handle of suitable length inserted. A stout broom handle or an 
old shovel or spade handle can be used for this purpose. 
It is not economical to sow grass seed sparingly. When the 
grass seeds are sown thinly a splendid opportunity is offered to 
the weed seeds, of which they do not fail to take advantage. 
This necessitates much back-breaking work to get the lawn clear 
of weeds and may require even the breaking up of the lawn and a 
fresh start. On the other hand, a generous sowing of seed en- 
sures a good stand of grass which will choke out many of the 
obnoxious weeds. The quantity to use is one quart of seed to 300 
square feet. 
Kentucky blue grass (Poa pralensis ) is considered to be the 
best grass for lawns in this section, and should form the basis of 
all grass seed mixtures. Red top ( Agrostis alba ) and Rhode Island 
bent ( Agrostis catiina) are used, associated with Kentucky blue, 
to cover the ground until the latter gets a good start, when it may 
be expected to crowd them out. A good proportion to use is two 
parts, by weight, of Kentucky blue grass to one each of red top 
and Rhode Island bent. 
The use of white clover ( Trifolium repens ) as an ingredient 
in lawn mixtures is largely a matter to be decided by the personal 
taste of the lawn maker. It is considered to be a good practice 
to use clover when making a lawn on sandy soils. It is deep 
rooting, withstands drought well, and protects the young grasses 
until they become established. On soils that are suitable to 
lawns, clover is usually crowded out in two or three years by the 
grass. If it is desired to use clover, the seed should be sown at 
the same time as the grass, but as a separate operation. Clover 
seed is heavy and is liable to sink to the bottom of the package 
if mixed with grass seed before sowing. This results in an un- 
even distribution of clover and a patchy lawn. Use one ounce of 
seed, or a little over, to 300 square feet. 
For shad}’ places where the ordinary grass mixtures will not 
thrive, those kinds which will stand shade conditions should be 
planted. The wood meadow grass ( Poa nemoralis) is one of the 
best of these, but appears to be a scarce article at present. Ken- 
tucky blue grass, Rhode Island bent, and Canadian blue grass 
( Poa com pressa) are also good. 
When only a small lawn is to be seeded, it is probably the 
best plan to purchase a grass mixture from a reliable seedsman, 
rather than to buy the separate ingredients. Most seedsmen have 
mixtures ready prepared for ordinary soil, for shade, for sandy 
soil, for tennis courts, and so on. Avoid low-priced grass seeds, for 
they are not cheap. There is great variation in the grades of grass 
seed. Red top varies in weight from 10 to 45 pounds to the bushel; 
Kentucky blue, from 10 to 22 pounds, the difference being caused 
by the presence or absence of chaff and foreign matter. It is easy 
