QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 21 



300 pounds of superphosphate, costing say $5 00 



300 pounds dried meat, blood or fish, at 6 00 



400 pounds refuse common salt, at 1 00 



Or say per acre $12 00 



The quantity of the two first may be doubled to advantage, or even 

 made stronger, as grass will stand almost any amount of fertilizer. 



The common salt used as an alterative and solvent will be found, 

 through its affinity for moisture, to have a decided influence in keeping 

 up the emerald green condition so desirable on a perfect lawn. On grow- 

 ing grass not more than three bushels to the acre should be applied in a 

 season, and then best during a rain — never under a hot sun. 



97. Q. What kind of grass should be sown on athletic grounds? Grass for 

 A. This prescription is also of 100 parts, but difl^ers from our park lawn Athletic 



grass in the list of varieties, a proportion of such sorts being here added *'*'*'"°^®' 

 as to better stand the wear and tear of tramping consequent upon games 

 of tennis, cricket, lacrosse and baseball. 



A pound will sow a space 20 x 20 feet, or say 400 square feet. Sixty 

 pounds will sow an acre, but we recommend seventy or eighty pounds. 

 Price per pound, S5 cents. 



Old lawns much in decay had best be plowed up, leveled up and re- 

 sown, but often this course is not convenient, certainly not if the lawn 

 can be renovated by a system taking less time. In that case, when prompt 

 results are desirable, the old sod should be well combed by a harrow to 

 tear out the dried grass and easily extracted dead roots. This operation 

 also breaks the earth, putting it in a pulverized condition to receive seed, 

 which may be sown broadcast, and falling between the living grass, roots 

 into the friable and fresh soil, and is at once in position to germinate and 

 occupy the space. On many lawns cut with the lawn mower there ap- 

 pear many pests — the creeping veronica and the mouse-eared chickweed 

 being prominent — which crowd out desirable grasses and mar the appear- 

 ance of the sward. Under such circumstances it is advised to break up 

 the parts affected and sow with seed of the Sheep Fescue, which will admit 

 of such close cutting as to destroy all pestiferous plants. The seed of 

 Sheep Fescue costs about sixteen cents per pound. 



98. Q. Is there a grass or mixture suitable for growth under trees? Grass under 

 A. Landreths' mixture of varieties produces a reliable stand under Trees. 



dense shade of either pine or hard-wood trees in positions where all 

 other grasses may have failed. Sixty pounds should be sown to the acre 

 — or, say one pound on a space 20 x 20 feet, or in proportion for other di- 

 mensions. Price per pound, 25 cents. 



99. Q. What is the best grass for a permanent pasture ? Permanent 

 A. The preparation of the laud for permanent pasture is a labor that ^as***^®* 



must not be slighted, and though farm work cannot be reduced to the 

 nicety of lawn culture, we nevertheless direct attention to our directions 

 on lawn making, and would say that the nearer the directions are fol- 



