MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 43 
weed seed and that it will break up rapidly in order that it 
may be carried rapidly beneath the surface by means of rains 
and snow. 
As a spring top dressing nothing is better than powdered 
sheep manure, particularly if it is mixed with lime to con- 
serve the nitrogen, which may otherwise be lost. Apply at 
the rate of about one ton to the acre. Bone meal and hard- 
wood ashes in equal parts, at the same rate as sheep manure, 
also produce good results. For quick effects, nitrate of soda, 
used up to five hundred pounds per acre, is unexcelled. It 
is usually better to divide the total amount to be applied into 
three or four lots, applying each lot before a rain. In fact, 
all top dressing should be put on as nearly as may be possible 
before a rain in order to insure the washing in of the fer- 
tilizer, as well as to prevent the discoloration of the lawn. 
CONCLUSIONS. 
Don’t underestimate the importance of a thorough prep- 
aration of the soil before trying to establish a lawn. Most 
of the failures supposed to be due to poor seed are really be- 
cause of poor soil. 
Don’t merely re-seed where grass would not grow before; . 
probably the trouble is with the soil. 
Don’t plant Kentucky bluegrass alone and expect imme- 
diate results. In the course of three or four years a good 
lawn may be secured, but this will be because of a peculiar 
combination of good soil, proper treatment and favorable 
weather, which is not likely to occur. 
Don’t think you can get an English lawn in St. Louis by 
importing the varieties of grass seed used in England. The 
thing can’t be done. | 
Don’t fail to use a heavy roller (a thousand pounds is not 
too much) on a new lawn. 
. Don’t cut a young lawn too close. Set the knives of the 
lawn mower high and keep the grass about two inches above 
the crown. 
Don’t top dress with fresh manure. It introduces weeds 
and is unsightly. 
Don’t neglect a lawn because it was made right in the first 
— Fertilizers are necessary to maintain the grass at its 
