Lawns and Tennis Grounds from Seed 



downs and commons, but in its new home the grass rarely thrives. 

 The fact is that the evolution of natural turf is an extremely slow 

 process, and on fresh soil, under new conditions, the grasses soon die 

 out, leaving the soil bare, unless it is filled by indigenous weeds. 



Should turf be preferred, autumn is the proper time for laying it. 

 If laid in spring the sections separate under a hot sun or drying 

 wind, and the whole surface is disfigured by ugly seams. Fissures 

 have then to be filled with soil and sown with seed. The contrast 

 between the fresh young herbage and the old grass is often visible 

 for months. 



The objection most frequently urged against turf is its almost 

 prohibitive cost. When cut to the usual size three feet long by 

 one foot wide nearly fifteen thousand pieces are required to lay an 

 acre. The expense, including cutting, carting, and laying, seldom falls 

 short of ioo/. For the same area the usual quantity (four bushels) 

 of seed of the highest quality can be obtained for about 6/. ; and if 

 for urgent reasons an extra thick seeding is considered necessary, 

 the outlay will seldom exceed ten per cent, of the expenditure 

 for turf. 



A sward produced from a mixture of suitable seeds is in- 

 comparably superior in quality to the best turf generally obtainable. 

 Seeds of fine and other useful grasses are now saved with all the 

 care necessary to ensure the perfect purity of each variety. The 

 presence of extraneous substances of any kind, and of false seeds in 

 particular, can be instantly detected. The percentage of vitality is 

 also determined with exactness by severe and reliable tests. The 

 several varieties of grasses can therefore be mixed with absolute 

 precision in suitable proportions for any soil or purpose. 



Soil. The ideal soil for a lawn is a rather deep rich loam, free 

 from weed seeds and stones, resting on a subsoil sufficiently porous 

 to ensure perfect drainage. Unfortunately a soil of this character is 

 not often available. In nearly all cases the ordinary cultivated loam 

 of the district must be accepted, and with a little trouble and outlay 

 it is generally possible to create a satisfactory seed-bed. 



On a shallow loam, over a bed of gravel or chalk, the grass burns 

 quickly in a dry summer, and when making up the top soil it is always 

 desirable to secure a depth of at least nine inches of good earth more 

 if possible. Where clay is near the surface, drain-pipes must be laid in. 



Retentive soils are so difficult to prepare in a late spring that it 

 is wise to get the bed into perfect order during the preceding autumn. 

 Only the surface will then need attention in spring. By this manage- 



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