| MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL society. 101 
Sodding and Seeding. 
It should be properly graded and prepared, and the walks having been 
staked out, the sodding may be done and for this purpose the finer and 
closer the grass on the sods the better. If sods cannot be obtained then 
recourse must be had to seeding down. In this case the preparation of the 
ground will involve more labor and care. The ground must be thoroughly 
pulverized by plowing and then harrowed till perfectly smooth and level, all 
stones, &c., being removed. If only a small lawn is required, then digging 
and raking may be substituted. Sodding may begin in the spring as soon 
as the ground is sufficiently thawed out to allow of working, During the 
very hot weather of summer the operation will have to be suspended, but, 
may be resumed in the fall and continue till the ground freezes up. 
Walks and Flower-Beds. 
The lawn having been made, then the flower-beds may be cut out. The 
walks will also have to be made. If gravel can be obtained, then they may 
be made of this. The ground should be dug out some depth. Put the large 
stones in first, and then smaller ones, putting only fine gravel on the top. 
If gravel cannot be had, then walks may be made of bricks, strips of wood, 
or any other material that may be thought advisable. The walks must be 
made rather higher in the middle than at the sides, which should not be 
more than an inch lower than the top of the turf. Where the walks pass 
up the front of the terraces, steps will have to be used; these may be either 
of boards or stone, and must be of the same width as the walks. Of course 
the beds may be made of any shape and size, to suit the fancy of the owner, but 
I would advise that they be made of simpler form and not so numerous as 
to cut up the surface of the lawn too much. They may be either scattered 
about the lawn or made at the sides, as may seem most desirable. If large 
rough rocks are at hand, a circular bed of pyramidal form, and consisting 
of two or three small terraces edged with these rocks, would have a good 
effect. The lower of these may be planted with coleus and the tops with 
cannas. 
As regards the planting of the garden, the beds may be each filled with 
one kind of flower. or different sorts may be mixed in the beds. The best 
effect is produced in small beds by massing; that is, using one sort. Where 
plants are mixed, the tallest growing should be planted at the back, where 
the beds are at the outside, and the others graded down so as to have the 
dwarfest at the outside. In beds cut out of the lawn, the tallest growing 
plants should be in the centre and the others according to the height they 
grow. Beds of geraniums, verbenas, feverfews, and other bedding plants 
have a fine effect, as they are in flower from the time they are planted till frost 
comes. Coleus of various kinds also make a very fine appearance. A judi- 
cious’ use of peonies, dialetras, perennial phloxes, &c., is also advisable. 
They are perfectly hardy, and when once started improve every year. Annu- 
als will also be found very useful, but it will be better not to depend to any 
great extent on these. A great objection to annuals generally is that in this 
climate they have scarcely begun to bloom before frost comes. If our sea- 
sons were of any decent length, much more use might be made of them. 
