Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-13

Grass seed will be about the same
price next Spring as 1t was last year.
This is good news to all home gar
deners.
Seed catalogues arriving on every
mail show grass prices little If any adj
vanced over those of the previous
season.
The drought, one might think, would
have caused rise in seed prices. On
the other hand, one prominent firm an
nounceS that its business during 1890
was the greatest in its history, and
that this season it has reduced the
prices of more than 70 vegetables to 5
cents a packet.
Agriculture is such a basic industry,
even in an industrial civilization, that
at times the city man is likely to for
get its Importance.
Those who work with the soil, how
ever, even though only in a back yard,
know that there Is no substitute for
horticulture.
II is.
Luxuries and fancies of all kinds may
be, or may not be, that is the diff
ference
Farmers may plant less acres to
wheat one year, or more to potatoes,
florists may grow more gladioli one
season, or fewer begonias the next, but
in the main both truck gardeners and
florists, as well as amateur dabblers
with plants, keep the main currents of
planting flowing steadily in their sea-
sons.
1t is probable that most lawns will
need revamping this year.
Making over an old grass plot is more
difficult than digging the whole thing
up and planting it all over again, but
the home owner hesitateS to do it. Be
sides, entire reseeding takes a quantity
of seed and most planters will not use
enough as it Is.
Sometimes one Is inclined to believe
that it is not SO much soil or other
conditions which make for poor lawns
as lack Of grass seed. II enough seed
Is put in, i'll the first place, and proper
care given the plot as the seedlings
come along, one can almost be sure Of
good grass.
We call to mind freshly seeded lawn
surrounding a gas station on a promi-
nent downtown corner. This lot was
nothing but red clay when the lawn
grass seed was put in the ground. In
about six weeks the place had as pretty
a stand of gass as one would want to
see
The amazing thing was that this
condition all during the Summer, de-
spite the hsat and the drought This
Fall additional seed was sowed in the
bare spots, and We do not know a better
looking plot Of grass in Washington to-
day. 1t always looks fresh and green,
even in the middle of Winter.
1t can be done, therefore, If one Is
willing to purchase enough seed and to
water regularly and to reseed when it
becomes necessary The primary fail
ing with most home owners seems to
be a certain niggardliness in regard to
grass seed.
Old-timers will tell you to plant at
least twice as much as the seedsmen
say. The latter, of course, do not want
to advise too heavy sowing, for fear of
soaring of the customer. Many a man
will buy 5 pounds of seed whsre he
would hesitate at 10 or 20 pounds.
Be sure that it Is difficult to put too
much grass seed into any given space.
When you have sowed what you deem
a plenty, begin all over again and put
in that much more again. And then,
If you have any left, put that in, too.
II you have ever watched a pro-
fessional Landscape gardener" plant
yard to grass seed-especially If some
one else pays the bill-you have seen
the thing done right. Unhampered by
thoughts of cost, he sprinkles in the
seed with liberal hand. How pleas