312 BEAUTIFYING THE HOME GROUNDS 



from 4 to 6 bushels of seed to the acre, or about 1 bushel to 

 7000 square feet, is not too much. Few people realize the 

 importance of a thick stand in all parts of the lawn, and to 

 have success you must sow the seed thickly in order to keep 

 out weeds and other wild grasses. The seed should be sown 

 in two directions and at right angles to each other to ensure 

 a uniform stand of grass. 



A lawn to be effective and beautiful should be kept mowed 

 and clean shaven all of the time. A regular time must be 

 chosen to cut the grass, and the length of the time between 

 each cutting must be largely determined by the season of the 

 year and the amount of rainfall. In the spring when the 

 grass is growing fast it should be cut every week or ten days 

 and the clippings allowed to remain on the lawn. The 

 clippings fall between the blades of grass and form a mulch 

 which aids in preventing evaporation as well as enriching the 

 soil. As the season advances and the rainfall becomes less, 

 the time between successive cuttings should be lengthened. 



Fig. 139 represents a tentative arrangement for the group- 

 ing of a few ornamental plants on a city lot emphasizing the 

 screen and foundation planting. The selection of ^•arieties 

 must necessarily vary in the different parts of the country, 

 as well as in the different sections of the same country. 

 Only plants suitable for foundation and for border planting 

 should be selected. One or more varieties may be massed in 

 groups, which should be determined by the indi^•idual doing 

 the planting. In general the fewer the number of varieties 

 the more satisfactory the result will be. 



This plan presupposes a garden in the rear, which is 

 screened from view by a mass of shrubs at the boundary 

 line. In selecting the plants for the grouping, some of tlae 

 taller and more vigorous growers will be the most satisfactory 

 for screening the undesirable portions. 



In selecting suitable shrubs consult the list of shrubs 

 adapted to your location. More detailed and specific infor- 

 mation regarding your local conditions can be secured by 

 consulting some nurseryman or landscape gardener ui your 

 immediate vicinity. 



