''Life is much like Christmas. We are more likely to get what we expect than what we think we would like to have. " This N E W S L E T T E R 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 213 Calvin St., Fall River, Mass. JAMES McCORMACK . Business Mgr. 19 Keene St., Stoneham, Mass. December, 1937 Vol. 9, No. 12 A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL! CHRISTMAS-TIDE The betterment of humanity and universal felicity, ultimate or immediate, have been the motivating forces behind every enduring faith. Christmastide inundates the world with a spirit which is perhaps nearer the ideal which lights the vital spark in all civilized religions than any other spiritual achievement of mankind. Religion and theology are no longer the important topics of conversation they were in Puritan days. They have been crowded out by the multiplicity of interests available to the modern man. The spirit which generations of religious thought has engendered survives, and manifests itself at this season in a universal good will, a realization of the wants and needs of others, a diligent attempt to satisfy them, and a sincere effort to make happiness prevalent. An atom of divinity inherent in the soul of man shines at this season with a brilliancy that throws a gleam into a f u t u r e full of promise and of hope. — (The Thread of Life.) We are planning to make the January issue of special interest to our readers, and will send this issue to an enlarged mailing list, as a means of f u r t h e r publicity for our club. To our members— send us the name of a greenkeeper who should be a member; and we will send him a copy of this issue, or send us a name of a greens chairman who is interested in turf problems. To our advertisers—-you should make a special effort to get a real advertising message in this January issue, as our circulation will be increased at no additional cost to you. All copy should reach the Editor by January 10th. Make reservation now for your copy of the new edition of Noer's "A B C of Turf Culture", which will soon be distributed by the New England Toro Co. free as long as the supply lasts to those who apply first. Mailing will begin a f t e r the first of the year. Another item of interest from the New England Toro Co. is that they are offering a simple and inexpensive gasoline engine mounting that will quickly attach to any standard TORO hand putting green mower, thereby making it a power greens mower. The weight of the entire machine, motor and all will be considerably less than 100 lbs. and will operate nearly a day on one quart of gasoline. The engine and mounting may be purchased separately and attached on a club's present TORO hand putting green mower. From Chester Sawtelle, New England Representative of the Worthington Mower Company, comes the announcement that a f t e r J a n u a r y 1st, his office will be located at 3 Walker Terrace, Cambridge, Mass., with Tel. Trowbridge 7491. A new bulletin of interest is Bulletin 630 from the New Jersey Agri. Exp. Station, "Annual Bluegrass and its Requirements for Growth", by H. B. Sprague and G. W. Burton. Experimental work has been conducted on this grass since 1928 at the New Jersey Station, and the results as published will interest, and doubtless help, every greenkeeper who is bothered with this grass. Billy McBride, Nashua's enterprising Greenkeeper, has built a new house this past Summer. How do you do it, Bill? "One wise decision counts for more than weeks of blind activity." "Big men grow by their mistakes,. Others make the same mistakes again." DECEMBER MEETING Pink patch, found first by Robert Mitchell at Kernwood, since found all over Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Metr o p o l i t a n New York, and reports have come f r o m South Carolina and Oregon, and all New England States. Spots may be like dollar spot, usually larger, have pinkish tinge; all grasses and many weeds are susceptible. Depends on weather conditions, found during May and June usually, and season of '34 was an abnormal one in Rhode Island. Can be controlled by almost any of the mercury compounds. It usually does not kill the roots. Last season was bad for algae—black scum; to control rake both ways to give the air a chance to get down into the soil. There is plenty of need of more research work in grass diseases. The trouble found last Spring on one Massachusetts course may have been pythium. Little is known of this disease. Sun scald is troublesome on many courses, with little really known of it. Mercury does not control leaf spot; no known control. Much more experimental work is necessary on all these diseases. Dr. DeFrance told an interesting story of his trip this past Summer to the Fourth International Grasslands Congress in England, as a delegate f r o