350 
PARK AND C EMETER Y. 
Lawn Grasses For Special Situations 
J-roiii Bullcfiii oil ‘'I.azi'ii Soils and Lazans,” by Osiaald Schi ciner. J. /. 
Skinner, L. C. Corbett, and F. L. Mulford, of U. S. Dept, of Agriculture. 
CKAS-SES ADAPTED TO LAWN JIAKING 
It is evident that not all grasses are 
adapted to lawn making. Only such 
l<iiids as are capa1)le of making a close 
turf are ideal for lawns. iMost grasses 
which have creeping root stocks, short 
joints, and produce long, narrow leaves 
in abundance about the crown of the 
plant adapt themselves well to lawn 
making. Besides this, a desirable lawn 
grass possesses a pleasing color, which 
does not chan.ge decidedly from season 
to season, is drought resistant, responds 
<|uickly to a change of conditions from 
winter to spring, and Itears repeated 
clippings with a lawn mower. It will be 
noted that the requirements of 'hese 
grasses are exceedingly exacting, and it 
is not surprising to find the list of such 
grasses a comparatively short and meager 
one. 
In those localities where ideal soil 
and climatic conditions are not present, 
a mixture of grasses is better adapted 
to lawn making than a single variety. 
Under conditions where the soil and 
climate are congenial for the develop- 
ment of grasses, a more perfect lawn 
can be made by using a single species 
than I)}’ the use of a mi.xture. In gen- 
eral, because of varied conditions of 
shade and moisture existing upon a lawn 
as the result of trees, shrubs, and archi- 
tectural objects, mixtures are more de- 
sirable than pure grasses. Idle dififer- 
ent degrees of shade and moisture main- 
tained in the soil which results from 
the presence of trees, shrubs, and build- 
ings afford a variety of conditions under 
which a single species would not pro- 
duce a uniform lawn. These obstruc- 
tions to the sunlight produce lights and 
shades in different parts of the lawn, so 
that any difference which may exist in 
the color of the various grasses in a 
lawn mixture is not so obtrusixe as it 
would be were different portions of the 
area made up of grasses of different 
hues. Even if there is variation in the 
tints of the green in the different grasses 
used in a lawn mixture, this will not 
l)ecome objectionable unless the lawn be- 
cr)mes- patched and made ui) of one 
variet}' in one place and a different 
variety in another. 
FOIt .SUNNY AREAS 
Kentucky blue .grass is undoubtedly 
the great American lawn .grass. It 
thrives best in a comparatively retentive, 
strong soil, where there is an abundance 
lint not an excessive amount of mois- 
ture. It is adapted to all the Atlantic 
coast region north of Washington: to 
the clay lands and lands with clay sub- 
soil in and near the Allegheny re.gion 
south to Georgia and Alabama; to the 
Mississippi Valley south as far as j\Iis- 
sissippi and including the Ozark Aloiin- 
tains in Arkansas and west to the Mis- 
souri River; to the irrigated sections of 
the Rocky Mountains; to both the 
humid and irrigated lands of the Pacific 
coast south to Los Angeles. Its chief 
companion is redtop through practically 
all these regions, especially on the 
lighter soils. These two grasses make 
up from one-half to two-thirds of most 
of the leadin.g grass-seed mixtures sold 
in the regions mentioned. Most of the 
largest makers of lawns use 2 parts by 
xxei.ght of Kentucky blue grass to 1 of 
redtop. The soil that does not suit one 
of these .grasses is likely to he suitable 
for the other, so that a good lawn will 
result, except perhaps on the lightest 
lands. The nurse crop for this combina- 
tion is white clover. Rhode Island bent 
and creeping bent have the same ability 
to make a compact, thick sward as does 
Kentucky blue grass and with the red- 
top thrive on lands too light for success 
with the Kentucky blue .grass. Under 
certain conditions redtop and the bent 
grasses are alrle to make a softer, al- 
though not a more permanent, turf than 
does the blue grass. 
