| April, iqio 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
iS5 
find the loam shallow and the subsoil as hard as a rock, go at 
it and turn it over to a good depth, putting into it plenty of manure. 
Manure may bring weeds, but it is scarcely surpassed by any other 
fertilizers. 
When you see a velvety lawn it is safe to say that a lazy man 
never had anything to do with it. Making a lawn is not the lazy 
man’s forte. If your grass patch is all right with the exception of 
certain bare spots, treat these as you would the whole area were 
you to do over the whole lawn. If you don’t wish to dig up these 
spots again to any depth, as you should, at least rake into it some 
fresh grass seed. 
After every winter the lawn needs to be rolled well. This is 
done to pack the roots of the grass well into the earth so they 
will be able to draw up the moisture they require from the depths 
of the soil. If rolling is not done the grass is sure to burn out. 
The alternate thawing and freezing during the winter heaves the 
sod, breaks the roots and pushes them out of the loam. Rolling 
overcomes this trouble. 
THE BEST SEED 
It is all very well to say “get the best seed possible,’’ but it is 
not so easy to predict just what that seed will produce. It is not 
the prettiest package that holds the best seed, neither can the 
price you pay keep down the number of weeds that generously 
pop up. Grass seed is a prize package at best, for in some of the 
combinations that are put out under the most alluring names you 
are apt to get a choice collection of floor sweepings and weeds, with 
scarcely a sprinkle of grass in the mixture. Therefore procure 
from a reliable dealer clear Red Top and mix with it a very little 
Kentucky Blue and White Clover (very little Clover). Sow this 
in the proportion of about three bushels to the acre. There is 
nothing better than this, but you will probably have to go to a 
horticultural supply store to get it. Grocery stores are always 
short of this class of goods. 
In sowing seed try to spread it evenly. Throwing it around 
carelessly, trusting to chance to arrange it, will result in a patchy 
appearance. Don’t try to sow grass seed on a windy day, for if 
you do you will find little of it where you wish it. 
CUTTING AND RAKING 
When cutting your grass you will find it a great saving to 
have some sort of a grass catcher on your lawnmower. One can 
be made easily, but very handy ones are sold at a small price. 
They prevent the wear and tear to a lawn that results from the 
Roll your lawn in the spring and get after the weeds. When cutting 
them out, drop a little grass seed from a can sifter into the hole 
Grass on terraces and under trees is the most difficult to keep luxuriant 
There are special seed mixtures for such locations 
hard raking necessary when not used. If you prefer the rake it is best 
to use a wooden one, as iron teeth do great damage to a heavy sod. 
In watering, either use a fine spray or lay the hose on the grass, 
with a board under the nozzle, and let the water flow forth slowly, 
giving it time to soak into the soil. A heavy stream washes out 
the loam, and does great injury to the lawn. 
For a spring dressing to an old lawn use hardwood ashes and 
bone meal. Use the ashes early, and spread them on until the 
grass looks white. 
If the ashes are strong in potash they may burn the grass, but 
the chances are that you will experience no damage from this 
cause. Few ashes found in the market run high in potash. 
Spread the bone meal some weeks later, liberally. These two 
will work wonders for your lawn and your grass will grow thicker 
and be better color from their use. 
As a final word one cannot do better than to repeat: The 
only way to have the sort of a lawn you will be proud of is to 
make sure of a good depth of soil — and it is astonishing how 
soon after ploughing up a lawn you can have thick grass again. 
But, above all, chase the weeds night and day. 
Stable manure is the best thing for a lawn but unsightly. Pulverized 
sheep manure, as used in the foreground, is practically invisible 
