Home Town Story OUR TOWN of Marysville the heart of Ohio is a mighty fine place to live. Like small towns all across America, it offers the good things of life in abundance along with quiet and leisure and friendliness. in watered turf highlights the building while in the surrounding park-like area the grass is cut at 21/2 or 3 inches. Three feedings a year, some seeding, a bit of weed control—and that's it. One man using the latest in mechanical equipment does most of the lawn work and he is on duty only six months out of the year. The feeding program and height of cut have helped keep the non-watered lawns of these grounds a good green color through most of the dry months of the past two summers. Another year water from the hospital's own well, after serving its purpose of cooling cer- tain inside areas can be sprayed on the lawn to keep the grounds fresh and cool looking even during severe drought. What that means to the hospitalized patient can best be expressed in the words of one of the nurses: "Our beautiful lawn has a healing value all of its own". Fortunately this plus fea- ture is present through most of the year. One of Marysville's fondest dreams was realized a couple of years ago with the completion of its first hospital, a modern functional building which owes much of its beauty to the perfec- tion of its setting. There is about an acre of polished floor area inside and over eleven acres of lush green carpet outside. Variations of shading by mag- nificent trees add to the beauty of the lawn. Part of it is in deep shade, part in dappled sunlight and part bathed in the full splendor of the sun. Although the maintenance of the SCOTT LAWN pictured is a compli- mentary service, a like program would not be burdensome to any community. For economy the lawn is maintained in two sections. A closely clipped, well Copyright 1954, O M Scott & Sons Co [c T HE name SCOTT on a bag of seed goes back to 1870, but we have no disposition to rest upon the prestige of antiquity. In order to relate the past to the present, we include a sketch of the building where the first pound of SCOTTS LAWN SEED was blended and proudly placed in a white cotton bag. As a contrast we show our spanking new seed processing plant, just being completed to enable us to continue quality control on an ever-larger scale. The philosophy established in the early history of the Scott Company has been responsible for carrying Scotts Lawn Seed to the four corners. The idea was, and is, simply— to put together a lawn seed of such quality that folks who want fine lawns insist upon using it. After all, the mouse trap people have no monopoly on beaten paths. The word "quality" of course gets numerous interpretations. In our busi- ness it means careful selection to insure the cleanest lots of seed the various crops produce. This is followed by thorough recleaning over the most mod- ern mills to remove worthless chaff and troublesome weeds, and later by scien- tific blending of the grass varieties best suited for lawn purposes. Interest in better lawns has so broad- ened the demand for Scotts Lawn Seed that it had been necessary to work around the clock in the old facilities. For a while, at least, this won't be necessary in the new plant incorporat- ing the most modern equipment. Everything possible has been done to preserve growing ability of the seed from the time it enters the plant until So/7 Test Service Soil is a composite grouping of partially decomposed rock, minerals, organic matter, colloids, air space, micro-organisms and water. A soil is not easily changed but knowing more about it may help in making the most of whatever is available. For one thing, many of the lawn soils east of the Mississippi have a low pH and need the neutralizing effect of lime; or they may need cal- cium and magnesium supplied by dolomitic lime. It is not a good idea, however, to apply lime unless a soil test shows it to be needed. Scotts provide such service at the nominal charge of one dollar a sample. About a pint of soil is needed. Samples are to be addressed to the Company at Marysville, Ohio, except those originating in the Jap beetle quarantine zones (mostly east of the Allegheny Mountains). For the latter soil samples should be addressed to Scotts at Cranbury, New Jersey. A helpful report in layman's lan- guage will be sent promptly upon completion of laboratory report. it is packaged, sealed and sped on its way to produce a SCOTTS LAWN. Bulk- flo conveyors elevate the seed to insu- lated storage bins. Cool air is constantly circulated around the bins by unique honeycomb construction of the pent- house. Giant "mix masters" gently stir the seed to keep air moving through it and to maintain a uniform blend. In processing, the seed flows auto- matically under controlled conditions to slow-motion cleaning machines. Chaff and waste matter is drawn off, and con- veyed to incinerators. Only the plump, clean seed is returned to other storage bins. When ready for packaging, the latest in automatic equipment weighs the seed, carries it into blending mixers and finally into packages — all under strict laboratory control. Lending inspiration to all are the vast areas of turf testing plots within view of the plant. Nearby is a park-like development of homes. For us living in a small community this is an exciting venture. We're thrilled as we contemplate the ease and efficiency with which we can carry on LAWN CARE activities that never cease to challenge, and we are grateful to the many loyal customers who made this enlargement necessary. Obviously, everyone