IRISH GARDENING 



105 



mcnt they sometimes get is sufficient to make 

 one tliink'that they are not always recognised as 

 such. 



Where this extensive rolhug is persisted in, it 

 generates conditions under which the finer 

 grasses cannot grows and eventiially coarser 

 kinds, weeds, and bare patclies take their places. 

 If a lawn has been well made and suitably 

 attended to, very little rolling should be neces- 

 sary. These conditions must have given to it 

 an even, smooth surface, which can be easily 

 retained with skilful cultivation. 



Deeply as I have gone into the matter, 1 

 cannot tlnd out the least excuse for the con- 

 tinuous use of a heavy roller on lawns. The 

 most sviccessful cultivator of lawns is the one 

 who works conjointly with nature, which 

 readily responds to gentle culture. b\it resents 

 forceful treatment. 



These later 

 remarks apply 

 cliirtlv to what 

 may he termed 

 t li e ordinary 

 lawn. Lawns 

 that are used 

 for such games 

 as lawn tennis 

 need to be 

 treated rather 

 differently. 

 An ideal tennis 

 court shovild 

 play fast, and 

 be " iirm and 

 true. To ob- 

 1 ain these 

 ess e n t i a 1 s 

 a g r e a t e r 

 amount of I'oU- 

 ing is neces- 

 sary than 1 

 have previ- 

 ( HI sly advised, 

 I) u t this rol- 

 ling must be 

 done w i t h 

 caution and 

 discrimination. 

 Holling, that 



under certain conditions will dt 

 times may do harm. Winter 

 placed under the latter category. 

 of the year, or in early spring, it almost 

 invariably does harm, and should be avoided. 



(ienerally lawn tennis is played from May to 

 October. As soon as the period of play is over, 

 the treatnient necessary to i)repare the lawn for 

 the succeeding season should l)e commenced. 

 This may consist of re-turfing any very worn- 

 out places with turf of equal texture to the 

 existing material. Then loosen any very severely 

 lompressfd places with a digging fork, and 

 heavily rake over the whole area. When this is 

 done apply chemical manvire according to re- 



siderahle influence on the growth of grass. 

 This can be seen on almost any lawn by com- 

 paring the growth on a slope with that on the 

 flat. It is these variations that in a great 

 measure make the ctiltivation of grasses such 

 an interesting study. I admit a certain amount 

 of enthusiasm on the subject, and after many 

 years of close .attention to it I find that the 

 greatest aid to successfvil culture is observation. 

 Even in the ax)plication of food I find observa- 

 tion of far greater assistance than an analysis 

 t)f the soil alone. 



If one is thoroughly conversant with a ])lant, 

 it almost tells you what treatment it should 

 receive. Take a Poa or a Fescue, both very 

 important lawn grasses, and examine it. If it 

 is a small contracted s)jecimen, it tells you at 

 once that its emaciatecl condition is due to a 



lack of proper food. If it is 



Androsace geranifoija. 



good, at other 



•oiling niay be 



At this period 



coiisiderahlv. according to the kinds of grasses 

 that exist, "and the nature of the soil in which 

 they aj'e growing. Situation also has a eon- 



soft, loosely 

 grown ]) 1 a n t 

 w i t h a b n o i' - 

 mally fleshy 

 roots, it is 

 readily seen that 

 t lie r o o ting 

 medium is de- 

 lective. Now. 

 the same treat- 

 iiLent a])i)Ued 

 to both alike 

 will not give a 

 satisfa c to r v 

 result. T h e 

 weakly speci- 

 men needs free 

 looting condi- 

 tions, and fre- 

 ([uent light 

 applications of 

 suitable plant 

 food, until it 

 ha.s recovered 

 its normal 

 vigour. T h e 

 luscious grow- 

 ing ])lant re- 

 quires some- 

 thing that will 

 a b s o r b th e 

 excess of orga- 

 nic nourishment existing there, and indm-e a 

 more fibrous and firmer root growth. 



Perhajis I can illustrate this better if we 

 examine an undulating putting green on a golt 

 course. The best ]mtting greens are evenly 

 clothed with close, fine grass, which js (Mpially 

 good on both mounds and hollows. The natuia 

 tendency of grassy mounds is to get imi)oveiished 

 and hard, so that the rains cannot penetrate-, 

 and eventuallv plant life gets to a low ebb. In 

 the hollows tlie reverse is the case, and an over- 

 luxuriant growth results. To equalise these 

 growths, distinct treatment is necessary. \ ery 

 little can be done in this respect during summer, 

 but as soon as the autumn rains have moistened 

 the ground verv much can be accomi)li.shed. 

 The numnds th("'n need to be loosened rather 

 deei)lv with a digging fork, and light sprinklings 

 of chemical manure ai)plied occasionally, when 

 the ground is moist. This will strengthen 

 the grasses and enable them to go through the 

 drought of summer without damage. The hol- 

 lows' need frequent light sprinklings .d' sand or 



