184 OKitAMENTAL GAKDEXIXG. 



at our service, together with the grasses. Grass to the 

 ground, is as carpets or tiles to a lioor, indispensable in 

 themselves, yet no one considers a room furnished with- 

 out the addition of furniture and decorated walls. Neither 

 should we he content with simply a carpet on our grounds, 

 when handsome leafy furniture is so easily procured. 



The lawn, to he most satisfactory, should present a 

 green, velvety appearance throughout the season, and 

 this is gained through a suitable condition of the soil, 

 properly stocking it with grass, and attention to mowing, 

 watering, etc. Instructions respecting these matters are 

 given in other parts of this book. A common error in 

 garden arrangement is found, where trees are planted 

 close and never thinned, causing in time by their shade 

 death to the grass underneath. The only remedy in such 

 a case is the removal of a sufficient number of trees, to 

 admit enough air to supply the wants of the grass. Good 

 lawns will bear considerable shade, and enough trees can 

 remain to afford ample shelter for comfort, and have fine 

 grass besides. 



For ornamental purposes in roof, and all kinds of archi- 

 tectural gardening, the lawn grasses are undervalued. A 

 good illustration of their utility for such purposes, is 

 seen in a public roof-garden over the market in Edin- 

 burgh, Scotland, where a large bed of grass, or in other 

 words a patch of lawn, is employed, along with elaborate 

 flower-beds, all surrounded by low stone copings. While 

 the flowers are more showy, the presence of some cleanly 

 mown grass in such a place tends to form a more perfect 

 whole, than would otherwise be possible. 



It is upon trees, shrubs, and flowering plants, that we 

 depend for the chief attractions of our pleasure grounds. 

 No garden can be considered properly furnished without 

 some of these. Imagine our earth robbed of her arboreal 

 beauty, and its appearance would be little better than 

 that of a desert. 



