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THE FIRST CONSIDERATION. 
Those who know, realize that only the best 
and purest grass seed mixtures should be 
used when making new lawns or renovating 
and top-dressing old lawns. Both can be 
quickly spoiled by cheap, Inferior seed. 
PROFESSIONAL GARDENERS KNOW. 
The professional gardener knows the value of 
really good grass seed and that to maintain 
a lawn in good condition year after year as 
he is expected to, it is necessary to top-dress 
with good grass seed twice a year, in the 
spring (April-May) and in the autumn (late 
August to early October). 
When it Is considered how much vegetation 
is cut and removed from a lawn each season 
and also the fact that no seed is allowed to 
form and drop back to the earth as intended 
by nature, it becomes quite apparent why 
these top-dressings with seed are so im¬ 
portant. 
THE FIRST FEW INCHES. 
Another subject connected with the proper 
maintenance of good lawns with which the 
professional gardener is familiar and which 
does not seem to be realized by many ama¬ 
teur gardeners is the great importance of 
the first 3 or 4 inches of soil. 
Lawns, as such, are man-made, artificial; the 
roots of the countless millions of grass plants 
are confined within the first few inches; they 
are not equipped by nature to penetrate 
downward to find their food like almost all 
other members of the vegetable kingdom. 
Therefore it does not take them long to ex¬ 
haust the food supply in this limited area. 
It is because of this fact that professional 
gardeners so consistently top-dress the lawns 
entrusted to their care with rich soil, good 
seed and fertilizer twice a year. 
e#?Ass s 
^*XTURE 
8 !BLs Te sted Skds 
. — INC. 
^■’44 WASHINGTON Sr. 
*EW YORK cmr 
MIXTURE 
THE THREE OUTSTANDING 
GRASS SEED fAIXTURES 
AMERICAN LAWNS 
Many of the fine lawns to be seen in the most 
prominent private estates in this country have 
been created or are being maintained by the 
use of our Special Lawn Grass Mixtures. 
Our formulas for these mixtures are the 
results of a lifetime of study and experimen¬ 
tation. They are recommended with full 
confidence as being suitable for use under 
the various conditions of soil, location and 
climate throughout the country — except in 
tropical, or semi-tropical sections and in 
the extreme South. 
DON’T EXPERIMENT 
Follow the example of the professional 
gardener 
SOW THE BEST 
SUNN-Y-GREEN 
For open, sunny lawns. See page 178 
BELOW THE SURFACE. 
The nature of the soil or substance under¬ 
neath the top soil is of vital importance; if 
there exists a foot or more of fairly good 
soil and good drainage that will be ideal, on 
the other 'hand should there be sand and 
gravel under the first few inches of top soil 
the drainage will be too abrupt, resulting in 
a dry lawn requiring constant watering dur¬ 
ing the summer and the loss of the top soil 
in a short time by sifting downwards, or the- 
working upwards of the sand. 
To meet such a condition economically, a 
layer several inches thick should be provided 
under the top-soil composed of horse manure 
or peat moss or a mixture of both for the 
double purpose of holding moisture and soil 
where they should be. Also a condition of 
this kind calls for top-dressing with good soil 
twice a year. 
If under the top soil there is clay or hard- 
pan, etc., the drainage will be too slow, caus¬ 
ing an acid condition which will destroy the 
root growth. This heavy or hard under¬ 
surface must be broken up for a depth of 
11/2 or 2 feet, sand will cut up the clay and 
the general conditions must be changed to- 
provide proper drainage. 
CONDITIONS ABOVE. 
The conditions prevailing above the surface 
also have a definite bearing on the growing 
of good turf. Difficult places are those imme¬ 
diately underneath low overhanging branches 
which cause dense shade or directly under 
maple trees or other surface feeding trees, 
and open, exposed slopes facing the south 
where the soil is light or sandy. An Ideaf 
overhead condition is one which provides a 
light, shifting shade from high up branches 
for a part of the day. 
shadr-''°-°-^^WN 
See p^^'-.fg^cfy -awn 
INC. 
'34-144 WASHIHGTOM ST 
mi YORK crTY 
177 
