316 PARKS 



be carefully cut out and replaced with fresh sod. For this purpose it is 

 well to establish a turf nursery at the time the green is built, taking a bit 

 of good grass land and preparing a seed bed as for any farm crop, then 

 adding two inches of screened loam and seeding with the seed used for the 

 green in about the same amount. For use this sod is cut in the desired sixe 

 and trimmed to an even thickness. The hole cut for it is cut to the same 

 depth and the sod carefully tamped in place. A light top-dressing of loam 

 is raked over and in a short time the green is as good as new. Particularly 

 in new greens, hollows will develop. At the end of a season the entire 

 green should be carefully tested for level, high spots cut or pounded down 

 and all hollows carefully filled up with rich screened loam and then seeded 

 if necessary. With such treatment a green will improve from year to year. 



LAYOUT OF AREAS FOR OTHER GAMES AND SPORTS 



The following pages contain directions for laying out and constructing 

 facilities for the following games and sports: Baseball, basket ball, football, 

 hand ball, paddle tennis, playground ball, shuffleboard, soccer, tennis and 

 volley ball. 



Baseball. Baseball may be played on any level field 300 feet square, 

 although an area 325 feet square is preferable. It is possible to play the 

 game on an area as small as 250 x 250 feet if an overhanging backstop is 

 used. A turf area is desirable, although not essential, but when used the 

 turf is generally removed on certain sections of the diamond as described 

 later. The following directions for laying out a baseball diamond are from 

 the Official Playing Rules and are reprinted with the permission of the 

 American Sports Publishing Company: 



"With a steel tape measure lay out the base lines and place the home 

 plate and pitcher's box as shown in the diagram (page 317). If it is possible 

 to do so, have the home plate due north and the pitcher's plate due south. 

 Remove the sod from the base lines between the home plate and first and 

 third bases; also from first base to second base and from second base to 

 third base. The sod may be removed from around the pitcher's plate. Fill 

 in the base lines and the ground around the pitcher's plate if the sod is 

 removed. Mark the lines of batsman's box, on each side of home plate, 

 with whitewash, chalk or similar substance. Also foul lines, from home 

 plate to first base and from home plate to third base, continuing out into 

 the field beyond first and third bases. 



Distance from home base to first base, 90 feet; from first base to second 

 base, 90 feet; from second base to third base, 90 feet, and from third base 

 to home plate, 90 feet. Total distance around the bases, 360 feet. Distance 

 from point of home plate to pitcher's slab, 60 feet, 6 inches. Distance is 

 measured from point of home plate, where the base lines intersect, and not 

 from the front part of the plate. Distance across diamond, from home plate 



