HENDERSON'S GARDEN GUIDE AND RECORD. 55 



LAWNS AND GRASS PLOTS. 

 Making and Maintaining.— Continued. 



WHEN TO SOW AND HOW. In the latitude of New York the seed may be 80\vn 

 at any time between April and October, preferably in early spring or early fall to get the 

 benefit of the rains. A quiet day should be chosen so the seed can be sown evenly. It ia 

 best to make two sowings, the second at right angle to the first; this insures more even 

 distribution. After sowing the seed it should be harrowed or raked in and then the ground 

 should be rolled. 



SOWING BANKS AND TERRACES. The difficulty to be overcome in getting 



grass estabhshed on slopes is to pre^•ent its being washed out by hea'V'y rains before thor- 

 oughly rooted. A continuous run of boards set on edge and held in place by stakes at the 

 crest of the hill -will assist in checking and turning the water. A special blend of deep- 

 rooting grasses is required for such situations and we recommend our "Terrace Sod" la^^Ti 

 grass seed for the purpose. 



SHADY LAWNS. When a lawn or portions thereof are much shaded, these shaded 

 portions should be so-wn with "Shady Nook" Lawn Grass Mixture, which is a combination 

 of grasses which in their wild state are to be found growing in the woods or other sheltered 

 or shady spots. In the immediate neighborhood of large trees fertihzer should be applied 

 hberally and frequently, for the trees absorb the plant food and impoverish the groxmd. 

 Ground much shaded is frequently sour, and if the drainage is defective it is apt to be 

 covered witn moss. In such cases an application of lime raked into the soil is an excellent 

 corrector and sweetener, but the moss should be first removed by means of a sharp rake. 



MAINTENANCE OF THE LAWN. Grass must be fed just as the crops are. 

 Constant mowmg and removal of the clippings removes just that much digested plant food, 

 which, if not replaced at least once a year, results eventually in an exhausted turf. Rotted 

 stable manure is often spread thinly over the la"wn in November and allowed to remain untU 

 spring. The goodness of this leaches out and into the ground and is very beneficial, but 

 a lawn top-dressed with manure is unsightly and at times rather odoriferous, so it is becom- 

 ing more and more the custom to feed the grass with commercial fertilizers. For slow 

 but lasting enrichment, there is nothing better than raw bone meal evenly strewn over the 

 surface at the rate of H to 1 ton per acre or 10 pounds for 300 square feet. For quick and 

 luxuriant growth of grass the Henderson La-wn Enricher is best — apply in spring, summer 

 or fall in same way and same quantity as advised for the groimd bone — or half quantities 

 of both may be applied according to the needs of the lawn. After the fertilizer has been 

 so'wn it is weU to scarify the surface of the la-wn with a sharp steel rake. 



RENOVATING. To renovate lawns that have become worn out where it is not 

 convenient or desirable to renew by plowing up, they may be greatly benefited by running 

 a light harrow over, if the surface is large, or by a sharp steel rake for smaller areas. After 

 stirring the surface, so as not to hurt too severely the roots, lawn grass should be sown over 

 the surface, harrowing or raking in about half the quantity ad\-ised for new lawns. After 

 sowing, the surface should Vje rolled or beaten do^Ti. If spurious grass or weeds have got 

 possession of the la^Ti, then it had better be plowed under and so\v"n afresh, as pre\ioiisly 

 directed, 



MOWING should be begtm in spring as soon as the grass is two or three inches high, 

 and continued every seven or eight days until the cessation of growth in fall. If the lawn 

 is gone over with the mower once a week, the clippings are best left on. as the sun auicklv 

 shrivels them up, so that they never appear unsightly; but if mowing is delayed two or 

 three weeks, then the grass must be raked off. 



ROLLING. The benefit derived from using a roller on the lawn, especiallj' in the 

 spring, is not fully understood. The action of freezing and thawing causes the ground 

 to heave, and if it is not firnilj- pressed back -with a roller before hot weather, the grass is 

 apt to be killed or injured, leaving the lawn full of bare spots. For use on the lawn always 

 take a "two or three section" roller, as it can be turned without injuring the grass. A 

 300-lb. roller is about as heavy as one man can ptill, though a 400-lb. will be better if you 

 have two persons to OF>erate it. 



