536 EXFERIMESVAL FARMS 



5 GEORGE v.. A. 1915 



timothy or English Rye gra>s. Such grasses are for temporary purposes onlj". The 

 reason for this is that the permanent lawu grasses take several years to get well 

 established, but when they do finally take possession of the ground, the best of results 

 continue for years. Where the lawn is made for the purpose of tennis or croquet, 

 it is best to omit the clover, as this takes longer to dry out after a shower and is 

 slightly slippery. Seed should be sown at the rate of 4 to 6 bushels per acre, accord- 

 ing to the soil, season and mixture. Kentucky Blue grass, 5 bushels. White Dutch 

 clover, 1 or 2 pounds, with 1 bushel of Timothy or English rye added for results 

 the first season, is an excellent mixture. All reliable seed firms sell excellent mix- 

 tures which often give good results, but Kentucky Blue grass alone or with White 

 Dutch clover is recommended. A piece of lawn the size of a tennis-court requires 

 nearly a bushel of seed, or a piece 50 by 100 feet, three pecks. Grass seed is gener- 

 ally sold by weight, one bushel of Blue grass weighing 14 pounds. 



Sometimes what is known as ''' a nurse crcyp " is sown with the lawn grasses. This 

 generally consists of either oats or barley, and is used in order to give shade and 

 lirotection to the tenderer grasses. A " nurse crop " is useful when a lawn has to be 

 Sown late in the sjiring. Tf used, it should be cut when not more than 6 inches high, 

 and will require about three cuttings during the season. 



CARK OF A NEW LAWN. 



A new lawn should not be left to grow as it pleases during the first year, as is 

 sometimes supposed. The first cutting should take place when the grass is about 4 

 or 5 inches high, and a new lawn s-own late the previous autumn or in the early spring 

 should be cut four or five times during the first season. The grass is improved thereby 

 and weeds which are bound to come up freely in new lawns are also kept in check. 

 After the first season, most weeds will disappear, but should dandelions or plantains 

 make their appearance, nothing less than cutting out each plant with a "spud." or 

 pulling it up by the roots, will be effectual in keeping them in check. All other weeds, 

 with a few exceptions, have a less persistent root system, and cannot survive one or 

 two cuttings with the lawn mower. A good sharp scythe may be used to cut tlie lawn 

 for the first few times, although a lawn mower in good condition is perfectly satisfac- 

 tory, and wiM not pull up the grass by the roots. 



WATKIilXG AND GENKRAL TREATMENT. 



Should it be necessary to water the lawn, it must be well soaked at each applica- 

 tion. Sprinkling a lawn is very bad practice, as the water does not get deep enough 

 into the soil to reach the roots, and instead of benefiting, it causes the surface to bake 

 in the form of a crust, which is fatal to healthy growth. Moreover, owing to the 

 law of capillarity, far more watei: is lost by evaporation the next day than was added 

 by the sprinkling. 



Young lawns, and even well-established lawns, are always improved by a good 

 rolling in the spring. Should thore be any holes in the lawn, they may be filled up at 

 this time by adding some good loam. The grass will quickly push up through soil 

 thus added. Where leaves and other waste materials have accumulated on the lawn 

 during the winter, such should be raked oft" in the early days of spring. Thorough 

 raking will also improve the grass. 



Another point to remember is. that a delay in cutting the lawu in the sj^ring 

 always makes the first cutting much harder work, and sometimes produces injury to the 

 grass as well; therefore, get the lawn mower into shape during the winter, and out on 

 the lawn as soon as it is green in the spring. 



In addition to the foregoing information relating to the making anil care of an 

 ordinary lavra, the Central Farm is frequently applied to for information regarding 

 points referred to below : — 



Ottawa. 



