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Show First Job of Garden Year to Feed and Seed the Lawn When the calendar says that spring is here, experienced gardeners put on sweaters, and rubbers If necessary, and go out even on muddy soil to perform the first two tasks ot the planting season applying plant food, and sowing grass seed. Timing Is of the essence, for these operations. Winter breaks up with messy mixture of freezing and thawing, snow and sunshine, and while these conditions make beginning gardeners stay Indoors, the veterans know they are made to order for spreading plant food, and dropping lawn seed on the thin and bare spots. When the ground thaws out after freezing night, once the deep frost has been drawn out, the surfaqe of the soil will be seen to have a honey-comb appearance. Tiny holes will be left in thawing soil, which shrinks as It thaws. Farmers sow oats on soil like this and say the seed "muds in." Grass seed finds its own cover, and plant food is carried by the draining water dawn to the roots of perennial plants. Grass seeds do not need cover so much as lodgement. Too deep a soil covering may delay its germination seriously, because it needs sunlight for germination. But when sown on a smooth bare, surface, it is easily washed off by a light shower, so that spot continues bare, while a good stand ot rrtss appears on the ne&rcst low patch ot open soli to which the seed was washed. Seed finds lodgement in the honeycomb soil of early spring; lster you will have to loosen up the bare spots before sowing, and coer the seed which you sow on thin places with a light top dressing ot sand and sifted soil, to keep the seed in place. Lawn grasses grow best in cool weather; and the young plants from your new seed have plenty growing to do before they are subject to the ordeal of hot, dry weather, and seed bearing. The Iof longer they can grow in cool, moist weather, the better they will survive the summer test. So THAWING SOIL IS POROUS. HONEYCOMBED AND CREVICED PLANT FOOD APPLIED NOW IS CARRIED DOWN TO THE ROOTi THROUGH THIt SOIL CONDITIO WHEN SOIL IS IN MID "SEASON CONDITION IT TAKES PLANT FOOD LONGER TO REACH ROOTt. Frost helps plant food to reach the roots. the longer you wait, the less chance your new seed has to develop into vigorous, permanent grass plants. Plant food spread now should be chiefly Inorganic, the commercial plant foods as distinguished from msnures. Organic materials are not made available to plants until temperatures of the soli rise above 70 degrees, but the chemical food-are available right away. Always feed perennial borders at this season. Theie will be no danger of burning anything, and the food will find its way down to the roots without disturbing them. When the soil dries out, you will have to dig into It to get the food down where It is needed, and this may be harmful to the plants. If you feed plsnts well at the beginning of the season, when growth is just starting, they will enjoy a vigorour. youth, and develop extensive roots, which in turn will reach out to find their own fiod to maintain the top growth. The effect will be visible in your peonies, iris and delphiniums, and all the other perennial fleers which are tU stsrs of mien displsy in May and J |
