Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-09
MAKING THE PERFECT LAWN
First Step is to Prepare the Ground
Properly.
KEEPING THE LAWN IN CONDITION
very Rich sOn Needed for the Rest
Results - Advantages of the
sOwn over the sOdded
Lawn.

"
1T Is easy enough to have a perfect
lawn II one will only go about II right"
declared a nurseryman who has to his
credit some OF the most beautiful lawns
in Westchester county. "Shrubbery can
be replanted, flower beds rearranged every
year with very little trouble, but the
making Of a lawn requires the uprooting
OF the entire groundwork.
"A lawn is expected to look attractive
from all points Of view and at all times
OF the year. For that reason the land
must be prepared and the seed so selected
as to give the best results at all seasons
1 say seed. because for all lawns larger
than a city lot the planted lawn Is much
more desirable as well as more economical
than the sodded lawn.
For a good lawn you must get the
very richest soil. 1t is impossible to get
soil too rich for a good lawn. II the land
is naturally fertile the proper soil can
be made by deep blowing without sub
soiIing. II on the other hand the land
is poor. as most land is, the first step is
heavily manuring or dressing with COM
mercial fertilizer. On light soils manure
is much to be preferred to commercial
fertilizer. as II not only helps to retain
the moisture, but is much more enduring.
The land must first be cleared of all
roots Of trees and weeds as far as possible.
The heavy dressing of fertilizer should
then be spread on and ploughed under
The ground should then be gone over with
a harrow, graded, raked and then the seed
sown.
Immediately after the seeds are soWn
the ground must again be narrowed ana
raked SO as to cover the seed. AS a
finishing touch Il must all be gone over with
a rood heavy roller, to make the surface
compact and insure contact OF the SEED
with the soil,
'When Il is possible l advise growing a
crop of corn. potatoes or some other 1arm
crop that requires constant cultivation OF
the land the year before the actual lawn
making begins. Attention to the growing
farm crop assures the cultivation OF the
land without the labor being a dead loss.
It also destroys the weeds that VIII spring
up in any newly turned soil.
After this crop Is harvested spread
manure at the rate OF twenty tons to the
acre, turn It under with the pillow and har-
row thoroughly. This narrowing cannot
be too thoroughly done Care should be
taken TO go oyer each spot two or three
tin es, removing all stones and roots. II
II is early enough In the season to allow
the first crop Of weeds to terminate, so
much the better. After this crop of weeds
is well up, but still less than an inch high
give the ground another thorough harrow
ing.
where the land is not dry or holds
water in pools after rains it is useless to
think Of making a lawn without altering
this condition. Drain tiles should be laid
three feet apart, smaller tiles leading into
larger main drains, and the whole giving
a gradual fall to the lowest portion of the
grounds OF the natural outlet. Uniformity
in the finish surface before the seed Is
sown is one Of the essentials to a perfect
lawn.
ITO insure this grading is necessary.
Where there is no engineer nor landscape
architect about the best way to do this
grading is to drive stakes in the ground
and sight from one to another by a car
p~enter's level. The earth can then be
moved from the places that are too high
and put in the hollows that are too pro-
nounced.
This grading is usually done after the
land has received it's first ploughing and
narrowing. 1 do the grading first, then
lido the ploughing, following the plough
VIZ - ohpobAANA ~ 49,
the subsoil is hardpan.
The next step with me is the harrow
ing. then the clearing of all roots and
stones; next the seeding, followed by a
light narrowing to cover the seed about
half an inch; next a second seeding, sow
ing the seed at right angles to the first;
then a second light narrowing, and last a
heavy rolling.
Besides having the surface Of your
lawn perfectly smooth you want to have
the grass OF a uniform color and thick
ness. In cases where the ground Is en-
riched by bringing the top soil from Other
places 1t should be put~over the entire
surface as a top dressing rather than
filling in in patches.
'Where top soil is drawn from severa
sources and is consequently of neither d
uniform quality nor the same texture thai
which is brought from each place should
be distributed over the entire area. II
doing this the heavier soil should be frs
distributed, finishing off with the lighter
To make a lawn 30 that one part Is tor
dressed with a heavy soil and the othel
with light loan to insure its having &
patohy appearance.
There are two seasons at which a lawI
may be successfully seeded. in the sprinl
in April and May and again In September
The ideal lawn grass Is one with creep
ing permanent stems. Kentucky bluegrass
though slow in terminating makes
strong permanent turf. but It does not at
tain its proper development until the thirC
year after It's sowing. Where immediate
results are wanted the mixtures offer dis
tinct advantages, because all contain SOM
quicker terminating varieties. II tn
quality OF the land is uncertain or nike
the grass mixtures are again valuable be
cause one grass OF another will surely sui
each special soil condition.
the Kentucky bluegrass will thriv,
in any but an acid soil. it is the ground
work OF all lawn mixtures, The most com
mon addition to the bluegrass is one o