26 THE GARDEN BEAUTIFUL 



foot of it with your feet close together. This is not 

 much of a job on small lawns. On large lawns a 

 roller is used, but this does not find the small soft 

 spots as well as your feet, and sufficient time may 

 be spent on a small lawn to do the work properly. 

 This treading will insure an even surface and no 

 future settling. Next rake the low spots full of soil 

 and make firm, leaving the surface just as smooth 

 as a floor if possible, for as you leave it so will it 

 always remain. See that the surface soil is pul- 

 verized as finely as possible. If the surface is dry 

 when you wish to sow the seed, give it a very light 

 sprinkling of water and wait an hour or two for it 

 to get past the sticky stage and then sow the seed. 

 Sow very early or very late in the day, if in a windy 

 section, as perfect calm is needed for proper dis- 

 tribution of the light grass seed. 



Begin sowing at the rear, using boards to walk 

 on as you "retreat forward," for after the surface 

 is ready for sowing you must not set foot upon it 

 until the first mowing, and even this is best done 

 from boards. After sowing the seed and raking it 

 in, lightly and gently, sow over the surface an inch 

 or so of well-rotted manure which has been sifted 

 through a sieve of not more than one inch mesh. 

 Planing-mill shavings will also do, but they should 

 be thoroughly wetted a few days in advance of use. 

 After this give the lawn a good but very careful 

 watering. 



This first watering, as well as subsequent ones, 

 must be given with extreme care and the water uni- 

 formly distributed in a fine spray so seeds will not 

 be washed about or little channels made in the soil 

 covering or in the surface soil itself. As soon as 

 weeds are large enough to pull, get boards to kneel 



