The Minneapolis journal., 1903-03-27
LAWNS NEED FIRST CARE

5#t In the impatience to begin gardening
opera tions inNthe spring. the garden
fproperx is. quite likely to receive the first
attention and perhaps to be stirred up
earlier than it is desirable or profitable to-
do 50. According to the experts of
Northrop, K ing & Co, and others, the first
bit of outdoor work that should receive
attention in the spring is the lawn. All
s lawns need care at this sea son and es-
.pecial care should be, taken to correct at
/ this time any deficiencies. After a care
sful and gentle ral1ing to remove leaves
and dead grass, even the best sort of lawn
Will be improved by a sprinkling Of good
lawn grass mixture over the whole, TAX
ing particular pains to supply any thin
spots %liberally.@ :%>T III.
Grass needs an ample supply of nutri-
n1ent and this is most conveniently sup
Piled in the form Of a commercial fertil-
izer, such as the Excelsior lawn dressing,
put$upS by ENorthrop King &. Co., bone
meal or cotton seed meal. Not only are
these fertilizers plcasanter to use, but
8 they reduce the. labor of caring for the
lawn. for by their use. there is no seeding
of weeds that must be com batted. ~ Mrs.
ELY, in her -"Woman's Handy Garden"
tells how each year her lawns were COW
cred with stable manure in FEBRUARY and
raked off the first of April During all
this time she waged a constant warfare
with weeds and wild grasses. After
adopting Ine COttOn meal pan the SLruSSle
with weeds was minimized. i, -.. s.. IS
The first application of fertilizer should
be made as soon as the frost is out Of
the ground, which will probably be as
soon as the present moisture is fairly
dried u2. The Excelsior dressing should
be applied al the rate of ten or fifteen
pounds to 1000 square feet, scattering
it evenly by hand. Unless this is applied
just before a rain it should be wet down.
One application a season may be sufficient
for a well-nourished lawn, but if there is
an inclination to fade and die out in spots,
further food should be given.
Another commercial fertilizer that gives
speedy results is nitrate of soda, but 1t
is not wise to use this without fully ull-
derstanding it's management as used too
literally it will burn the plants. Another
safe and valuable fertilizer that is often
available in sufficient quantities in the
city IS unleached Woodashes. All such
should be employed in enriching the lawn
and garden, for they are among the best
fertilizers. A thin dressing of these can
be used in addition to the commercial fer
tilizers and applied late in May or early
in June. The ashes may be applied as
Ia top dressing for the whole garden Soft
wood ashes can be used, but they are
less valuable that hardwood ashes -
The suggestions made have been for
lawns in fair condition.. Where a lawn
needs repairing as well, all the holes
should be filed up with rich loam and "a
thin coating of loan should be put over the
whole, with a sowing of fresh lawn seed
in proportion to the thinness of the turf
Professor S. B. Green recommends an an
nual thin top dressing of rich loan for
all lawns, this taking the place of a fer
tilizer, Or, at least, making it unnecessary
to use a, fertilizer so frequently. y;
1t does not pay to buy anything but the
best lawn seed; in fact, it is dubious poll
cy to buy anything but the best seeds&and
garden stock for any purpose. TheSbest
mixtures differ somewhat according to tile
purpose and the situation, but it is Wisest
for most gardeners to deal with reliable
seedman and use the mixtures prepared
by him, for it is to his interest to provide
la mixture not only of the best quality,
but that shall yield the most satisfactory
results The Northrop, King & Co. mix
lures are used in large quantities by the
park board with admirable results and
other very fine pieces of turf have been
produced ir a very short time from these
seeds.
Not only should old lawns receive early
attention. but new lawns should be made
very early in order that the young grass
may have the benefits of the spring rains.
Both old and new lawns require rolling
and frequent moving to keep them in the
best condition Special conditions require
| special treatment, but there Is scarcely a
piece of ground that with proper treat
ment, will not grow fair turf Shady
| special mixtures containing grasses diff
fering in their nature from the ordinary
lawn and meadow grasses. Special ad-
vice.. however, is helpful for such condi-
tions, and this seedmen are always ready
| to give.