LAW 



344 



LEA 



Turfing. If seed be employed, the fol- } to compel the returning sap to organize 

 lowing is a good selection, and in the itself externally as roots, instead of 



requisite proportions for an acre. The 

 best season for sowing is during moist 

 weather in March. 



On 1 acre of new lawn, sow the fol- 

 lowing grass seeds : Festuca durius- 

 cula, 4| lbs. ; Avena flavescens, H Ih. ; 

 LoUium perenne, 30 lbs.; Poa nemoralis, 

 3 1bs. ; P. sempervivens, 2 lbs.; P.tri- 

 vialis, 2i lbs. ; Trifolium repens, 1 1 

 lbs., and T. minus, 3 lbs. This is a 

 sufficient quantity to cover the ground 

 closely in a short time. 



In very dry weather all lawns should 

 be watered, and if a little guano and 

 muriate of lime be dissolved in the water 



passing downwards below the bark. as 

 wood. The bending back is to assist 

 in this object by preventing the expend- 

 iture of sap in the formation or rather 

 completion of leaves, and the silver 

 sand is to secure the drainage so neces- 

 sary to cuttings. 



" In most cases, this is sufficient ; but 

 it must be obvious, that the exact man- 

 ner in which the layering is effected is 

 unimportant, and that it may be varied 

 according to circumstances. Thus, Mr. 

 James Rlunro describes a successful 

 method of layering brittle-branched 

 plants by simply slitting the shoot at 



it will keep the surface gently moist ; the bend, and inserting a stone at that 



even in dry weather. 



place ; {Gardener^s Magazine, ix. 302 ;) 



A good kind of grass for improving a : and Mr. Knight found that, in cases of 

 lawn, is Crested Dogstail ,- it may be difficult rooting, the process is facili- 

 sown in March. Bush-harrow the lawn ' tated by ringing the shoot just below 

 in order to stir up the soil a little for the tongue about midsummer when the 

 the seed, which should be sown broad- | leaves upon th» layers had acquired their 



cast when the ground is damp, passing 

 a garden roller over it when the ground 

 becomes sufficiently dry. — Gard. Chron. 



LAWN RAKE, See article Turf. 



LAWSONIA. Two species. Stove 

 evergreen trees. Cuttings. Loam, peat, 

 and sand. 



LAXMANNIA gracile. Green- 

 house herbaceous. Division. Loam 

 and peat. 



LAYER. The following excellent 

 combination of practice and science is 

 from Dr. Lindley's Theory of Horticul- 

 ture : — 



" A layer is a branch bent into the 

 earth, and half cut through at the bend, 

 the free portion of the wound being 

 called ' a tongue.' It is, in fact, a cut- 

 ting only partially separated from its 

 parent. The object of the gardener is 

 to induce the layer to emit roots into 

 the earth at the tongue. With this 

 view he twists the shoot half round, so 

 as to injure the wood-vessels ; he heads 

 it back, so that only a bud or two ap- 

 pears above ground, and when much 

 nicety is requisite, he places a handful 



of silver sand round tlie tongued part ; They are very general, but not ab- 

 then pressing the earth down with his solutely necessary organs, since the 



full growth; {Hart. Trans, i. 256;) by 

 which means he prevented the passage 

 of the returning sap further downwards 

 than the point intended for the emission 

 of roots. It will sometimes happen that 

 a branch of a plant cannot be conve- 

 niently bent downwards into the earth ; 

 in such cases, the Fig. 97. 



earth may be ele- 

 vated to the branch by 

 various contrivances, 

 as is commonly done 

 by the Chinese. When 

 this is done, no other 

 care is necessary than 

 that required for lay- 

 ers, except to keep 

 the earth surrounding 

 the branch steadily 

 moist." See Fig. 97. 



L E A D W R T. 

 Plumbago. 



LEATUERWOOD. 

 Dirca. 



LEAVES are highly vascular organs, 

 in which are performed some of the 

 most important functions of a plant. 



foot, so as to secure the layer, he leaves 

 It without further care. The intention 

 of both tongueing and twisting is to pre- 

 vent tiie return of sap from the layer 

 into the main stem, while a small quan- 

 tity is allowed to rise out of the latter 



ranches sometimes perform their of- 

 fices. Such plants, however, as na- 

 turally possess them, are destroyed or 

 greatly injured by being deprived of 

 them. 



The duration of a leaf is in general 



into the former; the effect of this being ' but for a year, though in some plants 