m the Rhode Island State College. This Congress met at Oxford, but Dr. DeFrance also examined with interest the work being done at the St. Ives Experiment Station, where golf turf experiments have been conducted the past several years. Greenkeepers elected f r o m each county serve on the Board of Directors; the purposes are similar to purposes of our experiment stations; income is f r o m the Golf Unions and f r o m fees f o r services. Certain clubs pay a yearly fee f o r services. There are 22 men at the station engaged in research. The work now covers some 20 acres, with approximately 1100 plats. Dr. De France also told highlights of the rest of his trip, which included England, Wales, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, France, returning via Canada. We would say a f t e r hearing his description of the trip, t h a t he spent a pleasant, as well as a profitable, Summer. The club held its regular meeting on December 6th at the Waltham Field Station, Waltham, Mass. The speakers were Mr. L. E. Erwin and Dr. J. E. De France of the Rhode Island State College. _ Mr. Erwin told of the various turf disease experiments which have been and are being conducted at the R. I. Experiment Station. Different mercurials are being tried f o r the control of l a r g e b r o w n - p a t c h , s t a r t i n g on t h e 2 1 s t of June, and treating every ten days thereafter, some ten applications per season, two ounces per thousand square feet. Control is also being tried on one plot with treatments when temperature during the night has had a 68 degree or more minimum; control has not been so good, but considering cost, has been fair, probably a 75-85% control, while control with ten day treatments has been 9 0 % . Some other mixtures have been used this past season, including a mixture of analin dyes, and also an English control of copper sulphate, lime, and malcite green. This latter gave a good control , but accumulation of copper might give trouble. Treatment a f t e r minimum t e m p e r a t u r e of 68 degrees will give good enough control for average conditions. Dollar spot was very important this past season, showed up the last week in May, through the season, and also late in October and early in November. Same mercurials were used in dollar spot experiments, but no experiment with minimum temperatures. Early in Spring, in J u n e sometimes, certain trouble, sometimes thought to be large brown-patch, is a leaf spot, attacking certain species, such as Highland, and Colonial bent. This is a different species than that which attacks bluegrass. Snow mold has given little trouble at Kingston, except on Seaside bent; mercury treatments have given control to date. All mercurials tried have been successful; tests show that the amount of m e r c u r y is what counts. Rust is common on cereals, found occasionally on Colonial, but late in the Considerable business was transacted season. following the speaking program. The Entertainment Committee have a fine speaking program lined up for the rest of the Winter meetings. (You should be present.) A special issue of the N E W S L E T T E R is being planned for January. The Nominating Committee reported its slate of officers for 1938; you will receive a sample ballot soon. The January meeting is to be held at the Charles River C. C., a late afternoon and evening meeting, with dinner between, Herb. Graffis as principal speaker, and your chairman invited to the dinner and evening meeting. Detailed plans of this meeting will reach you soon. Plan to attend at least ten greenskeeping meetings this year. Read all the information you get. Compile and arrange your data for quick reference so you have an answer to each question, and don't have to give evasive answers. ^ :je Contact your players—show interest in their game—compliment their skill— console their lack of it—get golfers interested in our work—explain things in simple language—help them with their own lawn problems. Take more interest in your subordinates as well as your superiors. Listen to the other fellow's ideas, they may be even better than your own. Remember t h a t your "experience" is a combination KENT'S COMMENTS of your own and consolidation of others! AND A H A P P Y N E W YEAR TO ALL! 1938, a New Year, new calendars, —C. K. Bradley. time to make up budgets and—resolutions. Speaking of resolutions, some to put into practice toward the "profession" are: CONN. ASSOC. MEETING To get at least one new member in One of our Connecticut reporters the Organization. If the first prospect writes us of an interesting meeting of does not see the light, keep a f t e r him, the Conn. of Golf Course Supts. and start working on another. Boost at the ClubAssoc. House of the New Haven organized Greenslceeping. Don't argue, Municipal Golf Course on December reason. 