78 POLO APPLIANCES. [Chap. III. 



inches, and slope it inwards, so that if the ball touches 

 them, no matter how gently, it will roll out again, and 

 permit of a clear hit being obtained. 



Great pains should be taken with the turf, which, 

 even if not very good at first, will improve in a few 

 years to an extraordinary extent, if well manured 

 in the winter. Old cattle straw manure is better than 

 horse manure for ordinary soils ; but the best of 

 all is bone dust, which, unfortunately, is expensive. 

 A fair dressing of bone dust is 3 cwt. to the acre ; 

 but for the encouragement of turf suitable for polo, 

 we need not scruple to spend 5 cwt. on each acre. A 

 similar quantity of basic slag, which is excellent for 

 producing good turf, may be employed. 



If it is desired to improve an ordinary ground on 

 which turf does not wear well, the following process 

 may be carried out : Harrow and cross-harrow the 

 ground at the end of August or early in September ; 

 sow from i to i ^ bushel per acre of Sutton and Son's 

 mixture of seeds for grasses for recreation grounds ; 

 lightly bush-harrow the seeds in, and well roll down 

 twice in different directions. A top-dressing in 

 November will greatly help the seeds. Grass seeds 

 may be sown at any time between the middle of 

 March and the end of September ; but from the 

 latter half of May to the beginning of August, dry 

 or hot weather often proves destructive to the young 

 plants. From the middle of March to the first week 

 in May is the best time for spring sowing ; from 

 the first week in August to the middle of September, 

 for summer or autumn sowing. Should there be 

 failure from any cause, more seed should be 

 sown the following spring. The seed will probably 



