SODDING SOILS 205 



grow very readily. If a sod edging is laid along walks and 

 drives, it should be pounded down an inch or more lower 

 than the surrounding loose land which is seeded, because 

 the loose land will finally settle ; otherwise the sod border 

 is likely to be higher than adjacent land after a year or two. 



If there are uneven places on the sodded area, these de- 

 pressions can be filled in with very loose, fine soil; and the 

 grass will grow through it. In dry weather, a sodded area 

 may be mulched with a half inch of fine loam to protect it. 



Soils. Soils are of many kinds. The classi- 

 fication of soils depends upon one's point of view. Garden- 

 ers ordinarily call a good, friable, dark-colored, rich Soil a 

 garden loam. No Soil is so good that it cannot be improved. 

 It is improved in two general ways: by tilling (see Till- 

 age], and by the application of various substances. 



In considering the improvement of lands by the applica- 

 tion of foreign substances, two distinct things are to be con- 

 sidered: the improvement of the physical texture, or tilth, 

 of the Soil ; the increasing of its plant-food. These are 

 coordinate objects. In some cases one may be of prime 

 importance, and in another case the other may be more 

 necessary. Lands which have a fair store of available plant- 

 food may be unproductive. Such lands may be very greatly 

 benefited by stable manure, even though that manure may 

 have lost a large part of fertility by being baptized under 

 the eaves of the barn. If plant-food alone is needed, then 

 some concentrated or commercial fertilizer may be the best 

 thing to apply. In most cases the main or chief ameliora- 

 tion of the land is to be wrought by tillage, stable manures, 

 mulches, green crops, and the like; if special results are 

 desired, commercial fertilizers may be added more or less 

 liberally, as the case demands (see Manures, Fertilizers). 



The top-dressing of Soils is often very beneficial because 

 it tends to prevent the escape of moisture, and often im- 

 proves the physical texture. If the material contains plant - 

 food, the land will also be directly enriched. The trim- 



