PARK AND CEMETERY. 
30 
CARE OF LAWNS. 
HOW TO 'PREPARE THE SOIL. — WHAT FERTILIZERS 
TO USE. — ABOUT SOWING AND OTHER POINTS 
INQUIRED ABOUT BY READERS. 
A well kept lawn is a source of great satisfac- 
tion to its owner, but unless it receives constant 
attention, it will often prove anything but orna- 
mental. Since the introduction of the lawn mower, 
the appearance of our lawns about residences 
in the vicinity of large cities, has greatly im- 
proved. Our dry climate requires a deeper and 
richer soil than that of England to maintain a 
continued green through the heat of summer, yet 
by preparing and taking care of the ground properly, 
and keeping the grass cut often, it will grow thick 
and form a dense velvety turf. 
Preparation of Soil. — Preparing the land 
for a lawn, the soil should have mixed with it by 
ploughing, a quantity of peat which has been pre- 
viously composted and fermented with soda ash, to 
neutralize its acid properties, and is then well de- 
composed: then level the land carefully, and see 
that it is perfectly smooth. The main reason for 
using peat is that it will retain moisture even in 
time of extreme drought, and the lawn will not re- 
quire watering so often as when no peat is used. 
Manuring the Lawn. — Do not cover the lawn 
all over with stable manure which is to remain 
there all winter as an offense to the eye, the nos- 
trils and the feet. There is nothing more disgusting 
than this turning a lawn into a barnyard, and there 
is no necessity for it. As to the properties that a 
manure for lawns should possess, they are that they 
should contain a considerable proportion of nitrogen 
and phosphoric acid, in such a proportion that the 
leguminous plants are not encouraged to become 
too luxuriant, and a good proportion of imme- 
diately available alkali. These qualities are most 
favorable to a vigorous, thick growth, without* 
giving a tendency to run up too much, at the same 
time they impart a deep, rich green color to the 
grass, and these important points are obtained by 
the use of a soluble, odorless, chemical fertilizer, 
containing 6 per cent, nitrogen, 28 per cent, alkali, 
13 per cent, phosphoric acid, using 440 pounds for 
an acre, costing about nine dollars. It is to be 
applied broadcast at the rate of one pound to 
one hundred square feet, costing for the materials 
to manure one hundred square feet about two 
cents, or for an acre 440 pounds, costing nine 
dollars. In application it should be mixed with 
sand or earth, in order to spread it more equally 
over the surface, otherwise it is difficult to dis- 
tribute so small a quantity over so large a space; 
if not done so, the grass would be very uneven in 
its growth. When chemical fertilizer is used on 
lawns it is readily recognized by the passer by, in 
the distinctive color of the grass, it being of a 
bluish green color, instead of the yellowish green 
color usually seen when other substances are used. 
This fertilizer can be used to give the lawn two 
dressings in a season, but only one will be required, 
unless the ground is exceptionally unfertile. 
Time of Sowing Seed. — Lawn seed may be 
sown at any time, provided neither drought nor 
moisture are excessive; if done early in the season 
the lawn has every chance of getting into good 
condition in time to be of use for several months 
the same year. A dry time is the best for sowing, 
as raking is then more effectual, and the ground 
may be walked over with impunity. A calm day 
should be chosen for this purpose, for grass seed 
is so light that it is almost impossible to sow it 
regularly in rough weather. When the sowing is 
completed, the seed should be lightly raked in, 
using a rake with the teeth not too close together, 
so as to disturb the seed as little as possible. If 
the ground is damp at time of sowing, care should 
be taken not to walk over the seed after sowing, 
more than necessary, as it will adhere to the feet, 
and thus being removed will cause blank places. 
The sowing being finished, if the weather is dry, 
roll it with a light roller. This being completed, 
the ground may be moistened with as fine a spray 
as possible, so as not to disturb the surface, and 
may be kept moist as long as the weather remains 
dry, the best time for watering being the evening. 
Under favorable circumstances, in about a week’s 
time, the blades of grass will be showing them- 
selves pretty freely, in a fortnight they will have 
become sufficiently developed and numerous to give 
a green appearance to the lawn, and in three 
weeks from the time of sowing, they will require 
checking in order to make them tiller, or spread at 
the root, which after a liberal seeding, is the next 
point to be observed in forming a springy turf. 
Top Dressing. — American lawn mowers drop 
the grass as cut, and nothing is carried off, hence 
the gradually increasing richness of the soil from 
vegetable accumulations, are one reason why old 
lawns are better than new. It is a common 
opinion, however, that top dressing the lawn with 
stable manure, cast thickly over the lawn, especially 
in the autumn, and allowing it to remain through 
the winter, is of great advantage, but the lawn 
frequently comes out in the spring in the worst 
possible condition from weed seeds in the manure. 
It is far better to make the ground as rich as neces- 
sary before the lawn is sowed, and to add whatever 
may be needed afterwards in the form of a chemi- 
cal fertilizer with no weed seeds. 
Andrew II. Ward. 
