Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-04-11

Infinite patience, extreme care, and
an inherent love of the rolling, emer-
aid waves of greenSward, are the
necessary factors in getting the lawn
in shape. The idea that grass will
grow freely and easily and about
anywhere, without much care, is fall
lacious Think how many really sat
isfactory lawns you have ever seen
free from weeds, and with no bare or
unsightly spots, and satisfy yourself
that this is true.
If you did not have good success
with your lawn last year, you may
try the sodding method now, but this
has the disadvantages of being eX-
pensive, of requiring great care to
lay the sods at precisely the same
level, and of falling to secure good
turf in which are good lawn grasses
free from weeds.
Presenting then, that you are going
to SOW, and that your lawn plot is
properly graded, the first step is to
see that your ground is we'll drained.
In case it is not you must lay drain
tiles. These should be placed deep
enough to run below the frost line;
otherwise you may have a broken
tile next season and a clogged drain,
necessitating pulling UP the earth a
second time. With poorly drained
soil, you will have a lawn that lime
cannot sweeten. And another thing
to remember about soil is this: Ii
the earth is absolutely no good for
growing othG.' things, it viii not grow
grass-even if tons of wood ashes,
bone meal and slaked lime are dump
cd on its surface.
The best time to seed is In April
or May.
After applying a four or tive-inch
coat of thoroughly we'll rotted man
ure and working this well into the
soil by repeated narrowing, or much
untiring turning with a hoe, II you
have only a small lawn, the plot is
ready TO be seeded.
Right Way 10 Seed.
There is a right way and a wrong
way to seed First of all do not at
tempt to do anything on a windy day.
THE seed must be sown evenly, and
not blown about in promiscuous hand
fuls by a high wind. If the breeze is
too strong and you persist in plant
ing you will get a tufted lawn, bare
as a desert in spots. The proper way
to SOW is to have the seed IN a pan,
and take it out carefully by handfuls
<In letting the seed escape to the
ground it must never be permitted to
pass in a stream from the lower part
Of the closed hand. The seed should
be thrown in a circular fashion, leaV-
ing from the top of the closed fist in
q thin sheet. This assures even SOW
ing. To make this doubly certain
there should be two sowings, the sec
ond at right angles to ethe first, About
n quart of assorted seed should be
used for every 100 square feet. 1t
is better to use too much seed rather
than too little, as this will have
tendency to lessen the weed growth
good strong grass always choking
this undesired crop.
II you do not feel confident that you
can seed well by hand, and yet have
enough love of the soil so that you
wish to do the work yourself, and
not trust it to alien hands, there are
mechanical devices on the market,
the special purpose of which is to
SOW grass seed. The machine places
the seed in the ground at the proper
depth. where the winds cannot blow
Ii away and the birds cannot pick it
M The importance of seeding can
not be over-estimated. If 1t is prop
erly done your lawn has a good start,
at any rate. IF the seeds are not
placed right no amount of subsequent
care will produce a thoroughly salts
factory lawn.
After seeding the ground should be
narrowed lightly if the lawn is
large; otherwise the seed should be
thoroughly raked in well below the
surface Following this part of the
process the ground should be well
rolled,
Buy Ready Mixed Seed.
The commercial, ready mixed seeds
nrn easily handled, and are econo-