METHODS OF LAWN MAKING 123 



the excessive porosity of the soil, we find it necessary to trench and screen 

 for all border and lawn work for the latter to a depth of twelve to 

 eighteen inches. After this we harrow in some well-rotted manure, roll 

 down firm and level, then sow preferably blue grass, at the rate of three 

 bushels to the acre, rake in very lightly, mulch with about two inches of 

 coarse stable manure, then water thoroughly and repeat the watering as 

 the top soil becomes dry. If sown in the spring, the seed should germinate 

 in from four to six weeks, and success will be determined by the treat- 

 ment given in these weeks. When portions of the lawn fail to germinate, 

 we find it best to wait till the rest comes up three or four inches, and then 

 transplant what is needed to fill out the ground, in turfs of two or three 

 inches in diameter, giving a mulch of good top dressing around each turf ; 

 this method is preferable to resowing the blank spots. When symptoms of 

 exhaustion appear we mulch quite heavily, as we find the excessive 

 sprinkling necessary to keep the lawns up in good color entails rapid ex- 

 haustion of the soil. Rolling and frequent mowing are essential to the 

 acquisition of a really beautiful lawn." 



Trenching for a Lawn. If one wishes to do something very thor- 

 ough in preparation for a lawn, this will meet the desire: "The best way 

 to prepare the ground for a lawn is to trench it. Stretch strings across 

 from side to side of the plot, two feet apart, and dig off the top soil from 

 this strip to a depth of six inches, heaping it up at the opposite end of the 

 plot. Then go down eight or ten inches with your spade and thoroughly 

 break up the subsoil. For heavy clay soils you will have to dig about two 

 feet deep. After this, spread on well-rotted manure in a layer two or three 

 inches thick, and mix it with the earth. Take up your first string and 

 stretch it again two feet beyond the second one and dig off the top soil 

 from this strip to a depth of six inches, placing it on top of the manure in 

 the first trench. Continue this process until you have gone across your 

 lawn, and when you get to the last strip, cover it with the top soil taken 

 from the first trench. This may seem a good deal of trouble, but it is really 

 not much more work than spading up the soil without method, and it gives 

 far better results." 



How Major Hall Made Lawns. Some years ago Major Hall of Pacific 

 Beach made a lawn on two plots, each 30x15 feet in size. He put a load of 

 manure on each plot, spaded it well, then sifted more manure over the top ; 

 kept it wet until vegetation started, then hoed over the entire ground, wet 

 again and let the weeds start again, repeating the operation till all vegetable 

 life is destroyed. He advises not sowing grass seed until it is settled warm 

 weather. He sowed on each plot five pounds of Kentucky blue grass and 

 two and one-half pounds white clover, raked in lightly and kept watered, 

 never letting it dry out even on the surface. In three weeks he began to cut 

 it with a lawn mower. In summer it was cut every day ; in winter twice a 

 week. He says the great secret is in having everything grown and hoed 



