1883.] 



AND HORTICULTUI^IST. 



195 



florists can obtain, but unless we have a good lawn 

 all our efforts will be in vain, for depend upon it 

 a good lawn is as necessary to complete the adorn- 

 ment of our grounds as a good carpet is to com- 

 plete the furnishing of our rooms. We may take 

 our rooms and furnish them with the rarest works 

 of art and the most expensive furniture we can 

 obtain, but if we leave the rough pine floor 

 uncovered or unstained, it has anything but 

 an attractive and finished appearance. There 

 appears to be something wanting to render them 

 complete and enjoyable. As it is with our rooms, 

 so it is with our grounds. If they contain the 

 most costly plants and the choicest ornamental 

 trees and shrubs we can obtain, while the lawn is 

 neglected and uncared tor, what attraction have 

 they for us ? None ; the simple fact being that 

 the one thing necessary to render the whole com- 

 plete and enjoyable is wanting. 



If the lawn, then, is so necessary in the adorn- 

 ment of our grounds, it should be properly 

 attended to and cared for. I say properly, for a 

 good lawn is well worth all the time and care an 

 intelligent person can bestow upon it ; and it is my 

 opinion that more lawns are ruined from ig- 

 norance and neglect alone than from any other 

 cause. If it is our intention to prepare good new 

 lawns, it is absolutely necessary that the work be 

 thoroughly and properly done, for a good lawn 

 will last many years if the ground has been 

 properly prepared, the proper grass or grasses 

 selected and sown, and last, but not least, the 

 whole property attended to and cared for. 



In forming a new lawn, the work should not be 

 too hastily and imperfectly done, as this will prove 

 to be a serious mistake, and one that cannot be 

 rectified afterwards. In the first place, we must 

 see that our grounds have the desired grade, and 

 that they are thoroughly and properly drained and 

 in the condition necessary to produce a good crop 

 of vegetables ; if so, they will produce good 

 lawns. The preparation of the grounds is best 

 done in the fall, so that it can become well settled 

 by the time we are ready to sow the seed in the 

 spring. Prepare the ground by giving a heavy 

 dressing of well-decomposed stable manure, and 

 work it in well by ploughing thoroughly. A sub- 

 soil plough .should follow the common plough. 

 Then harrow thoroughly, and finish by levelling 

 the whole as neatly as possible. As soon as the 

 weather becomes settled in the spring, apply to 

 each acre from five to six hundred pounds of bone- 

 dust ; harrow it in thoroughly, and be careful to 

 have a good surface soil of from eight to ten 



inches in depth throughout the entire ground, and 

 finish by having the surface as finely pulver- 

 ized as possible, removing all sticks, stones, etc. 



The ground being properly prepared, the next 

 consideration is the sowing of the seed. This 

 should be done as early in the spring as possible, 

 choosing a calm day. The sowing should be care- 

 fully done in order to distribute the seed equally 

 over the entire surface, and not in spots, as this 

 looks bad, and is not creditable to the sower. 

 Sow thickly at the rate of from four to five bushels 

 to the acre, and rake the seeds slightly in. Give, 

 if possible, a sprinkling of soot or wood-ashes, in 

 order to render the seed distasteful to birds, and 

 finish by rolling thoroughly. 



What varieties of grass to sow in order to 

 obtain a satisfactory result is really a serious ques- 

 tion. I have no hesitation in saying : Sow June 

 or blue grass, Poa pratensis only ; no mixture, no 

 white clover, nothing but pure, clean June grass. 

 In advocating the sowing of June grass, pure and 

 simple, I am aware that I am treading on danger- 

 ous ground, for I know that many of you will 

 differ with me. I admit that the June grass will 

 not form a lawn quite as soon as the various 

 mixtures known as lawn grass, but a lawn of the 

 June grass, when obtained, will be found to be 

 well worth waiting for. June grass will thrive in 

 almost any soil and situation, with full exposure to 

 the sun or in partial shade, and in seasons of 

 drouth, when everything is suffering from want of 

 moisture, the June grass will retain its verdure to 

 the last. However, some will insist upon having a 

 mixture ; and it is said a very good one can be 

 made by adding two pounds of sweet vernal grass, 

 Anthoxanthum odoratum, and one pound of white 

 clover, Trifolium repens, to four bushels of June 

 grass. This is a mixture highly prized by some, 

 but I cannot see of what benefit the clover is, for it 

 is my opinion that it would destroy the young 

 grass, and eventually die out itself. About the 

 middle of June our lawn will be looking pretty 

 green ; but among the young grass a great many 

 weeds will be noticed, and the temptation to 

 remove them will be very strong ; but do not do 

 it, for, depend upon it, any attempt at their re- 

 moval at this time will do more hurt than good. 

 About the first of July our lawn will be ready to 

 be mown ; but we must not cut too low, and the 

 clippings should be permitted to remain in order to 

 protect the young and tender roots. After mowing, 

 roll thoroughly ; and after this mow weekly, if 

 necessary, until the grass ceases growth. In the 

 autumn the annual weeds will have disappeared. 



