Date:
Place:
Host:
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Meeting Notice MGCSA
Tuesday, May 25, 1971 Joint meeting
NJGCSA-MGCSA
Rockland C. C.
Ron Boydston
12 noon on
Luncheon Available
6-7
7
National representatives, Dick Blake, President and
Charles Baskin, Director
It should be a great meeting don’t miss it. Please if at
all possible tell Ron Boydston you are coming
(914-359-5346) especially dinner!!!

June 8th
June 3
July 15
August 15-19
August 23
Sept. 14
Oct. 5
(tentafive)
November

Coming Events:
Rutgers Field Day
Saint Andrews Golf Club-MGCSA Meeting
Winged Foot Golf Club
(Superintendents Championship)
American Society of Agronomy
Meeting (NYC)
MGCSA Equipment and Supplies Field Day
Waccabuc C. C.
Elmwood MGCSA Invitational
open

MGCSA NEWS
Those that played Brae Burn certainly enjoyed it. It is a good
test of golf for anybody. The traps —well groomed and there are
some nice plantings around the new elevated tee. Everybody
enjoyed the dinner and cocktails in the beautiful clubhouse at
Brae Burn. It was a lively head table at dinner and the program
was in high gear when the speaker was introduced. Pat Lucas
covered the talk which is enclosed in this Tee to Green. The Field
Day committee has met several times and we expect to contact all
commercial firms by June 15th. If you know of any commercial
firm that would be interested in our Field Day, please contact
Harry Nichol or Garry Crothers. Frank Bevelacqa tells me that

Telemark Co. has a wonderful measuring device that calculates
distances just by looking through a scope and is very accurate.
It has been below average in temperature the last few weeks
along with little rainfall until recently. Until we get some warm
weather don’t expect the grass to perform miracles in those areas
which we have all suffered a little winter kill or dessication. It’s a
good time for an informative letter to the general membership as
to what has happened and when you expect recovery. Everybody
tends to think the growing season is earlier. I always judge each
Spring according to the outbreak of new leaves on the trees.
When the trees are full foliated than the grass is also growing too,
but not much before unless you are pushing it with a lot of
soluble fertilizer. In comparing with last year the maples were at
full foliage on May 9th so we are a little later this year. Just note
when the forsythia comes out, tulips, etc., but be sure it’s your
golf course as certainly there can be a great difference between
say Rye and Armonk or up in Fred’s Mt. Kisco area; and certainly
there could be two weeks difference between Pelham and
Brewster.
It was a fun night at The Apawamis “Barn Dance” for the
open house and square dance. Everybody let their hair down and
a great time was had by all as the evening ended at 2:30 A.M. We
even had straw hay to decorate the shop along with a few bags of
Milorganite.
I guess we were all fooled this Spring when we discovered our
many breaks in the old irrigation system. Some of the breaks
were hard to figure out. Steel pipe actually shattering. Mother
Nature always has a few quirks to keep us guessing and certainly
rules the roost.
The Westchester County Agricultural News was an excellent
issue. I hope you had an opportunity to read it. We have included
one description in this issue of the cankerworm which does a
great deal of defoliation also.
We hope Andy’s wife is coming along fine from her recent
accident.
Jobs Wanted
Golf Course Superintendent or Assistant
Contact:
Mr. Thomas Gialanella
120 Riverbrook Avenue
Lincroft, N. J. 07738
Resume can be obtained from Ted Horton or Garry Crothers

