310 GRASSES FOR THE LAWN. 



" Fine lawns are possible in all the northern half of the Union^ 

 although an American summer does not, like that of Britain, 

 ever moist and liuniid, naturally favor the condition of fine 

 lawns. The necessary conditions for a good lawn are deej) soil, 

 the proj)er himh of grasses, and frequent moivitig. Let the 

 whole area to be laid down be thoroughly moved and broken up 

 two feet deep. Let the surface be raked smooth and entirely 

 cleared of even the smallest stone. The object of a lawn is not 

 to obtain a heavy crop nf iiay, but simply to maintain perpetual 

 verdure. Rich soil Avould defeat our object by causing a rank 

 growth and coarse stalks, when we wish a short growth and soft 

 herbage. Let the soil, therefore, be good, but not rich; depth, 

 and the power of retaining moisture, are the truly needful quali- 

 ties. 



''Now for the sowing; and here a farmer would advise you to 

 * seed down with oats," or some such established agricultural 

 precept. Do not listen to him for a moment. Do not suppose 

 you are going to assist a weak growing plant by sowing along 

 with it a coarser growing one to starve it.'* 



Owing to the difficulty of learning to recognize the seeds, the 

 purchaser is usually at the mercy of the dealer, whose interest it 

 is to enshroud in mystery the whole subject of grasses for the 

 lawn. 



Many of the leading seedsmen of our country are advertising 

 extensively and appear to be selling large quantities of ''mix- 

 tures ■ ' of lawn grass seeds for which there is quite a variety of 

 attractive names. 



The writer has frequently examined these mixtures and has 

 watched the success of several of them in various portions of the 

 Northern States. For the benefit of my readers I present the 

 results of a careful "analysis" of some samples of seeds of 

 mixed lawn grass. 



In former years, the vitality of the rarer grass seeds has uni- 



