April, 1915 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
261 
of the young [grass plants or for quick-growing weeds to show 
themselves and be destroyed before the grass seeds are sown. A 
lawn made and sown at the end of August or the beginning of 
September should be fit for play by tbe middle of the following 
summer; if sown in the spring it should be fit for play before tbe 
end of the summer. The making of a new lawn can be roughly 
divided into five operations, viz.: digging, manuring, preparing the 
seed-bed, seeding, and after treatment. 
Dig to the depth of 
a spade, turn the soil 
well over, break up 
the large clods, pick 
out all large stones, 
weeds, roots, etc. 
Grass being a shal¬ 
low - rooted plant, 
makes it quite un¬ 
necessary to work the 
soil to a greater depth, 
unless the old turf is 
to be buried; then 
the surface should be 
turned under to a 
depth of two spits. 
Work into the soil a 
generous quantity of 
manure. This is the 
most important op¬ 
eration in the making 
of a new lawn or 
green, and I cannot 
too strongly recom¬ 
mend it to be given 
very careful atten¬ 
tion, because, no mat¬ 
ter how good the soil 
may be, the results 
will be both better 
and quicker if it is 
well manured. The 
best general manures 
for digging in are 
fresb peat moss, sta¬ 
ble manure, old, well- 
rotted short straw, 
and artificials. The 
peat moss and rotted 
straw manures should 
be spread over the 
surface at the rate of 
one load per 100 
square yards, and 
forked or dug into 
the soil in such a way 
that the bulk of it re¬ 
mains within 2 ins. or 
3 ins. of the surface. The artificials should be broadcasted over 
the surface at the rate of 2 ozs. per square yard and raked in. 
Some people maintain that manure, if used, should be buried 
at least 6 ins. deep, while others hold that it should not be used 
at all, otherwise the grass will grow coarse and rank. I have 
proved over and over again that the closer the manure is to the 
surface the better and quicker are the results, because the young 
grass can reach it quickly during the early period of its existence, 
whereas if it is buried deeply it will take months for the roots to 
reach it, and it often happens, especially during unfavorable sea¬ 
The healthy, living lawn is the result of the careful 
a constant clipping and 
sons, when grass grows very slowly, that it perishes for want of 
manure, in spite of the fact that plenty has been put in tbe 
ground, but out of reach. The suggestion that manure makes 
grass grow coarse and rank is another fallacy. If a mixture of 
coarse grasses is sown, a coarse turf will be produced, but if a 
mixture of the finest grasses is sown a turf of the finest quality, 
will be formed. 
Prepare the surface by breaking up the clods, removing large 
stones and all weed 
roots with an iron¬ 
toothed rake; then 
roll, rake and tread 
the ground until the 
surface becomes quite 
firm, true, fine, and 
w hen walked on 
hardly shows the im¬ 
print of the foot. It 
will then be ready to 
receive the seed. Sow 
the seed on the raked 
surface at the rate of 
1 oz. per square yard, 
choosing a calm, dry 
day for the work; 
otherwise much of 
the seed may be blown 
away and lost; or, 
should the soil be wet, 
it will stick to the 
operator’s boots, and 
in this way the level 
may be seriously dis¬ 
turbed. Divide up the 
ground into strips 
about 3 ft. wide by 
means of pegs and 
string, and divide the 
seed into as many 
equal portions a s 
there are strips or 
squares; this will be 
found to be an easy 
way to ensure an even 
distribution of the 
seed. Sow the seed 
by hand, with the 
back bent, taking care 
to spread it as evenly 
as possible over the 
surface. The seed 
must now be covered 
to a depth not ex¬ 
seed selection, generous sowing, occasional fertilizing, Ceedlllg x /\ ill., Otliei- 
rolling—and years of growth wise much of it will 
be lost. The most 
simple way to do this is to lightly rake the surface in two direc¬ 
tions, taking care not to bury tbe seed too deeply. The ground 
should then be rolled and cross-rolled with a light roller. 
Under favorable conditions the young grass should appear 
above the ground in about five to ten days if autumn sown, and 
fourteen to twenty-one days if spring sown, according to the 
weather. When about 1 in. high it is greatly benefited by a 
dressing of fertilizing fiber, malt culms, rape dust, or prepared 
compost. These top-dressing materials are gentle in action; they 
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