58 
HOUSE & GARDEN 
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Lengthen The Life of Your Lawn 
(Continued from page 56) 
the desired rain fail to come, a gen¬ 
tle rolling of the soil will often as¬ 
sist the germination of the seed. 
Care and Management 
In order to maintain a uniform 
sod, you must wage a persistent 
fight against weeds. The desirable 
grasses, which make up the turf, 
should never be permitted to wash 
their vitality in the production of 
seed. To this end, frequent appli¬ 
cation of the mower is necessary, 
but the cutter-bar should always be 
set sufficiently high not to deprive 
the plants of enough leaf to con¬ 
tinue their normal growth. No ex¬ 
ception to this rule should be made 
even in the case of newly estab¬ 
lished lawns. If the clippings are 
made at a height of 2" from the 
ground, and are sufficiently frequent, 
it will not be necessary to remove 
the cuttings. 
Especially the first winter, and as 
often thereafter as practicable, the 
lawn should be top-dressed with a 
covering of well - rotted manure. 
Fertilizer dealers offer a brand of 
finely pulverized sheep manure, 
which has found much favor with 
those who have used it. The ad¬ 
vantages of such treatment are not 
alone in the plant food supplied by 
the fertilizer, but also in the winter 
protection afforded by the fertilizing 
material. When manure of the 
proper fineness has been used the 
organic matter will sift down and 
so become a part of the soil that there 
will be little or no debris left to be 
raked off in the spring. All that re¬ 
mains to be done to ensure the life 
of the lawn is to go over it with a 
heavy roller each spring so that not 
only grass roots, which have been 
lifted by the frost, may again be 
imbedded, but also the fine gravel 
which has a similar tendency to 
work up. 
Another method of fertilizing is 
to use liquid manure, which has the 
advantage of being free from the 
weed seeds that often occur in the 
unprepared kinds. Of course, this 
has no value as a winter protection. 
Sodding 
There are places on some lawns 
where, even though the proper seed 
may be available, it is yet impracti¬ 
cable to attempt to produce a sod 
by the seed method. Terraces or 
steep embankments present such 
problems. Here, sodding the sur¬ 
face most subject to erosion is the 
surest method of successfully pro¬ 
ducing a lawn. The cost of sodding 
far exceeds the seed method. Not 
only is there much more work en¬ 
tailed in laying the sod, but, unless 
it has been specially grown for the 
purpose, there is a possibility of in¬ 
troducing weeds or undesirable 
grasses. Nevertheless, the use of 
sod properly laid is the only alterna¬ 
tive under certain conditions. 
Terraces too steep to be mowed 
readily should never be planted to 
grass. Drooping shrubs, which 
hang close to the ground and pre¬ 
vent soil wash, or vine-like plants, 
such as English ivy, can be advan¬ 
tageously used here. Coverings of 
this kind catch rapidly and require 
but little care after they are once 
established. 
Hwa Wang—King of Flowers 
(Continued from page 29) 
generally known. There is a sounder 
reason for choosing the double flower 
than its showiness, though this suf¬ 
fices generally. The blossoms of the 
double-flowered peonies do last 
longer than those of the single, as a 
matter of fact—save in one or two 
varieties—both on the plant and as 
cut flowers. There is a delicate 
beauty in the single blossoms, how 
ever, that is very appealing, especial¬ 
ly in the blush shades and in white. 
One of the very best of the singles 
is Pcconia albiflora, Clio, which is a 
mauve or rosy violet. Unhappily, 
this variety does not seem to be of¬ 
fered by the trade, just at the present 
time; or, if it is, I do not know 
where. 
In selecting for the longest pos¬ 
sible period of bloom, you can cour 
on Pceonia tenuifolia. This is a dis¬ 
tinct species with very feathery foli¬ 
age and flowers double or single as 
you may choose, of a deep crimson 
color. Better select the double, in 
this case. 
The very old-fashioned and old 
Pceonia officinalis rubra usually fol¬ 
lows this, though some find that the 
Chinese Mow Tan (Pcconia montan ) 
is next, with Pceonia officinalis rubra 
waiting to be the link between these 
and the Chinese herbaceous hybrids. 
Of these hybrids Pcconia edulis su- 
pcrba, rosy pink, strong growing and 
fragrant, ushers in the procession in 
most collections. 
The great wdfite Pceonia festiva 
maxima with its huge, full, fragrant 
flowers, borne on strong stems, is on 
the heels of this deservedly the most 
popular of all the whites, though it 
does show at its center just a few 
petals tipped with vivid red. These 
are a feature rather than an objec- 
i tion, as a matter of fact. 
Following festiva maxima come all 
the mid-season bloomers, a wonder¬ 
ful mass of them, bringing the peony 
display to its height usually just be¬ 
fore or around the middle of June. 
And then come the later varieties 
w'hich, happily, exist. By adding 
these, as the list at the end of this 
article show's, the blooming season 
will be carried up to and often well 
into, July. 
Planting and Care 
The care of peonies is a delight— 
for really, after planting, there isn’t 
any! This is not to say that they 
should be neglected, of course; but 
the little that they require is so very 
little compared with nearly every¬ 
thing else in the flower garden, that 
it seems like nothing. 
Peonies are hearty feeders, how¬ 
ever, and the soil ought therefore to 
be constantly enriched around them, 
season after season. Be sure that 
the manure used for this enrichment 
is thoroughly pulverized and mixed 
with the soil, especially at the time 
of planting. When it is simply flung 
into the holes that the plants are to 
go into, it comes in contact with the 
roots, sometimes in lumps, and is 
very liable to rot them if it does not 
burn them. Have the earth forked 
over again and again, until this dan¬ 
ger is entirely eliminated. 
Soil that is good for ordinary veg¬ 
etables is good for peonies. If it in¬ 
clines to sand, it requires more of 
the humus which manure affords 
than does a naturally heavy soil. 
Humus helps in the retention of 
moisture, and plenty of moisture in 
the soil these plants must always 
have. 
Fall is the ideal planting time. 
Peonies are not, of course, a bulbous 
plant, yet they partake of the char- 
(Continued on page 60) 
