The first care of the newly seeded lawn is a thorough 
watering, given as soon as the ground is rolled. 
Of course a gentle misty rain following immedi- 
ately on planting and rolling would be ideal. Lacking 
that, however, you must water. If you use an 
Ordinary rotating sprinkler, or the hose, move it 
frequently enough to let the water sink into the lawn, 
and then give a second and, if needed, a third ap- 
plication, until the soil is moist to a depth of several 
inches. Puddles of water lying on the surface, or 
streamlets running off and carrying seed with them, 
should be avoided. Water frequently enough to keep 
the surface constantly moist until the seed germinates. 
After the grass seedlings appear, which should be 
within a week or ten days, continue watering, since 
a hot windy day may dry out the surface so much that 
the little grass plants are literally burned up. 
By the end of the third week the worst danger 
should be over, a fair turf with well-established roots 
should be already forming, and watering, while still 
necessary in dry weather, is no longer a vital need for 
the germinating seeds and struggling seedlings. Fre- 
quent watering throughout the entire first season is, 
however, good insurance. 
During germination and when seedlings are taking 
root, your lawn may seem to be a magnet for dogs, 
children, and birds. By erecting a simple string fence, 
strips of cloth are attached as a visual safety pre- 
Caution, it is possible to minimize damage caused by 
the former. Do not patch up foot prints until grass 
has matured. While birds appear to be gorging them- 
selves, their damage effects are negligible. 
Remember that various grasses in your mixture 
germinate over different periods, permanent grasses 
taking longer. What may first appear to be a thin 
covering becomes thicker as permanent grasses grow. 
For instructions on the first mowing of the new lawn, 
see page 12. 
