232 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



this to lie upon the banks over winter. The following spring, this marl is 

 of a better consistency to handle, and is then spread upon the lawn, about 

 one inch in depth. Upon meadows, where cows are permitted to graze, for 

 ten months of the year, this treatment is repeated every three years, and 

 in this way good pastures are maintained for forty years or more, without 

 reseeding. I believe that most of our pastures run out in six or eight years 



It is a well known fact, that the frosts of winter lift the stools of grass 

 each year, thereby weakening it by exposure. So this top dressing, not 

 only benefits as a fertilizer, but by filling the concaves from one stool to 

 another, it acts as a mulch, encouraging the grass to stool out stronger. 

 If the lawn becomes weak or weedy, it needs a treatment of this kind. It 

 is far better to choke out the weeds by a vigorous growth of grass and 

 clover. than to dig them out with a knife. You will find that just as soon 

 as the lawn becomes weak, the weeds will get a start. We often see 

 stable manure spread upon the lawn in winter as a means of feeding the 

 lawn, but this is of little or no benefit because the spring rains wash the 

 juices into the sewer, before the ground underneath has had a chance to 

 thaw. It reminds me of giving a man a drink of whiskey when he don't 

 need it. 



A good top dressing for this purpose can be made by a body of pre- 

 pared soil, composed of nine parts of top soil thoroughly mixed with one 

 part of well rotted stable manure. This mixture spread over the lawn, 

 and rubbed in with the back of a rake, will also produce a smoother sur- 

 face than can be obtained in any other way. If your lawn is weedy, it will 

 be well to sow a liberal sprinkle of white clover, before applying the top 

 dressing This will help to choke out the objectionable weeds, as well as 

 to make a good foundation for the hard usage a lawn often receives. 



The small lot with its usual pent-up corners, is not an ideal place for 

 the cultivation of vegetables and yet there are some varieties, such as let- 

 tuce, radish and green onions, that do well enough, but the larger varieties, 

 such as tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, corn, cabbage and cauliflower, will 

 need a more free and airy situation. I have mentioned vegetables in con- 

 nection with the small lot, because of the great returns realized, for the 

 small amount of labor, properly applied, — and yet it is only good busi- 

 ness principle, to recommend a cleaning-up first, in order to provide a fit 

 place for the cultivation of any plant. It is well to remember that all 

 vegetables do best when planted out in the open, free from the one-sided 

 conditions of light and air, which are so harmful near buildings and fences. 

 For this reason we shall endeavor to utilize all the vacant lots in the city 

 for the purpose of raising vegetables. There are certain sections or dis- 

 tricts in every large city, where plant life will not exist, because of un- 

 healthy conditions, such as too much gas, smoke, and sour soil, but I 

 hold this criterion, that where plant life will not exist, we should not es- 

 tablish a permanent home, nor attempt to raise our children under such 

 adverse conditions. 



It is not necessary to draw a hair line by saying that a certain plant 

 must be planted here, or there. We all possess some individuality, and 

 right here, in the planting effects, as well as in the architectural design 



