62 How to Lay Out 



the young grass before it becomes established. Good success 

 is obtained by sowing in the fall. The last two weeks in August 

 or the first two weeks in September is the best time. In the 

 fall weed seeds are not so vigorous, the rains and heavy dews 

 are almost certain, and there is time enough for the grass to 

 get established before winter. 



Good judgment should be shown in caring for a lawn. The 

 first mowing of a newly seeded lawn should be done with a 

 scythe. Avoid too close clipping of the lawn during droughts. 

 Do not let the grass grow too tall as it shades the roots causing 

 the gi*ass to have a burnt appearance. 



Good turf is the one essential for a tennis lawn. A quick 

 method of securing the finished surface is to sod the area. 

 Sprinkle some screened topsoil and commercial lawn fertilizer 

 over the sod and sow a little grass seed, water and roll. A space 

 of about 50 feet by 100 feet is usually needed and allowed for 

 a tennis court. 



Tennis has developed from the simple game played on the 

 lawn to one played on a specially prepared dirt or gravel 

 court. The desire to own a court has caused all ideas of 

 beauty in the lawn or home surroundings to be abandoned. 

 The unity of what was once beautiful home surroundings has 

 often been destroyed. Unless kept in constant use and repair 

 they are apt to become barren wastes with straggling weeds. 

 Such surfaces should be hidden from view of the house by 

 a fence covered with vines or a plantation of trees and 

 shrubs. 



To make a gravel tennis court a space about 50 feet by 

 100 feet should have all the topsoil and poor subsoil removed. 

 If the ground is very wet the land should be underdraijied. 

 Then use the same methods for building the gi-avel court as 

 is adopted for the building of grav{>l or macadam drives. If 

 the court cannot be made level, slope either way about I inch 

 to the foot and in the direction of the general slope of the land. 

 The back net can be made a permanent fence by the use of 



