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Show HOW TO START A GOOD LAWN Every home may have a lawnr It need not bo a large one. It need not be an expensive one. But an expanse ot greensward between the house and road is a sign that prevents intrusion intrus-ion on the sacredness and privacy ot tbo family. It is the line of separation separa-tion between the home life and the World ot business. Many a home is without a lawn because be-cause the lot Is so small. But the tiniest lawn is, like the small garden, gar-den, it great deal better than no lawn at all. But, tho amateur gardener or the home maker may say, we don't know anything about Iawnmnklng, hnd we cannot afford to hlro a professional. You don't need to. You can do the work for yourself. It will not bo hard work It you go at it in thu right way and take your time for it. And you will find It pleasant work, as everything every-thing that tends to make home attractive at-tractive always ls to the home lover. Tbo first thing to do Is to look the place over carefully. Very1 likely you will find humps and hollows, p'erhhps a stump on two. Or the ground may have an unpleasant slope in the wrong direction. These are conditions condi-tions which must be corrected. After you have got rid of everything every-thing that encumbers the soil and the space is clear for work set about reducing re-ducing it to either a level or a slope from the house to the road. A sloping slop-ing lawn is always more pleasing than a level one, but It ls not so easy to make becauso It necessitates filling fill-ing In near the house with soil. ,. Go over the ground with a sharp hoe nnd cut off tho top of every hummock, hum-mock, and with tho soil thus secured (111 every hollow and depression. Pound it down well, that thero may be no settling. When tho entire sur-faco sur-faco has been reduced to a lovel or to an oven slop, go over it with an Iron toothed rake, and scrape the soil well to tho dopth of an inch or two, more it tho soil has come from excavations. exca-vations. Before seed is sown the ground should be well fertilized. An impression impres-sion seems to prevail that a lawn does not require fertilizing for the grass of tho roadside looks fresh and green, and it gets little food except that which Is furnished by the soil it grows In. You cannot secure a lino sward on tho home lawn unless you make the soil quite rich. Much depends oil tho start the grass gets, and It will get a very poor start If tho soil is lacking In proper food. The Ideal fertilizer would bo old. woll rotted manure from tho cow yard If It -were obtainablo, were It not for tho fact that It Is suro to bo full of weed seeds. Well rotted stablo manure, ma-nure, worked over by composting, has tho weed seed germinated nnd ls good lawn dressing. Commercial fertilizer If secured from a thoroughly reliable dealer In agricultural goods will supply sup-ply Just what your soil needs. Tho dealer should be nblo to advlso you nB to what quantity to mnko use of. Scatter this evenly over tho ground nnd rake It into tho soil beforo seed ls sown. Use only tho very best kind of lawngrnss mixture In seeding your lawn. A fine, deop, rich swnrd cannot can-not bo secured from poor seed. In looking over tho seedsman's catalog you will find a tablo tolling you how much seed will bo required for tho lawn, but I would advlso you to dou bio tho quantity specified. At least this ls truo If you buy prepared mixtures. mix-tures. By thick seeding you will get a deop velvety sward by tho middle of tho first season. Chooso U damp day for sowing tho seed, and n still day It posslblo, for tho seed Is so light that tho slightest wind will blow It nwity. Scatter it broadcast, holding tho hand closo to tho ground to mako suro ot tho seed falling whero It ought to. It IB li good plan to sow from north to south nnd then from cast to west. By going over tho ground twlco In dlfferont directions di-rections you aro likely to got an oven "catch." Mowing should not bo begun until tho gross ha grown to bo two or thrco Inches tall. Then' Just clip tho top of It. Closo cutting will Injuro tho crown, and it will also glvo tho, lawn the appearance of being sheared shear-ed nnd prevent It from having that volvuty look which is ono of tho chlof charms ot tho satisfactory lawn. , After the lawn Is mado do not spoil It by planting shrubs all over it, or breaking It up with flower beds. Keep the shrubs and tho flowering plants to ono side, and leavo an unbroken stretch of swnrd between tho houso and tho street. E. B, Roxford In Farm and FIrcsldo. |