164 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



Aphil, 1907 



A patch oi lawn that was not visited by the dan- 

 delion digger in April 



then dropped into the hole, so as to come 

 into contact with the remaining portion of 

 the root, its death is almost a certainty. 



When working over the lawn in early 

 spring removing these and other deep-rooted 

 weeds, carry with you a box of finely sifted 

 earth, a handful of which may be taken up 

 and a small quantity sifted into the hole made 

 by the removal of the intruding plant. Press 

 this in firmly with the fingers, making the 

 surface smooth, and if you drop two or three 

 grass seeds on the top of this again, so much 

 the better. 



You can "kill two birds with one stone" if 

 your land is infested with dandelion. There 

 is hardly a better salad plant than dandelion 

 just starting into bloom. It is almost impos- 

 sible to exclude this weed. It will filter in 



Keep weeds out by Keeping grass in. The left- 

 hand portion of this picture shows how weeds will 

 grow more where a piece of turf has been removed 



from outside sources no matter how persist- 

 ently one cuts it out each year. But, after 

 all, it is perhaps not to be despised. In 

 suburban districts wandering Italians can be 

 seen tramping about during March and 

 April, asking permission to cut out the dan- 

 delions from the lawns. They will do this 

 work merely for the privilege of taking away 

 the dandelions, which they sell in the markets 

 of the larger cities where dandelion salad 

 is appreciated at its proper worth. 



CARE IN SUMMER TIME 



In the early part of the year, the whole 

 object of attention to the lawn is securing 

 a strong new growth. In the summer time, 

 the whole effort must be toward conserving 

 whatever vigor is already in the grass plants. 

 In very severe cases on very light soils, feeding 

 may be continued well into the summer, but 

 generally speaking, feeding should cease 

 about June, and the whole subsequent atten- 

 tion consist of rolling, watering and raking. 



Where the previous preparation of the soil 

 was what it should have been, watering is 

 reduced to a minimum, and on average 

 soils may even be dispensed with. 



The many fancy sprinklers are responsible 

 for more subsequent failures of lawns than 

 perhaps any one would think. Light surface 

 waterings always have a tendency to draw 

 the roots to the top, and as a result, this 

 watering, once commenced, must be persisted 

 in throughout the hottest weather as 

 otherwise the sun, during the month of 

 August, will so dry out the surface soil and 

 roots that the death of the plants is sure to 

 follow. 



It is largely to avoid this possibility that 

 rolling and feeding is adopted in the early 

 spring. At that time the tendency of the 

 roots is to run down — encourage that ten- 

 dency to your utmost. Persistent rolling 

 with a heavy roller is the best possible summer 

 care of the lawn. It will keep the roots and 

 soil in contact, it will draw the soil 

 moisture to the roots by capillarity, and it 

 will keep the surface of the lawn perfectly 

 level. 



Cutting is a necessary evil. As the grass 

 attains length, the appearance of the lawn 

 becomes ragged and so it must be mowed. 

 The great trouble with the average suburban- 

 ite is that he mows by calendar instead of 

 necessity, and usually with knives set too 

 low. Do not crop your grass shorter than 

 two inches, and for best general effect, do 

 not let it grow longer than four inches. If 

 the grass is allowed to grow to any greater 

 length, the lower parts will lose color, and not 

 being cut often, the lawn will present a 

 brownish appearance resembling a dried-out, 

 or burnt, effect. 



When you do cut the grass, leave the clip- 

 pings where they fall. They will mulch 

 the roots and besides, will dry out so quickly 

 in the sun's heat that within a short time they 

 will never be seen. If, however, the grass 

 has become six inches long when it is cut, 

 the clippings should be raked off, as they 

 will cover the grass too heavily, resulting in 

 disfiguration or even rot. 



Where the turf is very dense, the clippings 



Eternal vigilance is the price of a perfect lawn. If 

 chicKweed appears, rake it out 



may also be raked off. In using the lawn 

 mower, remember this — that the faster the 

 knives work, the better the cut; therefore, 

 don't dawdle. Get a good gait and keep at 

 it until the job is completed. You will in 

 this way get a perfectly even cut, whereas 

 otherwise the lawn is left with a peculiar 

 undulated or wave-like effect. 



Patching worn-out places with pieces of 

 good turf from elsewhere can be done at any 

 time during spring and summer, and for 

 ordinary repairs on small lawns is perhaps 

 the most satisfactory method. But good turf 

 is difficult to procure. It must be cut with 

 sharp edges to make unions easy, and after 

 being put in place, must be well beaten into 

 contact and watered copiously until vigorous 

 growth is manifest. 



A hopeless case. Better dig up the soil anew 

 than waste time patching and renovating. Under 

 trees where ordinary mixtures do not thrive use one 

 containing one-half wood meadow grass 



