EXECUTION OF SOME OF THE LANDSCAPE FEATURES 17 
Making the lawn. 
The first thing to be done in the making of a lawn is to estab- 
lish the proper grade. This should be worked out with the 
greatest care, from the fact that when a lawn is once made, it 
should not be necessary to change its level and contour. 
Preparing the ground. 
The next important step is to prepare the ground deeply and 
thoroughly. The permanence of the sod will depend very 
largely on the fertility and preparation of the soil in the begin- 
ning. The soil should be deep and porous, so that the roots will 
strike far into it, and be enabled thereby to withstand droughts 
and cold winters. The best means of deepening the soil, as ex- 
plained in Chapter IV, is by tile-draining; but it can also be ac- 
complished to some extent by the use of the subsoil plow and 
by trenching. Since the lawn cannot be refitted, however, 
the subsoil is likely to fall back into a hard-pan in a few years 
if it has been subsoiled or trenched, whereas a good tile-drain 
affords a permanent amelioration of the under soil. Soils that 
are naturally loose and porous may not need this extra attention. 
In fact, lands that are very loose and sandy may require to 
be packed or cemented rather than loosened. One of the best 
means of doing this is to fill them with humus, so that the water 
will not leach through them rapidly. Nearly all lands that are 
designed for lawns are greatly benefited by heavy dressings of 
manure thoroughly worked into them in the beginning, although 
it is possible to get the ground too rich on the surface at first; 
it is not necessary that all the added plant-food be immediately 
available. 
The lawn will profit by an annual application of good chem- 
ical fertilizer. Ground bone is one of the best materials to 
apply, at the rate of three hundred to four hundred pounds to 
the acre. It is usually sown broadcast, early in spring. Dis- 
