THE FLORAL WOELD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 133 



ploughed, harrowed, levelled, raked, and thickly sown with the 

 mixed lawn grasses usually sold by the nurserymen here, a little 

 clover beiug added ; and in the spring the spade should be stuck in 

 at regular distances, and rooted pieces of the Buffalo and Doub 

 grasses (Steuotaphrum glabrum and Cynodon dactylon) planted. 

 These after a short time will meet, giving, with the English grasses, 

 both a summer and a winter lawn. In summer the Buffalo and 

 Doub grasses are sure to be green. If the soil is naturally poor, 

 top-dressing after the first year with street sweepings, mixed with a 

 sandy soil or friable loam, will be found of value in increasing the 

 strength of the sward. The correctness of this theory I have practi- 

 cally demonstrated, as may be seen in the Gardens at the present 

 time. One lawn only was formed entirely of Buffalo grass ; but to 

 neutralize its rather brown tint during severe frosts, I had it top- 

 dressed, and scattered over it a slight sowing of the English mixture 

 of lawn grass seeds. 



" I may here point out that a place laid out in the form which I 

 am giving to the Botanic Gardens will be easily kept in order after 

 a year or two. Grass lawns can be mown by a machine. The three 

 large lawns lately made in the Gardens, as I have previously stated, 

 can be attended to and kept in order by the labour of one man and 

 a horse ; and they could go over a much greater space in a week ; 

 whereas numerous borders of flowers, with walks occupying the same 

 space, would necessitate a vast amount of labour and expense. Nor 

 can anything in the way of extensive gardening be more beautiful 

 than a succession of verdant lawns, broken by graceful groups of 

 diversified foliage and effectively arranged floral bloom. Even the 

 highest and most important feature in a Botanic Garden — the 

 collection and scientific arrangement of plants — can be advan- 

 tageously carried out in this manner, thus combining the useful with 

 the ornamental, and gratifying the taste of lovers of the picturesque 

 and beautiful, while facilitating the researches of thebotanical student. 

 " The white gravel formerly in use for paths in the Botanical 

 Gardens was objectionable, not only from its glare, but from the 

 fact of its remaining disintegrated and absorbing much water during 

 wet weather, thus becoming sloppy and heavy. With the view of 

 remedying this defect, I endeavoured to discover a gravel bed in the 

 Gardens which might be utilized in forming the new paths ; and 

 alter three attempts in sinking holes for this purpose, fortunately 

 discovered a bed of fine orange-coloured gravel, which has been 

 freely used in constructing the new walks in the Gardens. This 

 gravel, after a time, becomes as hard as cement, and makes a firm, 

 dry footway, while its colour harmonizes most agreeably with the 

 surrounding vegetation. 



" The lake in the Botanical Gardens has been kept thoroughly 

 clear of weeds by the X _8na P e d machine, armed with scythe-blades, 

 which I designed, and which was described in my last annual report. 

 The clear sheet of water now takes its proper place as one of the 

 salient points in the landscape ; and when the remodelling of the 

 Gardens iB complete, will prove a most important and attractive 

 feature in the views to be obtained from various points. During the 



M»y. 



