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Lawns and Garden Paths (Fundamental principle involved)

The fundamental principle involved in the making of a fine lawn is the preparation of the soil and a close attention to the essential details of construction. No trouble must be spared to make the preliminary work perfect, the lawn is a permanent crop and at no time during its life can the soil be treated in such a thorough and efficient method as before the seed is sown or the sod is laid, whichever the case may be. We are all familiar with the many examples of lawns which have been made on poor soils, failure is the inevitable outcome. Such lawns are never a success until they are plowed up and re-made in the orthodox way, involving, in the long run much more trouble and expense.

The very first problems to solve are those of grading and underdrainage both of which should be attended to a month or more before the seeding can take place in order to allow the subsoil to become thoroughly settled. Some system of tile drainage will be required on heavy cold soils and on those that retain pools of water over their surface for two or more days after a rain. [216] Light sandy soils are usually naturally well drained and warm, but heavy clay soils are greatly benefited by drainage, it makes them warmer, thereby inducing growth to start early in spring. The heavier the soil the nearer to the surface must be the lines of tile, the exact depth varies with conditions, but generally speaking, they should be installed 2 to 4 feet deep and at intervals of from about 10 to 20 feet.

No definite rules can be given for establishing the proper grade, it may be convex, level or concave, each place requires a different treatment and the matter of securing a pleasing, rolling contour, graceful in outline, is purely a matter of taste and must be left to the artistic sense of the maker. Before the work commences remove the top soil from the ground to be graded, stacking it in convenient piles and replace it over the surface after the grade is established and the soil has had a chance to settle. Grading is accomplished by cutting down the high parts of the ground using the loose earth to fill in depressions.

The most important consideration in the preparation of the land is the depth and character of the top soil. Much of the permanence and future success of the lawn depends upon this surface layer which should be from 8 to 10 inches deep. If the top soil already on the land is not sufficiently deep it will be necessary to [217] import soil for this purpose; where much soil has to be hauled on to the land this becomes one of the most expensive features of lawn making.

Over the finished level of soil apply a top dressing of well-rotted manure @ 15 to 25 tons per acre. In regions where the summers are hot, cow manure is to be preferred to ordinary stable refuse as it is cooler and has the added advantage of carrying fewer weed seeds. Whatever kind be used it is of the greatest importance for it to be thoroughly well rotted. If this precaution is not observed a vigorous crop of weeds will result. After the manure is evenly distributed over the land it is incorporated into the soil by plowing, or by spading if the area is small. It is well to dig the soil two spades deep, but in doing this the bottom layer of soil must not be brought to the surface, it being only necessary to ameliorate it with the spade. If the land is to be plowed, plow as deeply as is practicable and unless the soil is deep and sandy it will be advisable to follow the plow with the subsoiler. This loosens the earth to a greater depth and increases its water holding capacity.

Before, and again after plowing, if necessary, clear the land of all rubbish such as roots, tree stumps, weeds and large stones. After plowing or spading, a light application of air-slacked lime sprinkled over [218] Courtesy of J. Horace McFarland Company