Showed that sod rooting was most rapid when (a) placed on
moist rather than dry soil; (b) maintained at a relatively low
nitrogen level prior to harvest; and (c) harvested at 0.4 to 0.6
inch depth.
Found no difference in the rooting ability of sod grown on
organic
or mineral soil.
Editorial Staff
Found high levels of nitrogen fertilization to increase the
Garry N. Crothers
Editor in Chief incidence of fairyring.
Demonstrated that Fusarium blight disease development could
Edward Horton
Editorial Staff
be
minimized by avoiding turfgrass moisture stress through
Pat Lucas
Editorial Staff proper
irrigation practices.
Ron Boydston
Advertizing Manager
Showed seed germination of Poa annua to be highest under
alternating daynight temperature in the 55° to 75° range and to
OFFICERS
cease
at soil temperature of 80°or higher.
President,
Everett Wood, Scarsdale G. C.
Found
roll distance was increased somewhat by (a)
Office 914-723-2840, Home 914-472-0174 spiking; (b)ball
coring;
or (c) light topdressing while mowing at 2 or
Vice President, Harry H. Nichol, Elmwood C.C.
3-day
intervals
seriously
impaired the distance of ball roll.
Office 914-592-6608, Home 914-354-4582
Shown
that
thatch
decomposition
is favored by a pH between
Secretary,
Edward C. Horton, Winged Foot G. C.
6.0
and
7.0
and
can
be
stimulated
by certain enzymes and
Office 914-698-2827, Home 914-835-1181
enzyme
pressures.
Treasurer,
Garry N. Crothers, The Apawamis Club
Shown that plant parts or turfgrass species having a higher
Office 914-967-2100, Home 914-666-7126
lignin content are more prone to thatching.
Showed that as little as a 4 mph wind can reduce the
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
maximum
temperatures of a bentgrass turf by 100to 150F.
Ronald Boydston, Rockland C. C.
Office 914-359-5346
Found
the
timing of syringing during heat stress can be critical
Home 914-359-2910
in
the
degree
of turfgrass heating that occurs. Syringing 1 to 2
Dominick DiMarzo, Bonnie Briar C. C. Office 914-834-3042
hours before the 2:00 P.M. maximum is preferred.
Home 914-273-8955
Found that the application of more than 1 pound of nitrogen
Charles Martineau, Whippoorwill Club Office 914-273-3755
per
1,000 square feet in any one application results in the
Home 914-428-3826
exhaustion
of the carbohydrate reserve.
Anthony Savone, Innis Arden C. C.
Office 203-637-3210
Shown
placement
of phosphorus on the soil surface caused a
Home 203-637-4475
suppression
of
turfgrass
seed germination compared to soil
Past President
incorporation.
John Madden, Engineers C. C.
Office 516-621-5350
Not copyrighted. I f there is good here, we want to share it with
all chapters - unless author states otherwise.
RESEARCH REVIEW
by Wayne C. Morgan
“Some brief, summaries of results obtained from recent
research conducted at Michigan State University.”
Drs. James Beard and Paul Reiche head a six-man research
team) at Michigan State University at East Lansing. A recent
publication of their results was so full of valuable information, it
seemed of significant value that a summary of these projects be
extended to turfgrass people in other areas also.
Found that direct low temperature injury can be minimized
culturally through (a) proper surface and subsurface drainage; (b)
a lower, judicious nitrogen fertility level; (c) an N-K nutritional
balance of 3 to 1; and (d) low soil arsenic levels.
Developed improved methods of roadside establishment in
Michigan involving proper (a) seed mixture (a minimum of 20%
each of Kentucky bluegrass, red fescue and ryegrass); (b) seeding
rate (80# per acre); (c) seedbed fertilization (80# each of N,
P 0 5 and K20 per acre); and (d) mulching (two tons of straw
plus 100 gal. of asphalt per acre or Soil Retention Mat).
Demonstrated hydroseeding to be quite inferior to shallow soil
incorporation and rolling in achieving rapid, uniform turfgrass
establishment under droughty Michigan conditions.

Apawamis’s new Maintenance Building (Shop area)

