138 



GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



The Treatment of Lawns 



THE importance of a good lawn cannot be over- 

 estimated. Constituting, as it freqtiently does, 

 from 75 to 90 per cent of the landscape effect, its 

 condition may enhance or destroy the beauty of addi- 

 tional plantings of shrubs or flower-beds. In spite of 

 this fact, the average householder, while willing to spend 

 both money and time on flowers and vegetables, is con- 

 tent to let the lawn go with an occasional mowing, and 

 then wonders why it is so difficult to maintain a good 

 stand of grass in St. Louis. That it is not as easy to 

 secure as satisfactory a lawn in this locality as in cooler, 

 moister climates goes without saying, but it is likewise 

 a fact that given the same proportionate care and atten- 

 tion as other outdoor gardens the results will be equally 

 worth wliJle. In fact, it is not until we are w^illing to 

 regard the lawn as truly a garden, just as we would a 

 collection of blooming or fruiting plants, that any real 

 success may be attained. Fortunately, in proportion to 

 its area a lawn once established does not require as much 

 labor or money as most other kinds of gardens. How- 

 ever, one should no more think of attempting to have a 

 lawn without properly preparing the soil, attending to the 

 necessary fertilizing, re-seeding, mowing, etc., than he 

 should think of growing flowers and vegetables without 

 the necessary attention. 



Plenty of seed should be used in starting a new lawn. 

 60 pounds to the acre being about the minimum. Care 

 should be taken to apply the seed evenly, this being ac- 

 complished either by hand seeding or by the use of spe- 

 cial seeders manufactured for the purpose. The best 

 time for seeding is generally either early in the morning 

 or near evening on a day when there is little or com- 

 paratively no wind. August or early September are the 

 best months for seeding. At that time the grass seed will 

 have very little competition with germinating weed seed 

 and enough moi,sture is generally supplied by Nature to 

 establish the grasses sufficiently to stand the Winter, 

 provided a slight top dressing of well-decomposed man- 

 ure or bone meal mixed with soil is applied in late 

 Autumn. The bone meal should be given at the rate of 

 400 pounds to the acre. If it is not possible, however, 

 to sow seed in the Autumn almost any month during the 

 growing season w'ill do, particularly the Spring months, 

 ATarch, April and I\Iay. Re-seeding the bare spots on 

 the lawn may be done at any time during the year when 

 the surface of the soil can be worked into a mellow con- 

 dition with a rake. Seed should always be kept on hand 

 for this purpose, and whenever a bare spot is noticed it 

 should be seeded at once. 



The lawn should be tamped or rolled after seeding to 

 bring the seeds into close contact with the soil and to 

 prevent undue evaporation of moisture. The roller 

 should also be used in early Spring to compact the soil 

 which has been loosened by the action of thawing and 

 freezing during the Winter, and also to make the lawn 

 smooth for mowing. 



For quick results sod may be used, and steep banks 

 and terraces should always be sodded rather than seeded, 

 as should also the edges of roads and walks along a 

 newly made lawn. It is important that the sod be cut 

 as thin as possible and kept clean and free from weeds, 

 and that the ground be properly prepared before it is 

 laid. Sod properly cut and laid grows very easily, pro- 

 vided it is set firmly in the surface of the ground by the 

 use of a roller or tamper and that it is thoroughly soaked 

 with water until established. 



Grass should be cut as soon as it is a few inches high, 

 care being taken to see that the mower is verv sharp 



so as not to pull out any of the young grasses. This cut- 

 ting should be continued throughout the season, and it 

 is particularly essential to have the grass short during the 

 \\'inter. 



A good lawn will carry through the season without 

 any artificial watering, but if a greensward is desired 

 during the hot Summer watering becomes essential. 

 When watering, the soil should be saturated to a good 

 depth and then not watered again until thoroughly dry. 

 The general custom of a daily superficial sprinkling is 

 most injurious to the lawn. 



Most annual weeds are eradicated by the mower. One 

 exception is the crab-grass (Panicum sanguinale), which 

 is most destructive to lawns. It first becomes noticeable 

 at the end of May or the beginning of June, and from 

 that time on it grows very rapidly, spreading the more 

 it is cut and throwing out stems which root at every node. 

 Crab-gTass may be held in check by cutting the lawn 

 as little as possible during the month of July and the 

 first part of August, and when cutting to adjust the 

 mower to cut as high as possible. The leaves of the lawn 

 grasses will then shade the soil sufficiently to keep the 

 stems of the crab-grass from coming in contact with the 

 soil, thereby preventing them from taking root. Then, 

 about August 10 to 15, the grass should be cut short, 

 the lawn raked with a sharp-toothed iron rake to make 

 the remaining crab-grass stand up, the grass cut very 

 short again, and the raking repeated. After this the lawn 

 is seeded lightly, cut again, the clippings allowed to re- 

 main to protect the seed, and the lawn watered thor- 

 oughly. It will be found that this operation has de- 

 stroyed most of the crab-grass. 



Perennial weeds, such as the dandelion [Taraxactntt 

 officinale), plantain (Plantago Rugclii) , and burdock 

 {Arctium Lappa), may be cut out with a knife, or they 

 may be eradicated by spraying with a solution consisting 

 of two pounds of iron sulphate dissolved in one gallon 

 of w^ater. This should be applied in a very fine spray, 

 five or six times during the season, preferably on a bright 

 day to prevent it being washed off by rain. It should 

 be applied two or three days after mowing, and the lawn 

 should not be mown until two or three days after spray- 

 ing is finished. This solution w'ill discolor clothes and 

 stone walks. 



All lawns should have a top dressing of well-decom- 

 posed stable manure at least once every three or four 

 years, and other fertilizers should be used whenever the 

 lawn needs enriching. Sheep manure and wood ashes are 

 excellent for the dressing of lawns. They may be used, 

 mixed in equal parts, at the rate of 200 pounds to the 

 acre. In the Spring, before growth commences, is the 

 best time for application. Bone meal is a slow-working 

 but very good lawn fertilizer and is applied in Fall or 

 Winter at the rate of 400 pounds to the acre. Air-slaked 

 lime or limestone dust will neutralize acidity in soils and 

 make them more suitable for the growth of Kentucky 

 blue-grass. Lime should be used as a Winter dressing 

 at the rate of 35 or 40 bushels to the acre. Nitrate of 

 soda is a very quick-working fertilizer which makes the 

 grass grow- very fast and greatly intensifies its color. 

 This should be applied in early Spring, just as growth 

 commences, at the rate of 200 pounds to the acre. To 

 prevent the chemicals from absorbing the moisture of 

 the soil or from the plant tissues the application should 

 be made jusr before a rain or after watering. Com- 

 mercial fertilizers should not be applied at the time of 

 seeding, as they may destroy the seed. — Missouri Bo- 

 tanical Garden Bulletin. 



