LAWN AND FLOWER GARDEN J 101 



weed, money plant, etc., must be dug out with a forked 

 knife or digging tool. After digging out more grass seed 

 should be sown over the spaces where they were removed. 



Water a Necessity. 



It is impossible to make a perfect lawn upon thin 

 soil without an abundant supply of water especially in 

 dry times. A little water applied to the surface does 

 more harm than good in dry time, as it causes the roots 

 to grow toward the surface and if the dry weather con- 

 tinues the grass plants are very much weakened. When- 

 ever water is applied in a dry time it should be run on 

 in sufficient quantities to wet the lowest roots. A 

 sprinkler run all night in one spot will not be more than 

 enough. 



Improving Old Lawns. 



Many old lawns exposed to the hot sun, exhausted 

 from want of plant food, or from the feeding roots of 

 large trees, may be improved without much expense, but 

 the perfect lawn cannot be expected under such condi- 

 tions. If the land is clear of roots or other obstructions, 

 it may be plowed or spaded and renewed as described 

 for the new lawn. If the land is full of fine roots, with 

 the large roots several inches below the surface, with a 

 sharp spade these may be spaded up and shaken out of 

 the soil, a liberal supply of fine manure worked in and 

 seeded, when we may have a good lawn for a few years, 

 after which this process must be repeated. If large 

 roots come near the surface, the lawn must be improved 

 by surface dressing. All obstructions that would be in 

 the way of the lawn-mower should first be removed, any 

 unevenness of the surface where possible should be 

 smoothed off, and then all graded up with rich fine soil 

 into which should be raked a liberal amount of lawn 

 grass seed. 



