52 THE NORTH DAKOTA FARMSTEAD 



seed more carefully for a lawn than for a field. Sowing both ways 

 across the lawn will eliminate any blank spaces. 



If possible, sow the seed just before a rain, which will drive it 

 into the soil. If this is not possible rake the seed in lightly and go 

 over with a roller to hasten germination. Covering the lawn with 

 a thin coat of fine rotted manure just after seeding will conserve the 

 moisture and prevent soil -blowing and thus give the lawn a good 

 start. 



If there are blank spaces in the lawn at any time loosen the soil at 

 these places with a rake and rake m some seed. The grass may be 

 clipped the first year at a height of 2 inches but this is not necessary. 

 Never allow the grass in the lawn to go to seed, as this weakens the 

 plants. Many weeds will appear the first year. It is best to cut these 

 off, as in pulling them, many little grass plants are destroyed. The 

 first winter a mulch of well rotted manure should be applied to the 

 lawn. After the first year this mulch is not necessary for protection, 

 but a thin coat of fine well rotted manure applied in fall and raked 

 off in spring will apply much plant food. Fresh manure should never 

 be used on a lawn on account of the danger of its carrying weed seeds. 

 It is a good practice to go over the lawn with a heavy roller each 

 spring to compact the soil around the roots and to smooth the sur- 

 face. When once established the lawn will be in best condition if not 

 clipped too short, about 2 inches is a good length. A very neat looking 

 farm lawn can be secured by clipping it 3 or 4 times a season with a 

 mowing machine. If watering the lawn is ever practiced, liberal 

 amounts of water should be applied when needed. 



SOURCE OF PLANTING MATERIAL 



Trees grown in other sections do not always do well in this state. 

 There are three general methods of securing trees and shrubs, that 

 are available to the North Dakota farmer: (1) Digging them from 

 the native woodlands. (2) Buying them from a suitable nursery. 

 (3) Raising them in a nursery plantation on the farm. 



The native woodland is a good place to secure small evergreens, 

 if they are found there, and large trees for planting around the 

 house. However, it is hard to get small uniform trees for the shelter 

 belt. Another trouble is, that the trees growing in a native woodland 

 have been protected by other trees, partially shaded and have the 

 kind of soil they prefer. Such trees may suffer considerably when 

 transplanted to the open prairie where they receive no protection and 

 are often in a very different soil. 



The advantage of securing trees from a nurseryman is, that his 

 trees are more uniform in size, have a better root system and being 

 grown in the nursery row, are more adapted to the open prairie 

 than the native woodland trees. In securing trees from a nurseryman 

 always be sure that they are produced from northern grown seed, that 



