Evening star., 1914-04-12


men and electricians two days to dis
| cover what had happened, and in the
meanwhile the angry patrons We're CALL
ing the power corporation everything ex-
| cept public service company
Government officials who are interested
IN the development of long-distance
transmission lines say that human beings
have learned to have a wholesome re-
spect for wires carrying strong electrical
currents, but that up to the present time
no one has been able to Communicate a
| message of warning to the birds of the
air or to the agile little animals whose
| climbing ability sometimes leads to their
entanglement and death on the wires.
Burton McCollum, one of the electrical
engineering experts of the United States
bureau of standards. says that the grow
! ing frequency of bird or animal inter-
! ference with electrical TRANSMISSION has
wires further apart. This method less
ems the chance of birds being caught
between the wires and causing a short
circuit Mr.. McCollum has also had
called to his attention several instances
when the transmission of electrical cur
rent has been interfered with by heavy
swarms of insects, which has caused a
short circuit. Occurrences of this ma
| ture, however are not frequent.
y 4
Making two blades of grass grow where
| only one grew before is the aim of many
thousands of people
Advice who give thought at
~, r,. this season of the
year to the establish
| ment or maintenance OF lawn and to
the work of beautifying the surround
ings of the home Government grass and
soil experts in the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture are busy giving ad-
vice to persons who are starting a lawn
or who are having trouble in trying to
| maintain an old greensward.
1t is unfortunate. say the experts, that
most people wait until spring before they
think much about the lawn. All expert
ence shows that the ideal time to do
the most effective work in the develop
ment of a lawn is in the fall. which Is
the season of the year when new lawn
should be started or an old lawn re-
seeded. The average person, however,
gives little attention to these matters in
the autumn, and to the people who have
not looked after their lawn before spring
the experts join in urging one piece of
advice, DO it now
The purpose of a lawn is to provide a
suitable setting for home or other build
ing and for garden or landscape planting.
In most cases the ideal soil for a lawn
is not available near the house or build
ing where the lawn is to be established.
Often the lawn is started on a site where
the normal soil of the locality has been
mixed with the heavy, clay subsoil from
excavations for the foundation work. In
making a lawn on the average city lot
experts say that too much care cannot
be exercised at the start. Included
among the Department of Agriculture
specialists who have given much time to
lawn making and maintenance are l.. c.
plant Industry F. L. milford, landscape
gardener; r. A. Oakley and G. B. Piper
of the division of congressional seed dis
tribution Edward NJ. Byrnes, in charge of
experimental gardens and grounds and
Oswald Schreiner and J. ]. Skinner OF
the bureau of soils.
All experts agree that the important
first step is to secure fertile, Well
drained soil on the site where the
lawn is to be established. A top soil
of six to ten inches is sufficient if the
subsoil is gravel, but if 1t is stiff clay
more top soil is needed. Most lawns
fail because of poor drainage and poor
preparation of top soil, and for this
cial care in the beginning of the work
-Air-slacked lime or pulverized limestone
should be added to the top soil to i'm
prove and sweeten it. A liberal coating
of well rotted barnyard manure should
be applied when first plowing or digging
the plot. This is the only opportunity
for applying humus to the soil without
breaking up the lawn again.
When the soil has been prepared and
good drainage insured, the plot is ready
either for sowing the grass seed or
for sodding. In establishing the lawn
in the spring most persons use sod to
save time, although the expense is much
greater and the results are often not SO
satisfactory as seeding. When seed is
sown, care should be taken to obtain the
best. Reliable dealers will inform the
lawn-maker on what varieties of grass
thrive well. Often on the choice of
fI,o
cess of a lawn. Kentucky blue grass
mixed with red top and white clover or
Rhode Island bent grass and white
clover gives a mixture which usually
produces good turf.
After the lawn is established, it de-
mands constant attention. This does not
necessarily mean constant, hard work,
but merely that the grass should not
be neglected for long periods after the
lawn is made The lawn-ow9er must
work to improve the turf by reseeding,
fertilizing and proper management. If
the lawn is an old one it is frequently
necessary to spade up the soil in bad
places and to reseed carefully. The early
spring is the best time for this reseed-
ing of places where the grass is thin. \
light rolling is often beneficial, both for
the places which have been reseeded and
for the old grass. Care should be taken
i'll rolling the lawn, especially if the
ground is wet.
With II lawn established over a good
fertile bed of top soil many persons
think that there is little more to do eN-
cept to NOW the grass and to sprinkle
occasionally. Here a mistake is made.
for even after the lawn is established
on fertile ground it is usually advisable
to apply fertilizer to the growing grass
if the best results are to be obtained. A
solution of nitrate of soda applied with
d sprinkling pot. using about five pounds
of the chemical for each 1000 square
feet Of lawn, gives the grass vigorous
start and enables it to get ahead of the
lime applied in the form of pulverized
limestone is also beneficial to the lawn
if put on every second or third year.
This may damage the grass if it is put on
the lawn after midwinter. and for this
reason the experts advise the application
of lime in the fall
Careful and systematic moving is neces-
sary after everything else has been at
tended to, and the best results are OBJ
tanned when this work is done once a
week Some grasses need more frequent
clipping. Light sprinkling of the grass
Injuries instead of helping lawn in most
instances. Turf experts in the Agri-
cultural Department advise a thorough
soaking of the ground to a depth of
three or more inches. Experience has
shown that occasional soaking is much
better than frequent light sprinkling
Weeds, crab grass and other enemies
of the lawn should be watched for care
fully and attacked whenever they appear
If the grass does not thrive after all
the care possible has been given the
lawn, specific treatment may be neces-
sary. and Department Of Agriculture Of
ticials are ready to help lawmakers
with advice whenever they are written to
fully about the trouble which is ex-
perienced.