26 LITTLE GARDENS 
a mowing machine are liable to pull up the roots. During the 
first three months after sowing, the lawn should be rolled fre- 
quently with a light roller, so as to consolidate the surface. Rolling 
when the lawn is dry and hard, or very wet, or during frosty 
weather, does more harm than good. Rolling has most value 
when the lawn is moist and soft without being wet and 
sodden. 
Time to Sow Grass Seeds.—The middle of September and 
the middle of March are the best times. The only drawback to 
the September sowing is that if the winter should prove excep- 
tionally severe the young grass may be damaged. Still, from 
experience gathered during recent winters, I think the danger from 
frost is not great, and I would rather sow in September than in 
March. I write (in May) in front of a small lawn that is in quite 
fair condition from seed sown last September. Naturally it is 
somewhat soft and the sward is not so dense as it will be, but if 
rolled and watered frequently, and mown occasionally, it will be fit 
for hard wear by the end of the summer. As soon as the seeds 
are sown it becomes necessary to protect them from birds, other- 
wise these soon play sad havoc. A simple, yet quite satisfactory, 
method of doing this is to stretch black thread in zigzag fashion 
all over the sown surface. This may prove somewhat tedious if the 
lawn is of fair size, but short of engaging a boy to keep watch for 
a week or two until the seed has germinated (and he would have 
to be up very early in the morning, for it is then that most 
damage is done) I know of nothing better. Scarecrows and flags 
of rag and ribbon are almost useless. Strips of tin or zine hung 
loosely on strings are better, provided there is wind enough to 
turn them about. 
Weeds on Lawns,—In this connection it may be urged that 
‘prevention is better than cure” many times over, for weeds in a 
lawn are a terrible nuisance. It is a difficult and tedious 
business to get them out, then there is the bother of making good 
the bare spaces. If the work of preparing the ground is done 
carefully, and good seed is used, there will be few coarse weeds, 
although some of the common annual sorts are sure to make 
their appearance. Such of the former as Daisies, Dandelions, 
Plaintains, Docks, and Thistles must be dug out with an old 
table knife which has a worn blade, and a little salt or weed 
killer should be very carefully dropped into the hole (without 
touching the surrounding grass) so as to kill any root that may 
remain. These coarse weeds must be dug right out; it is no use 
cutting them off at the ground level, they will grow again. A 
certain way of destroying weeds is to inject poison, sulphuric acid 
or one of the advertised weed killers, into the heart of the plant by 
means of a little syringe specially made. Great care is needed, 
however, not to let the acid touch the grass, the person, or the 
clothes, and when not in use the bottle should be locked safely 
