316 GRASSES FOR THE LAWN 



fers, but it is by no means very important. Each one of these 

 two or three kinds of plants will appear to cover the ground all 

 over, so it will look uniform. 



To the farmer who is accustomed to sow coarse seeds for a 

 meadow or pasture the above quantity of seeds appears to be 

 enormous. But the aim is to secure many very fine stalks in- 

 stead of a few large coarse ones. 



If a little sweet vernal and a little perennial rye grass are used 

 a careful observer, at certain seasons of the year, Avill see that 

 the lawn looks '*^ patchy. " Especially in early spring, or in 

 very dry weather, some of these and others often recommended, 

 will grow faster than the rest and assume different shades of 

 green. For a lawn never use any Timothy, orchard grass, tall 

 oat grass, red clover, meadow fescue or other large grass or clo- 

 ver, but only the finest perennial grasses or clovers. Sow the 

 seeds in September or in March or April, Avithout any " sprink- 

 ling " of oats or wheat, and as soon as the grasses get up a little 

 and the straggling weeds get up still higher, mow them, and 

 keep mowing every week or two all summer. 



Avoid j^urchasing mixtures advertised in seed catalogues, as it 

 will be much cheaper and safer to buy each sort separately, and 

 only one or two or three sorts are desirable. The rarer grasses 

 are mostly imported, and up to the present time, as was said, 

 have been found to possess very low vitality; besides, bad for- 

 eign weeds are very commonly mixed with these grass seeds. 

 There are good reasons, then, for buying common sorts, and, if 

 possible, those raised and cleaned in a careful manner. 



James Hunter, of England, in his manual of grasses, says: 

 ''' Careful analysis of the mixed lawn grass seeds sold by some large 

 seed houses at high prices prove them to consist of from 40 to 50 

 per cent, of rye grass, whereas not a single seed of rye grass 

 should be included in any mixture for producing a lawn." 



The Royal Agricultural Society of England employs a con- 



