GRASS. 
CHAPTER I. 
HOW TO MAKE A NEW LAWN. 
Autumn Sowing. 
One of the best seasons to commence the operation of making a new lawn 
is as soon as possible after the break up of the hot summer weather, with the 
intention of sowing, if possible, at the end of August or during the early days 
of September. The soil is warm at the end of summer, and an abundance of 
rain and dew may be expected, which is very beneficial to the growth of the 
seed, and the young grass will have ample time to become well established 
before the real cold weather sets in, and, as weeds are far more in evidence 
in the spring than they are in the autumn, it follows that the long start given 
to the 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. 
Spring Sowing. 
Prepare the ground as soon as the weather permits, and sow the seed (again 
weather permitting) early in March, or should it be a severe season sow during 
the early days of April. 
It is always a good policy to allow as much time as possible in which to 
prepare the ground. A month or six weeks is not too much, as the surface will, 
to a certain extent, find its own level, which can more easily be corrected before 
than after the seed is sown. When the work is done in a hurry it is generally 
badly done, as it gives no chance for the surface to consolidate, which is so 
•essential for the welfare of the young grass plants, or for quick-growing weeds 
to assert themselves and be destroyed before the grass seeds are sown. A lawn 
made under our system, if autumn sown, that is, during the end of August or 
the beginning of September, should be fit for play by the end of the following 
spring; if spring sown, that is, during March or early in April, should be fit 
for play before the end of the summer. These results cannot be obtained if 
old-fashioned, parsimonious methods are adopted. The making of a new lawn 
•can roughly be divided into five operations, viz. : Digging, Manuring, Preparing 
ithe Seed Bed, Seeding, and After Treatment. 
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