25th  YEAR 

No.  124-PS 

PUBLISHED  FIVE  TIMES  YEARLY  FOR  LAWNTHUSIASTS 

T . M.  RE<Z 

FALL - PLAY  BY  PLAY 

THE  wonderful  advantages  of  the 

Fall  season  for lawn planting  and 
renovation  are  still  overlooked  by  too 
many  people.  LAWN  CARE  was  a  pi-
oneer 
information 

in  disseminating 

step,  but  if  you  do  weed,  wait  a 
week  for  the  chemical  to  work  before 
proceeding. 

Cut  Close.  This  is one time  of  the year 
when  a close cutting  is good.  By mov-
ing  up  the  mower  roller,  adjust  the 
height  of  cut  to 
to  1".  Follow 
mowing  with  a vigorous  raking.  This 
will  clean  out  any  excessive  accumula-
tion  of  undecayed  clippings.  Such  an 
accumulation,  if  left  through  a  rainy 
winter  season, 
is  conducive  to  the 
activity  of  winter  fungus.  Fall  clip-
ping  and  combing  opens  up  the  turf 
and  makes  it  more  receptive  to  the 
following  steps. 

Beat  Down  the Bugs.  Keep  in  mind 
that lawn moths are still active through 
September and October in many places. 
Also  that  beetle  grubs  feed  on  grass 
roots  in  the  fall,  preparatory  to  hiber-
nating  deep in the soil over the winter. 
If  birds  have  been  flocking  to  your 
lawn  or there  is any evidence of  insect 
activity,  then  Pest  Control  is  good  in-
surance. 
It  is  now  possible  to  get 
dry-applied  materials  made  especially 
for  turf  insects.  They  can  be  applied 
by  hand  or  with  a  spreader  in  just  a 
few  minutes. 

Build  Up Low  Spots.  Water  stands  in 
low spots and grass roots can't breathe. 
Add a little  top  soil to the  depressions 
and  smooth  it  out  with  the  back  of 
a  rake. 
Apply  Lawn  Food.  Plenty  of  nourish-
ment  will  help  to  keep  your  lawn 
green  over  winter. 
If  the  right  fer-

about  these  advantages  and  welcomes 
this  opportunity  of  outlining  again  the 
following  easy  steps  that  bring  such 
a  favorable  response  from  grass: 
Get  Rid  of the  Weeds.  This  is  one  of 
the  first  things  needed  to  beautify  any 
lawn.  With  the  new modern  chemical 
weed  controls  there  is  no  need  to 
tolerate  these  broadleaved  unwelcome 
visitors.  Hand  pulling  is  now  old-
fashioned.  So  is  the  spraying  that 
necessitated  measuring  out  a  solution 
and carrying water.  The new dry com-
pounds  can  be  used  just  as  they  come 
in  the  package.  Distributing  through 
a  spreader  assures  most  even  applica-
tion  and  without  waste.  If  weeds  are 
no  problem  in  your  lawn,  omit  this 

tilizer  is  used,  its  benefits  will  even 
carry  over  to  early  spring.  Spread  it 
evenly  for  even  growth.  Another  ap-
plication  a month  from  now will  help 
even  more,  but  at  least  plan  on  one 
good  feeding. 
Seed  Bare  Spots  to  cover  any  unsightly 
scars. First cultivate 
the soil with a claw 
type  hand  cultiva-
tor  or  by  chopping 
with  a spade.  Then 
"tickle" 
the  seed 
in  with  points  of 
a  rake  to  just  par-
tially  cover  it.  On 
thin  spots  simply  scratch  with  a  rake, 
seed,  and  then  tamp  lightly. 

Lime  Now 
Will  Penetrate 

Acid  soils,  which  prevail 

in  the 
humid  regions  of  the  Northwest  and 
in  the  North  Coastal  counties  of  Cali-
fornia,  have  a  way  of  tieing  up  soil 
nutrients.  Thus  fertilizer  applications 
may  not  produce  the  expected  . re-
sponse.  Reducing  the acidity by proper 
applications  of  lime  helps  to  correct 
this  condition  and ' is  something  that 
can  be  done  by  any  homeowner. 

important  element 

In  addition to  reducing  acidity,  lime 
also  replenishes  calcium  in  the  soil  — 
an 
likely  to  be 
deficient  in  areas  of  high  annual  rain-
fall.  Calcium  builds  up  the  tissues  of 
grass  plants. 

Lime  can  be  applied  to  the  surface 
of  established  lawns.  Winter  rains,  or 
freezing  and  thawing,  help  to  work 
it  in  to  a  good  effective  depth. 

The  most  common  source  of  lime 
is  agricultural  limestone  which  is  raw, 
ground  limestone.  Dolomitic  lime  can 
also  be  used,  or  finely  ground  oyster 
and  clam  shells. 