6th. Ex-Pres. William E. Perkins of with 31 in attendance. On the job, and off, devote some daily Yale presided, D. Pryde, Race Brook C. C. thought toward the advancement of our Pro,Robert an hour and half of movies calling. Carry a scratch pad with you takenshowed by him on a recent trip around and jot down ideas as they come to you. the world. (They say this is a sign of genius,— Following dinner, at a round table unless of course you lose the memos. discussion, the following were discussed: Cutting of sod—rolling or Make it a point to write that article handling in squares, wintering when on greenskeeping, that you have been cut, Japanese beetles (which are quite planning. If you lack a typewriter or active in Conn.) One member told of confidence in putting your thoughts in his experience with the new greens writing, send your notes in long hand drilling machine. Machine cost $600, to the Editor, or have someone "ghost- and cost of operation to drill 18 greens write" for you. Lots of business ty- including replacement of drill bits was coons do this. It's the thought, not the about $100. As many as 10 wheelbarrow loads were removed from a green, words that count. and as much as 6 yards of prepared * * * * * * was used to a green. Your position is to supervise, not topdressing Pres. Joel Smith of the Conn. P G A "slave" at greenskeeping. Resolve to discussed the new balls, clubs, etc. as dress the part, wear clean, neat clothon by the National PGA. ing, and a tie—preferably a GREEN agreed There was discussion pro and con of one. Start a collection of green ties if work by PGA Course Consultant you have no other hobby to divert your the Tillinghast; general opinion was favormind from thinking only about golf able. We understand that his services course and the gripes that go with it. will not be available this year through * * * * * * the PGA. \ L I M E ACID L A W N S IN W I N T E R OR EARLY SPRING Howard B. Sprague, Agronomist N. J. Agri. Exp. Sta. Many lawns in this region have become too strongly acid for thrifty growth of desirable turf grasses. In such instances, lime should be applied promptly in winter or early spring to counteract excessive acidity. The successive freezing and thawing experienced at these seasons will aid in penetration of the material into the soil. Recent experiments have shown that strongly acid soils are unfavorable for growth of turf plants in several ways. Such soils may become so impervious that normal rains and watering fail to moisten more than the upper inch or two of the sod. In actual field tests on established turf at the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, water was found to enter neutral or mildly acid soils six to eight times as rapidly as on strongly acid soils. With moisture additions limited to the upper layers of earth, the turf soon exhausts the fttlrttfo supply available, and suffers drought injury in hot dry periods. Lawn fertilizers containing a substantial portion of the nitrogen in the form of ammonia compounds should be used with some caution on strongly acid soils, particularly if the turf contains bluegrass. Although such materials are excellent fertilizers on mildly acid or neutral soils, the ammonia compounds are actually toxic to grasses when applied liberally on soils possessing strong acidity. The correction of excessive acidity by the addition of lime before growth begins in spring will permit satisfactory use of the less expensive commercial lawn fertilizers during the growing season. The quantity of lime necessary for correction of excessive acidity varies with the type of grasses present, the degree of soil acidity, soil texture and organic matter content. Lime should be applied only as required to correct acidity. In general, 25 to 75 pounds of hydrated lime per 1,000 square feet of surface, or one and one-half times as much finely ground limestone, uniformly distributed, is adequate for lawns in this region. (gmttnga attfr (Sooft Hatrk to AU of fott bmittg 133B mcmmimkmcm BRECK'S 85 STATE STREET — BOSTON, MASS. — T H E LARGEST SEED HOUSE IN N E W ENGLAND— T e s t e d S e e d s , F l o r i d a H u m u s a n d V . C. F a i r w a y F e r t i l i z e r Y o u c a n d e p e n d u p o n o u r advertisers., T H E G R E E N K E E P E R ' S BILL Fortunate were the golf courses which escaped the ravages of the past season. 1937 was the worst in a great many years. The spring was wet and cold and Poa annua was abundant. July ushered in ninety days of terrific heat, night a f t e r night with temperature above 70 degrees and high humidity. Did the Poa annua stand the heat? How can we get rid of Poa annua? Did you have any brown patch?