THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



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of tlif freezins^' and tliawiiiL; and is in sufficiently open 

 condition to permit the seed to be covered with httle dif- 

 ficulty. After seeding-, if the ground has become quite 

 dry, rolling is usually beneficial. Care should be taken 

 when mowing- or watering the newly seeded areas to 

 avoid disturbing- the young grass. 



The management of the lawn after it is once estab- 

 lished is an extremely imiiortant niatter, and there are a 

 few general practices that should be followed carefully. 

 Beginning in the early siJring, the first thing to do is to 

 remove with a rake the tO]) dressing- that has been ap- 

 plied the fall before. After removing this it is usually 

 advisable to apply some fertilizer, even though the soil is 

 already reasonablv fertile. Fertilizing through the season 

 is especially beneficial in keeping the grass stimulated at 

 tiiiies when it would otherwise be more or less inactive. 

 Pulverized limestone as a top dressing is very heljiful, 

 and an ajjplication of this substance can be made cither 

 in the fall, winter, or spring. Lin-ie corrects the acidity 

 of the surface soil and is useful in checking the growth 

 of nioss and \-arious other plants that are detrimental to 

 the grass. 



There is no hard and fast rule to be followed in con- 

 nection with mowing the lawn, but clipping twice a week 

 is not apt to injure it, and will induce the formation of a 

 good turf. Too frequent clipping, however, is a drain 

 on the vitality of the grass, and fre(|uentl\- results in per- 

 manent injury. 



There is some difference of o])inion as to whether clip- 

 pings should be removed after mowing, but in general 

 their removal is advised, especially during wet weather, 

 since if left to lie on the surface they are conducive to 

 the growth of molds, which in turn produce injury to 

 the turf. ( )n new seedings, however, or where the grass 

 is thin, cli])pings can fre(|uentlv be allowed to remain 

 with benefit. 



There are probably more mistakes made in connection 

 with the watering- of the lawn than in any other phase 

 of its management. The practice of sprinkling as it is 

 almost universally followed is fundanientally wrong, not 

 that the sprinkler does not furnish enough water to the 

 grass during the season, but that it does not furnish it 

 in properly distributed quantities. Sprinkling for a short 

 period may ajipear to wet the sod thoroughly, but in 

 reality the water does not ])enetrate much below the sur- 

 face. This encourages the formation of surface roots and 

 makes the grass less resistant to the severe conditions of 

 weather and usage. 



Except in rare cases, the lawn should not be watereil 

 oftener than two or three times a week, provided water- 

 ing is done proijerly. .\ thorough soaking is necessar}- 

 and should be given in the late afternoon or early morn- 

 ing. The point to be borne in niind is that the groimd 

 should be thoroughly saturated at each application to at 

 least three inches in depth. 



While weed enemies of the lawn are troublesome 

 throughout the growing season, they are most particu- 

 larlv so from the latter part of June until frost. During 

 this period crab-grass is by far the worst weed present. 

 There is no really satisfactory method of checking its 

 growth, and the only treatment to be recommended is to 

 cut or pull the plants before they have formed large 

 mats. This is a very tedious and expensive ])ractice, but 

 where a good lawn is involved the results justify the ex- 

 pense Rational fertilizing- and careful watering during 

 the sun-imer help to overcome the effect of weeds. 



There are manv other weeds that are troublesome in 

 the lawn not onlv in the s]5ring but also in the sunimer 

 and autumn. Among the most important ones are dan- 

 delion, plantain, chickweed, oxeye daisy, and yarrow. 

 While chen-iical sprays are more effective in the eradica- 

 tion of these weeds than in the case of crab-gra^>;. the 



best method uf prcxenting liieir development is to re- 

 move them with a spud or similar implement. 



The weed problem can perhaps best be solved by mak- 

 ing the conditions as favorable as possible for the lawn 

 grasses and to maintain a strict watch at all times to 

 check the growth of the troublesome weeds at the be- 

 ginning. .-\t the end of the grow-ing season before the 

 severe weather of winter arrives, the lawn should be 

 given a good tojj-dressing of well-rotted barnvard 

 manure. If the manure is not well rotted, it is likely to 

 introduce an abundance of weed seeds, which will ulti- 

 mately cause considerable trouble. Top-dressing not only 

 adds fertility to the soil, but gives the grass protection 

 during the severe weather of winter and the freezing and 

 thawing of earlv spring. 



AN INTERESTING LILAC EXHIBIT. 



.\n exhiliit <if lilacs from the famous collection owned 

 by T. A. llavemeyer, of Brookville, Long Island, was 

 staged in the Museum of the Elronx Botanical Gardens 

 under the auspices of the Horticultural Society of New 

 York, in connection with the Bronx gardens. Some fifty 

 vases, each vase containing a different variety, were dis- 

 ]il;iyed. The acci mipanying illustratinii shows a vase of 



'tmm 



Till-: \KW l.IL.\r, I.KOX C AMIIKTTA. 



Leon (iambetta, a new light varietw said to possess great 

 merit. This is said to be one of the most beautiful lilacs 

 in Air. Havemeyer's entire collection. In addition to the 

 lilacs over a hundred vases of Darwin and Cottage tulips 

 of different varieties were exhibited. 



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1 IF you are a member of a local horticultural | 



I I society or a garden club and do not find the | 



I report of your association's meetings or other | 



I events of it in our columns their omission is | 



I due to the fact that your secretary has not | 



I sent them in. Get after him! | 



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