ADORNING THE FARMSTEAD. 175 



LAWN MAKING. 



The first requisite in securing a good lawn is a ricli black loam. It 

 frequently happens that in excavating for the basement the clay soil is 

 disposed of by spreading it over the front yard, thus leaving a very 

 unsatisfactory soil for the lawn. Where this is done the top soil should 

 first be taken off to a depth of 5 or 6 inches and replaced after the clay 

 has been deposited. Similarly in back-filling around the foundation, debris 

 of all kinds is dumped in. This is apt to cause trouble later in settling 

 and also makes a very unsatisfactory soil with which to establish either 

 grass or shrubs. 



Grade the lawn first and then thoroughly pulverize the soil for seed- 

 ing. In Iowa the best time to seed is early in the spring, though in many 

 seasons a very good stand can be secured by sowing the seed about the 

 middle of August or just preceding the fall rains. Fall seeding, however, 

 is more or less uncertain on account of the lack of moisture supply. In 

 the case of fall seeding, it is advisable to mulch the lawn the first winter 

 with strawy manure as soon as the ground is frozen hard enough to bear 

 up a team. This should be raked off in the spring when the growth 

 begins. The best turf is that formed by Kentucky bluegrass. The 

 Canada bluegrass is sometimes used, but this is not as good. Sow the 

 seed rather thickly, say at the rate of four bushels per acre. Exercise 

 care to get an even distribution of the seed in sowing, and it is often advis- 

 able to re-seed at right angles to the first sowing in order to secure this. 



For the purpose of securing immediate effect the plan is often fol- 

 lowed of mixing with the bluegrass the English or Italian ryegrass. This 

 greens up at once and makes a very good temporary turf. Since it is 

 only temporary in character, it gradually dies out, leaving the bluegrass 

 in possession. In using the English ryegrass the proportion commonly 

 followed is that of three bushels of bluegrass to one bushel of ryegrass. 

 A slight sprinkle of white clover is sometimes added as a temporary turf. 

 Many follow the practice of sowing oats or rye with bluegrass. This, in 

 our opinion, is not advisable. Both of these plants make a coarse stubble 

 unsuited for the lawn, and they are gross feeders. Instead of being a 

 nurse crop they rob the grass of its moisture and food supply and shade 

 it too much. 



MOWING THE LAWN. 



Begin mowing just as soon as the grass is tall enough, as this cutting 

 causes the plant to bunch and stool-out, thus securing a thicker turf. Set 

 the lawn mower high, however; in fact, close cutting is not advisable in 

 any case. Stop the mowing in time in the autumn to let the grass make 

 a good top growth for winter protection. 



On the newly established lawn there is apt to be trouble with weeds 

 of many kinds. Most of the coarser weeds will not stand close cutting 

 and are killed out the first year by the use of the lawn mower. There 

 are a few, however, including the dandelion, which are not affected in this 



