtures for turf such as is found in
cemeteries.
I will attempt to suggest a few typical mixtures that might be suitable for
use in cemeteries. These can, of course,
be modified to suit particular conditions
or to suit the pocketbook of the purchaser.

M i x t u r e s of Grasses f o r C e m e t e r y T u r f

(Figures are percentage by weight of different seeds)
Kentucky
R. I.
Chewing's
Soil type
Bluegrass
Colonial
fescue
Bent
40
40
10
Loam soil—limed
20
40
20
Medium heavy
20
40
Thin soil

Red Top
10

20
40

Early fall is usually the best time
for seeding grasses. The young seedlings
have a better opportunity to get established under soil and moisture conditions that are favorable for grass
growth. It may be necessary, however,
to plant in the spring. If this is the
case, some rye grass should be added to
the suggested mixtures in order to help
keep out weed growth.
The rate of seeding will depend
somewhat on the kind of seed mixture
selected. Usually somewhere between
100 and 150 pounds of seed per acre
is sufficient.
In this connection, I would like to
suggest that most cemetery superintendents make it a practice to have a
turf nursery where they can get sod to
patch bare spots and for sodding graves.
This is a very essential feature and
gives an opportunity to gradually improve the turf in general if the nursery
is maintained in good condition.
Fertilizers

I want to lay special emphasis on the
importance of regular and adequate
fertilization for turf in general. With
the cemeteries so often being located on
thin soil this is especially important.
In the spring of the year the turf
should receive a generous application
of a complete fertilizer such as a 10-6-4,
8-6-6 or similar. Usually an application
at the rate of 600 to 800 pounds per
acre is advisable.
Another application in the early fall
of say half this amount will show good
results. If water is available and we
want to give the grass the best possible
conditions, a summer application of
nitrate of soda or sulfate of ammonia
at the rate of 100 pounds per acre will
be helpful. Cyanamid can be applied
as a nitrogen carrier in late fall or early
spring before growth starts.
The amount of fertilizer that can be
used will depend upon the funds available for upkeep. The point to keep in
mind is that we cannot expect to maintain a satisfactory turf if we neglect
to furnish the grass with something to
go on.
Often the soil is so acid that even a
liberal fertilizer application will do
little good. A test should be made if
such a condition is suspected and lime
applied if needed. A test for soil acidity
can be easily and quickly made right on

the ground with an inexpensive soil
testing outfit. If the grass is doing
poorly and no lime has been applied for
many years, an application of lime
would probably show more beneficial results than almost anything that could
be tried. Certainly it is useless to apply
seed, fertilizer or .any other practice for
benefitting the turf if the soil is so acid
that grass will not thrive.
There are differences in grasses with
respect to the amount of acidity that
they will tolerate. Kentucky bluegrass,
for instance, needs a better limed soil
than Colonial bent or red top. No grass,
however, will do well on too acid soil.
Nothing is better for grass than wellrotted farm manure, providing a lot of
weed seeds are not brought in with it.
Manure helps build up organic matter
in the soil. Organic matter in turn
helps hold soil moisture and generally
makes the soil better for grass growth.
A good substitute for farm manure
can be made by raking up leaves in the
fall and building a compost heap. During the summer grass clippings can be
added to this. By adding sulfate of
ammonia or other soluble nitrogen
carrier and lime to this and keeping it
moist, a material will result that will
be very similar to a good grade of well
rotted farm manure. Directions for
building a compost pile can be obtained
from any of the agricultural experiment
stations or extension services.
(From a talk to the New England
Cemetery Association
October 27, 1936.)

NOVEMBER MEETING

The last outdoor meeting of the year
was held on October 26th at the Marlboro C. C., Marlboro, Mass. Some
thirty odd were present in spite of inclement weather. In the golf tournament, the following won prizes:
Phil Cassidy, 89-16-73.
Paul Wanberg, 103-29-74.
N. Sperandio, 85-10-75.
N. Bruno, 89-14-75.

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I D E A L M O W E R S A L E S and S E R V I C E
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111 Cypress Street—Boston, Massachusetts
Telephone Beacon 2 8 9 8 - 2 8 9 9

Tell the advertiser you saw it in the N E W S L E T T E R .

KENT'S COMMENTS

Three courses in Northern New
Jersey have Greenskeepers from New
England. Greenkeeper Arie Hendenberg now at North Jersey C. C., an 18
hole private job, hails from Toy Town
Tavern C. C. at Winchendon, Mass.
Carlton E. Treat from Woodland G. C.
near Boston, is at Montclair C. C., a 36
hole layout in Montclair, and your correspondent, formerly at several courses
in Rhode Island, now at Passaic Co.
Golf Course, a 27 hole Muni, outfit. If
I have overlooked anyone, let me know
in an asbestos envelope.
While we are several hundred miles
south of New England, conditions here
are practically the same. Southern New
Jersey is similar to the coastal regions
of New England, and Northern New
Jersey, a fair replica of inland New
England. There are more than half a
hundred Colonial Historical points of
interest. Agricultural and manufacturing are similiar, with fabric mills along

W h e n a c o u n t r y club seeks the
services of a g r e e n k e e p e r it is
f a c e d with t h e tedious t a s k of inv e s t i g a t i n g t h e records a n d r e f e r ences of n u m e r o u s applicants,
m a n y of w h o m lack the p r o p e r
qualifications.
O u r E m p l o y m e n t C o m m i t t e e off e r s a h a p p y solution to this problem by placing t h e c o u n t r y club
in c o n t a c t t h r u w r i t t e n application or p e r s o n a l interview, with
m e n whose qualifications fit t h e m
f o r t h e p a r t i c u l a r position to be
filled.
G u y C. W e s t , Chr.

NEW ENGLAND GROWN

the rivers;—and like New England,
many of them run only part time, or
are closed entirely. Instead of Canadian French, our main foreign-language
names are Holland Dutch.
There are 140 odd courses in the
State, with about 30 active members in
the N. J. Greenkeepers' Assn. Some of
the courses are monumental monstrosities, designed or built by amateur architects with a pyramid-building complex.
The result is a hatful of headaches for
the maintenance job. The banks are so
steep on some greens, that groundsmen,
it is said, walk in town with one foot
on the sidewalk curb, and the other in
the street gutter, in order to keep their
balance!
Clinton K. Bradley.

Winter-hardy, Acclimated

BENT SEED
for

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Direct 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.

A quick decision has value. A sound
decision is priceless.
The man who has ceased to grow has
begun to die.

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14276 and Highland, New Crop Chewings Fescue, Fine
Leaved Fescue, Red Top and all Fine Grasses.
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WEED-FREE
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GRASS SEED

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