138 
not stand rough usage, however. If de- 
sired in a lawn, it should be sown spar- 
ingly, not over two to four pounds to the 
acre, and separately, for, being heavy, it 
will be paid to lawns for wet, sandy clay 
with the other seed. 
Various other combinations of seed too 
numerous to mention might be referred to, 
but space will not permit. There will be 
started this spring at the Garden a num- 
ber of experimental plots which, it is 
hoped, will furnish to those interested ex- 
amples of various combinations of grass 
seed and the resulting lawns. In addition 
to the standard mixtures, special attention 
will be paid to lawn for wet, sandy clay 
and shady locations, as well as those for 
putting greens, fair greens, etc. 
TIME TO PLANT. 
The greatest difference of opinion exists 
as to the relative advantages' of spring and 
fall planting of lawns. Both periods have 
been repeatedly shown to bring successful 
results, and it is largely a matter of the 
weather conditions existing after the put- 
ting in of the seed which determines fail- 
ure or success. If one could be certain 
of the kind of winter or spring which was 
to follow the making of the lawn, it would 
be comparatively simple to decide upon 
the best time to plant. As it is, seeding 
should depend upon convenience, and 
chances must be taken on the result. In 
general, it may be said that spring plant- 
ing is more certain than fall planting, un- 
less, owing to weather conditions, seeding 
has to be delayed too long. Drought and 
heat are hard on young plants which have 
not had time to form sufficient roots. It is 
not advisable to sow seed during a dry 
period either in spring or fall. A careful 
preparation of the land which insures ready 
germination will sometimes offset the effect 
of limited dry periods, but artificial water- 
ing should always be resorted to if suf- 
ficient moisture is not present to force 
rapid growth. 
After a lawn is established, more harm 
is often done by the methods of watering 
usually employed. Mere sprinkling has a 
tendency to cause the roots of the grass to 
grow close to the surface of the soil, and 
consequently the plants must be almost con- 
tinuously watered in order to keep them 
alive. Land properly prepared in the first 
place will induce deep root growth, and, 
except in unusually dry seasons, no water 
whatever is necessary. Another objection 
to light sprinkling is that it induces the 
growth of wild grasses, which cannot 
thrive under as dry conditions as the 
standard lawn varieties. 
The most careful and thorough prep- 
aration of the soil originally will not ob- 
viate the necessity for an occasional top 
dressing of fertilizer. Stable manure, thor- 
oughly rotted, is admirable for this pur- 
pose. Care should be taken, however, to 
see that it is so completely decomposed 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
that it contains no weed seed and that it 
will break up rapidly in order that it may 
be carried rapidly beneath the surface by 
means of rain and snow. 
As to spring top dressing, nothing is 
better than powdered sheep manure, par- 
ticularly if it is mixed with lime to con- 
serve the nitrogen, which may otherwise be 
lost. Apply at the rate of abont one ton 
to the acre. Bone meal and hardwood 
ashes in equal parts, at the same rate as 
sheep manure, also produce good results. 
For quick effects, nitrate of soda, used up 
to five hundred pounds per acre, is unex- 
celled. It is usually better to divide the 
total amount to be applied into three or 
four lots, applying each lot before a rain. 
In fact, all top dressing should be put on 
as nearly as may be possible before a rain 
in order to insure the washing in of the 
fertilizer, as well as to prevent the dis- 
coloration of the lawn. 
CONCLUSIONS. 
Don’t underestimate the importance of a 
thorough preparation of the soil before 
trying to establish a lawn. Most of the 
failures supposed to be due to poor seed 
are really because of poor soil. 
Don’t merely re-seed where grass would 
not grow before ; probably the trouble is 
with the soil. 
Don’t plant Kentucky blue grass alone 
and expect immediate results. In the 
course of three or four years a good lawn 
may be secured, but this will be because of 
a peculiar combination of good soil, proper 
treatment and favorable weather, which is 
not likely to occur. 
Don’t think you can get an English lawn 
in St. Louis by importing the varieties of 
grass seed used in England. The thing 
can’t be done. 
Don’t fail to use a heavy roller (a thou- - 
sand pounds is not too much) on a new 
lawn. 
Don’t cut a young lawn too close. Set 
the knives of the lawn mower high and 
keep the grass about two inches above the 
crown. 
Don’t top dress with fresh manure. It 
introduces weeds and is unsightly. 
Don’t neglect a lawn because it was 
made right in the first place. Fertilizers 
are necessary to maintain the grass at its 
best. 
Don’t spoil a new lawn with light sprink- 
ling. If water must be added, let it run 
in a full stream until the soil is thoroughly 
soaked. 
A MOTOR - PUMPED STREET SPRINKLER 
In order to provide a wider distribution 
of water from a street sprinkler a machine 
has been built which is propelled by a gas- 
oline engine, and which has a double-acting 
water-pump driven by the motor, says a re- 
cent issue of the Scientific American. With 
this combination the water may be spread 
over streets 70 to 80 feet wide on a single 
run. The operation of the pump may be 
governed to control the area to be sprin- 
kled and to insure a uniform distribution 
of water. One of the objections to the 
usual type of horse-drawn sprinklers is 
the fact that the nozzles are placed at the 
rear of the vehicle, and do not prevent the 
raising of dust by the wheels and horses. 
In order that the motor truck may not 
cause the very evil it is designed to cure, 
the spray nozzles are placed about a foot 
in advance and on either side of the mo- 
tor hood. Thus the street is wet down in 
advance of the wheels and no dust is 
raised. The sprinkler shown in the en- 
graving has a tank 4^2 feet in diameter 
with a capacity of 1,400 gallons, which is 
mounted in a cradle and guyed with cross 
braces upon a 6y 2 -tor\ chassis. A curious 
phenomenon may be seen in the illustra- 
tion. The pulsation of the double-action 
pump may be clearly observed in the spray 
of water thrown off from the nozzles. 
MOTOR STREET SPRINKLER IN OPERATION. 
