Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1881-02-24
Making a Home Lawn.
rom the Country Gentleman

From the Country Gentleman.
The most speedy way to obtain grass for
q lawn is to cut pieces of turf from an old
pasture. A muh cheaper way is to SOW grass
seed. If the yard is quite limited in extent,
the best way may be to lay down turf. Pre-
vious to applying it the soil should be made
quite rich, mellow, and even, for two rea-
sons If rich and mellow for some depth,
it will be more likely to afford moisture in
drought; and it will impart vigor to the
grass. The surface should be made very
even, and the turf of uniform thickness.
The soil must be uniform; for, if there are
hard spots, the earth will settle away from
them and make an uneven surface,-one of
the worst things in lawn. An old pasture,
having dense sod which has been kept
grazed short, will furnish good turf, which
should be cut downward vertically with a
spade ground sharp, by stretched line SO
that the pieces will fit closely together when
laid down. The pieces may be foot and
half square, more or less; and to make
them of uniform thickness. place them in
verted on a broad board, plank or tagging,
and scrape them with sharp hoe to per-
fectly uniform thickness. They are then
conveyed to the intended spot, and, if care
fully laid, will make perfectly uniform
surface when rolled. The work should be
done as early in the spring as the soil will
admit, so that the grass may have an early
start and send it's roots down into the rich
soil below before dry weather comes on.
If laid later it may require frequent water
ing from the water cask.
Sowing the seed has the advantages of
greater cheapness, and of making selec-
ton of the kind of lawn-gras wanted. But
it requires longer time to become perfect
The soil must be previously well enriched.
and made fine and even. If rich enough
the seed will be more likely to terminate
and to make strong growth. If poor, the
plants, even if they start, will be likely to
bum out. As q manure, we should prefer
mixing two or three bushels of ground
bone with load of clear. stable manure, and
allow the whole to ferment together, turn
ing the heap often enough to prevent too
great heat. Or old stable manure, with
about the same proportion of superphos-
phate well mixed through it, will answer
well, and may be used at once; or old or
well rotted stable manure alone will do.
The surface must be made fine and even;
the grass seed sown copiously, or at the
rate of three or four bushels per acre, on
the freshly mellowed surface, rolled or
brushed in. It should not be covered more
than about half an inch deep. It is very
important to SOW early in spring, 80 that
the young grass may get a good root-hold
before hot and dry weather. Kentucky
blue grass (the June or spear grass of the
East, or poa pratensis, makes the best lawn,
but two years are required for it to form
good turf; it is, therefore. best to mix with
it a portion of the seed of white clover and
red top to come forward sooner. And then
as soon as up few inches, the great essen.
ial requisite comes in.-namels; Using the
lawn-mower every Ave days during the
growing season. This will make coarser
grass look better than the finest and best
without it.