Most  garden  supply  stores  carry  at 
least  one  of  these  forms  of  lime. 
If 
ground  limestone  is used,  do not apply 
more than  50  pounds per  1,000  square 

feet  in  the  fall  season. 
If  more  is 
needed,  another  50  pounds  can  be 
put  on  in  late  winter  or  early  spring. 
If  hydrated lime  is used, the maximum 
amount  recommended  is  35  pounds 
per  1,000  square  feet  per  season.  Do 
not  use  oxide  of  lime 

(quicklime). 

In  most  parts  of  California  the  soil 
reaction  is  neutral  or  even  alkaline  so 
the  acid-reducing  reaction  of  lime  is 
not  needed.  Calcium  can  be  supplied 
in  California  by gypsum. 

Agricultural  gypsum  also  helps  to 
crumble  sticky, clay soil  such  as adobe. 
However,  it  does  little  good  when  ap-
plied  to  the  surface  of  established 
lawns.  It  requires  an  intimate  mixing 
throughout  a  6  inch  depth  of  soil, 
using  1  or  2  bags  of  gypsum  per 
1,000  square  feet. 

Keep  Leaves 
Raked  Up 

Leaves,  especially  if  wet,  can  mat 
against  the  ground  and press  so firmly 
that  they  smother  the  grass  under-
neath.  This  is  particularly  true  of  the 
small  barbed 
live  oaks. 
That  pock-marked  appearance  of  some 
lawns  in  early  spring  is  the  result  of 
matting  of  leaves. 

leaves  of 

They  are  easiest  to  rake  or  brush 
off  while  they  are  still  atop  the  grass 
and before  they mat  down.  Therefore 
frequent  raking  in  the  fall  is  more 
important  than  thorough  raking. 

Because  they  make  such  quick,  easy 
work  of  leaf  removal,  lawn  sweepers, 
like  lawn  spreaders,  are  rapidly  be-
coming  standard  equipment  and  a 
welcome  gift 
the  person  who 
takes  pride  in  his  lawn. 
Sirs: 

For  the  last  eight  months  I've  been  us-
ing  Turf  Builder  with  such  excellent  results 
I  want  you  to  know  about  it.  My  lawn  is 
just  a  small  patch  under  our  plum  tree  but 
it  wasn't  doing  very  well  last  year.  So  I  fed 
it  Turf  Builder  and  again  twice  this  spring. 
Our  soil  is  pure  sand  here  but  my  bit  of 
lawn  is  as  green  as  an  emerald  and  growing 
beautifully. 
San  Francisco, 

Calif.  MRS.  MABEL  EDWARDS 

for 

Improving 
The  Tract  Lawn 

Ever  since  the  war,  rush  develop-
ment  of  small  homes  on  a  mass 
production  basis  has  resulted  in  thou-
sands of  "hurry-up"  lawns which  have 
proved  a  disappointment.  This  is  not 
intended  as  a  condemnation  of  all 
tract  lawns,  but  the  situation  exists  in 
sufficient  cases  to  be  of  more  than 
just  casual  interest. 

then  grass  was  not  for  them.  They 
unfortunately  tried planting one of the 
grass  substitutes,  only  to  find  it  was 
no  better. 

Tearing  up  and  rebuilding  a  lawn 
is an  expense  to be avoided  if  possible 
when  paying  for  a  new  home.  By 
following  this  simple  Scotts  program, 
thousands  have  achieved  amazing  im-
provement  with  a  minimum  of  cost. 

Topdress  to  Smooth.  Probably  a  rush 
job  of  grading  was  done  so  that 
irregularities  appeared  either 
from 
settling  or  because  grading  was  not 
properly  done 
first  place. 
These  irregularities  can  be  corrected 
by  topdressing. 

the 

in 

First  mow  the  grass  short. 

If  the 
clippings  are  long  and  tend  to  pile 
up,  rake  them  off.  Otherwise  let  them 
fall  and  remain. 
Get  some  good 
topsoil.  Contact  your 
garden  supply  store  or  the  yellow 
pages  of  your  local  phone  directory 
under  "topsoil."  Try  to  get  good 
friable  loam  that  contains  some humus 
—  in  between  extremes  of  clay  and 
sand.  Don't  be  deceived  that  soil  is 
good  just  because  it  is  dark  in  color. 
The  physical  nature  of  a  soil  can 
be  determined by a simple  experiment. 
Take  a  sample  of  the  soil,  wet  it 
thoroughly  and  roll  it  into  a  ball, 
exerting  as  little  pressure  as  possible. 
Allow  it to  dry a couple of  days under 
normal  room  conditions.  Then  drop 
the  ball  to  a  hard  surface  from  a 
height  of  three  feet. 
If  it  crumbles 
readily  it  can  be  considered  of  good 
consistency.  If  it  remains  intact  there 
is  too  much  clay. 
If  it  goes  all  to 
pieces  or  crumbles  in  the  hand  there 
is  too  much  sand. 

If  good topdressing soil  is not avail-
able,  less  desirable  grade  can  be  used 
by  first  improving  it.  Dump  it  on 
a cement  driveway and thoroughly mix 
in  peat  moss.  If  it  is  heavy,  also  mix 
in  coarse  sharp  sand. 

