New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-03-22
PARK GRASS RESTORED
Hitherto Bald Lawns Will Be
Green This Summer.
RESULT OF 2 YEARS. WORK
Great North Meadow and Cen
tral Park Ball Field Now
Have Rich Soil.

The complete restoration Of Central
park, according TO Charles Downing Lay,
landscape architect Of the park board.
will follow the carrying out OF the recon-
mendations made two years ago by Gus
lavus Maynadier. the federal soil expert.
To illustrate his convictions Mr.. Lay
pojn,ed yesterday to the two expansive
areas in the park which were the first 10
BE- treated according TO the soil expert 5
recommendations They are the North
Meadow and the ball field in the southern
end Of the park.
Fenced in for more than a year. these
two bis lawns will be in condition i'm July
70 BE- opened 70 the public. but with re-
trictions They were ploughed twice and
treated 10 fertilizers. and the grass has
now come up. free from weeds and of a
rich. mxuriant nature Both lawns We're
planted with red top blue grass. creeping
hent and white clover
There is no reason why the whole
park should not look better this year than
mas for many years past said Mr.
Lay. "But 10 won't look well for long I'm
less there is adequate police protection.
Here in New York il is impossible to
keep the lawns in first class condition un-
ass there are times when the lawns are
permitted 20 recuperate. When the lawns
are restored" he declared, there should
10 no disposition to let the work rest
there and do nothing more in the way OF
ltsiOratiOn for the next thirty years
There should be n definite programme Of
Improvement carried out each year. Some
one of the lawns should Toe ploughed and
Swed 20 rye once year There Is an
ether matter Of vital Importance and that
rs police protection 1t is useless TO re-
store the park If there isn't sufficient care
gwen to the protection of H. There must
be an end 10 vandalism and destruction.
In giving back TO the public the two big
areas. Il IL planned TO take away several
Of the smaller ones on the east side Of the
park One Of these is the lawn back Of
the Metropolitan Museum of Art This,
with others running along the Fifth ave
|, hue side of the park. will be fericed in
and ploushed The .heep green. or
meadow which extends from Goth to 6Sth
street ana lfNIu the W tSl i,iiNf W iH'N-
way Of the park will not be shut OF until
the fall
That will enable the baseball season 10
20 on uninterrupted. Next fall II Is
planned TO use the plough on this large
meadow. tine ground will be- treated with
fertilizer and rye will be sown. In the
spring the rye will be turned under and
then mixed grass seed will be sown. as
on the other lawns.
II was estimated by Gustavus Magma
der that it would cost $4,000 to restore
the lawns Of the park. Before he made
his Investigation. at the invitation OF
Park Commissioner Slower. there had
been several attempts TO have the CITY
spend approximately S2.ccO00 on resoilin3
The park The federal soil expert. how
ever, after an investigation covering sew
eral months. reported that the soil OF the
park would be all right il properly Ter
tilted and the lawns ploughed, Which
could be done for $4,000. $1,000 TO be eN-
pended yearly for three years