Photograph of Lawn on Estate of J. W. Gribbel, Esq. Jenkintown, Pa., showing how a good green sod cm be 
had in 6 weeks from sowing by the use of Watson’s Lawn Grass, Sown September 4th, Photographed October 16th. 
The Common Sense of Lawn Making. 
Extract from an article by George C. Watson, in Public Ledger. 
Nearly every seedsman says his mixture of grass 
seeds for lawns and pleasure grounds is the “pet'' 
feet” lawn grass; but a “perfect" lawn grass has 
not vet been discovered. The most a seedsman can 
do is to have an ideal and try to reach it. If he 
wishes to make a perfect lawn grass he can but use 
the best varieties for this climate, using the expe- 
rience of the past as to what does best here and the 
proper proportion of each sort. 
From first to last it is an endless chain, with links 
closely interlocking. The good, the indifferent, the 
bad grass mixtures— the world is lull of them. But 
the good are hard to find. Are they worth finding? 
you can get a good lawn grass if you want it, but 
you must take the trouble to find It. 
Many good gardeners tell us that a mixture is 
unnecessary, that Kentucky blue grass is all that 
is needed to make a perfect lawn, and will point 
to instances in their experience for a demonstra- 
tion. This contention is so far true that seedsmen 
have now come to make Kentucky blue grass the 
foundation of their lawn mixtures. The reasons for 
adding other varieties to the Kentucky blue are 
various, one of the principal being that this fine 
species does not stand our hot summers so well as 
some others. Then again, it will not do as well 
as the wood meadow grass will in the shade of trees. 
For upland, where the soil is light, there is noth- 
ing better than the sheep’s fescue, and for a ten- 
nis green or golf course, or any piece of grass 
where there is much walking over, the crested 
dogstail and hard fescue should always be used. 
Some species start earlier in the spring than the 
blue and some continue green later in the fall. 
The sweet vernal is greatly valued on account of 
its early growth. Rhode Island bent is a valuable 
permanent species for lawns, especially where the 
ground is at all inclined to be wet. In New Eng- 
land it is often sown alone to make a lawn, and in 
this latitude it is usually included in liberal pro- 
portion in a mixture. Meadow foxtail is a good per- 
manent grass, and has come into favor on account 
of its being so well liked by sheep; and, by the 
way, there are no more useful animals than these 
in making a good sward. They will pay for them- 
selves twice over, in helping to make a good lawn. 
It is hard to tell from looking at a mixture of 
seeds for a lawn whether all the proper varieties 
are Included in it or how much pains have been 
taken in putting it together. Use will tell. But 
then it will be too late. The only sure way is to 
buy from a seedsman of experience and reliability. 
I have seen people using sweepings of the hay 
loft, being persuaded that grass was just grass. The 
hay loft sweepings would most likely consist of 
timothy, red clover .and weeds, all three of which 
are not wanted in a lawn, the first because it is 
not permanent, the second because it is too rank, 
the third because they are always in the ground 
in plenty anyway. 
The best time to commence making a lawn is in 
the fall or early in the spring. First see that the 
drainage is good, and if it is not naturally so it 
must be made right before doing anything else. 
If the subsoil is of a sandy nature, or if the ground 
has a sloping undulation, no drainage will be re- 
quired. The various levels of the ground should 
then be marked off and all inequalities removed. 
The leveling should be done very carefully, as the 
close cutting lawn mowers now in use expose any 
holes or inequalities very conspicuously. After this 
the ground should be dug ever to a good depth, 
and all stones and roots removed. In cases where 
the soil is very poor and sandy it should receive 
ten inches of good top soil from some old pasture, 
for it is useless to expect grass to grow unless there 
is sufficient nourishment for the plants to live on. 
The b^st time to sow the seed Is early in the 
spring, as the moist weather then experienced is 
favorable to the quick germination of the seed, and 
gives the young plants a chance to get established 
before the summer comes with its burning heat. 
The next best time is in September when the 
weather is comparatively cool, and sufficient 
growth may be made before the winter sets in. 
Sow evenly and thinly, selecting a calm day for 
the purpose. rover the seeds with a wooden rake, 
and after the grass is well up. a moderately heavy 
roller may be passed over it to firm the surface. 
Tn fall sowing it is usual to sow oats with the grass 
seed to mother it: these will die out of themselves. 
During the season frequent mowings and waterings 
are necessary. Where the lawn is large enough to 
admit it put some sheep on— they will do wonders 
towards giving you a fine sod. 