- Were the usual controls effective? Was your turf attacked by the grub of the manure beetle and did anyone know anything about the insect? Were you able to control crab grass? Did you have any scald and what was the cause of it? Were there any diseases that you could not identify or control? Did water and air drainage, shade, acidity, an unbalanced food supply in the soils, over watering, compaction of the soil, have anything to do with greens troubles? Do we need research work on lawns and fine turf and a study of the maintenance of the same? The Waltham Field Station can help us if we can obtain funds to do the work. The Market Gardeners, The Florists, and The Nursery Men have succeeded in establishing research work there, and have benefitted greatly by it. Look over the lawns in your city or town. Can anyone say that most of them are not a haphazard attempt to grow grass? A tremendous amount of money and effort is thrown away for lack of readily available information. A fine lawn can not be grown by just digging the soil and planting seed. Fine lawns are an asset to any city or town. How c-an we get the $15,000 we wish for to finance this work? By talking to your Senator and Representatives. It is up to you. Get everyone who has any influence behind the bill. Golf is a big industry. There are over 200 golf courses in Massachusetts. These represent a huge investment, they pay an immense amount in taxes and wages. The Cemetery interests want this work done. Contact your local cemetery superintendent, explain the purpose of the bill to him, and get him to support it. See your park and playground men for the same purpose. Home owners everywhere should be interested, especially your own club members. Make a point to tell them about the bill. Along the same line, Commercial base ball, college baseball and football should be interested. Road side improvement by towns, cities and the state is another talking point. Be ready when the call comes to attend hearings on the bill, in the meantime talk it up. — F r a n k H. Wilson. A bulletin issued by the Extension Service of the Massachusetts State College last February as Leaflet No. 167, "The Eastern Tent Caterpillar", contains much information of value relative to this pest. Control measures, as presented in this leaflet are as follows— "During many seasons this pest is satisfactorily controlled by its natural enemies; predacious insects, birds and a virus disease known as 'wilt.' Every ten to twelve years, however, the caterpillars reach epidemic proportions and may remain at this peak for two or three years. By that time their natural enemies have become abundant enough to reduce the infestation so that for a period of years the caterpillars are again few in numbers. This in turn results in the production of fewer parasites and the caterpillars again begin to increase in numbers. Thus there is a series of periods of epidemic abundance alternating with periods of comparative scarcity. It may be pointed out that such periods may not occur at the same time throughout the State. As a result the insect may be abundant in one section of the State and comparatively scarce in another. "Artificial measures for the control of this pest during periods of abundance consist of the following: "1. Destruction of egg masses. This is an effective method. The destruction of each egg mass means a decrease of approximately 350 caterpillars. In the winter these egg masses are conspicuous on the small twigs. They should be pruned off and destroyed because if they drop to the ground and are allowed to remain there practically a normal hatch may result. To be effective X lie M e a l S l o w e r S a l e s and Service wnslies &£ tikis t i m e to extern! to its m a n y customers aunt friends flue keairflest of wastes for a V ery M e r r y C k r i s i m a s oeasoiii a n d . k o p e s £01° a H a p p y a n i l P r o s p e r o u s INTew T e a r p- I f ^ I d e a l 'iMtower S a l e s a n d S e r v i c e 111 Cypress Street T e l e p h o n e B>ea,co>ii JE P it I i Brookliiie this destruction should be done before the larvae emerge,—in other words, before April. 4-H Club members and Boy Scouts have conducted several campaigns and have destroyed many thousand egg masses. "2. Destruction of the tents containing the caterpillars. This may be a very valuable aid in the control of the pest provided it is done sufficiently early and in an efficient manner. It should be done while the tents are still small and can be easily removed. Furthermore at that time the caterpillars would not have done any extensive feeding. If removal of the nests is delayed until they have Become large, much of the damage will have been done. "To remove the nests a stiff brush mounted on a pole, or a pole with several nails driven in one end, can be employed. This instrument is inserted into the nest and twisted so that