1856.] Spring WorJc — The Door Yard and Lmvn. 177 



SPRl?iG WORK. 



THE DOOR YARD AND LAWN 



Every mind, sensible to the beauties of nature, rejoices in anticipation 

 of the joyful days of spring, the fragrant flowers of summer, and the 

 golden fruit of autumn. Joyful emotions fill every breast when, after many 

 weary winter days, the earth shakes off her snowy covering, and vegeta- 

 tion bursts forth with renovated strength. The favorite garden surround- 

 ing a country home becomes at tliis time a place of great interest, and 

 its careful cultivation affords peculiar pleasure to its proprietor. It 

 should be his aim to do all that can be done to secure neatness and com- 

 fort around his place ; every portion of his lawn and pleasure ground 

 should receive careful dressing ; all the straw and litter used for the 

 covering of delicate plants and shrubs during the past winter should be at 

 once removed. Borders and beds where flowers are to grow should receive 

 a ' donation ' of decomposed manure, and a careful spading and top-dressing 

 with the rake. Groups of young trees and shrubbery should be spaded 

 and dressed. The ground around the trees of the lawn should be stirred 

 and put in order ; the ornamental shrubbery should receive a general 

 inspection, and where the shrubs are acquiring a size disproportionate to 

 their purpose and surroundings, the pruning knife should be freely used 

 to dislodge the redundant branches; all dead limbs mutt of course be 

 removed. Great pains should be bestowed upon the lawn to encourage 

 the luxuriant growth of the grass ; and, to level all inequalities of sur- 

 face, rake and roller must be freely used. Judicious manuring will add 

 much to the rich verdure of the lawn ; much precaution must be observed 

 in this, however, during the early sprmg, so as not to smother the grass 

 by the surplus of manure. Fine and well rotted manure should be em 

 ployed for this purpose, and this should be thinly and uniformly spread 

 over the grass. Borders of walks and carriage drives should receive a 

 careful dressing and pounding ; they should not be allowed to rise more 

 than two or three inches above the level of the walk ; every irregularity 

 of surface should be carefully corrected. Their outer margin must be 

 trimmed with a sharp spade in order to have it present a true and un- 

 broken outline. The garden walks and drives should be carefully 

 examined, and every break or deformity caused by the frost and wet of 

 winter be mended. A new layer of gravel, sand, or tan-bark, is to^be 



VOL. I., NO. IV. — 12 



