38 Landscape Gardening 



TIME FOR SEEDING 



While the spring is the best time in which to seed a new 

 lawn, it may be done at any time if the proper conditions 

 of moisture can be obtained. A very large amount of 

 manure or fertilizer and a moist condition of the soil will 

 enable one to seed a lawn successfully at almost any time 

 of the year, but these conditions are not so certainly secured 

 at any other time as in the spring. In fall seeding, unless 

 done very early, the young plantlets are likely to be thrown 

 out by the frosts and a second seeding be required in the 

 spring. Another reason why spring is better than sum- 

 mer for seeding is that weed-seeds do not grow so readily 

 and abundantly at this time. Coarse stable manure should 

 never be used upon the surface of the land, because as it is 

 usually unfermented, it contains much live weed seed 

 which will immediately start into growth; but, if turned 

 deeply under, nothing can be better to hold the moisture in 

 the soil and encourage deep rooting of the grasses. 



QUANTITY OF SEED REQUIRED 



The amount of seed to be used will depend somewhat 

 upon the season when sown and the probable amount of 

 weed-seeds in the soil that will germinate with the grass- 

 seed. When sown in April, May, or September, less seed 

 should be used than if sown in June, July, or August, and 

 more seed will be needed when the land is full of weed- 

 seeds than when it is comparatively free from such 

 pests. 



It is always best to use an abundance of seed, as there 

 may be some uncertainty of its all germinating. Perhaps 

 the quantity per acre that will give the best results under 

 the average conditions is 2 bu. of bent-grass, i.e., red-top 

 or its varieties, 2 bu. of June-grass, and 10 lbs. of white 