the web is wrapped around it. Then the pole is removed and the caterpillars crushed. This should be done on cold, cloudy days when practically all the caterpillars are within the nests. "The practice of attempting to burn the tents should be discouraged since it is both dangerous and ineffective. Often in the early spring, when high winds are common, this has been the cause of several serious fires. Furthermore the heat of the flame is apt to cause such serious injury to the tender bark of the young growth that subsequent infestation by bark beetles or fungi may result. Burning is comparatively ineffective because many of the larvae drop to the ground: others crawl away and may eventually reassemble, causing f u r t h e r damage. They may even form another tent. "3. Spraying with a stomach poison. "Lead arsenate, 3 pounds to 100 gallons of water, is effective and should be applied as soon as sufficient leaf surface is present to retain the spray. The value of this method is demonstrated annually in commercial apple orchards where the pest is so well controlled by the pre-blossom sprays that growers feel little or no concern about this species in their orchards." TALKS ON TREES By E. Porter Felt Director and Chief Entomologist Stamford, Conn. The fate of the native chestnut has been of wide general interest ever since the appearance of the chestnut blight more than a generation ago. The chestnut has not been exterminated, although most of the native chestnuts in the northwestern United States have been killed back to earth by this deadly infection from the FarEast. Life has persisted in the roots and sprouts have developed year a f t e r year, many of them succumbing before attaining any size and others growing to a height of twenty-five feet or more. Some of these trees are fruiting. Presumably the new sprouts are favored by the relative scarcity of spores as a result of the general killing of chestnut trees in earlier years. As a rule the small trees succumb a f t e r a time and more sprouts develop. It is the hope of all that this valuable tree may acquire resistance to the blight. There is a search for resistant trees. It is possible, as suggested by some, that repeated killing back by the chestnut blight may result in our native chestnut maintaining itself as a small tree or shrub rather than as the lordly chestnuts centuries old which were so common before the days of the chestnut blight. The chestnut is one of the wind fertilized trees, consequently there must be an abundance of pollen in the air in order to secure satisfactory setting of f r u i t or nuts. A small twig at hand and from a tree fifteen feet in height bears a number of burrs each with two or three poorly developed nuts. This indicates that in all probability there has been insufficient pollen for the fertilization of the bloom. The tree in question was somewhat isolated and the conditions which favor relative immunity from the chestnut blight also interfere seriously with the production of normal fruit. Introduced plant diseases as well as introduced insects have marked effects upon our native trees and shrubs. "Publicity minus performance is waste." A walnut tree with a limb spread "People who think straight don't run covering an acre of ground is out of around in circles." the ordinary. Prepare your winter study course NOW Write for your copy of "Turf Topics", giving complete Reference Library on: General Botany and Grasses, Drainage, Insect and Animal Pests, L a n d s c a p e G a r d e n i n g and M i s c e l l a n e o u s , Soils a n d F e r t i l i z e r s , Weeds and Weed Control, Turf Publications. 3 3 o t e g atih (lluntpaim Pisljes f o u iV i H m - y JUl (Lhvtsfutas attii a SPECIAL— NEW 5th Edition — Revised N o w ReadyWrite for your I j e a r of F R E E COPY GRASS SEED JHtappmrss DIVISION F. H. Woodruff & Sons MILFORD, feat CONN. Golf balls found by maintenance crews that are not fit for the pro's use, can be disposed of in a manner that does not conflict with the pro's business. The funds obtained from the sale of balls can be used to offset the personal expense borne by the greenkeeper in attending association meetings. The golf course benefits in the end by the applied knowledge thus obtained. F o r f u l l details, write to Eastern Golf Company 244 WEST 42nd STREET NEW YORK, N. Y. W I N T E R HARDY—ACCLIMATED RHODE ISLAND CREEPING VELVET BENT GRASS SEED and Fairway Mixtures of highest quality for l o w e s t p r i c e t h a t seed of equal quality can be offered. NATURE HAS WRITTEN A PRESCRIPTION for your course. Right here in southern New England is the natural home of tile entire family of the Bent grasses, the principal member of which, namely R. I. Bent, derived its name from this, the smallest state in the union. You can grow N