ve in stock.

After sowing, roll the surface of the lawn to imbed the seed in the
soil, and make the ground firm enough about it to retain sufficient
moisture to insure germination. In three or four days the tiny blades
ought to begin to show. In a week the surface will seem covered with a
green mist, and in a fortnight's time you will be able to see, with a
little exercise of the imagination, the kind of lawn you are going to
have. If the season is a dry one it may be well to sprinkle the soil
every day, after sundown. Use water liberally, and keep on doing so
until rain comes or the plants have taken hold of the moister soil below
with their delicate feeding-roots.

I would not advise mowing until the grass is at least three inches high.
Then clip lightly with a sharp-bladed mower. Just cut away the top of
the grass. To mow close, while the grass is getting a start, is the
worst thing you can do. When it begins to thicken up by stooling out,
then, and not _till_ then, will you be warranted in setting the mower so
that it will cut closely. But never _shear_ the sward, as some do. You
will never have a turf like velvet if you do that. Let there be an inch
and a half or two inches of the grass-blade left.

The importance of having good tools to work with, in taking care of the
lawn, ought not to be overlooked. A mower whose blades are dull will
_tear_ the grass off, and make it look ragged, as if gnawed away by
animals feeding on it, while the mower whose blades are of the proper
sharpness will cut it as evenly and as neatly as if a razor had been
applied to it. You cannot appreciate the difference until you have seen
a specimen of each, and compared them.

Some persons advocate raking the lawn after each mowing. Others advise
leaving the clippings to act as a sort of mulch. If the clippings are
allowed to remain, they wilt, and this will detract from the appearance
of the sward for a short time, but by the next day they will not be
noticeable. Raking as soon as mowed makes the lawn more immediately
presentable. I have never been able to see any great deal of difference
in the two methods, except as to appearance, therefore I would advise
the lawn-owner to try both methods and adopt the one that pleases him
most. If a rake is used, let it be one with blunt teeth that will not
tear the sward. There is such a rake on the market, its teeth being made
of bent wire. On no account use a sharp-toothed iron rake. That is sure