PREPARATION OF THE LAND. 31 



up the grade-lines and mark on the stake the necessary 

 depth of fill or excavation to be made at each stake. In 

 all this work the different grade-lines must be made to 

 blend together so as to form a pleasing whole. 



Where the land is rough and more or less covered with 

 stones and stamps or the roots of large growing trees, much 

 hand labor must be resorted to, spading and digging up the 

 soil about the rocks, tilling in with good soil where the 

 surface-soil is poor and shallow, and rounding and smooth- 

 ing up to the required grade. If the roots of living trees 

 are near the surface, deep working must be avoided, but 



FIG. 10. A "WELL" ABOUT TREE WITH ROOTS DEEPLY 

 COVERED. 



where feasible a covering of six to eight inches of good soil 

 over these roots will often prove the cheapest way of 

 making a good surface for the lawn. Deeper covering than 

 this must be avoided, as it often results in the death of the 

 trees. If it becomes necessary to cover deeper than the 

 above, a "well" should be made about the trunk, as in 

 Fig. 10, until the roots have had time to work to the sur- 

 face. This well may be from 4 to 8 feet .in diameter, 

 according to the size of the tree and depth of covering. 

 After two or three seasons of growth, when the roots have 

 worked through the soil to the surface, this space may be 

 filled in with safety. 



