52 HOW TO PLAN THE HOME GROUNDS 



the wind is light. It is well to sow such seed liberally 

 to make a good lawn. Six bushels of blue-grass seed 

 to the acre may seem excessive, but it will hardly be 

 considered so when we realize how large a portion of any 

 sowing of grass seed will probably fail to germinate. 

 Important as highly tilled ground may be to the prepa- 

 ration of the soil for grass seed, the quicker it is com- 

 pacted, and kept firm, the better will be the results. It 

 is for this reason the heavy two-horse roller works so 

 well when it is passed frequently over ground that has 

 been recently sown with grass seed, and raked over with 

 a fine-toothed rake. Rain helps still further by also 

 compressing the soil as well as by moistening it. As 

 soon as the grass grows an inch or two, or as soon as the 

 mowing machine will cut it, this operation, frequently 

 applied, tends to thicken the sole, or body of the grass, 

 and also, at the same time, to destroy young and threat- 

 ening weeds. 



The frequent cutting of grass in dry weather often 

 weakens it seriously, and allows the vigorous summer 

 weeds to get the upper hand, and therefore, during the 

 first summer, it is a good idea to weed the lawn contin- 

 ually until the grass takes possession of the ground. 

 Care and diligence in watering and weeding a lawn, at 

 this stage of its development, will tend to ensure final 

 results of the most important character. So far as the 

 culture and care of the lawn and garden, respectively, 

 go, there should be little difference made during the first 

 year. Indeed, the author is not sure that it will not pay 

 to give the lawn the most attention, for one may be sure 

 that the lawn will have a long future before it, the 

 success of which largely depends on intelligent treatment 

 in the beginning. 



