Gardening in California 



this raking being to cover the seed not more than a quarter of 

 an inch, and to have it as evenly distributed as can be managed. 

 When doing this, the one who rakes must have two wide boards 

 to stand upon and walk over, so that his feet will not mark or 

 indent the surface of the soil, as such indentations, of course, 

 would make an uneven lawn. If this Kentucky Blue Grass seed 

 can be successfully sown, it makes the best lawn, the closest 

 turf, and the most velvety surface, and is well worth the extra 

 preliminary trouble. The other strong grass seeds, as the English 

 Rye and the Orchard, are apt to run into bunches and tufts. 



It is well to remember that the results from the Kentucky 

 Blue Grass seed are considerably slower than from the coarser 

 grasses. With this grass it takes about three months to form a 

 turf when the seed is sown in the best season, which, in the 

 middle and northern counties of California, is during April and 

 May, or immediately after the cold rains are past. In the 

 Southern and frostless regions this grass may be sown earlier in 

 the year. 



No water should be applied to the lawn until the seed has 

 been in the ground at least two days. Then the ground should 

 be given a thorough soaking and should be kept continually 

 moist (by watering once daily during dry weather, the evening 

 being the best time for this watering) until the young growth 

 is. at least one inch high when three waterings per week should 

 be enough. 



When the young grass is about one inch high, the lawn 

 should be gone over again with a light roller, the one who does 

 the rolling being careful to use two boards similarly to when 

 raking as suggested above, these two boards being necessary for 

 the same reason, namely, to avoid indenting the lawn by boot 

 marks. After this, all that is required is to water when dry, and 

 mow as often as is necessary, which in ordinary circumstances is 

 about once a week. 



Should a rougher lawn than this be required, or, in the 



[56] 