can't enjoy the peace and quiet of small town living but we are happy the lot has fallen to us. A business which deals with grass roots seems appropriately cast in a grass roots community. In our new quarters we expect to be happier than ever in a business which affords such stimulating contacts. People aspiring to have more beautiful and enjoyable home surroundings are people at their best — these are our customers. BLUEGRASS LOVES the warm days, cool nights of the fall seasons. It responds to Nature's gentle ministrations by making low full growth, vigorous roots,. tillering — that is filling out. Filling out may be bad for people but it's good for grass plants. Fat and sassy plants make better turf than tall and skinny ones. Check tenance list of for fall the established season main- lawn: Stopped Weeds Dandelions, plantain, buckhorn are easily cleaned out in the fall. Use one of the special Scotts dry compounds — 4-XD or the double-acting WEED & FEED that makes grass better as it kills the weeds. Easy Scotts Spreader Grass Strengthened application. Easy job to feed with root- b u i l d i ng T U RF B U I L D ER — just the thing for perennial grasses. Grass roots grow in winter, too, gain in strength if food available. . ^ f-f the fact Bare Spots Seeded Nuclear physics, has not that nature abhors a changed vacuum. Get grass started before weeds have a chance to take over. Moisture Supplied Your grass and trees and shrubs need moisture in cool weather as well as hot. Keep the soil moist if you possibly can. Tree roots take up a lot of moisture, even in cool fall weather. Meowing? Yes, keep it up as long as grass grows. In fact, set the mower to a shorter cut in cool weather — a half inch or so less than hot season height. Scoffs Bluegrass Again Available Although this year's harvest of Ken- tucky Bluegrass seed is hardly 50% of a normal crop, it does look as if it may be more than double the production of last year. Because of the outlook for additional supplies, we are able to again offer a blend of the best strains of bluegrass or "poa" species. One of the remarkable features of the combination of bluegrass varieties is the ability of established turf to with- stand drouth. Given a fall and winter to get started, bluegrass will live through many months of searing weather and stage a remarkable recovery when rains do come. During fall season, SCOTTS the BLUEGRASS can be planted in the pre- pared seedbed of a new lawn or seeded into a thin stand of grass to make it thicker. It is composed of seeds of the best strains, including Merion, grown in many localities to meet the needs of varying lawn conditions. The combination has been selected on the basis of results of Scotts Lawn Research and observation in parts of the country for which this edition of LAWN CARE is written. This work goes back many years and is a continuing project to keep readers abreast of all improvements in grass strains, plant food materials and biological chemistry. special seeding is the extra time — Fall for starting brand new lawns or mending established lawns. Even late fall seeding may be better than a postponement until spring. For suggestions on the new lawn seeding, see the preceding issue, LAWN CARE NO. 136. Skunks, moles, raccoons — great for mi- lady's wearing apparel but bad for your lawn. Grubs, ants, earthworms, other soil insects provide food for the aforementioned burrowers. Both lawn problems can be solved by spreader application of the 9% Chlor- dane formulation of Scotts Lawn & Turf Pest Control. New Pocket Size Lawn Care Book Just off the press, 96 pages of sug- gestions on building and maintaining lawns. Sixteen chapters are grouped in three AMATEUR'S GUID£ JGuvn&Sjc. | categories: The New Lawn Lawn Maintenance Some Particular Problems This amateur's guide is priced at only 25c postpaid. You may want to send a dollar bill for extra copies for friends or customers. The loose-leaf Binders of Lawn Care are one dollar, postpaid. Lighter weight plastic hose makes it pos- to move sprinkler without walking sible on newly seeded area. Pole has hook sprinkler. for convenience lifting in WARM MOIST soil is the key to seed sprouting. About three weeks of con- stantly moist soil is needed for good peren- nial grasses to emerge from seed. Watering of new seedings is not abso- lutely necessary. Rains will eventually do the in some seasons nature's irrigation may be weeks or months late. though job, If the area is watered to hasten germination then this ought to be tended to faithfully so the surface soil does not dry severely. Two or three daily waterings may be needed dur- ing the first couple of weeks, then possibly once a day. This routine should be followed until after the first mowing or until cold weather curtails growth of the young grass. Areas fully exposed to the sun may dry within hours during the bright days of early fall or Indian summer. Drying is more rapid on slopes facing south and west—or in any situation when there is brisk daytime wind. Snow Mold is the common name for one of the fungi that sometimes attacks grass when the thermometer hovers just above freezing, especially if the soil is saturated. The mercury in SCUTL is a specific guard against this winter prob- lem if applied before the disease develops. Apply at Normal Rate with Spreader in November or December. • O M SCOTT & SONS CO. M A R Y S V I L LE - - O H IO MC-336 E V E RY P A C K A GE OF S C O T TS 83054 L A WN C A RE P R O D U C TS B E A RS T H IS T R A D E - M A RK A ND IS S E A L ED F OR Y O UR P R O T E C T I ON