New-York tribune., 1921-03-27
Expert Tells How
To Make a Lawn
And keepItP Pretty
Construction, Renovation,
Maintenance; Are Chief
Requisites; Location De-
cides Seed To Be Used
w. H. Tucker
OF Carter's Tested Seeds. In

OF Cartey's Tested Seeds, Inc.
The subject Of lawns can be divided
into three sections: Construction, rem
ovation and maintenance.
In the construction of lawn there
are five factors to be borne in mind
soil texture, drainage, watering, seed
ing and fertiling, each being dependent
on the other.
Soils are divided into three classes,
clay. loan and sand. Loan, which is
considered the ideal, is really clay and
sand with humus (decayed vegetable
natter. Here is the key for regulat-
ing any soil texture: TO a clay soil
add sand and humus, to a sandy soil
add clay soil and humus.
humus f1oculates clay and binds sand,
containing as it does billions of soil
bacteria, it is essential to any soil.
Grass Needs Nournishment
All soils except pure sand require
drainage. This can be done by putting
lines of 4-inch tiles Is feet anart and
1S to "a inches from the surface. When
rain is prevented from entering the
earth from want of drainage it Simply
runs off the surface by any outlet it
can find. The soil can neother breathe
nor digest any fertilizer applied to it
and it is incapable of using the heat
of the sun for development of plant
life. Drainage sets all natural forces
in motion and allows water to enter
freely and to be drawn out by the suns
rays very slowly
1t is futile to attempt the construc-
tion of lawn without having a gem
erous water supply. Insufficient water
ing of grass is absolutely useless. 1t
causes the roots of the grass to work
toward the surface instead of striking
down deep in their search for moisture,
and these roots become exposed and
get scorched by the sun.
Any Kind Will Not Do
Only few people realize the impor-
tance of the selection of grasses for
different localities. 1t is sheer waste
to sow seed unsuited to the locality
in which lawn is to be constructed.
And since no single variety of grass
can remain at it's best the year round
the proportion in which the different
varieties should be mixed is as impor-
tant as their proper selection. Then,
again, if the grass seed is not pure,
robust and fertile it does not matter
how much money is spent in labor and
fertilizers.
The great defect of the seed trade
is the method of distribution. Seed is
sold in every town in the country by
tradesmen who have no special knowl-
edge of the business, and who probably
know little concerning the origin or
character of the seed they retail. The
growing, harvesting and the dressing
of seeds are skilled operations of the
first Importance; but if the buyer is to
avail himself of the advantages offered
by the exercise of such skill, he must
procure his seed from trustworthy
sources and have some sort of guar
antee that the article is of the quality
represented. The question Of price
should of secondary consideration.
Guaranteed seeds of high termination
are the best investment the home -owner
can make.
Constant Attention Demanded
Grass feeds greedily ON nitrogen.
which must be given in form most
easily assinlilated. The problem of
feeding the grass has been solved nv
the commercial production of sneciaI
grass fertilizers which encourages the
finer grasses at the expense of coarser
grasses and weeds. The ordinary arr;-
cultural fertilizers encourage weeds
and are harmful in lawns.
In preparing ground for lawn even
more care must be given than TO a
garden. A seed bed Of grass. fert;l-
izer and humus is essential since grass
cannot. be dug oyer every wear. GEM
erous seeding of quarter of nnund
TO q square yard will give a fine turf