PREPARATION OF THE LAND. 41 



condition, and especially if on poor soil or under the shade 

 of large trees, whose roots take up the plant-food in the soil 

 with great rapidity. 



Covering the lawn with coarse manure in the fall, to lie 

 more or less exposed to view, is very objectionable and 

 unnecessary, as a fine compost is equally effective in pro- 

 ducing good growth and gives off no offensive odors. 

 Quickly soluble fertilizer, like nitrate of soda, sulphate of 

 ammonia, or muriate and sulphate of potash, may be used 

 in limited quantities from 200 to 500 Ibs. per acre of a 

 mixture of either of the nitrates with one form of potash, 

 1 part of the former to 3 of the latter, on an established 

 lawn; but on a new one these salts cannot be safely used 

 unless thoroughly mixed with the soil some time before 

 seeding. Fine-ground bone, fine fish, and cotton-seed meal 

 in place of the nitrates may be safely used under any condi- 

 tions with no fear of injury to the roots or leaves of the 

 young grasses. 



Special lawn-fertilizers manufactured by nearly all of the 

 large fertilizer-dealers are composed of materials well suited 

 to make a rapid growth of lawn-grasses, but the same 

 elements used in their unmixed condition will cost very 

 much less and give equally good results. 



The quickly soluble fertilizing-materials, i.e., salts of 

 ammonia, soda, and potash, should be sown just as growth 

 is beginning in the spring; while the less soluble, i.e., bone, 

 fish, cotton-seed, etc., may be sown in the fall or during the 

 winter. 



RESEEDING THE LAWN. 



Fertilizing-materials alone will not keep the lawn in per- 

 fect condition, but grass-seed should be frequently sown 



