Keep the net loose from the posts when the ground is not used. For instructions as to the rolling, mowing, and general treatment of lawns, croquet and tennis courts, read Sutton’s “Management of Lawns.”
The following is the best way of making a mixture for marking boundary lines upon grass courts. Dissolve ordinary lump whitening in water, and use it when it is about the consistency of cream. A tumbler of milk or a small quantity of builders’ size, mixed with it, will preserve the lines from being washed out and destroyed by rain. The mixture is made in a pail or watering pot, and the tank of the marking machine is filled from it. After using the washer, the whitening should be emptied, and the tank washed, for if allowed to remain, it hardens and has to be broken up.
PLAN OF CROQUET LAWN
HOW TO LAY OUT A CROQUET GROUND
The following regulations are those laid down in 1907, and are authorised by the Croquet Association.
The ground shall be rectangular, 35 yards in length by 28 yards in width, with a defined boundary. A flag shall be placed at each corner, and corner spots, 3 feet from both boundaries, shall be accurately defined.
Points on the boundary, 3 feet from each corner flag, shall be marked by white pegs, not exceeding ¾ inch in diameter, and 3 inches above the ground.
The above is for a full-sized ground, but for smaller ones any multiple of 5 × 4 is correct.
The hoops shall be of round iron, not less than ½ inch, and not more than ¾ inch in diameter, and shall stand 12 inches out of the ground, and be firmly fixed. The crown shall be straight, and at right angles to the uprights, which shall be not less than 3¾ inches, or more than 4 inches apart (inside measurement) from the ground upwards.