e lawn. So is May, for that
matter, but the sooner the grass gets a start the better, for early
starting will put it in better condition to withstand the effects of
midsummer heat because it will have more and stronger roots than
later-sown grass can have by the time a demand is made upon its
vitality.

Sowing lawn-grass seed evenly is an undertaking that most amateurs fail
in. The seed is light as chaff, and every puff of wind, no matter how
light, will carry it far and wide. Choose a still day, if possible, for
sowing, and cross-sow. That is--sow from north to south, and then from
east to west. In this way you will probably be able to get the seed
quite evenly distributed. Hold the hand close to the ground, filled
with seed, and then, as you make a circular motion from right to left,
and back again, let the seed slip from between your fingers as evenly as
possible. A little experimenting along this line will enable you to do
quite satisfactory work. You may use up a good deal of seed in
experimenting, but that will not matter. One common mistake in
lawn-making is to use too little seed. A thinly-seeded lawn will not
give you a good sward the first season, but a thickly-seeded one will.
In fact, it will have that velvety look which is one of the chief charms
of any lawn, after its first mowing. I would advise you to tell the
dealer of whom you purchase seed the size of your lot, and let him
decide on the quantity of seed required to make a good job of it.

In buying seed get only the very best on the market. But only of
reliable dealers. By "reliable dealers" I mean such firms as have
established a reputation for honesty and fair dealing all along the
line. Such dealers have to live up to their reputations, and they will
not work off upon you an inferior article as the dealer who has, as yet,
no reputation to live up to may, and often does, charging you for it a
price equal to, or beyond, that which the honest dealer would ask for
his superior grade of seed. In order to have a fine sward it is
absolutely necessary that you must have good seed. Cheap seed--and that
means _poor_ seed, _always_--does not contain the varieties of grasses
necessary to the making of a rich, deep, velvety sward, and it almost
always _does_ contain the seeds of noxious weeds which will make your
lawn a failure. Therefore patronize the dealers in whose honesty you
have ample reason to have entire confidence, and buy the very best seed
they ha