. . ' • • " 
THE SECRET OF THICK SOWING—CHOOSING THE RIGHT 
SEED FOR THE LOCATION—FERTILIZERS—THE INSIST¬ 
ENT WEEDS—LAWN-MOWERS AND THEIR SELECTION 
There is no escaping weeds and the knife is the only weapon that wages an 
effective warfare on them 
some famous parks; and 1 have actually seen a golf green turfed 
with turf only six months old. The seed was sown late in October 
and the turf was cut and laid in the following April. This was 
in England. 
T TN 1 IL a few years back it was recognized bv all that a new 
lawn or green could not be made, if sown with grass seed, 
in less than three years, and this belief is still rigidly aclbered to 
by many. But, why did it take at least three years to make a 
lawn ? For the simple reason that the grass seed was sown so 
thinly (from three to four bushels per acre) that each plant had 
to grow to its full size before the ground was covered. This slow 
process suited its time, but now the strenuous life demands quicker 
results. By a series of experiments, not only have several new 
or improved varieties of grasses been found, which tiller out over 
the ground instead of growing in tufts, as the older varieties did, 
but by judiciously increasing the amount of seed sown per acre, 
according to the fineness of the mixture, the quality of the soil, 
and the time in which the turf is required for play, a lawn or 
green can be, and lias been, made with a close, uniform and even 
turf, fit for play in from about nine to twelve months from the 
time the seed was sown. I have seen lawns, greens, and entire 
golf courses grown in eight months, and not only was the turf 
strong enough for regular play, but it had the appearance and 
bottom of a good, old turf, such as is found at the seaside and in 
The method which should be employed for procuring a turf in 
the shortest possible period of time is as follows : A good time to 
commence the operation of making a new lawn is as soon as pos¬ 
sible after the break-up of the hot summer weather, with the in¬ 
tention of sowing, if possible, at the end of August, or during 
the early days of September. The soil is warm at the end of the 
summer, and an abundance of rain and dew may be expected, 
which is very beneficial to the growth of the young grass before 
the real cold weather sets in. As weeds are far more in evidence 
in the spring than they are in the autumn, it follows that the long 
start given to autumn-sown grass should make it better able to 
withstand the onslaughts of any weeds that may be lying dormant 
in the soil when they appear in the spring. For spring growing, 
prepare the ground as soon as the weather permits, and sow the 
seed as soon as weather permits. 
It is good policy to allow as much time as possible to prepare 
the ground. A month or six weeks is not too much, as the sur¬ 
face will, to a certain extent, find its own level, which can be more 
easilv corrected before than after the seed is sown. Work that is 
done in a hurry is generally badly done, as it gives no chance for 
the surface to consolidate, which is so essential for the welfare 
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