A T U R E ' S O W N INSURANCE into your turf by using F R E S H , VIABLE seed which grows in YOUR latitude in YOUR country. S A V E for your club: Buy your seed direct from the grower. A. N. PECKHAM KINGSTON RHODE ISLAND The walnut tree is located at Battleground in the State of Washington. It is a twin tree, that is there are two m a j o r trunks separating a short distance above the ground. One of these trunks measures nearly twelve feet in circumference, equivalent to a diameter of about four feet and the other has a circumference of more than ten feet or a diameter of better than three feet. The tree is remarkable in more ways than one. It not only has a limb spread which covers an acre, but a heavy crop has resulted in a half ton of walnuts. Can it be that the name of the locality, Battleground, is connected in any way with annual battles for the huge crop of nuts? Most surprising, the tree is stated to be only sixty years old. Incidentally, the word walnut means a nut brought from a f a r country. It hardly seems possible that such a giant tree could develop in the relatively short period of three score years, though increase in size and limb spread is dependent to a large extent upon the feeding area. A rich soil with abundant space on all sides is most favorable to rapid and symmetrical growth. A large proportion of our more beautiful trees develop under such conditions. The same is presumably true of this giant walnut tree of the f a r West and suggests the possibility of growing a good sized tree within the life span of an average man. It may be that planting for grandchildren means planting in unfavorable locations. The possibilities of tree planting are also indicated by the record of League City, Texas, now only thirty years from open prairie and possessing live oaks with a trunk diameter of two feet and a limb spread of sixty feet. These trees were planted in a favorable location and have been given necessary care and protection. leaf tissues may produce some twentyfive to fifty, possibly more, gall wasps. The insects may be so numerous as to kill most of the buds upon individual twigs and sometimes upon groups of twigs, thus making impossible the production of leaves. In this particular case the buds on about one-fourth of the tree were blasted by this tiny gall wasp. All is not honey for the gall wasps, or more particularly, for their young. Those which hatch f r o m eggs deposited in the tender, succulent growth of the young leaves develop rapidly and in a ^ few weeks escape from the galls as ^ tiny winged insects. Judging f r o m the ' j material at hand, many gall wasps on this tree were tardy and instead of laying eggs while the leafy tissues were issuing from the bud, they were deposited in partly developed leaves. The tardy gall wasps were so numerous in this case as to literally speck an otherwise normal oak leaf with thousands of tiny blackish pimples, giving its surface somewhat the appearance of shagreened leather. There were as many as 2,000 of these little pimples on individual leaves and many leaves were affected. The numerous abortive galls suggest the prolificacy of certain insects and the ruthlessness of Nature. None of the eggs could develop on the older leaves because they were deposited in leaf tissues which had passed beyond the succulent, responsive stage of the young leaf. There is a close timing between many gall insects and the development of parts of trees in which galls are produced. Many insects display marvelous adaptations to the trees upon which they depend for existence. Here is one. The minute oak gall wasp is a tiny fly about a twenty-fifth of an inch in length which appears just as the buds of the white oaks are commencing to burst. The flies lay their eggs in the tender developing tissues and the maggots produce a purse-like, fleshy mass of aborted leaves about half an inch in length instead of the cluster of goodsized leaves which normally issue from a bud. This purse-like deformation of "Unless the job means more than the pay it will never pay more." r "'The right word in the right place will do the job. All the others just detract from the effect." "When in doubt say nothing." "How many men you disliked at first sight have come to be friends when you knew t h e m ? " As you sow, so shall you reap. Bear this in mind, on seed that is "cheap." —Kent Bradley. Hmvtwxt dmltttga anil All (&mb WwtytB ta mtr Bttlu^i Jffrt^ttxtB in ^Ciuu lEttglatti* We wish to take this opportunity to express our thanks and appreciation to new friends arid old ones who have recognised the advantages of our quality products and our sincere effort to give courteous and efficient service through our New England distributor, Mr. C. M. Sawtelle, 1 State Street, Boston, Massachusetts. STROUIIWISHK