Lawns and Tennis Grounds from Seed 



means birds must be kept off, or all the sparrows of the parish will 

 be tempted to a feast. Grass seeds should always be sown on old 

 turf when the herbage is quite dry, as the seeds cling to wet grass 

 and are wasted. 



The proper time for commencing the work depends on the 

 district. In the southern and western counties of England and in 

 Ireland a beginning may be made at the end of January or early 

 in February, in suitable weather ; and as the old turf affords some 

 protection to young grasses, seed can be sown early in March. In 

 the midlands and the north the date of sowing will necessarily be 

 later. The period for spring sowing usually extends into May, but it 

 must be determined by the character of the season. Late spring or 

 summer sowings of grass seeds, followed by weeks of hot dry 

 weather, have no chance of developing a plant. The germs, after 

 starting, are destroyed by drought. 



An autumn sowing of renovating seeds is often made with 

 advantage immediately the grass can be spared from play, and it 

 should be as early in September as possible, certainly not later than 

 the end of that month. Sowings occasionally prove successful in 

 October, but they are not to be relied on. The possibility of losing 

 the clovers in winter is greater from an autumn than from a spring 

 sowing, and the sward should be examined early in the new year to 

 ascertain whether more seed is necessary. 



A weak-growing sward may also be stimulated by liquid manure. 

 A pound of A i Lawn Manure stirred into ten gallons of water will 

 suffice for a rod or perch of land, and it should invariably be 

 administered in the evening. Dry artificial manure scattered over 

 the surface will discolour the grass. 



Road-grit is commonly regarded as an excellent dressing for a 

 lawn, but those who give it a trial and observe the result are not 

 likely to repeat the experiment. The grit is almost certain to intro- 

 duce seeds of a number of pests, including Hordeum, which is far 

 more difficult to eradicate than plantains, dandelions, or any of the 

 large perennial weeds. 



Newly made lawns, especially when hastily prepared, sometimes 

 show depressions after the grass is up. Where these are shallow an 

 occasional sifting of fine loam may follow the mowing, and with 

 patient attention a true surface can be restored ; but a quantity of 

 soil, roughly thrown down, will smother the rising plant. Should the 

 hollows be deep, a different procedure must be adopted. Young grass 

 cannot be cut and rolled in the manner usual with an established 



393 



