GRADING, DRAINAGE AND LAWNS 17 



with the gold of the sunlight and the intricate tracery of shadow, makes 

 good lawns an essential to the grounds beautiful. It is only a good 

 lawn that can perform this service. The importance of observing the 

 requirements that must be satisfied to have a good lawn should be 

 realized at the very start. 



A primary requisite of good lawns is thorough preparation of the 

 soil. All refuse, sticks, and stones, should be carefully removed. 

 The physical requirements of the soil must be satisfied. If the soil is 

 sandy, plans should be made to add humus in the form of well rotted 

 manure. Stiff heavy clays will have to be loosened up with an appli- 

 cation of equal parts of sand and manure. 



It is an all too common idea that the soil must be black to be good. 

 Many are loathe to attempt making a lawn on clay soil without cov- 

 ering the clay with a layer of some dark colored soil considered better. 

 This is a mistaken idea for when clay is loose and rich in humus it 

 generally proves to be a good soil for grass. Most grasses that pro- 

 duce a good sod like a loamy soil and a clay or clay-loam subsoil is 

 ideal. 



In getting the soil ready to receive the seed, a thorough loosening 

 and working is necessary. First cover the ground with well rotted 

 manure at the rate of 10-20 tons per acre, (approximately Ya, to J/2 

 ton for 100 square feet). 



In large spaces where it is practical, the soil can then be ploughed 

 and harrowed. When the subsoil is hard, it should be loosened with 

 a subsoil plough. The soil should be disked and crossed disked until 

 the lumps are well broken up and the ground is comparatively smooth. 

 Fine tooth harrowing will also accomplish the same purpose. 



In small areas where the work is done by hand a thorough spading 

 is necessary properly to break up the soil. The lumps can be broken 

 up as the ground is turned over or by using the hoe. Rolling and 

 tamping will also help to get the soil into shape for seeding. 



When liming is done or commercial fertilizer applied the applica- 

 tion should be made after the ground is ploughed or spaded and before 

 the work of pulverizing takes place. This will enable such materials 

 to be mixed with the soil. 



