SITUATION, SOIL, SURROUNDINGS 5 



The fescues, rye grass, and white clover are all excellent 

 seeds for lawns — the clover usually mixed with another kind. 

 Use about a bushe l and a half of good seed to one hundred square 

 feet of ground. The practice of spreading old, well-rotted ma- 

 nure over grass, for winter protection and enrichment of the soil 

 below, is rather discountenanced to-day; and this because of 

 weed-sowing again. I have found Alphano Humus an excellent 

 fertilizer, though, since warmth is needed with young grass, 

 this would not quite answer the piupose in winter. 



As a small place is in process of creation, there is nothing more 

 interesting than the use of sod, where sod is available, to outline 

 the diflEerent areas of planting or planning. Lines of cut turf, 

 laid evenly and quickly, cause the whole plan of a place to spring 

 at once into existence before one's eyes. Sod, cut in foot-squares 

 and well watered in a dry season, or placed just before rain, is 

 almost certain to flourish. Border your lawn spaces with sod if 

 you can; then sow the larger areas, and you have a plan before 

 you which you may fill out entirely at your leisure. 



But enough has been said concerning soil. Surroundings of the 

 garden are rarely of one's own creating. If they are beautiful, the 

 garden's owner is fortunate; if indifferent, he can improve them; 

 if ugly, he must then create beauty within his own borders. And 

 how simple it is usually to screen out what is worst outside of 

 our gardens. A Lombardy poplar or two quickly become our 

 first line of defense against a tall chimney, an aggressive bam, or 

 ugly house. A good yoimg maple or elm also lends itself well to 

 such purposes; and where the object to be shut away is low and 

 squat, rather than high, an apple tree will serve more purposes 

 than that of a screen, ^n fact, where space is very limited in the 

 small lot, fruit trees are to be preferred to those which add noth- 

 ing but their good looks to one's property:^ 



Where buildings abut directly on the loC where they come up 