Other good grasses as part of a gen- 
eral mixture or for special conditions 
are Canada blue grass, the fescue 
grasses, wood meadow grass, and sweet 
vernal grass. White clover makes a 
lieautiful lawn (piickly, but is soon 
crowded out in the presence of a good 
stand of the best lawn grasses under 
the close cutting which a well-kept lawn 
requires. It answers a good purpose in 
protecting the youn,g grasses the first 
year. This is especially necessary with 
blue grass, which is weak ami tender 
until the second year. 
Seashore lawns are each year becom- 
ing of more and more interest because 
of the great number of residences which 
are being established along the Atlantic 
coast from Alaine southward. M’hile 
there are known to botanists a number 
of forms of common grasses besides 
blue grass and redtop which are mari- 
time, none of these have been taken up 
l)y commercial seedsmen and produced 
in sufficient cpiantities to he available 
for lawn making in these regions. Per- 
sons wishing to establish lawns under 
these circumstances must therefore de- 
pend largely upon the same grasses that 
are used for the making of lawns farther 
from the coast — Canada blue grass, 
Rhode Island bent grass, redtop, white 
clover, the fescue .grasses, and especially 
creeping bent. Under coast conditions 
it is advisable to use even more liberal 
mixtures of these grasses than in sec- 
tions where lawn making is thoroughly 
understood and where a single species 
may he used with certainty in establish- 
ing a satisfactory lawn. If the seed can 
be .obtained, the seacoast bent grass is a 
valuable addition to the above list. 
From the city of Washington south- 
ward, particularly upon the sandy soils 
of the Atlantic coastal plain and along 
the Gulf, Bermuda grass is the main de- 
pendence for lawn making. Near the 
borders of the bluegrass region this 
may he in combination with blue grass 
or with l)lue .grass and white clover. 
The Bermuda grass will .grow in the hot 
sunny weather of summer, which burns 
the bluegrass. The frost will brown 
Bermuda grass, hut blue grass keeps 
the lawn green through the winter. 
Where the blue grass will not thrive, 
Italian rye grass is sown each fall in the 
Bermuda .grass. It gives a green turf 
during the winter and dies in the spring. 
It is suggested that white clover be 
tried in this same way from Norfolk 
southward. To accomplish this, about 
October 1 clean off the Bermuda grass 
as thoroughly as possible with a scuffle 
hoe. then loosen the top 2 inches thor- 
oughly, for a fine seed bed, l)ut do not 
remove the roots of the Bermuda grass. 
On this seed bed sow either white clover 
at the rate of 25 or 30 pounds per acre 
or Italian rye grass at the rate of 2 
busl'.els per acre and roll lightly. This 
shoidd give a satisfactory green cover 
during the season the Bermuda grass is 
unsatisfactory. As hot weather ap- 
proaches, the Bermuda grass will crowd 
out the other grass. This seeding will 
have to be repeated annually in order to 
have the lawn green during winter. 
AMiere it will thrive, the blue grass- 
Bermuda turf will probably be more 
satisfactory. 
This mixture of the two grasses must 
be practically uniform throughout. Lawns 
in which Bermuda grass has gained an 
entrance and killed out blue grass in 
places present a very unsightly appear- 
ance after severe frosts have occurred 
in the autumn, the blue grass remaining 
bright and green while the Bermuda 
grass, after having been frosted, turns 
light Itrown, thus presenting a very 
spotted and unattractive appearance. Un- 
der these conditions the Bermuda grass, 
which in general may be considered a good 
and desirable lawn grass, becomes a weed. 
Another weedy grass wdtich is likely to pro- 
duce a similar effect upon lawns in which 
the grasses have “run-out” is crab grass. 
When the confines of Florida have 
been reached, however, the conditions 
are somewhat different and the warmer 
climate and the greater humidity allow 
