126 QLanbscape Brcbitecture 



It makes really no difference whether the clay loam 

 and humus or stable manure are mixed first and then 

 applied or whether the two soils are applied separately ; 

 only for grass spaces they should not be mixed too deeply 

 with the native soil, simply raked or harrowed two or 

 three inches deep. 



Virgin soil of high quality has always been the stand- 

 ard of fertility for almost any culture. The fact that 

 virgin soil of high quality is rare and difficult to secure 

 in most places will explain why this mixture of stable 

 manure or humus and clay loam, the nearest approxi- 

 mation to virgin soil to be obtained, is recommended 

 for top dressing on sandy soils. With heavy clay soils 

 naturally the clay loam should be left out and possibly 

 sand substituted. 



Cultivation, that is aeration, is necessary for soils 

 in order not only to remove acidity but to give activity 

 to the fertilizing agents present. It is also wise to 

 use lime to correct this same acidity and add a valuable 

 element to the soil. An application of lime should be 

 made about once in six or seven years. The applica- 

 tion should not be greater than a ton to the acre, ordi- 



chapter xii., pp. 323, 324, 327, 328, ed. 1908. Also, Soils, etc., Harry 

 Snyder, pp. 113-114, 3d ed., 1908. Also Correspondence between Pro- 

 fessor E. W. Hilgard and Samuel Parsons, Landscape Architect, of New 

 York City, August, 1908. Also letter in 1914 to Professor Hilgard from 

 S. Parsons, stating that the fertile soil treated with humus referred to 

 in their correspondence of August, 1908, and applied at that time to 

 a tract of land in Central Park on the west side of the Ramble and 

 east side of the West Drive near 79th Street, Transverse Road, and the 

 Swedish school house has accomplished and exhibits excellent results 

 at the present time. 



