A discussion of the vital problems of lawn making and maintenance P U B L I S H ED S E V E R AL T I M ES Y E A R LY BY O. M. S C O TT & S O NS C O M P A NY - SEEDSMEN - M A R Y S V I L L E, O H IO Vol. I King of the Fall Pests September 1928 No. 2 they are used for a table viand, cooked in milk, like sago. [There is a thought.] M E A NS OF C O N T R O L. In lawns the grass must be hand-pulled, for the pieces scat- tered by the lawn mower are likely to take root and increase the pest. But if the plant is not allowed to develop seed, two or three seasons of careful weeding should clean it from the soil." Crab-grass is one of the worst weeds golf clubs have to contend with on put- ting greens and we find this comment in a bulletin published at Washington: "The surest way to rid the ground of crab-grass is to pull the plants by hand during June and July. After that the plants have become large enough to in- jure your soil for during August they be- gin to produce seed. Crab-grass is a short-lived plant, appearing rather late in the spring and dying with the first frost. It is a rapid grower, however, and will quickly become uncontrollable if it is not attacked in its younger stage " Other facts about crab-grass: "The seed may be introduced into lawns in manure that is not thoroughly rotted" "When lime is applied to soil it cre- ates a condition favorable to the growth of clover and weeds, particularly crab- grass CRAB GRASS AT about this time of year our mail is full of letters about crab-grass. How will I get rid of it? Where does it come from? Will Bent or any other grass keep it out? Here are a few facts about this trouble maker taken from an Experiment Station publication: rrThe seeds of this grass must be very long lived for though it is never sown, let the ground be cultivated and as a general thing crab-grass will be there. * * * The seeds of crab-grass are very nutritious, and in Germany and Poland frCrab-grass is known by these other English names: Water-grass, Finger- grass, Polish millet, purple or large crab- grass" While obviously it is too late this fall to remove crab-grass from a lawn at the most vulnerable period, the information will be helpful for the coming year. We shall make it a point to remind our friends in the summer issue of L A WN CARE for 1929 that June and July are the proper months to put crab-grass out of business. Dig Out Plantain Now WE are indebted to Mr. G. A. Hel- gert, of Milwaukee, for this time- ly thought: "During the month of Au- gust [and we imagine September too] plantain is very loosely anchored and can be easily pulled out by hand." If anyone else has been particularly successful in combating plantain we shall be glad to learn of his methods. Lawn Care Just in Time SAYS Mr. Fred D. Fenker, Clerk of the Board of Education at Rocky River, Ohio: "In this morning's mail I received your initial number of L A WN CARE. This could not have reached me at a more appropriate time as I have a problem facing me on which I shall appreciate receiving your advice." Mr. Fenker's trouble was crab-grass. He had been told that if he would sow white clover in September it would keep out the crab-grass next summer. We fear this advice is from a rather optimistic source for the reason that white clover is more apt to winter-kill when sowed in the fall. Furthermore since the crab- grass has already gone to seed it is very apt to appear again next season. Even so we believe it pays to dig out the stuff, sary spade up the bare spots, if any, and prepare them as you would a new lawn. Use sifted ashes or sand on heavy soils. Thoroughly rotted manure may be raked in but be sure that it is rotted and not full of weeds. Manure that is more than a year old should be perfectly safe. Bone-meal is very good for this enrich- ing as is sheep manure, Ammonium Sul- fate, Scott's Turf Builder, or any other fertilizer that is reasonably high in nitro- gen. Re-seed the thin parts of the lawn at the rate of about one to two pounds of seed per thousand square feet depend- ing upon the condition of the grass. A light raking after the seed is sown will be helpful as will a rolling. Many plants will die out each year so that a light resowing in the spring or fall, preferably fall, is necessary. give the lawn a good dose of Sulfate of Ammonia and resow the thin spots with lawn seed. For such a purpose we recom- mend our Regular Mixture. Revamping an Old Lawn N JO one can be blamed for not want- ^ ^ ing to tear up a lawn that is in fairly good condition. The problem of most home owners is to improve an exist- ing lawn and make the best of it. How- ever, if a lawn was originally built upon poor soil it is a rather hopeless task to attempt through top-dressing and fertil- izing ever to make an entirely satisfac- tory lawn. Money and time will be saved in the long run if the ground is spaded up, good top-soil added and a new seed bed prepared. It is not an expensive un- dertaking to spade up a medium sized lawn and remake it. If the work is done in the fall a new stand of grass can be established in a very short time. To make the best of an old lawn, dig out the weeds and scratch the surface vigorously with a sharp rake. If neces- We are often asked if our Bent Mix- ture is good for resowing an old lawn. Very satisfactory resuts have been ob- tained in this way but in the states other than those along the Atlantic or Pacific coast we believe our Regular Lawn Mix- ture will do fully as well. In this mixture are three strains of Bent and another very excellent variety for open places as well as shade, Poa Trivialis. Kentucky Blue Grass predominates. Rate of Sowing Seed ONE of the questions we are called upon to answer most frequently is, "How much seed shall I sow?" If a pure, chaff-free mixture is used, four pounds per thousand square feet should be sufficient on new ground. Golf Clubs usually sow about 150 pounds of seed per acre which would be slightly less than four pounds per thousand. A little thicker seeding is desirable for spring sowing than for fall because the grass is less inclined to spread out. For the resowing of an old lawn two pounds of Scott's Lawn Seed per thousand square feet should be ample. If the grass is only thin in spots half this amount would probably suffice. There is no doubt but that seed can be sowed too thickly. Fall Fertilizing ORDINARILY it is best to apply fertilizer to a lawn in the spring for the reason that you are getting the grass in condition to survive the trying summer months. Stimulation of grasses in the fall is not as necessary. However, if an organic rather than chemical fer- tilizer is used the action is quite slow. The result is that plant food is stored up in the soil which will benefit the grass even after the ground thaws out in the spring. Scott's Turf Builder is sixty per cent organic and for that reason its use in the fall as well as in the spring is justified. Except on Bent lawns and for the specific purpose of discouraging weeds the use of Ammonium Sulfate in the late fall is questionable practice. Poison for Lawns THE September number of Garden and Home Builder contains an article by R. B. Leach of the U. S. Department of Agriculture which advo- cates the application of five pounds per thousand square feet of Arsenate of Lead to a new seed bed. It is claimed that grubs will be kept out of the lawn for at least two years and that weed seeds already in the ground will be de- stroyed. We recommend the reading of this article. It is our purpose to give the idea a trial and the outcome of our ex- periment will be reported in a subsequent issue of L A WN C A R E. A Cleveland Compliment NUMBER 1 L A WN C A RE has been received and very carefully read. The writer compliments you upon this very valuable and instructive house or- gan. We shall look forward to future numbers and wish to congratulate you upon this method of giving service to customers and prospective customers." Clarence A. Wolfram & Associates Insurance Service Cleveland, Ohio. We are grateful to Mr. Wolfrom as well as to the host of other friends who hare expressed their hearty approval of this new publication.