THE ESSENTIALS OF A GOOD LAWN. 



/" |~AHIS is the season when we are often 

 I asked how to estabUsh a good lawn 



-*- and insure its permanence. Down- 

 ing names three essential requisites : ( i ) 

 Deep soil ; (2) proper kinds of grass, and 

 (3) frequent mowing. For this climate I 

 would add a fourth — that is, plenty of water. 

 The air of an average American summer is 

 not so well adapted to the production of a 

 fine lawn as is the humid atmosphere of 

 Great Britain. There not so much atten- 

 tion need be given to the richness of the soil, 

 as the moisture takes its place in a measure. 

 But in this country the soil should be deep 

 and rich, with a subsoil capable of retaining 

 moisture, but not in excess. If the subsoil 

 is hard and tenacious it should be well un- 

 der-drained and trenched, or subsoiled to a 

 depth of sixteen or eighteen inches, so as to 

 create a reservoir for holding moisture 

 which may be drawn upon by the plants as 

 needed during dry times. This matter of 

 subsoihng does not receive the attention it 

 deserves in our climate. Many persons 

 seen to think that if the surface soil is in 

 good condition nothing further is needed. 

 Such persons should bear in mind that it is 

 a deep soil only which will furnish moisture 

 for grass roots through continued drought, 

 so that the lawn will remain green during 

 the entire summer and autumn. 



Again, too much attention cannot be given 

 to the preparation of the soil before the seed 

 is sown. It should be plowed and re- 

 plowed, cultivated, harrowed and rolled un- 

 til the whole is thoroughly pulverized and 

 mixed to a depth of ten inches. This work 

 should be done in the fall, and then the plot 

 should be left to settle all winter before the 

 seed is sown. The foundation will then be 

 firm. This not only makes a compact bed 

 which the tender grass roots need, but it will 



insure the lawn against those little knolls 

 and hollows which are so objectionable in 

 appearance and do so much to obstruct the 

 use of the mower. 



Only two kinds of grass are really worthy 

 of consideration for this climate. These are 

 Kentucky Blue Grass (Poa pratensis), and 

 Red Top (Agrostis vulgaris). There are a 

 few others, such as Rhode Island Bent 

 Grass, a finer kind of Agrostis, which may 

 be, sown, but it is more expensive and little 

 superior to a good strain of Red Top. A 

 little Sweet Vernal Grass, or White Clover, 

 may be added, but neither is essential. The 

 .coarser grasses, such as Timothy, Orchard 

 Grass of Meadow Fescue, should never be 

 sown in a lawn. They are short-lived and 

 too coarse and stiff to make a soft, velvety 

 carpet. There are mnay lawn mix- 

 tures advertised and sold at high prices ; 

 some of them are good and will make excel- 

 lent lawns ; but, if analyzed, the best of them 

 will be found to consist mainly of Blue 

 Grass and Red Top, which may be bought 

 in the market for from $1.50 to $2.50 a 

 bushel. 



To seed properly, from two to three bush- 

 els will be required to the acre, owing in 

 some measure to the amount of chaff mixed 

 with the seed. This should be sown as 

 early in the spring as possible, so that the 

 young plants may become well established 

 before the hot dry weather of midsummer. 

 The sowing of oats with the seed has been 

 recommended as a protection to the young 

 grass plants, but I have never yet found that 

 a strong, gross-feeding plant like the oat 

 would furnish protection to a delicate, slow- 

 growing one. On the contrary, the so- 

 called protector will rob the weaker plant of 

 its nourishment. Red • Top germinates 

 much more quickly than Blue Grass, and will 



