The Laying-out of Lawns 



51 



of open, clean-cut main channels, with sharp 

 rather than round bends, and then, banks made 

 as sloping as possible, in order not to break the 

 grass level too abruptly and lose too much meadow 

 land. To give the required variety in detail to 

 the bed of the stream, the earth may be taken 

 away here and there, sometimes from the upper, 

 sometimes from the lower bank, and still further 

 to vary the effect, bushes, stones, or water plants 

 may be set on or near the edge of the water. It 

 is obvious that, wherever possible, watering or 

 flooding a lawn or grass field must be carefully 

 provided for, and that there should be one gen- 

 eral flooding for a few days in the spring, and 

 even after every mowing. Wherever this can be 

 done, it is preferable to the daily watering dur- 

 ing the hot weather, from which I have never 

 derived much benefit. 



(5) If one desires to lay out lawns for *' pleas- 

 ure-grounds " and gardens, grass seeds should be 

 mixed according to the ground, but all coarse 

 grasses, such as honey or velvet grass (Holcus lana- 

 tus), French rye grass [^Arrhenatherum elatius), 

 thread grass, etc., should be avoided. Festuca 

 ovina (sheep's fescue), white clover {Trifoliiim 

 repens)^ and English rye grass (Lolium perenne) ^ are 

 generally used in England, and when the finer 

 kind of lawn is desired, instead of rye grass, sev- 

 eral kinds of Agrostis or red-top and other very 

 fine grasses. In our soil and climate the most 

 beautiful and firm turf can be best assured in a 

 short time by sodding with selected fine park 



