MAKING A LAWN THAT WILL LAST 



JOHN COLLINS CAMPBELL 



Landscape Architect 



STAGE II. SEEDING, AND UPKEEP IN USE 



fNY time when there is 



sufficient moisture in the 



soil to support the young 



plant on germination is 

 the time to sow grass seed. Gen- 

 erally this condition exists in spring 

 and in fall, but often August offers 

 opportunity for sowing and, if sub- 

 sequent weather conditions are 

 good, summer is as practical a 

 time as any other. But most 

 people will prefer spring seeding 

 anyhow. 



WHEN buying grass seed 

 specify fancy recleaned seed 

 and weed troubles will be greatly 

 lessened. Fancy recleaned seed 

 costs slightly more than the ordi- 

 nary grade, but the results secured 

 will more than repay the extra 

 initial cost and you are getting 

 seed, not dirt or chaff. A good 

 practical method for sowing is as 

 follows: divide the ground into 

 strips of a convenient width, say 

 about five feet, with pegs and 

 string; divide the quantity of seed 

 into halves and divide each half 



into as many equal portions as there are strips, to insure an 

 even distribution. Sow by hand with the back bent and the 

 hand close to the ground; spread as evenly as possible over the 

 surface. Now take up the strings and pegs and divide the 

 ground in like manner at right angles to the former divisions and 

 repeat the seeding process with the remaining half of the seed. 



Cover to a depth of about \ in. by raking the surface lightly 

 in two directions, care being taken not to bury the seed too 

 deeply. Then roll and cross-roll with a roller of not less than 

 three hundred pounds weight. Choose a very quiet, dry day 

 for this; if possible a day before wet weather is expected. 



The amount of seed required for small places is about 9 lbs. to 

 I acre or about J lb. to the square rod of an approved mixture, 

 such as the following (20 lbs. is called a bushel) : 



O 1 



SOWING THE LAWN 



Sow the seed by hand with the back bent and the hand 

 containing seed close to the ground; spread seed as 

 evenly as possible over the surface. Large areas may 

 be divided into sections as shown by the transverse lines 



20 lbs. Kentucky Blue Grass 

 20 lbs. Rhode Island Bent 

 20 lbs. Red Top 

 10 lbs. White Clover 



Spring Sowing 



April or May 



Autumn Sowing 



August or September 



70 lbs. (nominally 3i bushels) to the acre. 



iNCE a lawn has been built, 

 poor drainage or inadequate 

 soil cannot be successfully remedied 

 without tearing up the whole area 

 and rebuilding it; therefore it is 

 sound economy to make a proper 

 foundation (as described in the Jan- 

 uary Garden Magazine). Many 

 lawns built at a cost of a few 

 hundred dollars have cost many 

 times that amount in up-keep in a 

 few years. Stinginess in construc- 

 tion is not economy. If the 

 proper amount of plant food is in- 

 corporated in the topsoil before 

 the turf is established, the up- 

 keep is made more simple and 

 much cheaper. 



After the Grass Is Up 



IN THE absence of rain imme- 

 diately after seeding and rolling, 

 a light gentle sprinkling is very 

 beneficial. When established, the 

 lawn should receive a very thor- 

 ough wetting and it will not then 

 be necessary to water again for a 

 week or ten days. Too frequent 

 waterings have a tendency to weaken the drouth-resisting 

 qualities of the lawn so that if subjected to a period of dry 

 weather disastrous results are apt to follow. 



Do not cut young grass too early. If sown in the fall it is 

 better not to cut until the following spring, and then not until it 

 has attained a heigh of 3 to 4 inches. By preference make the 

 first cutting with a scythe as it does not pull the roots. Succes- 

 sive cuttings should not be too frequent — about once every ten 

 days on a new lawn; and leave the clippings on the lawn unless 

 the growth is excessive. 



Rolling the lawn is very beneficial. In the early spring 

 when the moisture is still in the ground this treatment 

 presses the crowns of the grass plants firmly into the soil 

 where they can grow to the best advantage and at the same 

 time levels the bumps and hollows caused by the frost of the 

 past winter. 



If the lawn is made with fancy recleaned seed and sufficiently 

 well rotted manure, serious weed trouble is not likely to ensue. 

 Should any weeds appear, however, dig these up by hand and 

 rake over the bare places, fertilize, and reseed. 



Editors' Note: The preceding article, Stage L, dealing with soil preparation, grading, and fertilizing appeared in the January number 



44 



