THE LAWN 71 



safe one to follow. There is nothing more trying for 

 grass than to let it go to seed, but if the lawn is clipped 

 closer than two inches, the plants will not have sufficient 

 leaf area to carry on future growth successfully. 



Destroying weeds. Annual weeds are usually kept 

 down by mowing. Such plants as dandelion, dock, and 

 plantain must be removed by cutting them out with 

 a knife. The crowns of the weeds should be cut just 

 below the surface, before the plants scatter seeds. This 

 will remove the bud from which new growth would start. 



Renovating lawns. Lawns that have patches of soil only 

 partly covered, or lawns that have a thin stand of grass, 

 should be raked over with a sharp iron garden rake in 

 the spring or fall, when the soil is saturated with moisture. 

 All uneven places should be filled with good rich soil; 

 then the required amount of seed should be sown and 

 raked in. The yard may then be given its usual care. 



Top-dressing. Well-established lawns will be improved 

 if given a mulch of well-rotted stable manure in November 

 or December. If the soil is good, a coating every other year 

 is sufficient. It should contain much fine material, which 

 will be carried beneath the surface of the grass by the 

 rains and snows of the winter. All rough material must be 

 raked off in the spring, when the grass begins to grow. 



Instead of the top-dressing of manure, fine bone meal 

 may be used at the rate of about two pounds for one 

 hundred square feet. The fertilizer will be improved if 

 an equal part of finely sifted coal or wood ashes is mixed 

 with the meal. Use a screen as fine as a flour sifter. 



