214 



ON MAKING LAWNS BY SEEDING. 



kept in good order. It is a lawn in the contemplation of 

 which a person of cultivated taste could not find pleasure. 

 The second section shows the same lawn nicely graded, 

 as with a level. It affords no variety in its contour, as 

 natural landscapes do with rare exceptions. The third 

 grade is slightly dishing, which of all forms for small 



Cfowning 



Four Views of Different Grades in Lawn-Making. 



grass areas is the worst. It is comparatively character- 

 less, having indeed a depressing effect on the beholder. 

 In pleasing contrast with this is the style at the bottom, 

 which shows a swelling contour through its center, which 

 at once satisfies the eye of good taste. It is a style that 

 may well serve as a pattern for the average small ' ' door- 

 yard " lawn. 



The illustrations refer to land that is level or nearly 

 so ; hence might not apply to grounds that possess more 

 or less natural undulations throughout. In the latter 

 case we would recommend that 

 slight unevennesses be reduced, in 

 order to facilitate the use of the 

 mower, especially near the house ; 

 but, in the main, there might be no 

 objection to retaining some natural 

 variations of the surface. 



A rule that must be adopted in 

 lawn -grading is to have a good 

 depth of fertile surface-soil over all 

 parts as finished. This may vary 

 from four to eight inches in thick- 

 ness, according as the lawn is with 

 or without access to hydrant water. 



If all work up to this stage and 

 also the final plowing, smoothing, 



raking and rolling, could be done in the fall and the 

 final touches be left until spring, thus securing thorough 

 settling of the soil, the lawn will not lose its shape. In 

 the absence of either over-winter settling or of a heavy 

 intervening rain, if the surface is everywhere thoroughly 



tramped by horses when the soil is so dry that it will not 

 pack, this may answer nearly as well as the other ways. 



A perfect tool for smoothing is a "float," consisting of 

 two pieces of scantling about six feet long, on which are 

 nailed inch boards a foot apart, connecting one scantling 

 with the other, three feet apart. To add effectiveness 

 ..^ the driver stands on it when passing rough places. 

 ,.. , > Sodding the Edges. — Now mark out the walks 



'j^^/^rMJ^-rTdm, '^'^'^^^ '^'^ ^^^^^ °* *® ^^^^ borders, 

 preparatory to defining all such edges with a line 

 of sods. In the illustration below, A shows a walk ; 

 B B B a bed and the borders of a lawn ready for 

 seeding, all the edges being thus defined. The 

 operation is a simple one ; First, some sod is cut and 

 rolled; second, a slight depression about half as deep 

 as the sod is thick is made in the lawn, and here the 

 sod is put in place and thoroughly beaten with the 

 back of a spade to settle the grass-roots firmly. 

 In taking up sod for edging, turf as clear of weeds 

 as possible should be sought. The advantage of 

 taking up and putting down sod in long, reliable 

 strips is shown in the first illustration on opposite 

 page, where the long strips are much more uniform 

 in thickness than where the sod is lifted in squares. 

 Another gain is the smaller number of joints that 

 will appear in the finished work. 



Seeding the Lawn. — An extensive experience 

 in testing lawn-grasses and in seeding lawns leads 

 us to prefer a mixture of equal parts of Kentucky blue- 

 grass (Poa pratensis) and red-top [Agrostis vulgaris) 

 to any other for stocking the lawn. With us this mixture 

 has proved much superior to the mixed "lawn-grasses" 

 offered by nearly all seedsmen, and it costs considerably 

 less. The kinds named are kept in stock by all seed- 

 houses. We order them separately and mix as we sow. 

 We use at the rate of not less than four nor more than 

 six bushels to the acre. 



As a last preparation for receiving the seed, the surface 



The Lawn Graded and the Edges Sodded ; Ready for Seeding. 



should be gone over with the garden-rake, leaving it 

 smooth and fine. This is important for better germina- 

 tion of the seed, and is of material assistance in securing 

 even sowing. Grass-seed can be properly sown only 

 when the air is quite at a standstill. This condition is 



