LANDSCAPE GARDENING STUDIES 



from different parts of the lawn to determine its 

 alkalinity, its clay and humus content, and possibly 

 the lack of some mineral plant-food element. If 

 the clay content is low a coating of two or three 

 inches of clay loam spread over the ground and 

 incorporated with the natural soil will add greatly 

 to the power of the soil to retain moisture and fer- 

 tility, together with the mineral salts it may itself 

 contain. But if the lawn is deficient in organic 

 matter there will be no hope of satisfactory results 

 unless this condition is corrected by increasing the 

 humus content. Under favorable circumstances 

 the best method of securing this humus is to bring 

 it from some thoroughly drained swamp which 

 has been long cultivated. Such humus soil must 

 be well rotted, thoroughly disintegrated, sweet, 

 and well supplied with nitrogen and nitrifying soil 

 germs so essential to active fertility. One or two 

 inches of this material should be harrowed in the 

 same as manure. It might be interesting to know 

 the chemical formulae of a highly fertile soil. 



ANALYSIS 



ON DRY BASIS 

 MECHANICAL — 



Sand '..... 54.5 per cent 



Clay 25. " " 



Lime 2.5 " " 



Humus 18. " " 



100. 

 TEXTURE — 60 per cent passes SO-mesh sieve to the inch. 



[10] 



