THE FORMATION OF LAWNS FROM SEED 367 



wards, draining must be accomplished at least six months before seed 

 is sown. The size of the pipes depends on the rainfall of the district, 

 and the distance between the rows on the nature of the soil. The 

 depth need not be great, as grass roots do not penetrate far into the 

 earth. Fifteen feet between the rows, and the pipes three feet below 

 the surface, are common measurements. No single drain should be 

 very long, and the smaller should enter the larger pipes at an acute 

 angle, to avoid arresting the flow of water. Near hedgerows the 

 sockets should be set in cement, or the roots may force admission 

 and choke the drain, and the outflow ends should be examined 

 periodically to insure efficient working. It is, however, necessary to 

 employ a practical man who understands the business and who will 

 consider the peculiar requirements of the case. 



LEVELLING. When the land needs no important alteration of 

 the surface, deep cultivation is not only unnecessary, but directly 

 injurious. Spudding to the depth of from six to nine inches will 

 suffice, and this affords the opportunity of incorporating such manure 

 as may be required. It frequently happens, however, that the surface 

 does not present the desired conformation, and that a level plot, as 

 for a tennis lawn, can only be obtained by the addition or removal of 

 a considerable mass of earth. Possibly the level may have to be 

 raised, and to effect this, soil from a distance has to be procured. In 

 the latter case it is usual to shoot the loads where needed as they 

 arrive, tread the earth firmly down, and make the surface even as the 

 work proceeds. This is the proper method of procedure if the whole 

 bulk of soil come from one source, is uniform in quality, and suitable 

 for forming the actual seed-bed. But in the event of there being 

 much difference in the mould, it will be necessary to spread a layer 

 of each kind over the entire plot, putting the retentive material at 

 the bottom, and reserving the finer and more friable portion for the 

 top. To make up one part of the ground with stiff clay, and another 

 part with light loam, will inevitably result in a patchy appearance, 

 because each soil fosters those grasses which possess affinities for it. 

 In order to insure a perfectly level surface, pegs must be driven into 

 the soil at the four corners and at regular distances between, upon 

 which a long piece of wood having a straight edge can be adjusted 

 by a spirit level. By shifting the wooden straight-edge from peg to 

 peg, the level of the whole area can be efficiently tested. 



WEED SEEDS IN SOIL. A serious danger to which strange soil is 

 liable is the presence of pernicious weed seeds. W T e have seen a 

 lawn which had been made level with sifted soil taken from a neigh- 



