evenly so that it will germinate
without giving the plot a spotty effect. It should be spread at the rate
of about three bushels to the acre, and this sowing can be successfully
done only on a quiet day. Even a very light wind is liable to pile up
your seed on your neighbor's lot or on your own in places not wanted.
Keep the seed in a pail while sowing, and, after taking a handful, bend
close to the soil and let the seed feed through the fingers as the arm
swings back and forth in a semicircle. This is very much easier to say
than to do, but a little experience will make one quite proficient. To
help still more, sow the seed two ways, one at right angles to the
other. After sowing, rake lightly and then finish the work by putting a
heavy roller over it.

While thick sowing has the advantage of discouraging a growth of weeds,
there is a limit that cannot be safely passed. Seed too thickly sown
will mat and damp out, leaving great patches on the lawn. Do not exceed
the quantity suggested above.

Spring sowing should be done just as soon as the frost is out of the
ground. This early sowing gives the young grass a chance to establish
itself before the severe summer heat comes on. Careful watering is
necessary, with a fine spray, and if regularly done will induce rapid
germination. In watering do not wash out the seed by too heavy a
stream.

SODDING

Like seeding, sodding should be done in the early spring or fall to get
the best results. Oftentimes it is necessary to do the work in midsummer
and this, while not advisable, can be successfully accomplished if the
sods are laid soon after they are cut and then copiously watered every
day until all danger of drying out has passed.

In butting the sods together, use a wooden mallet, and pound the sod
into close contact with the loam beneath, flattening all joints so that
the growth will be uniform.

[Illustration: The inevitable result of sowing a cheap, ready-made
mixture of grass seed. It is worth while studying the qualities of the
various elements and making your own mixture]

On large seeded areas outline these with a border of sods, which gives a
well-defined edge and trim appearance to the work. If you should know
of a place where there is a particularly fine growth of grass, it would
be a paying proposition to buy sufficient sods from it to answer your
needs. Sods, cut and delivered, will cost about eight cents per square
foot. This price may be shaded s