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I write to ask you if you think that they need to be fertilized. The soil grows 

 orange trees well; of course they receive some fertilizer, but the pear trees were 

 treated the same. 



If you could advise me what to do I would be much obliged. 



Answer. The main reason why the Le Conte pear fails to fruit with you is that the 

 climate is too continuously warm and the trees have no decided or definite period of 

 rest. This continued activity of growth prevents the formation of flower buds and 

 encourages growth of shoots. If the growth of the plant is arrested or checked in the 

 early fall it would tend towards the formation of flower buds, and possibly secure a 

 crop of fruit. This may be effected by pruning the roots. Practically this operation 

 would consist in digging out a circular trench about 4 feet from the stem of the tree, 

 cutting out all the roots encountered to a depth of 30 inches, then undermine the ball 

 so as to sever all deep-running tap roots. Then throw the earth back into the ditch, 

 firming it properly as the filling proceeds. 



If this operation is performed about the end of August it would check longitudinal 

 growth of shoots and tend towards the formation of fruit spurs on the older branches. 



This is not a new or untried process, but has long been practiced successfully in 

 rendering barren trees fruitful under conditions similar to those here mentioned. 



LAWN-MAKING. 



J. S., Baltimore County, Maryland. Now I want to tell you about my lawn, or 

 rather I should say my failure in trying to get one. Two years ago I had the ground 

 plowed deep ; at least my instructions were to plow it deep and good, but I now 

 think that it was not very deeply plowed. It was then made smooth and level; was 

 fertilized with 300 pounds of superphosphate (it is about half an acre), and lawn- 

 grass seed sown and harrowed over. With the bushel of grass seed was mixed about 

 2 pecks of oats. It was sown about the end of March, and came up beautiful and 

 green in a few weeks, at least the oats did. When the oats were about to head I was 

 advised to mow them so as to let the grass grow. This was done ; weeds came up, 

 but very little grass was seen, and, in short, although the weeds were mown down 

 several times during the summer, the grass made no show, and when the most of the 

 weeds were killed by the frost my poor lawn looked very sickly indeed, with here 

 and there a tuft of grass and clover ; but the greater portion looked as bare as the 

 day the seeds were sown. 



I was advised to cover it all over with a coating of manure just before setting in 

 of winter, which was done. When the spring came round the coarse portions of 

 manure were removed and the finer portions harrowed into the soil. It was again 

 seeded as before, and the oats did well, but not the grass, and I have yet no lawn. 



Please tell me why I have failed and how I can get a good lawn. 



Answer. The letter indicates very clearly the cause of failure. First, the soil was 

 probably imperfectly prepared ; second, the allowance of grass seed was too small ; 

 and, third, the oat seed allowance was so large that, even if the other two factors 

 had been of the best, the oat crop would have rendered it a failure. 



To secure a good lawn the primary requisite is proper preparation of the soil. 

 Where this can be done by the plow a deep furrow should be thrown out with the 

 turning plow, and a subsoil plow run into the bottom of each furrow. This will turn 

 and loosen to a depth of from 15 to 18 inches, according to the thoroughness of the 

 work. If done by hand labor it should be spaded as deep as the spade can penetrate 

 and the subsoil loosened with a pick, but in no case should the subsoil be brought to 

 the surface if the sowing is to be immediate. 



The next operation is to level the surface so that it may be made smooth and regu- 

 lar. No pains or expense should be grudged to make the surface perfect at this stage 

 of the work, as it will be difficult to make corrections after sowing. 



If good barnyard manure can be provided a heavy dressing of it should be spread 



