THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



red top, and six pounds of white clover seed per acre 

 lias been used. Where a vigorous growth is desired, 

 one to one and one-half pounds of this mixture per 100 

 square yards of lawn surface is sufficient. l)nly seed 

 of the best quality should be used, as money spent for 

 inferior grass seed is worse than wasted. At the off- 

 set it is wise to purchase the best grass seed that is 

 obtainable. 



The lawn should be uniform in color, even in tex- 

 ture, and should form a fine, elastic turf. A deep em- 

 erald green is the color that is most popular for green- 

 sw^ard. The novitiate to the game of lawn-making 

 must constantly bear in mind that a perfect lawn repre- 

 sents years of patient effort. A velvety, turfy green- 

 sward is never secured overnight. It means work and 

 lots of it to develop the handsome grass plot. 



If the lawn is located on a hard soil that is deficient 

 in nitrogen and humus it is beneficial to sow four or 

 five quarts of crimson clover seed per acre over the 

 plot as crimson clover is an efficient leguminous soil- 

 renovator. To properly grade the lawn and to secure 

 efficient drainage are the alpha and omega of success- 

 ful grass culture. In case the lot has recently been 

 filled in it should be given plenty of time to settle be- 

 fore the seed is sown. In the interim all the weeds 

 should be thoroughly hoed out. Where the land is 

 native sod it should be top-dressed during the fall of 

 the year with about fifteen loads of well-rotted manure 

 to the acre and subsequently if a spring seeding is de- 

 sired the soil should be deeply plowed. The following 

 spring a lighter application of manure should be made 

 while the lawn should be efficiently cultivated and 

 disked in order to control the obnoxious weeds. The 

 type of the sub-soil is of measurable importance in 

 lawn-making, as summer drought is always a limiting 

 factor in the case of light and gravelly sub-soils, while 

 ordinarily a healthy vigorous sod develops over a clay 

 sub-soil. 



Soil to be used in lawn-making operations should 

 never be taken from excavations of considerable depth, 

 as earth of this character is not suitable for grass pro- 

 duction. If it is necessary to use excavated dirt in the 

 lawn approximately fifteen tons per acre of thoroughly 

 rotted manure should be incorporated with this soil, 

 or in case fertilizer of this variety is not available then 

 liberal amounts of bone meal and lime should be ap- 

 plied previous to seeding time. The seed should be 

 sown as early as possible in the spring so that the 

 young grass plants will be well enough established to 

 withstand the summer's dry spell and will attain a 

 vigorous growth before the annual weeds begin to 

 battle with them for the soil's offerings of plant food 

 and moisture. A fall seeding is desirable if a prolific, 

 well-rooted stand can be secured which will weather 

 the severe storms of winter and be in fit shape to get 

 the jump on the weeds in the spring. 



Lawn seed should be sown on a calm, quiet day, if 

 possible just before a rain, and should not be covered 

 too deeply ; a light raking or rolling will work the seed 

 far enough into the soil so that it will readily germi- 

 nate. Kentucky bluegrass germinates best when the 

 seeds are exposed to light. As a usual thing where 

 considerable barnyard fertilizer has been used the 

 lawn during the initial season is a mass of weeds. 

 However, this should not worry the owner, and he 

 should not waste any of his time in attempting to pull 

 the weeds by hand, with the exception of dock and 

 other perennials, as when the grass begins to fill out 

 the second season it easily will exterminate the weeds. 

 Instead of pulling weeds the lawn-maker should sow 



more grass seed so that more seedlings will develop to 

 comjiete with the weeds for possession of the soil. Ul- 

 timately where this system is pursued the grass 

 sprouts will stamp out all of the weeds. 



Where it is necessary to apply fertilizers after the 

 grass is started such ingredients as land plaster, bone 

 meal, nitrate of soda and hardwood ashes should be 

 used. A top dressing of sheep manure, three to five 

 tons to the acre, followed by an early spring applica- 

 tion of unleached wood ashes is excellent. The lawn 

 that is too shaded or one that receives too much sun- 

 light are both benefited by applications of hardwood 

 ashes, lime and bone meal. Care should be exercised 

 not to apply an excess of wood ashes, as they tend to 

 develop clover at the expense of the other grasses. 



The lawn needs plenty of care and attention even af- 

 ter its formative period has been passed ; it should be 

 frequently and regularly mowed and rolled, being sure 

 to leave all the clippings on the ground. As soon as 

 growth starts in the spring the mowing campaign 

 should begin and the cuttings should be continued 

 once or twice a week until the latter part of September. 

 It is essential to allow the grass to attain a long 

 growth before the winter sets in, and all the leaves and 

 other debris which collect over the greensward during 

 the fall should be left undisturbed until the following 

 spring, as they form a protective mulch over the grass 

 during the period of cold weather. 



Excessive sjirinkling usually accomplishes more 

 harm than good in the development of a prolific lawn. 

 The only effective time at which to water the grass is 

 during the evening, and then the ground should be 

 thoroughly soaked. Two or three thorough soakings 

 at the required periods during the entire summer ac- 

 tually benefit the soil more than a half-hundred half- 

 hearted attempts at dailv sprinkling durmg the heat 

 of the day. Sprinkling during the extreme heat of a 

 clear day is particularly ineffectual as the water is 

 sprayed in so fine a mist that the majority of it evap- 

 orates before it ever penetrates to the thirsty roots of 

 the grass plants. 



^Vhere immediate results in replenishing the soil's 

 phosphatic resources are desired, 150 to 200 pounds of 

 steamed bone meal per acre may be advantageously 

 broad-casted over the lawn. It should be applied in 

 the spring so that the readily available plant food will 

 be at once leached into the soil and ready for the use 

 of the hungry roots. Where nitrogen is the limiting 

 factor on which the lawn hinges this deficient element 

 may be applied in the form of tankage or dried blood. 

 One hundred pounds of dried blood per acre is a liberal 

 application. Where the soil is decidedly deficient in 

 potash a generous dose of 600 to 800 pounds of wood 

 ashes to the acre will effect wonders in remedying the 

 difficulty. 



As was previously emphasized, it is of paramount 

 importance to mow the lawn at least once or twice a 

 week during the growing season. Instead of allowing 

 the grass to attain a length of 1^4 or 2 inches, it should 

 be cut every time it has grown three-quarters of an 

 inch. A grass of finer texture and a lawn of superior 

 (|ualitv attends these intensive mowing operations. 

 The more frequently the lawn is mowed within certain 

 limits, the less grass there is to cut, as plant growth is 

 proportional to its leaf area. Regular clipping and 

 pruning will favor the development of more shoots 

 which make for a compact, velvety sod. 



You pass through this world but once ; take it as 

 you find it but leave it better. 



