How to Care for Your Lawn 



Nothing will add to the appearance and, for that matter, actually enhance the value of your 

 home to such a degree as a well-made, well-kept lawn. It makes the most appropriate setting 

 for trees, shrubs, and flo^vers, and helps to make a house "home." 



SOIL.. The soil for a fine lawn requires a very 

 thorough preparation as the physical composition 

 cannot be materially changed once the lawn is estab- 

 lished. The ideal lawn soil is well drained, well 

 fertilized and heavy enough to hold moisture with- 

 out becoming soggy. 



Raw subsoil exposed in grading should be covered 

 or replaced by at least 8 inches of good top soil. 

 If good top soil is not available, the soil may be 

 gradually conditioned by turning under successive 

 cover crops. 



Sandy soils should have body added to them by 

 turning under well rotted manure, humus or peat 

 moss. 



Stiff clay soils will be benefited by the addition 

 of sand or finely sifted ashes. Peat Moss is also 

 excellent for breaking up clayey soils. 



FERTILIZING. Thoroughly rotted barnyard ma- 

 nure is the best fertilizer to mix with the soil before 

 making a lawn, but unfortunately it is very difficult 

 to obtain. Fresh manure is invariably full of weed 

 seeds and should not be used. Pulverized Sheep 

 Manure is an ideal lawn fertilizer. Apply at the 

 rate of 100 pounds per 1000 square feet and as an 

 additional fertilizer apply Bone Meal, 50 pounds per 

 1000 square feet. Sheep Manure and Bone Meal are 

 best applied after spading and raked in. If barnyard 

 manure is used, it should be dug in. 



PREPARATION. Spade or plow as deeply as soil 

 conditions permit; then rake roughly to fill in hol- 

 low spaces, removing all rubbish, coarse lumps and 

 stones. At this stage, particularly if much grading 

 or filling has been necessary, allow the ground to 

 settle for a week or 10 days before the final fine 

 raking. This will also give weed seeds, that have 

 been brought to the surface, a chance to sprout so 

 that they will be killed by the final raking. 



CHOICE OF SEED. Except in exceptional cases 

 mixtures will be found to give better satisfaction 

 than separate varieties. B. S. & B. Co.'s Evergreen 

 Lawn Mixture contains one variety that sprouts 

 quickly, one variety that makes dense lateral roots, 

 another that is deep rooting, and still another be- 

 cause of its ability to withstand drought. Our other 

 mixtures, Shadyland, Terrace and Putting Green are 

 made with the same care and will be found to be 

 the best in the market for their particular purposes. 



SEEDING. To insure a thick, even stand, sow 

 plenty of seed, 1 quart for each 2 50 square feet or 

 an excessive quantity will do no harm. The best 

 way to be sure of sowing seed evenly is to divide it 

 in half and go over the plot twice, making the sec- 

 ond sowing at right angles to the first. 



COVERING THE SEED. The seeds in our lawn 

 mixtures are very fine and should be covered lightly, 

 in fact rolling with a medium weight roller to press 

 the seed into the soil is the best method. 



WATERING. It is often necessary in dry weather 

 to water the lawn. This should be done in the late 

 afternoon or evening to prevent scalding and a thor- 

 ough soaking twice a week is better than nightly 

 light sprinklings. 



MOWING. Frequent mowings will help to produce 

 a fine thick turf. Do not set the blades too close 

 to the ground in hot weather. 



ROLLING. All lawns should be rolled in the 

 Spring to bring the roots in firm contact with the 

 soil and to level out bumps and hollows, that have 

 appeared over Winter. An occasional rolling in the 

 Summer is also beneficial. 



WEEDS. Clean healthful culture, frequent mow- 

 ings and prompt careful reseeding of thin patches 

 are the best preventatives for weeds. 



It is advisable to dig up and reseed extremely 

 weedy lawns, while in mild cases the weeds may be 

 pulled or dug out by hand, always taking care to 

 sow lawn seed in the places vacated by the weeds. 



RESEEDING. Reseed lightly in the Spring and 

 Fall, even on well established turfs. Large bare 

 spots should be dug up. well fertilized and reseeded 

 while small bare spots need only be scratched deeply 

 with a steel rake to make a fine seedbed. 



THE USE OF LJME. Many of the finer turf 

 grasses grow best on a slightly acid soil, so that 

 lime should only be applied on decidedly acid soil, 

 as shown by the growth of green moss, plantain or 

 sour grass. Apply at the rate of 50 pounds per 1000 

 square feet. 



