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Outdoor Problems of the Householder (II)
THE LAWN AND HOME GROUNDS-FLOWER, FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GARDENS-TREES AND SHRUBBERY- TREE PROPAGATION BY CUTTINGS, GRAFTS AND BUDS-PRUNING ORCHARD AND SHADE TREES-THE FRIENDS AND ENEMIES OF ORCHARD AND GARDEN -CLEARING NEW LAND-CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION- PRESER- VATION OF TIMBER AND SHINGLES-GOOD ROADS-LIGHTNING LIGHTNING CONDUCTORS car. 'The natural and wholesome tendency toward a normal life in open spaces, where fresh air and sunlight abound, has been much encouraged in recent years by the development of such means of rapid transit as the automobile and the interurban street A great number of city dwellers have returned to the land and many more are planning to take this beneficial step. Persons already thus pleasantly situated in life manifest greater contentment, coupled with a pardonable pride in their country or suburban homes. A determination is observable on the part of many owners of such homes to make the most of their advantages of location by all sorts of permanent improvements.
Therefore, apart from the indoor problems of house furnishing, cleanliness, cookery, sanitation and other affairs which make up the routine of daily life and work, there is a great and growing interest everywhere in what may be called the outdoor problems of the householder. These embrace such subjects as the laying down and subsequent care of lawns, the proper selection, location, planting and care of shade trees and shrubbery, and their defense against all sorts of insects and other pests; the construction and maintenance of out-buildings and their appurtenances such as fences, gates and the like; and the development and care of fruit and vegetable gardens. All of these are matters with which every householder may have to do, whether he occupies a rented dwelling or owns his own home. They are of especial interest to the large class of persons who have recently bought home-sites with the intention of building, or are planning so to do.
The object of this chapter is to furnish practical information, which has been carefully compiled from the best and most recent authorities, on these various subjects.
THE LAWN AND HOME GROUNDS Nothing can add so much to the outward attractiveness of a home as a well laid and well kept lawn. The cost is not great, under ordinary conditions, nor the work difficult.
Yet many persons who have a suitable open space adjacent to their dwellings have been prevented from making a lawn by a wrong impression as to the expense or by lack of necessary information.
The existing condition and nature of the soil is the first and most important consideration. A fairly deep surface soil of good mechanical quality and rich in humus, with good under-drainage, is essential. If the land already produces a good grass or other crop every year, the soil conditions are probably favorable.
No great difficulty or expense will be encountered in making a good lawn unless the surface soil has been removed or covered with sub-soil in the process of grading. Neither lawn grass nor other ordinary plants will thrive in sub-soil, until it has been mixed with humus and mellowed by the mechanical action of frosts and other natural agencies. And this requires time. Hence unless you can afford the expense of resurfacing your lawn with a layer of good garden or other fertile soil, you must take care, in grading, not to lose the valuable surface soil either by removing or covering it.