T H I". A M I-: R I C.\ N ROTA N I ST 27 



we circtnnvent the weeds by makin.? the soil sour and plant- 

 ing the grasses. All tJiat is then needed is to keep the soil at 

 a proper degree of acidity. The grasses recommended for 

 such lawns are Rhode Island bent, creeping bent, velvet bent, 

 red-top and Italian rye-grass. Most of these grasses are 

 species of Agrostis, the first named being the most highly re- 

 commended. To produce the proper degree of acidity the 

 soil is treated before planting with equal parts of ammonium 

 udphate, acid piiosphate and muriate of potash, applied at the 

 rate of about 3 ounces to the square foot or about 750 pounds 

 to the acre. All lime should be avoided and clover, of course, 

 will not grow in such soils. To keep the lawn in condition 

 and prevent tlie weeds from pushing in, the same amount of 

 fertilizer must be applied annually, early in spring, but most 

 gardeners will regard this as worth the trouble. It is well to 

 remember, however, that ordinary garden plants are not 

 likely to thrive in such soil. 



Gardening in Acid Soils. — By this time it is probably 

 pretty well known that the heaths, pitcher plants, orchids and 

 the like that are commonly regarded as difficult to grow, are 

 (lifficnlt only because they dislike alkaline soils. If the soil 

 is made acid, they thrive without much care. Since there are 

 an immense number of plants in the world that favor acid 

 soils, and many of them produce most beautiful flowers, the 

 oroblem of their cultivation is an important one. Dr. Bird 

 has recently shown in these pages that artificial bogs for the 

 cultivation of such plants may be made by simply watering 

 the plants with a solution of tannic acid. Now F. V. Coville, 

 a Government botanist has devised another scheme to make 

 the soil acid, not so much bv adding acid as by taking out the 

 alkaline matter. Bv adding aluminum sulphate to the soil, 

 the sidphur forms a new combination witli the lime in it mak- 



