LAWN BUILDING . . . how? when? where? 



Consider Your Soil 



In the garden, each spring brings a 

 new chance to add humus or to other- 

 wise improve the tilth of your soil. 

 Once a good sod has been built up, 

 however, the only way you can 

 change the soil under it is by feeding 

 the grass itself. That is why it pays 

 to build up the soil before you begin. 

 Organic matter must be added before 

 work begins. Well-rotted compost, old 

 manure, peat moss, sifted compost and 

 leaf mold are all good forms that will 

 help produce a deep-rooted healthy 

 turf. Note that these must be old and 

 well-rotted — fresh organic matter can 

 damage young grass by rotting and re- 

 leasing gases in the soil, and by en- 

 couraging disease. Spread a layer of 

 organic matter from one to three 

 inches deep over the entire area. Over 

 this, apply 25 to 30 pounds of good 

 mixed fertilizer for every 1,000 square 

 feet, and turn under both organic mat- 

 ter and fertilizer. Grass roots do not 

 go deep on soils with good drainage. 

 There is no need to dig much deeper 

 than five inches. The mixed fertilizer 

 will give the grasses a good start and 

 the humus will help hold moisture, and 

 by slow decay, release small amounts 

 of plant food for years. 



Final Soil Preparation 



After digging, level the surface with 

 a rake. For large areas, a drag made 

 by tying ropes to both ends of a ladder 

 or heavy timber and dragging this 

 sideways will help cut off the humps 

 and fill the low spots. When as level 

 as possible, divide the seed into two 

 lots. Try to sow on as still a day as 

 possible. Sow one lot of seed with 

 the breeze and the other against. This 



will spread the seed more evenly, so 

 that each square foot of lawn will have 

 enough, but not too much seed. 



Seeding 



A common mistake is to sow too 

 thickly. Grass seedlings will not grow 

 when crowded any more than will 

 seedlings of cabbage or lettuce. At the 

 same time, enough seed should be used 

 to cover the entire area without bare 

 spots. Half a pound of mixed seed to 

 100 square feet or five pounds to 1,000 

 square feet is safe for most mixtures, 

 and good lawns can be made with as 

 little as 3 pounds to 1,000 feet if con- 

 ditions are right. 



After sowing, rake the lawn again. 

 Don't keep pulling the rake one way, 

 which will roll over the course par- 

 ticles and bury the seed too deeply. 

 Instead, work it back and forth with 

 short strokes, barely coating the seed 

 with dust and soil. 



Water with a fine spray as soon as the 

 seed is sown. This is the only time in 

 the life of a lawn that it should be 

 sprinkled or sprayed. At all other 

 times, give it a good soaking whenever 

 watering is needed, but for this first 

 wetting, we want to settle the soil 

 gently around the seed and moisten 

 it enough to start germinating. If the 

 normal soil moisture is enough to keep 

 the lawn just slightly damp, try not to 

 water again until the soil has germi- 

 nated, but do not let it get dry at any 

 time. 



Once the green seedlings are showing 

 over the entire lawn and there is little 

 danger of washing out the soil, water 

 thoroughly if rain does not fall. The 

 first seedlings to show will be the nurse 

 grass, and probably not the grasses 

 that will form the permanent lawn. 



Mowing 



Don't mow the lawn until it is about 

 three inches high. Then set the mower 

 for a iy 2 inch cut (adjust the roller 

 until there is IV2 inches between the 

 bedknife and the floor on which the 

 mower stands). Don't mow a new 

 lawn closer than this — the grass needs 

 this much leaf area if it is to build up 

 strength enough to stool out and form 

 a permanent turf that will survive the 

 coming winter. 



Reseeding Bald Spots 



Sometimes thin spots will remain in 

 the lawn, particularly if conditions are 

 unfavorable for the permanent grasses. 

 These can be seeded with Italian rye- 

 grass, which will germinate in hot 

 weather, when good grasses will not. 

 With the return of cooler weather in 

 fall, these temporary patches can be 

 raked out and the regular mixture 

 seeded. 



To remake established lawns that are 

 in poor shape, rake the thin spots as 

 early in spring as possible, apply 25 

 pounds of good general fertilizer to 

 every 1,000 square feet, and sow one 

 pound of a good mixture to every 400 

 to 500 square feet. Rake in the seed 

 and sprinkle. From this point on, 

 treat as a new lawn. 



Complete LAWN WEED CONTROL • • • 

 at your command 



Just a few short years ago, weed-free lawns were a rarity. 



Now, almost overnight, weed control has become easy, almost automatic. 

 Out of the laboratories have come new chemicals with the miraculous 

 power to kill the common lawn weeds while leaving the turf itself 

 unharmed. 



Today, weeds in the home lawn are completely unnecessary and 

 out-of-date ... in fact, they may well be classified as just "bad 

 housekeeping." 



We are a bit proud of our own part in this modern lawn revolu- 

 tion. Ever since the new weed control chemicals began to appear, 

 we've been prescribing and providing them for the lawns of our 

 area. We know them thoroughly. We can tell you exactly which 

 controls to use — and when. And we have them in stock. 



Please be sure, then, to look up the weed killers described later 

 on in this book. And if you have any questions about them, be 

 sure to consult us. 



