, 1905-04-04

POINTS on Making Lawns, Planting
Trees, and Sowing Seeds
In the House,

In the House.
AS the days lengthen and the sun
strengthens he first signs of spring
fever return. OF course it is too early
to do any { .ual gardening out of
doors. but what a delightful oppor.
tunity we have 70 make our gardens
on paper in the house. we who are
quite familiar with gardening in all
its forms, out of doors and In doors,
gardening for pleasure and gardening
for profit. Our greatest pleasures
come from gardening for profit, and
our greatest profit comes when we
garden for pleasure.
This is catalogue moth ard I don't
krow any pleasure for the time being
equal to that we derive from the many
beautiful catalogues issued by the
seedsmen from Maine to California.
Truly. to-day these catalogues are.
with their splendid illustrations,
their fine presswork, and their flow
ing descriptions, marvels of informa-
ton and almost unbounded funds of
enjoyment.
How marvelously has this cata-
iGgue making grown since thirty
years. At that time there was scarce
ly a catalogue that had more than half
a dozen illustrations. and they were,
as a rule, wood cuts so crudely done
as TO be almost unrecognizable, uni IS
they were labeled-and as to col s,
they were scarcely thought of. To-
Ipt manu- ~f thn oay.~, ,@-t 4
more sound Information than many
books which have been written on
the same subjects but a few years
since. They are virtually text books
in gardening. As a rule. the informa-
ton is condensed and so boiled down
as to be readily understood. And all
these catalogues may be had for the
asking. A postal card Is all that is
necessary in most cases to obtain
them. Write TO- for them, get them,
and read them from cover to cover.
Be careful to read and note down
what is said about the new flowers,
the new vegetables, and the new
fruits.
The enthusiastic gardeners, IL wo-
men. are as anxious to read about
the novelties for the garden as they
are of the Paris fashions for Easter
bonnets. If men. they are just as
anxious as the lovers OF horses are
as to which will be ext years Derby
winner. Perhaps some persons will
say: 30. yes. | krow, but what has
become of all the hundreds of these
novelties that have appeared" Well,
as bonnets don't last forever. and as
all horses are not Derby winners, we
are not d~isheartened.
In a future article in this depart.
ment will appear a review of the nov
elites of the season commenting on
those which are believed to possess
merit. A carefully condensed list also
will be presented of all the best and
most suitable kind of flowers and
vegetables for amateurs who have not
the services of a professional gard
ener.
Within n week or two opportunities
will occur to repair the lawn, but it
must not be done until the frost is
entirely ont of the ground n the
whole of the surface is freed from the
winters snow. | mean when all the
old snow has disappeared. But prep
arations should be made at once. so
as to have everything ready when the
time comes.
The material required is a sufficient
quantity of the best mixed lawI
grass don't use n cheap mixturel
% cover the ground just half as thick
as If it vas a new lawn you were
about to make, instead Of making re
pairs. 1t takes for a new lawn a
pound of eco for each 225 square feet
or thereabouts-so if we figure with
for 400 square feet.
With this, provide for every AGO
square feet five pounds Of the high
est grade lawn fertilizer. The best
is that composed of blood, bone and
potash. Don't use any cheap grade.
Have everything ready INT the day
the snow comes mix together the seed
and the fertilizer and sprinkle the
whole evenly over the surface.
This can also be done If there is
an even steady rain falling. and the
ground is thawed out. Don SOW
when the surface is frozen, for If
} you do the seed swims Into piles and
leaves the space bare where it is the
most desirable to over. One of the
reasons for advising sowing on the
snow is thai the material is more cas-
lily seen and thus can be more evenly
distributed. This is one of the read
lest and best methods of rerovating
lawns. as neither raking ror sweep
ing is necessary.-Chicago Tribune.