A Chapter on Lawns ;>()9 



this climate. Ten days is the usual limit of growth for 

 the best kept lawns in England, and it is surprising how 

 soon a coarse and wiry bit of sward will become smooth 

 turf, under the magic influences of regular and oft repeated 

 mowing and rolling. 



Of course a lawn can only be cut when the grass is damp, 

 and rolling is best performed directly after rain. The 

 English always roll a few hours before using the scythe. 

 On large lawns a donkey or light horse may be advan- 

 tageously employed in performing this operation.* 



There are but few good lawns yet in America, but we 

 have great pleasure in observing that they are rapidly mul- 

 tiplying. Though it may seem a heavy tax to some, yet 

 no expenditure in ornamental gardening is, to our mind, 

 productive of so much beauty as that incurred in producing 

 a well-kept lawn. Without this feature no place, however 

 great its architectural beauties, its charms of scenery, or 

 its collections of flowers and shrubs, can be said to deserve 

 consideration in point of landscape gardening; and with it 

 the humble cottage grounds will possess a charm which is, 

 among pleasure grounds, what a refined and graceful man- 

 ner is in society - - a universal passport to admiration. 



* The modern triplex horse lawn mower is one of the most practical 

 tools of the present day, though the lighter motor-driven mowers answer 

 very well. F. A. W. 