When  the  homeowners  arrive  on 
the  scene  early  enough, 
they  can 
usually  specify  the  seed  to  be  used 
and  the  planting  procedure  to  be  fol-
lowed.  Some  development  offices  will 
make  an  allowance  if  the  owner  puts 
in  his  own  lawn.  These  individuals 
will  find  many  helpful  suggestions  inf 
the  complete  set  of  LAWN  CARE  bul-
letins  available  for  only  25c  at  local 
Scott  dealers  or  from  Scott's  at  Palo 
Alto. 

Most  young  homeowners  move  into 
a  new  tract  only  to  find  they  have  in-
herited  a  lawn  of  questionable  value. 
It  was built  in a rush with  a minimum 
of  preparation  and  seeded  with  cut 
rate  grass.  What  to  do?  Some  of  the 
more  inexperienced  concluded  that  if 
this  were  typical  of  a  grass  lawn, 

As with  any lawn,  feeding  regularly 
each  spring,  summer,  and  fall  will 
help  to  keep  it  green  and  beautiful 
and  a  continuing  source  of  much 
enjoyment. 

reports 

A  LAWN  CARE  reader 

that 
Turf  Builder 
is  Ivy's  friend.  He  says  he 
uses  Ivy  in  shaded  areas  bordering  close  to 
the  house.  For  years  it  grew  slowly,  never 
appeared  to  be  healthy  and  looked  like  the 
sort  of  stuff  that  ought  to  be  torn  out. 
Then  it  occurred  to  him  two  years  ago  to 
try  feeding  it  with  Turf  Builder.  He  re-
ports  the  ivy  soon  took  on  a  deep  green 
color  and  began  sending  out  new  shoots  in 
all  directions.  Now  it  has  made  a  thick 
green  mat  completely  covering  the  shaded 
areas.  His  conclusion  is  that  Turf  Builder 
has  worked  as  well  on  ivy  as  on  his  lawn. 

Seasonal  Advice 
In  Other 
Issues 

issue 

LAWN  CARE  has  promoted  the  idea 
of  fall  lawn  fixup  starting  with  the 
first 
in 
1928.  Fall is the 
best time to seed 
a  new 
lawn. 
Specific  sugges-
tions  are  given 
in 
t he  LAWN 
C A RE  D i g e st 
Chapters. 

Any  back  is-
sue  of  LAWN 
C A RE  will  be 
mailed  free  for  the  asking.  Better 
still  is  an  investment  of  25c  for  the 
paper  bound  File 
(illustrated)  of 
LAWN  CARE.  The  set  in  a  loose  ring 
binder  with  room  for  many  more 
additional  issues  is  $1.00. 

See  your  local  Scott  dealer  or  mail 
coin,  stamps  or  check  to  Scotts  at 
Palo  Alto,  California. 
Sirs: 

My  son  recently  bought  a  home  in  town 
with  an  old  lawn  infested  with  dandelion 
and  used  your  Weed  &  Feed.  It  is  amazing 
to  see  the  results. 
Lompoc, 

MRS.  EMILY  MARTIN 

Calif. 

use 

reader 

reported 

in  effective 

this 
last  winter: 

LAWN  CARE 
sign 
A cubic yard topdresses  1,000  square 
feet  14  inch  deep  so  plan  at  least  this 
much  for  topdressing  an  established 
tract  lawn. 

Place  the  topdressing  in  small  piles 
about  the  lawn  and  distribute  with 
the  back  of  a  garden  rake  or  drag  it 
with  a  steel  door  mat.  Apply 
it 
heavier  in  the  low  spots. 
Provide  Nourishment.  Next  apply a turf 
building  lawn  food.  Use  a  spreader 
to  get  it  on  evenly.  Then  water  the 
lawn  thoroughly. 
Sow  Seed.  Next  sow a top quality lawn 
seed  mixture.  This  is  the  step  that 
will  make  permanent  improvement  in 
the  character  of  the  lawn  so  don't 
sacrifice  quality  to  save  a  few  pennies 
here.  Good  seed  will  provide  finer 
textured  grasses  of  perennial  growth. 
Sow  2 - 4  pounds  per  1,000  square 
feet.  The  latter  rate  will  be  a  heavy 
seeding  if  good  seed  is  used. 

Unless  there  are  bare  spots  the  seed 
will  not  have  to  be  covered.  Simply 
keep  the  lawn  watered  well,  using  a 
fine  spray  whose  drops  are  not  heavy 
enough  to  wash.  And  avoid  puddling 
that  may  "float"  the  seed. 

A  little  additional  seed  can  be sown 
each  spring  or  fall  until  the  popula-
tion of  desirable grasses has sufficiently 
increased  in the lawn to  give  it a more 
uniform  and  distinctive  appearance. 

O  M  SCOTT  &  SONS  CO.  Scom)  M A R Y S V I L LE  -  -  O H IO 

EVERY  PACKAGE  OF  SC0TTS   LAWN  CARE  PRODUCTS  BEARS  THIS  TRADE  - MARK  AND  IS  SEALED  FOR  YOUR  PROTECTION