Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1915-07-08
Of its management. The practice of

OF its management. The practice OF
sprinkling as II is almost universally
followed is fundamentally wrong, not
that the sprinkler does not furnish
enough water to the grass during the
season, but that 1t does not furnish
1t in properly distributed quantities.
Sprinkling for short period may ap-
pear to wet the sod thoroughly, but
in reality the water does not pene-
trate much below the surface. This
encourages the formation of surface
roots and makes the grass less resist
ant to the severe conditions of wealth
er and usage.
Except in rare cases, the lawn
should not be watered oftener than
two or three times a week, provided
watering is done properly A thor
ougs soaking is necessary and should
be given in the late afternoon or
early morning. The ordinary type Of
revolving spray is quite satisfactory,
but the amount of water applied by it
Is usually much less than appears.
The point to be borne in mind is that
the ground should be thoroughly sat
urated at each application to at least
three inches in depth.
Eradication of Weeds.
While weed enemies of the lawn
are troublesome throughout the
growing season, they are particularly
so from the latter part of June until
frost. During this period crab grass
is by far the worst weed present,
There is no really satisfactory meth
cd of checking its growth, and the
only treatment to be recommended is
to cut or pull the plants before they
have formed large mats. This is a
very tedious and expensive practice,
but where a good lawn is involved
the results justify the expense. Ra-
tional fertiizng and careful water
ing during the summer help to over
come the effect of weeds. Chemical
sprays or treatments have proved to
be of very little assistance. Much
difficulty is experienced in cutting
crab grass with the ordinary mower
on account OF its semiprostrate char
acter. This difficulty can be over
come to a certain extent If rake Is
used in conjunction with the mower.
BY means of the rake the branches
of the grass may be lifted so that
they can be clipped reasonably close.
1t is almost impossible, however, to
cut crab grass sufficiently close to
prevent the formation of seed.
There are many other weeds that
are troublesome in the lawn not only
in the spring but also in the summer
and autumn. Among the most i'm
portant ones are dandelion, plantain,
chickweed, oxeye daisy and yarrow.
While chemical sprays are more eff
fective in the eradication of these
weeds than in the case Of crab grass,
the best method of preventing their
development is to remove them with
a spud or similar implement.
The weed problem can perhaps
best be solved by making the condi-
tions as favorable as possible for the
lawn grasses and by maintaining a
strict watch at all times to check the
growth OF the troublesome weeds at
the beginning. At the end of the
growing season before the severe
weather of winter arrives the lawn
should be given a good top dressing
of well-rotted barnyard manure. II
the manure is not well rotted 1t IS
likely to introduce an abundance of
weed seeds, which will ultimately
cause considerable trouble. Top
dressing not only adds fertility to the
soil, but gives the grass protection
during the severe weather of winter
and the freezing and thawing of early
spring,
Farmers Bulletin 494, on Lawn
Soils and Lawns, may be procured on
application to the Secretary of Agri-
culture, Washington, d. c.
80.