35 



A good Windbreak Contributes both Comfort and Beauty. 



ready for the brush-pile. It must also be remembered that the 

 leaf system takes part in the work of digestion and that a large 

 tree entirely defoliated in this fashion has been treated in a very 

 severe manner. 



LAWN MAKING. 



The first requisite in securing a good lawn is a rich black loam. 

 It frequently happens that in excavating for the basement the 

 clay soil is disposed of by spreading it over the front yard, thus 

 leaving a very unsatisfactory soil for the lawn. Where this is 

 done the top soil should first be taken off to a depth of 5 or 6 

 inches and replaced after the clay has been deposited. Similarly 

 in back-filling around the foundation, debris of all kinds is 

 dumped in. This is apt to cause trouble later in settling and also 

 makes a very unsatisfactory soil with which to establish either 

 grass or shrubs. 



Grade the lawn first and then thoroughly pulverize the soil for 

 seeding. In Iowa the best time to seed is early in the spring, 

 though in many seasons a very good stand can be secured by sow- 

 ing the seed about the middle of August or just preceding the 

 fall rains. Fall seeding, however, is more or less uncertain on 

 account of the lack of moisture supply. In the case of fall seed- 

 ing, it is advisable to mulch the lawn the first winter with strawy 

 manure as soon as the ground is frozen hard enough to bear up a 

 team. This should be raked off in the spring when the growth 

 begins. The best turf is that formed by Kentucky bluegrass. 

 The Canada bluegrass is sometimes used but this is not as good. 



