Milford chronicle., 1916-03-03
NOW is THE TIME TO
FERTILIZE THE LAWNS
Garden Expert of Agricultural Depart
ment Gives Information to Home
Owners.

Home owners who wish to get the
best results from their lawns should be-
gin to work on them the last of Febru
airy or early in March, according to the
lawn specialists of the United States
Department of Agriculture. Too many
people delay giving any attention tC
| their grass plots until the weather be-
comes warm and thus lose an oppOrtu-
nifty to take advantage of melting snow
and the alternate night freezing and
thawing of the ground.
If the lawn has not already been fer
tilted, some form of commercial fertil-
izer should be used at once. Manure
applied this late will not be effective in
most cases. Ground bone is probably
the best fertilizer to use, although tank
age and fish scraps, some Uf which, how
ever, have an unpleasant smell. also
give good results. Prepared sheep ma
nure is an excellent fertilizer for use at
this season. COttOnseed meal where OBJ
tainable at low enough price may be
used to advantage. In connection with
these fertilizers, however. il is desirable
to use some wood ashes or other fertil-
izers containing pc tash. As ferti izers
with this element are unusually high
priced this year the natural inclination
will be to use minimum quantities.
With soils that have been we'll fertilized
in the past, failure to use a normal
amount of potash will probably not af-
feet the lawn badly in one season.
These fertilizers should be applied at
the earliest possible moment.
Temptation to get on the lawn and
clean il up is strong as soon as the snow
is gone and the weather begins to settle.
Impatience, however, should be curbed
until the ground is settled fairly we'll so
that fOOtmarks will not show in the turf.
Where a lawn has been trampled down
during the winter or played upon when
it was soft in winter or early spring the
owner should take steps to compact its
surface at the earliest possible moment.
This cOmpacting, however, should not be
done until all trash has been removed. |
As soon as the ground is sufficiently set
tied so that rake does not dig into the
turf the owner should rake it gently with !
a wooden toOthed rake. Frequently, |
howe er, all that is necessary is to pick |
off the litter. If lawn has been COW |
cred with manure in the fall, it will be |
necessary to break the manure up with |
q rake in the spring and remove some |
Of the coarser portions. A wooden rake
is best for this purpose, as it will leave
20 much more of the fine material upon
the ground.
Do not rake off so much of the ma
1ure that the lawn will have thorough
y clean appearance. All Of the fine
that the summer growth of grass
ian possibly hide should be left. 1t is
how much litter the grass will
obscure in lawn, as one or two heavy
aims will beat down a quantity of such
Before freezing weather is entirely
,ver, fresh grass seed should be sown
or it must be remembered that only by
epeated applications of grass seed can ,
good lawn be produced. The ordinary
eeding of grass on a new lawn is one :
ound of seed to every 400 square feet
hat is, to a piece 20 feet square. For
eseeding a lawn, One-tenth to one-half r
( this amount should be used, according .
D the condition of the lawn at the time.
or the northern part of the United l
tates, Kentucky blue grass and redtop /.
re the standard varieties. However,
here there are many bare spaces it :,
I'LL be found well to use some white
over. About one-tenth the quantity
{ clover as of the other grasses men
oned will be required.
Probably as good a time as any to ap-
IS grass seed will be some morning =
hen the ground is frozen, so that when Il
le glOuud thsws during the middle of .
le Gay the sown seed will be covered
to germinate well. The most =,
lceessful seeding is that done while the y
round is freezing a little each night and :
lawing again in the day time. Many ?,
sOple have success in sowing grass y
ed upon a light snowfall at a time 4
ben the snow is likely soon to melt. y
ith either of these methods, however, u
ere is danger that birds will eat some
the seed before it is covered in the y
il. In spite of this, however, there is =
better chance of getting a good lawn "
these methods than when the seed is y
wn on land that will not quickly cover y
The last operation in the preliminary ci
ring care of a lawn is to give it a
cd rolling. This rolling, which should
done with as heavy a roller as can be
ndled. should not be begun, however,
til after the lawn is dry enough so
at the roller passes over it without Is
king at at any point below the gen. he
al level. If the land is too wet the
Ter will leave depressions. This roll NJ
! should be done just as soon as the m
I'd is dry enough TO permit it, as roll
{ compacts the soil about the roots of sp
; plants, brings them into closer con- sli
It with the soil. and gives them bet
opportunity to make a quick start "a
soon as weather conditions are fRv- 10
lble. lei
Grass cutting should begin just as liza
N as the lawn mower can get a good
d. The very early cutting may be Su
de with the lawn mower set close to
ground. AS soon as the growth of ag
lss becomes a little less vigorous, the
wer should be set lust as high az Su