294 PARKS 



The sower should not be afraid to bend his back so as to get his hand near 

 the ground before releasing the seed and thus ensure even distribution. 

 One-half the seed should be sown while walking in some one convenient 

 direction, and the remaining half while walking in a direction at right 

 angles to the first sowing. The next step is to rake the seed in very lightly, 

 so that it will not be covered over one-quarter of an inch deep, as other- 

 wise much of it will be lost. Sometimes a light raking in two directions is 

 more successful in securing an even covering than one raking. This raking 

 should be followed by a thorough rolling, which will compact the soil 

 thoroughly about the seed and complete the process of covering it. The 

 roller should not be used if the soil is wet, as there is too much tendency 

 to pick up small clods of compacted earth containing seeds which thus 

 become irregularly scattered. 



Seed mixtures. For the average lawn in the north, from 100 to 150 

 pounds of seed per acre should be used for best results. As stated above, 

 more seed is required when the lawn is sown at the beginning of warm 

 weather than when it is sown at the cooler seasons of the year. No one 

 grass seed mixture can be specified for a turf area to be used for lawn sports 

 under all conditions. Clover, however, should never be included in such a 

 mixture since clover foliage is too soft and too easily crushed to stand 

 any hard usage. It also becomes slippery and dangerous underfoot when 

 played on. 



The principal grasses used in the north are Kentucky blue grass, red- 

 top, Chewings New Zealand red fescue and mixed German bent grass. 

 Rye grass and timothy are occasionally added to mixtures to provide a 

 green covering quickly and act as a nurse crop. The exact quantities of 

 the different sorts of grasses will vary with the different soils and exposures, 

 but one successful mixture which is commonly used in large quantities is 

 as follows: Kentucky blue grass 30 per cent, redtop 25 per cent, rye grass 

 35 per cent, mixed German bent 10 per cent. These percentages are given 

 in terms of weight. The Kentucky blue grass is adapted to the northeastern 

 states and the northwestern coast. It thrives on limy soil, and will occa- 

 sionally grow on land devoid of lime if the drainage is extra good. It makes 

 a dense, vivid green turf except during midsummer, when it is adversely 

 affected by hot weather. It should not be confused with Canada blue grass 

 which produces a tough but not dense or attractive turf and sometimes 

 succeeds where the soil is too thin for Kentucky blue grass. Since Kentucky 

 blue grass does not fully mature until the third year from seed, it is always 

 better to use it in a mixture of early maturing grasses which keep down 

 the weeds until the Kentucky blue grass is established. Redtop succeeds 

 under a very large range of soil conditions, from drought to wet land. It 



