Every Home Owner desires a lovely lawn with thick healthy turf. It is not a difficult 
task if thoroughness is the keynote in early preparation. There used to be a saying that 
a lawn had to be years old before it could be good. 
If anyone tells you that, just 
smile. You can have a perfect lawn in from six months to a year, thanks to Western 
lawn specialists, who have studied grasses and their reactions to soil and climatic 
conditions. 
In planning and making a lawn, keep in mind that it is a longtime proposition, and 
' that a good foundation is essential. Many times this calls for artificial drainage, grad- 
ing, which is artistically effective, as well as practical from the point of view of upkeep. 
Or perhaps, you may be one of the fortunate individuals who has an ideal situation 
from which to begin. 
First attention must be given to drainage. 
If it is naturally poor, the top soil should 
be removed, saved for future use, and the 
subsoil broken up. 
We must stress the importance of remov- 
ing the top soil and saving it before going 
to work on the subsoil drainage, as the 
top 4 to 6 inches of ground is always the 
best, and should be used as a base for the 
later development of the root system of 
your lawn. 
If the subsoil is the heavy clay type, a 
generous application of coarse sand, or 
even fine gravel, will help greatly in cor- 
recting this condition. If compost material 
is available, by all means use generous 
quantities. On the other hand, a light 
sandy subsoil does not require a great 
deal of correction, unless it is the addi- 
tion of humus material such as compost 
or peat moss. 
Barnyard manures are not desirable in 
making a new lawn because they are likely 
to contain many weeds, which will con- 
tinue to germinate over several years. 
PREPARING TOP SOIL 
After the subsoil condition has been cor- 
rected, and the desired grade reached, the 
topsoil can be replaced. If the soil is 
poor, haul in enouh good rich loam to 
cover the area to a depth of six inches. 
lf your summer weather is hot and dry, 
and watering is a problem, add to this 
topsoil a generous quantity of peat moss, 
at the rate of one bale to 600 sq. feet. 
Also, at this time, add a good complete 
commercial fertilizer, at the rate of 4 Ibs. 
per 100 sq. feet. This will supply avail- 
able nourishment for the new grass, as 
well as a supply of plant food later on. 
After preparing the topsoil, water to bring 
up weeds. In new locations, repeat this 
two or three times, hoeing down the weeds 
each time they come up. Just before sow- 
ing your seed, level and rake smoothly, 
and then roll. 
SEED SELECTION 
The selection of seed is vitally important 
as good preparation will be of little bene- 
fit unless the proper mixture is selected 
for your particular locality. It is far better 
economy to spend a few extra pennies on 
a high quality seed, and have a satisfac- 
tory lawn for many years, than to sacrifice 
quality for a temporary saving. A mixture 
containing two or more ‘’Base Grasses’ 
and one “’Nurse Grass’’ is the ideal com- 
bination for Northwest soil and climatic 
conditions. Keep away from mixtures 
containing filler grasses, such as English 
Rye Grass, Timothy, or Mesquite. These 
grasses develop into thick bunchy clumps, 
and will mar the beauty of even the best 
kept lawn. 
BASE GRASSES are those which will live 
for many years, and will of themselves 
occupy the whole area on the existing 
type of soil if properly maintained. This 
class of grass is almost invariably slow to 
mature, but once it is established, it is 
there forever. The following grasses are 
classified in this group: 
Kentucky Blue Grass, which produces a 
hardy turf of rich green plants, a flat type 
leaf, and a heavy root system that reacts 
very well to plant food. 
Chewings Fescue produces a fine textured 
brilliant green dense turf. The leaf blades 
are particularly distinctive, being cylin- 
drical in shape rather than flat. Chewings 
Fescue is deep rooted, rather tolerant of 
poor moisture conditions and hard usage, 
but, of course, its full beauty can be re- 
alized with adequate care. It is adapted 
to approximately the same conditions as 
Kentucky Blue Grass, but is superior in 
its adaptation to shaded conditions. 

Creeping Bent is widely known for its 
exceptionally fine turf producing qualities. 
Its fine bladed leaves and thick root sys- 
tem makes an excellent turf if given 
proper care. 
Creeping Red Fescue is very similar in 
appearance to Chewings Fescue, the only 
readily apparent differences being a 
darker green color, and a somewhat softer 
texture. It is rapidly becoming the most 
popular individual grass for Western 
lawns because of its turf and its ability 
to withstand fungus diseases which often 
attack Bent Grasses. 
NURSE GRASS. Its life is short, but it 
plays an important part in grass seed mix- 
tures. It grows fast and occupies the soil 
until the slower and more permanent va- 
rieties are far enough along to cover the 
ground. By its nature, Nurse Grass sel- 
dom lives over three years and should not 
compose over 30% of the entire mixture. 
The best known and widely used in this 
group is Red Top. 
WHEN TO PLANT 
Here in the Northwest, lawns can be 
planted almost any time of the year if the 
soil and seed are kept moist throughout 
the early growing stages. However, the 
most desirable time is either during the 
spring season or early fall, as this presents 
cooler weather conditions, and moisture 
is more readily available. Whatever the 
season, loosen the soil with a steel rake 
to a depth of one inch just before sowing. 
Then divide the seed into two equal 
parts. Sow one part as you walk North 
and South, and the remainder as you walk 
East and West. This method assures a 
more even application of the seed, and 
helps greatly to eliminate bare patches. It 
is desirable to sow the seed on a calm day, 
as even a light wind can cause consider- 
able trouble in securing even distribution 
with fine lawn seed. Covering the new 
seed with a thin layer of peat moss will 
speed up germination and give added pro- 
tection aginst the ground drying. 
WATERING YOUR LAWN 
After the area has been thoroughly seeded 
at the rate of | Ib. to 150 sq. feet, roll 
the area with a medium weight roller, and 
then wet thoroughly with a fine spray, 
