THE THREE LEADING FORAGE GRASSES 6 1 



MAKING A BLUEGRASS LAWN 



A lawn may be made by transplanting turf or by 

 seeding. In either case the preparation of the soil is 

 the same. The best soil is a rich, well-drained loam such 

 as would be considered good soil for the growing of corn, 

 wheat or other field crops. This soil should be prepared 

 by plowing and harrowing to put it in fine tilth. The 

 turf should be cut from a pure stand of old bluegrass sod, 

 transferred to the prepared soil as soon as possible to 

 prevent the drying out of the roots, laid closely and 

 evenly and tramped or rolled firmly in place. The sod 

 can be cut in squares and placed in piles or cut in strips 

 and rolled up, these methods tending to prevent the 

 exposure of the roots to the drying influence of the air. 

 After the turf is placed, the lawn should be thoroughly 

 wet down. If all the conditions are favorable, this is the 

 best and quickest way to get a good lawn. In practice 

 it is not often that all these conditions are fulfilled. It is 

 difficult to obtain a pure sod of bluegrass. If the soil is 

 contaminated by weeds, these become troublesome and 

 are not easily removed. If the sod contains few weeds 

 but is a mixture of grasses, the resulting lawn will lack 

 uniformity in color and texture. To those who are par- 

 ticular in regard to the appearance of a lawn, these are 

 serious objections. Because pure or unmixed sod of blue- 

 grass is usually not available, turfing cannot be relied 

 upon to produce the best lawn, and one must resort to 

 seeding. 



If the soil is not fertile it must be put in proper condi- 

 tion by the addition of fertilizer. Good well-rotted barn- 



