Next to having good seed to sow, on properly prepared ground, the great
essential in lawn-making is a proper kind of roller to use as occasion
requires. Few people realize just how important a part a roller plays in
the upkeep of any grass area, but it is no exaggeration to say that
without one, successful results will be difficult if not impossible of
achievement. Use a roller--a heavy roller--on your lawn early in the
spring to repair the damage that the freezing and thawing has caused in
the winter.
The early rolling levels the surface, packs the earth about the grass
roots and makes it possible for them to draw the moisture from deep down
in the ground. A roller is to be used often, not once each season. Its
consistent use means that you will have fewer weeds, thicker and better
colored grass; the disfiguring moles will find the ground too difficult
to burrow through, moisture will be retained longer, and a noticeably
better condition will be noted throughout the whole lawn.
The old-time stone roller was an instrument of torture, and almost
wholly unsuited for lawn work as suggested. There are now on the market
dozens of ball-bearing rollers that are very easily handled. The
adjustable kind, in which there are compartments to hold either sand or
water to vary the weight, is the kind that should be purchased. With it
you have a roller light enough to use for seeding, or heavy enough for
road work, and the prices are not prohibitive.