Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1883-05-10
The Lawn.

]. c. Plumb, ia Western (Wis.) Farmer.
A good, smooth, well-furnished lawn
| is one of the most desirable features
of the surroundings Of our homes; but
how few do we see except in our cities,
which are generally made at great ex-
pense for leveliDg, turing and moving.
Yet every farm house, as well as village
yard, should have its grass plat: not
rough as a bog meadow, but smooth
enough for a croquet ground, and level
or sloping, to suit the grounds.
The first requisite for lawn is good
and deep soil, of which well.eDriched
clay.loam is the BEST. 1t should be
well drained and porous, so that rains
viii not remain on the surface nor in
the soil long in summer. If very
sandy, clay must be added, or muck
and leached ashes are good to firm up
the soil.
The second point is to have it well
sodded or seeded. Sodding is usually
too expensive for extensive lawns, but
with suitable machine for cutting, the
most Cost is in hauling. A load of a
toms weight of Lhree-inch sod will cover
about twelve square rods or less. If the
sod be from close-fed pasture and cut
early, two iAhce s of soil WILDE as good
as three inches month later.
| Previous to laying sod or seeding,
the surface should be made level, and
well rolled down, that no depressions
may appear when all is settled, and
the sod packed close and well tramped
when first laid.
After all is down, half an inch of
rich loan should be spread evenly
over all, and well raked down, to fill up
all depressions and cracks, and another
half inch of fine manure spread over
ali for mulch, will greatly help and
quicken the growth OF the grass, which
after few rains may be mostly raked
in or off. 1t is well to water once or
twice, if dry, and also to let the first
growth get well up before moving, to
strengthen the roots.
Seeding the lawn must be done early.
Blue grass or June grass, with one fifth
white clover, or at the rate of 10 pounds
of clover to 40 of blue grass per acre.
/ for this climate, which should be care
fully and evenly sown. If mixed with
twice its bulk of fine soil, or sand it
can be sown more evenly, going over
the ground twice or more, different
ways; seed raked in, and well rolled
down with hand roller. or lawn NOW
er roller. The old practice OF sowing
oats to shade the young grass is abso-
lutte folly, as 1t does more harm than
good. New seeded lawns should be
moved with a scythe few times to
keep down the weeds, which are as bad
as the oats.
To renew an old lawn, we spread, early
in the season, one or two inches, of
rich soil and fine manure, rakins down
and rolling as before mentioned to fill
depressions, and seed with more or
less of new seed as may seem necessary.
BY this treatment an old lawn will re-
new itself speedily.
A midsummer top dressing with road
dust will help the lawn to its autumn
green. To keep lawn in good condi-
ton it should have a top dressing every
all just before freezing up, with half
rotted manure, which may be raked
OF as soon as the grass starts in spring.
This will give it the fine vigor so de,
sired.
Another essential point is in frequent
moving; every ten or fifteen days, &C
cording to growth. A good rule is to
NOW whenever grass is strong enough.
The lawn mower is greatly preferable,
but sharp scythe, in the hands of an
expert mower, will do good work. If
moving is delayed too long it will be
cut too close, and the soil will soon be-
come patchy and uneven. The lawn
must be well cared for to be q thing of
beauty and summer JOY.