156 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



f August 22, I860. 



ing on one side before they are soft on the other. It is so far 

 good that the heavy crops will render a few thus going of less 

 importance. If the rains thus do a little injury to fruit and 

 some of the most forward com that cannot be garnered into 

 store-house or stack-yard, they have produced wonders in the 

 pastures, which may, in some measure, counteract the results 

 of the cattle disease. 



Looked over vineries, removing a few laterals, and any berry 

 that showed signs of damping, and put fires on in the dampest 

 days, giving plenty of air, especially at the top of the house. 

 Melons, owing to the heat, have come in more together than 

 we should have liked. 



OKN'AMEXTAI. DEPAKTKENT. 



Lawns. — Went on mowing, sweeping, and rolling. The rains 

 have greatly increased work, by rendering the scythe more ne- 

 cessary, with all its attendant sweepings. Sec. The grass grew 

 so fast that we could not overtake it at all with the machines. 

 The men Uke the machine much the better, and there is no 

 comparison as to the labour ; for the sweeping is so troublesome. 

 To save this as much as possible, and thus gain time for other 

 work, we are allowing parts of the lawn, more out of sight, to 

 grow longer than usual, so as to give one mowing instead 

 of two or three, as, though the weight to be removed is greater, 

 the sweeping is just the same. Such rather longer gi-ass, mixed 

 with litter, is valuable for hotbeds, for packing round hotbeds 

 as linings, or for placing in the rubbish heap, and covering 

 with earth, as the refuse fiom potting-bcnches, &e. It thus 

 gives a rich manuring-power to all such heaps. Tossed merely 

 on the top, and allowed there to feiment, and ultimately 

 shrivel and dry up, its good properties go to render impure 

 the surrounding air. Some allow part of the lawn to grow so 

 long as, when cut, the grass is useful for cattle. Such part 

 then ceases to have the peculiar attractions of a lawn even as 

 to sight. It may be as long as we have stated above, and yet 

 look well to the eye, if all coloured weeds, as Plantains, etc., 

 are swept down with the daisy-knife. In many places, where 

 the lawns have originally been too large for the labour power 

 to keep them nice, it is the best plan to select the most pro- 

 minent portions near the house, and the Hke, and keep them first- 

 rate, and merely mow the other parts when convenient. If the 

 scenery in the latter case is wilder, the contrast will even be 

 pleasing ; and in pinetums, &c., we often think the longer and 

 rougher grass is an attraction rather than otherwise. In such 

 a case the grass might well pay for the cutting. Sure we 

 are, however, that part of a lawn thus kept first-rate, and 

 another part less conspicuous not in such first-rate order, will 

 always be more satisfactory than a large lawn, none of which 

 often looks quite satisfactory, from an ineffectual attempt to 

 keep the whole well. Of course there is no objection — quite 

 the revei-se — to the having large lawns, and all well kept, if 

 there is sufficient labour power to do it all ; but if there is only 

 labour to keep an acre nice, no screwing or managing, with the 

 same help, wiU ever keep three acres equally well, though two 

 of them might look different from the surrounding park. We 

 wish to impress the truth — not so much on our great landed 

 gentry as on our enthusiastic amateurs, who do so value their 

 lawns — that these lawns, to be well kept, are the most expensive 

 parts of a garden. True, the mowing machines have greatly 

 reduced that cost ; but stiU, nmning over lawns in general 

 seasons twice a -week, or once eveiy four days, is not done for 

 nothing. That will be cheaper than mowing once a-fortnight. 

 In such dripping weather as we have lately had, mowing once 

 in ten days will never secure the conditions of a well-kept 

 lawn, though it may please the owner ; and, if that is the case, 

 no one else has anv right to interfere. It is just such little 

 matters as these that make all the difference between places 

 well kept and those that are merely passable : hence, when 

 proprietors ask us what labour power should be necessary for 

 such and such circumstances, we generally advise them to 

 note how the men work, and act accordingly. It is true, 

 system and careful management can do wonders, but the best 

 system will not treble labour power. 



