GRAND RAPIDS GROWERS, Inc., Grand Rapids, Michigan 4] 
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Making a Lawn and Its Care 
Preparing the Soil 
The most desirable soils for the lawn are the ‘“‘loams’’, 
but if the soil available for the building of a lawn is a tight 
clay, sand should be added, or if a sandy loam, humus is 
needed, which would make it as nearly a loam as possible. 
Even such simple tasks as spading are important and 
should be done with care. The depth of the surface soil large- 
ly determines the depth to which one should spade. If the 
top soil is six inches or less in thickness, work it to the 
depth of the surface soil. Never turn up the subsoil. 
To get the best results from spading, each shovelful of 
soil is turned over and placed upon the edge of the hole 
away from the spader. It is then pulverized with a tap of the 
spade. This not only breaks up the mass, but carries the 
granulated soil back into the hole from which it was 
originally taken. 
After the spaded soil has been pulverized, grade the soil 
to slope gently from the house. The grading will prevent 
water from standing around the foundation of the house. 
Next, level and roll until the seedbed is firm. 
Applying Plant Food 
When the seedbed has been completed, Vigoro, the com- 
plete balanced plant food, or Milorganite should be applied. 
The lawn is never so effectively fed as before the grass seed is 
sown. The plant food should be applied and spread evenly 
over the surface of the soil at the rate of 4 pounds per hun- 
dred square feet, and worked into the top few inches. 
Sowing Seed 
After the plant food has been worked into the soil, the seed 
should be spread uniformly over the surface at the rate of 4 
or 5 pounds per one thousand square feet of soil. The seed- 
ing should be done by going in both directions to get an 
even distribution, both at the ends as well as the center of 
the throw. 
A covering of clean straw or coarse cheesecloth on the 
steep slopes will help prevent washing which may occur be- 
fore the grass becomes established. 
Feeding 
About 8 or 10 weeks after the lawn is seeded the young 
grass should again be fed with either Vigoro, the complete 
balanced plant food, or Milorganite. The application is 
made at the rate of 2 pounds per hundred square feet of 
lawn. 
The plant food should be brushed from the grass with a 
broom or the back of a rake and the lawn should immediate- 
ly be given a thorough soaking to wash the fertilizer from the 
grass and carry it into the soil. If the plant food is allowed 
to remain on the grass and moisture should reach it the re- 
sult would be a burning of the tender leaves. To prevent this, 
a thorough watering is very essential. 
Well-fed grass withstands the inroads of weeds and also 
resists injury from the attack of certain diseases, and by 
regular feeding with an appplication of Vigoro or Milorgan- 
ite will reduce the amount of reseeding necessary. The great- 
er development of the root system and the ability to store up 
reserves of food material, make well-fed grass able to with- 
stand the extremes of either winter or summer weather 
and to maintain a dense turf year after year. 
