Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1913-07-24
TO REPAIR YOUR TERRACE
LOOK FIRST At THE SOIL
3r'ck and Stone Fragments Seriously
Interfere With Scd's Growth.

When the residents of cities and sinh.
irhs are looking AT their lawns with n
view "f requiring them for the winter
and summer months Ii Is well to ex.
anime the soil to a depth of from
twelve 10 twenty four inches to see II
there are any tricks. tin cans. boards
and other coarse building debris The
bureau of soils. Cnited States depnrt
hieih or agriculture says in a farmers
bulletin that the reason that grass does
not thrive we'll Oh the average city
lawn is that the majority of them have
miller of this kind Of rub. .sh. and Of
course grass will not grow on such in
fertile material
In general IA lawn should be beauti
ful. and II should be useful Its beauty
depends upon the contour Of the land.
the color and texture Of the grass and
the uniformity Of the turf The use
"f the lawn Is to provide suita BILE
setting for architectural adjournment
and landscape planting
Bricks. Hat tins. boards and other
coarse building debris found in nearly
all small lawns In the city are very
detrimental to the proper movement Of
soil fluid. The moisture moves down.
ward until II encounters a brick. for
instance. at Il distance of three or four
inches below the soil level The wa
ter meets with no difficulty in getting
to the edge of the brick and then goes
nearly straight downward. thus leav-
ing the soil Immediately below the
brick nnsupplied from this new water
influx
Now. when the opposite movement
Of soil fluid begins the water moves up
ward until it encounters the brick. and
the soil Immediately above the brick
which has in the meantime dried out
remains unsupplipd with moisture. so
that the grass suffers and dries out
A lawn soil should have a good sup.
ply Of moisture at all times 1t should
be able to take care Of excess during
the wet season by drainage and during
the dry season be able to supply stored
mp moisture from its depths This ade-
quate water supply is the principal fac
tor III grass growth and the one most
difficult to control in a poor soil. It ia
more important than any added ferti
lizer and cannot be compensated for
BY the addition of any amount or kind
Of chemical plant food
A soil we'll adapted to lawns should
consist Of clay. silt. very fine sand. me
dunn sand. coarse sand and f3ne gravel
1t Is this difference in the size Of soil
particles and in the proportions in
which they are present in soils that
has given rise to the different classes
of agricultural soils. such as the clays
clay loans. sands and sandy loans.
Since the lawn is a permanent fea.
ture 1t is hardly possible to make the
soil for the reception Of the lawn too
rich Stable manure which has been
thoroughly eomposted and rotted and
which is as free as possible from detri-
mental weed seeds is undoubtedly the
best material to use in producing the
desired fertility of the soil Forty to
sixty loads Of well decomposed stable
manure are not too much to use upon
an acre Of land designed for the green
sward
In procuring seed for q lawn too
great care cannot be exercised Pure
seed Is the keynote to a clean lawn.