■ June, 1918. 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



147 



A Velvety Lawn Adds Beauty to the Garden 



T 



I HERE is no feature of our garden 

 more important, if we would 

 have it look well, than a perfect 

 piece of lawn. It may be said to be 

 the frame to the picture — the hnishing 

 touch. A really good velvety lawn is, 

 in fact, worthy and generally receives 

 as much admiration as the flower bor- 

 ders behind it. There are some lawns, 

 hardly worthy of the name lawns, that 

 never were good and never will be, ex- 

 cept by relaying. A perfect lawn de- 

 pends, to a vei-y great extent, upon 

 the seed used. This must be the best 

 lawn seed and guaranteed free from 

 hay, meadow grass or clover seed. 



A new lawn can be laid down either 

 in the spring or in the fall. Spring 

 planting makes the new grass to be- 

 come well established before frosts ar- 

 rive, but fall planting has this advan- 

 tage that any weeds coming up will be 

 killed before they can seed. Of the two 

 plans spring seeding is the most recom- 

 mended. Before putting the seed on 

 !he ground it answers to thoroughly 

 \\ oil prepare the soil. All weeds, roots, 

 stones and rubbish must be removed. 

 Indeed, if one can .«pare the time, and 

 the lawn is not to be a very large one, 

 it is an excellent plan to put the surface 

 ■ lil through the sieve, so as to get a 

 di'cssing of an inch deep or so, of ner- 

 fiH'tlv clean soil all over. If the soil is 



B. C. Tillett, Hamilton, Ont. 



a very poor one, some well rotted 

 manure must be mixed in with the sift- 

 ed soil or at any rate kept near the sur- 

 face. After the soil has been carefully 

 levelled with the rake it should be roll- 

 ed, or carefully trodden or beaten 

 down. It must then be raked over 

 gently again. This raking must be 

 very carefully done so that the surface 

 is left absolutely level and free from 

 even a single small stone. For this pur- 

 pose employ the back of the rake when 

 the soil is fairly dry. 



It is essential that the seed should be 

 sown on absolutely even ground. It 

 must not, therefore, be trodden on 

 again after the final raking. In order 

 to avoid this, a strip of ground about 

 three feet wide should be marked off 

 with the garden line. After this has 

 been sown, rake out the feet marks, and 

 measure off another strip of the ground 

 in the same way, each time levelling 

 out the sower's feet marks. 



The seed must be evenly sown and 

 fairly thickly, so that all the ground is 

 well covered. It should then be light- 

 ly raked in, taking care that the even- 

 ness of the ground is not disturbed, 

 and that no footprints are left. The 

 ground should then be rolled in order 

 to bury any uncovered seed, which 

 will then germinate with the first 

 shower of rain. If the weather re- 



mains dry, the ground may be syringed 

 over. As to the quantity of seed re- 

 quired, one pound will sow about 

 thirty square yards of ground. 



The grass should be allowed to grow 

 until it is four inches high and should 

 then be cut with a sharp scythe ; after- 

 ward the machine may be used, setting 

 it high; cutting too close weakens the 

 young plants. Those who have made 

 new lawns this year, will find them 

 making good growth by now. If there 

 are any bare places these should be re- 

 seeded. The new lawn should be cut 

 regularly once a Aveek, and when there 

 is little rainfall, watered in the shade 

 of the evening. Never water grass 

 when the sun is overhead. A suitable 

 tool should be used to remove weeds, 

 such as dandelions, daisies, plantains, 

 docks, etc. These will always appear 

 even when the best seed has been sown, 

 as there are certain to be some weed 

 seeds in the ground, but, if taken in 

 time, the grass will soon become mas- 

 ter of these, and they will disappear. 



In. order to possess a fine lawn, there 

 must be constant cutting, rolling, and 

 watering. Nor should the broom be 

 spared, a thorough brooming does a 

 lawn good. Always use a catcher on 

 the mower. It is !\, mistake to leave the 

 clippings on the lawn. If the weather 

 is excessively hot and dry, there is 



A really yood vi;lvi:l> lawn, such as the one here shown, Ls worthy of as much admiration as tlie flower border which constitutes its frame. 



