THE LA WN. 109 



The ground should be brought to as smooth slopes or levels as 

 possible before laying the turf, as much of the polished beauty of 

 a perfected lawn will depend on this precaution. If the ground 

 has been recently spaded or manured, it should be heavily tramped 

 or rolled before turfing, to guard against uneven settling. A tol- 

 erably compact soil makes a closer turf than a light one. Marly 

 clay is probably the best soil for grass, though far less agreeable 

 for gardening operations generally than a sandy loam. After com- 

 pacting the soil to prevent uneven settling, a few inches on top 

 must be lightly raked to facilitate laying the turf, and the striking 

 of new roots. Before winter begins all newly laid turf should 

 be covered with a few inches of manure. After the ground 

 settles in the spring this should be raked off with a fine-toothed 

 rake, and the lawn then well rolled. The manure will have pro- 

 tected the grass from the injurious effect of sudden freezing and 

 thawing in the winter and early spring, and the rich washings from 

 it gives additional color and vigor to the lawn the whole season. 

 The manure raked from the grass is just what is needed to dig into 

 the beds for flowers and shrubs, or for mulching trees. This fall 

 manuring is essential to newly set turf, and is scarcely less bene- 

 ficial if repeated every year. Cold soap-suds applied from a sprink- 

 ling-pot or garden-hose when rains are abundant, is the finest of 

 summer manure for grass. If applied in dry weather it should be 

 diluted with much additional water. The old rhyme 



" Clay on sand manures the land, 

 Sand on clay is thrown away" 



is eminently true in relation to the growth of grass. The clay 

 should always be applied late in autumn. 



If grounds are so large that turfing is too expensive, the soil 

 should be prepared as recommended above for turfing, and seeded 

 as early in the spring as the ground can be thoroughly prepared 

 and settled. If the surface has been prepared the preceding 

 autumn, then it will be found a good practice to sow the grass seed 

 upon a thin coating of snow which falls frequently early in March. 

 Seed can be sown more evenly on snow, because better seen, than 

 on the ground. 