C an kerw o rm s
The spring and fall cankerworms are common native pests of
deciduous forest, shade, and orchard trees. They periodically
cause serious defoliation in the northeast and range over most of
the United States and southern Canada.
There is close resemblance between the two species in all
stages. The female moths are wingless and the caterpillars are
known as inchworms, measuring worms or loopers. There is only
one generation a year.
Damage
The caterpillars of both species appear on trees in early spring.
They destory the young leaves and buds of a wide range of
common deciduous trees, but prefer elm and apple. Cankerworms
are also abundant on oak in southeastern New York and Long
Island. By the time the larvae finish feeding only the major veins
and midribs of the older leaves are left. Trees may be completely
defoliated. If this happens two or three years in succession, trees
may die or be seriously weakened. In the case of elms in areas
where Dutch elm disease is present, this is an important
leaf-feeding pest to control.
Spring Cankerworm
The caterpillar has a dirty-white head, mottled with brown,
instead of a green to black head as in the fall cankerworm. It also
has five pairs of legs instead of six pairs. When full grown the
caterpillars are three-quarters to one inch in length.
The moths appear in April and May and lay small irregular
clusters of eggs on the bark, about fifty or more to a cluster.
Hatching and feeding is about the same as the fall cankerworm,
but when the caterpillars enter the soil to pupate, they only make
an earthen cell.
Fall Cankerworm
The full grown caterpillar is about an inch long and varies in
color from green to brown or black, with pale lines running the
length of the body and possibly a dark stripe on the back. Six
pairs of legs are present, though one pair is quite small.
The moths emerge from the soil in November and December.
The greyish-brown eggs are laid on the bark of twigs and limbs in
close ranked flat masses of one hundred or more. They hatch in
April and early May as the buds open and the caterpillars feed for
four or five weeks. When fully grown they enter the soil where
they make tough silken cocoons near the surface. They pupate in
early June, but moths do not emerge to lay eggs until November.

SPRING CANKERWORM

FALL CANKERWORM

Control
These pests are ordinarily kept at low population levels by
natural factors. When control is warranted, insecticides such as
Sevin effectively kill the larvae and protect the trees from
defoliation. The control for both species by insectidices is the
same and comparatively simple if the material is applied in late
April or early May.
Sevin may be used at the rate of two pounds of 50 per cent
wettable powder per 100 gallons of water or 6 tablespoons per
three gallons of water.

Does this winter injury look familiar?
APRIL MEETING
The speaker for the April 22, 1971 meeting of M.G.C.S.A. was
Mr. Norman Barlett of the Smith Irrigation Company of Milford,
Conn. Mr. Barlett’s topic was “The Proper Installation of an
Automatic Irrigation System.”
For the most part Mr. Bartlett’s speech covered the
pre-installation planning of a system. His intention as I saw it, was
to make the superintendent more aware of what goes into the
planning and development of a system design. There are many
systems available and Mr. Barlett tried to point out some of the
many options and varations.
In the planning of a system, the Superintendent should find
what is available to him on the market. This would include heads,
valves, controllers, pipes, pumps, and designs which could be
either single or double row systems. Check your present system
against the total areas that you would like to have watered. This
can be helpful in the planning of a new system.
Get more information about automatic irrigation systems. This
can be obtained from Salesmen, Universities, Conferences,
'Distrubtors, and Installers. Information can be best obtained from
the golf course superintendents who have the system.
The Superintendent should be involved in the design of the
system. He knows the system course and the soil conditions. He
should tell the designer what he wants and needs to water the
course.
Hire a competent designer. You should expect the following:
1. Plan
2. on site design
3. complete measurements of course
4. locations of all heads, pipe, wires, drain and sectional
valves, pumping plant, and controllers
Change any of the specs before construction starts. Know the
length of construction time. Know what kind of warranty is
involved. Have bids made up and get a contract, (club lawyer)
Also a club may require bonding of the installer.
With the trouble a lot of clubs have had with automatic
systems it would be wise for the superintendent to look into the
matter more extensivly before choosing a system.
Pat Lucas
Staff Writer

GOING AUTOMATIC?
CHECK WITH

DeMARCO
TURF IRRIGATION CONTRACTORS INC.

THE AUTOMATIC PEOPLE WITH EXPERIENCE
HAMMONTON,

THE POWERHOUSE
R oute 6 & D ingle R idge R oad

BREWSTER, NEW YORK 10509
(914) 279-7181
TORO

HAHN WEST POINT

COMPLETE LINE OF TURF EQUIPMENT

NEW OFFICE & SERVICE FACILITIES CONVENIENTLY LOCATE

JUST OFF 1-84 & 1-684