The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1913-06-06
TO REPAIR YOUR TERRACE
LOOK FIRST AT THE SOIL
Brick and Stone Fragments Seriously
Interfere With Sod's Growth.

When the residents of cities and sub
urbs are looking ut their lawns with a
view Of repairing them for the winter
and summer months it is well to ex-
anime the soil to n depth of from
twelve to twenty-four inches to see it
there are any bricks. tin cans. boards
and other coarse building debris. The
bureau Of soils. United States depart
ment of agriculture, says in a farmers
bulletin that the reason that grass does
not thrive well on the average city
lawn is that the majority of them have
a filler Of this kind of rubbish. and of
curse grass will not grow on such in
fertile material.
In general a lawn should be beauti-
full. and it should be useful. Its beauty
depends upon the contour Of the land.
the uniformity of the turf. The use
Of the lawn is to provide a suitable
setting for architectural adornment
and landscape planting.
Bricks. fiat 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 it 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 spill Immediately below the
brick unsuppiied 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 unsupplied with moisture, so
that the grass suffers and dries out.
A lawn soil should have a good sup
ply of moisture ut 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
up moisture from its depths. This ade-
quate water supply is the principal fac
tor in grass growth and the one most
difficult to control in Il poor soil. 1t is
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 fine 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 Glasses
of agricultural soils. such as the clays.
clay loans. sands and sandy loans.
Since the lawn is Il permanent fea-'
ture it is hardly possible to make the
soil for the reception of the lawn too
rich. Stable manure which has been
thoroughly composted 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 we'll decomposed stable
manure are not too much to use upon
an acre of land. designed for the green
swurd.
In procuring seed for q lawn too
great care cannot be exercised. Pure
seed is the keynote to a clean lawn.