Just as an instance of what people consider good keeping : 

 this season our lawn has been praised by many ; to us it is 

 but passable, and just now we could employ a dozen pair of 

 hands in weeding that alone for a month. A thoroughly good 

 lawn ought not to have a Daisy or a Plantain, either of the 

 round or long-leaved kind, in it. As to Daisies, we should feel 

 the case almost hopeless, and we do not mind them so much, 



as they form a thick carpet with the grass. At this season 

 lie flowers do not show, and earlier in smnmer we can soon 



send myriads of them out of sight with repeated strokes of the 

 daisy -knife, but the Plantains are a complete annoyance ; 

 they will raise their flowering heads, and then the roimd- 

 leaved kinds form so many large rough cushions on a velvet 

 lawn, and nothing but taking them up by the roots will free 

 you of them. Cutting the top off is of no use whatever, they 

 will thiow up as many heads as the fabled hydra, and if you 

 allow them to seed you will have no want of progeny. After 

 these rains would be a good time to take them up by the 

 roots, sow the large space that the leaves cover with Dutch 

 Clover and Bents, and roll aU over nicely. We have seen several 

 prongs for the purpose, but the great point is to take up with 

 every bit of root, and if a pinch of salt is placed in the hole it 

 will be all the better. The Plantago lanceolata is equally diffi- 

 cult to extirpate, but then its " rib-grass "- like leaves blend, like 

 the Daisy, more with the grass, and do not form such unsightly 

 cushions as the Plantago major. We would like to see the 

 whole lot of them out of evei-y lawn. Some time ago we no- 

 ticed Tingarth Gardens in these pages. We have not seen it 

 for some years, but the lawn there was about the finest we 

 have ever seen. It is nearly thii'ty years since we first saw it, 

 and Mr. Phillips, the gardener then, was having it rolled early 

 in the morning to throw down the dew to enable the ladies to 

 walk on it dry-shod, and we never can forget his offering half a 

 crown for eveiy weed above 2 inches in height that could be 

 picked up anywhere. We did not then see a single Plantain 

 on the lawn. Mr. Philhps, who is now to us one of oiu' plea- 

 sant memories, with his characteristic noble-mindedness, told 

 us, " Mind, it is no credit to me ; my employer freely gave the 

 means, and I merely employ them." There are few truly 

 weedless lawns. The pulling out of prominent weeds, say 

 some friends, is surely a very Httle matter ; and so it would 

 be but for other myriads of little matters demanding at- 

 tention. 



Here we may just instance one more reason why gardeners 

 should be sure as well as diligent. A young gardener, not long 

 in a place, has written to us asking our sympathy and help in 

 what he considers bad usage. He had next to lost his place 

 because he allowed the under-gardeuers to give, for a certain 

 consideration, some long-mown grass to a cowkeeper. Our 

 only sympathy would be given in the old maxim, " What is 

 worth the having is worth the asking for." When a gentle- 

 man meets with a good honest gardener, we believe it will be 

 as well that such matters are left to his management, as he 

 will be anxious enough to receive a quid pro quo ; but, on the 

 other hand, no gardener who values his character, would risk 

 doing anything in an underhand way, even to oblige his 

 labom-ers or under-gardeners. Eight is right, all the world 

 over, and everything about the garden and the pleasure grounds 

 is as much the property of the proprietor as the money in his 

 purse, and the plate in the strong room. Without his sanction 

 or approval nothing about the place, be it as seemingly insig- 

 nificant as the short grass from a lawn, ought to become the 

 subject of barter or exchange. The gardener who in such 

 matters trusts to use and previous custom, trusts himself on 

 very slippery ground. The straightforward and open are best 

 in the end. In other words, thorough honesty is ever the best 

 policy. Instances are Icnown to us in which certain privileges 

 have been so abused, that it was deemed the better way to 

 allow no privileges whatever. Even waste vegetables were 

 taken to the piggeries, dtc, because the taking of them by the 

 men became a source of annoyance and abuse. Though 

 anxious that nothing that is fit for food should be lost, there 

 may be circumstances m which it may be proper even to con- 

 sign that to the manure heap. However we may approve of 

 employers granting privileges to their workmen, as a general 

 rule, we think it is best for every one when all workmen are 

 suitably paid at once for their labour, and are not partly paid 

 by contingent privileges. We can easily fancy how even the 

 disposing of short gi-ass by men would cause much annoyance 

 and disappointment ; at any rate no gardener ought to permit 

 such a thing for a moment, without the knowledge and the 

 sanction of the employer. We advise our correspondent to 

 make an apology and be more strict for the futiu-e. Every 

 man may do with his own as he likes, provided his doing so does 

 not interfere with the advtmtage or the morals of others ; but 

 no man has a right to do with his master's property except as 

 that master may approve. Gardeners are often put to great 

 straits in these matters. There are many applications made 

 to them which they could not meet without a previous under- 

 standing as to the powers at their disposal. In such cases a 

 man must be safe to be sure. 



