Evening star., 1921-09-12
How to Beautify,p Our
City Home Grounds

The Making and Care of Lawns.

Nothing adds to the beauty Of a
house and grounds more than a we'll
kept lawn. Unfortunately ,the aver
ase resident has to depend upon the
tender mercies of some itinerant So
called gardener and frequently this
class is unreliable. hence this article.
The best preparation for small grass
areas is to spade the ground to the
depth Of eight or ten inches: II the
soil is poor. which is generally
the case, add some fertilizer such as
bone meal, shredded cattle manure or
well-rotted stable manure, taking care
to see that it Is we'll mixed with the
soil.
The ground should then be raked
smoothly and before sowing the grass
seed. give 1t light rolling in order
to make the ground moderately firm
and even. If roller is not availab ble
a smooth board about twelve inches
square. fastened to the end Of broom
handle or something similar, will
afterward raking the ground lightly
SO as to cover the seeds about half
an inch deep, again rolling it or tamp-
ing 1t with a board lightly.
The question of sodding or seeding
requires consideration for satisfactory
and usually contains more or less
weeds and Is not satisfactory. 1t is
recommended only for terraces or
steep inclines and for the margin of
walks. A good stand of grass can be
obtained from seed. at much less
cost and produce a good lawn in a
few weeks. usually six to eight weeks.
The latter part of August and during
September is the best time to SOW
grass seed in this locality, as the
grass seed gets well established be-
fore winter comes. and the lawn
nv,kr
which weeds will have a poor chance
of establishing themselves.
Renovating Lawns.-This plan is
recommended only where there is
sufficient turf already established to
justify it's being kept. Fork the bare
inches. at the same time adding little
fertilizer, either bone meal or shred
ded cattle manure; then treat as
recommended for new lawns. when
fairly good results may be obtained.
The upkeep of the lawn consists
ing.
The grass should be cut frequently.
never allowing it to get too long;
during the hot summer months two
inches is close enough: in the fall it
can be cut a little closer and kept
pens that the late cutting is neglected.
which causes the grass underneath
during the winter to die out, leaving
bare spots in the spring.
Rolling frequently is very beneficial.
especially in the spring: the freezing
and thawing expose the roots. which
by rolling are pressed into the earth,
causing them to take deep and vigor-
Gus hold of the soil and produces a
rich. green carpet-like appearance If
half the enegry put into watering
lawns was put into rolling, there
would be a wonderful difference in
the appearance of the average lawn.
The principal cause of grass dying
out in the summertime and being sue
ceeded by coarse grass, Is too much
watering; constant sprinkling or
soaking with water causes the soil
to sour. In very dry weather water
once week, the evening preferred,
but when it is done a good soaking
is usually done.
On lawns where the grass does not
grow we'll and weed growth and moss
are prevalent, the soil Is evidently
sour, which can be corrected by using
air-slacked lime at the rate of three
or four pounds per 100 square feet,
which can be applied any time from
November to March.
Grass seed mixtures and fertilizer
can be obtained from any of our re-
liable dealers in seeds, and for small
lawns these mixtures are to be recon-
mended in preference to home mix
lures. One quart of grass seed will
be sufficient for $40 square feet, and
SO in proportion to the area.