284 Landscape Gardening 



The autumn months offer decidedly the fittest season for 

 laying them down, as they will then at once take hod of the 

 ground, without the danger of their separating and curling 

 up at the edges during the succeeding summer. But any 

 mild weather throughout the winter or a showery time up 

 to a late period in the spring may be selected for the opera- 

 tion, if more convenient. The soil should always be well 

 stirred as the sods are laid, and if there is any chance of their 

 suffering from drought or if the grass is not sufl&ciently fine, 

 a little light soil mixed with lime may be strewn over them 

 after they are laid, and swept into their interstices with a 

 scrubby broom. A few of the finer grass seeds may be added, 

 if it be in spring. Sods ought always to be laid lengthwise 

 up and down steep slopes or at right angles with a line of 

 walk as the edgings will then remain firmer, and may be cut 

 truer. 



12. Seeding Lawns. — For sowing grass seeds the ground 

 should be lightly dug over about the first week in April 

 or the first of September, and the seeds sown immediately 

 after. It will be advisable to scatter them rather thickly, 

 then tread and rake them well in and give the ground a 

 thorough rolling. Care must be exercised to make up the 

 ground by the edgings already laid to the level of the top 

 of those edgings, in order that, when the young grass springs 

 up, all may be on the same level and there may not be a 

 break or dip between the old and the new. After the grass 

 has vegetated, it will simply require to be kept free from 

 weeds until it is strong enough to be mown. A dry day in 

 a showery season will of course be best for sowing grass, as 

 it is for all other seeds. And it ought not to be forgotten 

 that, on the evenness with which the ground is dug, leveled, 

 and raked, will hereafter depend the beauty and smoothness 

 of the lawn. 



