EXECUTION OF SOME OF THE LANDSCAPE FEATURES 11 



Making the lawn. 



The first thing to be done in the making of a lawn is to estab- 

 lish the proper grade. This should be worked out with the 

 greatest care, from the fact that when a lawn is once made, it 

 should not be necessary to change its level and contour. 



Preparing the ground. 



The next important step is to prepare the ground deeply and 

 thoroughly. The permanence of the sod will depend very 

 largely on the fertility and preparation of the soil in the begin- 

 ning. The soil should be deep and porous, so that the roots will 

 strike far into it, and be enabled thereby to withstand droughts 

 and cold winters. The best means of deepening the soil, as ex- 

 plained in Chapter IV, is by tile-draining; but it can also be ac- 

 comphshed to some extent by the use of the subsoil plow and 

 by trenching. Since the lawn cannot be refitted, however, 

 the subsoil is likely to fall back into a hard-pan in a few years 

 if it has been subsoiled or trenched, whereas a good tile-drain 

 affords a permanent amelioration of the under soil. Soils that 

 are naturally loose and porous may not need this extra attention. 

 In fact, lands that are very loose and sandy may require to 

 be packed or cemented rather than loosened. One of the best 

 means of doing this is to fill them with humus, so that the water 

 will not leach through them rapidly. Nearly all lands that are 

 designed for lawns are greatly benefited by heavy dressings of 

 manure thoroughly worked into them in the beginning, although 

 it is possible to get the ground too rich on the surface at first; 

 it is not necessary that all the added plant-food be immediately 

 available. 



The lawn will profit by an annual application of good chem- 

 ical fertilizer. Ground bone is one of the best materials to 

 apply, at the rate of three hundred to four hundred pounds to 

 the acre. It is usually sown broadcast, early in spring. Dis- 



