52 Hints on Landscape Gardening 



grass which one can find everywhere on the bor- 

 ders of fields and edges of woods. It should be 

 cut off in long strips, rolled up, then laid on the 

 properly prepared ground in the same way it lay 

 before it was cut, firmly bedded with wooden 

 pounders, all gaps stopped, a little good garden 

 earth strewn over, and a little of the above grass 

 mixture sown on top ; the whole being finally 

 rolled and watered. This is sure to give the de- 

 sired result, and if later on any portion of the 

 lawn should show patches of poor turf, I have 

 often found, in order to make the growth strong 

 and healthy, that it was quite sufficient to dig 

 up such parts and sow fresh seed. 



The proper treatment later on is, however, 

 the most important thing, without which no 

 short grass can long remain in good condition. 

 First of all it must be mowed every eight days 

 in wet, every fourteen days in dry, weather, and 

 it should be rolled at least as often. It is best to 

 let the rolling precede the mowing, first, in or- 

 der to press down little stones and other obstruc- 

 tions, in which the scythe is apt to catch and 

 stick, and second, so as to obliterate the stripes 

 which the roller leaves on the lawn and which 

 are conspicuous for several days. The usual rye 

 scythes will serve with grass as well ; but the 

 operation requires considerable practice and a 

 very even stroke. Also, to avoid leaving out bits of 

 long grass, one must mow every piece twice, down 

 and up, in dry weather. The morning hours, 

 before the dew is gone, are the best for mowing. 



