much is as bad as too little. ‘Lest your sou or have it 
tested before lime is applied. Once limed properly, the 
average lawn should not be limed more often than once 
every three to five years. Lime, unlike fertilizer, is not 
rapidly dissipated. Crushed limestone rather than either 
hydrated or slaked lime should be used. It should be 
spread as“evenly as possible over the surface of the lawn. 
DRAINAGE 
Good drainage is absolutely essential to a lush, sturdy 
erowth of turf grasses. Well-drained soils prolong the 
growing season since they become warm more quickly in 
the Spring and remain warmer in the Fall; they encourage 
deep root structure and the available water supply to the 
grass is increased making it less susceptible to extended 
periods of drought. 
Top-soil drainage problems are rather easily solved in 
the preparation of the seed-bed for a new lawn, or, on 
an established lawn, by annual top-dressing. 
The real drainage problem is encountered in the sub- 
soil—the strata of soil that begins eight to twenty-four 
inches from the surface of the ground. In heavy clay 
areas where the sub-soil is impervious to moisture, or in 
marshy areas where the water table may begin four or 
five feet from the surface of the ground, it is necessary 
to provide artificial drainage. 
The lawn area should be trenched every twenty feet 
to a depth of from twenty-four to thirty inches. Three 
to four inch agricultural tile should be installed. The 
tiles, similar to sewer pipe, should be pitched towards 
a sewer or sink-hole, so that the water accumulating in 
the tiles can be carried away. 
Attempting to grow a fine lawn on poorly drained 
or marshy soil is a waste of time, seed, and fertilizer. 
Green coverage on poorly-drained soil can be obtained 
by using a mixture of Red-top and Rye Grass. This 
mixture will not establish a permanent lawn, nor will it 
build a turf. 
SOIL PREPARATION 
A sandy loam is the best foundation for a lawn. 
Typically sandy soils allow water to pass downward too 
rapidly; air enters the soil too freely causing rapid oxida- 
tion and destruction of organic matter; they admit heat 
too readily allowing rapid evaporation of surface moisture 
and the subsequent burning of the grass roots; they are 
non-retentive and allow plant foods, mineral and organic, 
to leach away during rainfall. Clay soils, on the other 
hand, are deficient in drainage, do not allow air to pene 
trate for normal oxidation of organic matter, resist root 
penetration, and, after rainfall, bake out to a hard crust. 
Sandy and clay soils may and should be brought to 
a loamy consistency. In the former case the application 
of one or two inches of heavy top-soil, and in the latter 
case two inches of sand to the surface of the soil prior 
to working will improve its texture. 
THE SEED BED 
‘Structurally speaking, the seed bed should be from 
four to eight inches deep, the soil to be of a loamy char- 
acter, in a loosened condition, free of lumps, clods, sticks 
or stones. 
Best results will be obtained if the elements which the 
soil lacks are applied prior to working the soil. Thus 
the topssoil should be spread on sandy soils and the sand 
on clay soils, so that when the soil is worked, the added 
elements will be thoroughly incorporated into the seed 
bed. Lime should be applied only after the soil has been 
tested and then added only in the amounts recommended 
on the FAITH SOIL TESTER AND GUIDE. 
(Continued) 

DRAINAGE e SOIL PREPARATION =) = 29 BED =) 29 D) 
