I 
! 
April, 1914 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
307 
Renovating Old Lawns 
(Continued from page 272) 
reverse is true. A sandy loam on top of 
gravel is the best, as it is desirable to keep 
the grass low. 
Do not make the general mistake of 
-covering the ground heavily with manure 
in the fall and spring. Make your initial 
investment in the soil cover this annual 
•expense and your lawn will last for years. 
Hardwood ashes of test showing 7 to 9 
:per cent potash scattered over as a top 
dressing so that it shows white on the 
.grass, will be all the fertilizer generally 
:necessary, if spread in the spring. Try to 
select a time before rain for this work. 
Seed may be sown early in the spring or 
the fall. If in the spring, the work must 
lie done early enough to allow the plants 
to become established before hot weather; 
in the fall, soon enough to grow before 
frost. Sow seed about three bushels to 
the acre, spreading evenly. A lawn seeder 
will make you independent of wind and 
weather and accomplish even distribution. 
Without it the ground should be raked 
thoroughly to cover the seed. 
Now comes the important matter of 
rolling. After sowing, roll with a heavy 
roller, then sprinkle, and when the water 
•soaks in roll again. The roller is a tre¬ 
mendously important adjunct to the lawn, 
.and it should be rolled at intervals dur¬ 
ing spring and summer. This even pres¬ 
sure assists the ground in retaining mois¬ 
ture, and when rolled in the spring over¬ 
comes the effects of the alternate freezing 
•and thawing so destructive to plant life. 
Rolling in summer discourages worms, 
moles, ants and other pests, and is inval¬ 
uable for a successful lawn. One need 
not consider the rolling of the lawn an ath¬ 
letic exercise, for the old-fashioned, awk¬ 
ward, rusty back-breaker of other days 
should be a thing of the past. Its shriek¬ 
ing complaints as it was dragged across 
the lawn sounded like murder and often 
induced a temper to commit murder. To¬ 
day you may get a ball-bearing, silent, 
easy moving machine, the weight of which 
may be adjusted. 
In watering the lawn the prime requi¬ 
site is to get the moisture to the roots of 
the plant, and as efficient a way as any 
is to allow the hose to lie in the grass long 
■enough to make the immediate district 
marshy and sodden. 
Weeds will probably come if stable ma¬ 
nure is used. You must attack them regu¬ 
larly in the spring and the fall, and if you 
Rave not a long-bladed asparagus knife 
with a V cut in the end, file a steel kitchen 
knife into this shape. Dig dandelions and 
plantains deep and sprinkle seeds when 
you take the weeds out. Crab grass should 
Re pulled out in the fall with the teeth of 
the rake. Dig out the roots. Close crop¬ 
ping of the grass will prevent its devel¬ 
oping and sowing its seed which spread 
for another year. But pull it up wherever 
seen, and keep at it. Use a good lawn 
The terrace was spread with Alphano. The rest of the lawn with barnyard manures. 
Three days before the photo was taken, entire grass wasmown. The larger 
growth and deeper color tellsits own story in favor of Alphano. 
hano Humus Will Keep Your Lawn 
Sod Thick and the Grass Green 
Further than that it contains no weed 
seeds. Being rich in the essentials of plant 
life, it is an ideal fertilizer. Being so rich 
in Humus, it will hold 14 times its weight in 
water, fortifying the grass roots against the 
hot sun and drying wind. 
For both your vegetable and flower gar¬ 
dens, it is far better than animal manures 
and much more lasting than chemical fer¬ 
tilizers. Being so reasonable in price and 
, lasting in its effects, you 
can use it freely. 
r Send for the Alphano Lawn 
</ Book. It tells about Lawns, 
Istheir Care and Fare. 
F. O. B. Alphano, N. J. 
S PREAD it on your lawn now. Rake it 
in. The grass will soon cover it up and 
you would never know it was there. 
But the grass will. In a couple of weeks’ 
time, it will be noticeably thicker. All sum¬ 
mer it will grow quickly and stay green even 
during the hot dry weather, when it used to 
yellow up a bit. 
The effects of that same application of 
Alphano will last for several seasons. 
Being in a powdered form, ? . 
it can easily be spread on at /T^*7Y pi 
any time. Being odorless, / / RA 
it can be used freely any- 7 C J j l 
where without objection. «■*'■** 
$12 a Ton—$3 a Ton by the Carload. 
The under side view of the same Alphano 
Humus grown sod shows the close net work of 
roots. Sod like this has back bone to it. 
Note the rugged grass blades and the thick mass 
of roots. It was grown in only eight weeks on 
white sea sand mixed with one-half Humus. 
NEW YORK 
936 Whitehall Build 
A Beautiful Lawn 
Insure a velvety, green, quick-growing lawn; also double the 
yield of the garden and produce earlier and better vegetables, 
^e. by feeding the soU mth 
SHEEP’S HEAD 
/ IkjkjS SHEEP MANURE 
t ' •L^'^’llltPf 1 ‘ n nitrogen, phosphoric acid 
’’“'I- \ ' a iSsi"' ani * P otasl1 - Pulverized, ready to 
vAtvJvj. "JHa apply. Also will show quick 
\U f results on flower beds, shrubbery 
and orchard. Two 100-lb. bags. 
$4, freight prepaid east of the 
•*****.J** Missouri River. Send for folder. 
Natural Guano Co., 804 River Street, Aurora, 111 
A Fine Garden 
WELL HOTTED 
Horse Manure 
Dried — Ground—Odorless 
To insure increased Garden Crops — larger and 
brighter Flowers and a rich green Lawn, give 
your soil a heavy coating of Dried, Ground Horse 
Manure. No weed seeds — no refuse, it becomes 
part of the soil. 
Plant food is immediately available and lasting. 
Your planting will be successful when you use Well 
Rotted Horse Manure. Put up in bags 100 lbs. 
each. Write for Circular B and prices. 
NEW YORK STABLE MANURE COMPANY 
273 Washington Street, Jersey City, N. J. 
In writing to advertisers please mention House & Garden. 
