CHAPTER II 



LAWNS AND SOIL COVERS 



The work of making a fine greensward is the most 

 particular piece of handicraft in the garden, for it 

 is the actual foundation and will never present a 

 smoother or more even surface than the day it is 

 sown. 



Slight inequalities of surface will become more 

 pronounced with time; soft spots will settle, while 

 hard places will always remain the highest. Lawn 

 surfaces should therefore be made as smooth and 

 even as possible; mistakes can be remedied only by 

 taking up the sod and making the lawn over. In 

 England they say it takes a hundred years to make 

 a good lawn, and one eastern coast writer says: 

 "Four things are required to make a good lawn; 

 time, soil, climate and intelligent labor." Neither 

 expression fits California, for we do not need time, 

 as it is understood east of the Rockies. 



The greensward is the one permanent feature of 

 a yard ; therefore, let us have the very best obtain- 

 able. Our flower beds may be moved or the plants 

 in other parts of the garden changed every year, 

 but we expect the lawn to remain ever the same. 

 One of the first essentials for a lawn is good soil. 

 Many complain that they have black adobe and "it 

 is so hard to do anything with," but it is the best 

 medium in which to grow a fine lawn, even as sand 

 is the poorest. In enriching the soil it is well to 

 understand that it cannot be made too rich for blue 

 grass. After one gets the surface in proper condi- 



