AUGUST: SECOND WEEK 201 



lawn, but his bill — even loam and gravel count up when you 

 buy them by the cubic yard — would be apt to cause some 

 hesitation on the part of the average man. 



Fortunately another course is possible. Poor drainage, 

 due to a hard subsoil, may be improved with dynamite at 

 very Httle expense. Half-stick charges, placed in holes ten 

 to twenty feet apart each way, will open up the whole sub- 

 structure of the soil. The poorest part of the excavated soil 

 should be carted away or used for filling in depressions. The 

 rest should be spread about, and plowed under as deeply 

 as the topsoil will permit. A good coat of rotted manure 

 should be harrowed in, and unless this has been put on two 

 or three inches thick a dressing of high-grade fertilizer 

 should be added. 



Start with a Good Soil 



If the soil is very poor, or if manure cannot be obtained, 

 it will be better not to attempt to seed to grass at once, but 

 to improve the soil first. This does not necessitate untidy 

 appearance. Sown to rye and vetch, or to crimson clover, 

 the place will be green all fall and early next spring. This 

 crop may be plowed under in April or May, and the lawn 

 made then; or a summer green crop may be grown, such as 

 millet or oats, to be turned under in August or September. 

 By this method even very poor soil can be put into good 

 condition, with only one season's delay and at a saving of 

 some hundreds of dollars for each acre of lawn. 



Different types of soil require different treatment. The 

 three types usually encountered are sandy or gravelly loam, 

 loam, or clay. The sandy loam needs humus, which may 

 be supplied by turning under green crops; or prepared 

 humus may be bought by the ton. Heavy rolling to com- 

 pact the soil after plowing and harrowing is desirable. 



With a naturally good loam success is easy, provided the 

 drainage is all right. The subsoil should be examined, and 

 if necessary dynamited or tile drained. When the lay of 

 the land is such that good natural drainage exists below 



