LAWNS 



solidated as scarcdy to show the imprints of the foot when walked 

 upon. 



The ground is now ready to be laid with the turf or to receive 

 the seed. For sowing, a Ccdm, dry day should be „ . 

 chosen, as in the wind the seed (which is very light) ''"'""^ 

 may easily be blown away, while in the wet the surface of the soil 

 would be injuriously disturbed by walking over it. It is a good plan 

 to divide the ground into square sections by means of pegs and string, 

 and to portion out the seed correspondingly. One pound of seed is 

 sufficient for an area of 4 square yards. The seed should be sown 

 as evenly as possible and be lightly covered with soU — ^not deeper 

 than a quarter of an inch — by carefully raking the surface in two 

 directions, after which the whole should be rolled and cross-rolled 

 with a light roUer. 



In the course of a fortnight or three weeks, according to the 

 weather, the young grass ought to appear above ground, 

 and when it is about an inch high it will be greatly 5"*^"^ ** y^ 

 benefited by the application of some top-(kessing ^^ "'^ 

 (Carter's Fertilising Fibre is excellent for the purpose), which wiU 

 supply nitrogen to assist the growth of the young grass and protect 

 it from extremes of temperature. As soon as it has grown to the 

 height of 2 inches it ought to be cut — preferably with a scythe, 

 although a well-running sharp machine, set high, will do no harm. 

 It is highly important that the young, grass should be kept short 

 from the. beginning, for if allowed to become long it will be pro- 

 portionately thin and fail to broaden out, and any bare places should 

 be attended to immediately by gently loosening the soU and sowing 

 a little seed. As grass will not thrive on a loose surface, rolling be- 

 comes an important operation in a newly-made lawn, but though 

 careful and frequent rolling is necessary, a heavy roUer is not desirable. 



It may, perhaps, be well to repeat that in making a lawn by laying 

 turf instead of by sowing seed the preparation of the ground is 

 practically the same. In putting down the turves, which are usually 

 cut in 3-feet lengths by i foot wide, the joints of each piece should 

 be kept half-an-inch apart, so as to allow for expansion when beaten 

 down and rolled. 



There is one element in the preparation of the ground for making 

 a lawn which, though it is not in accordance with the 

 generally-accepted methods, seems to be well worth <-halk 

 consideration. It consists in the use of chalk as a sort sub-soil 

 of sub-soil immediately below the loam on which the 

 turf is to be placed or the seed sown. Undoubtedly the finest 



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