312 Landscape Gardening 



instead of a soft velvet surface. A broad-bladed scythe, 

 set nearly parallel to the surface, is the instrument for the 

 purpose, and with it a clever mower will be able to shave 

 within half an inch of the ground, without leaving any 

 marks. To free the surface from worm casts, etc., it is a 

 common practice to roll the previous evening as much as 

 may be mown the next day. 



As the neatness of a well kept lawn depends mainly upon 

 the manner in which it is mown, and as this again can only 

 be well done where there are no inequalities in the ground, it 

 follows that the surface should be kept as smooth as pos- 

 sible. Before sowing a lawn, too much pains cannot be 

 taken to render its surface smooth and even. After this, in 

 the spring, before the grass starts, it should be examined, 

 and all little holes and irregularities filled up, and the same 

 should be looked over at any annual top-dressing that may 

 take place. The occasional use of a heavy roller, after 

 rain, will also greatly tend to remedy all defects of this 

 nature. 



Where a piece of land is long kept in lawn, it must have 

 an occasional .top-dressing every two or three years, if the 

 soil is rich, or every season, if it is poor. As early as pos- 

 sible in the spring is the best time to apply such a top- 

 dressing, which may be a compost of any decayed vegetable 

 or animal matter - - heavier and more abounding with 

 marsh mud, etc., just in proportion to the natural lightness 

 of the soil. Indeed almost every season the lawn should 

 be looked over, all weeds taken out, and any poor or im- 

 poverished spots plentifully top-dressed, and, if necessary, 

 sprinkled with a little fresh seed. Wood ashes, either fresh 

 or leached, is also one of the most efficient fertilizers of a 

 lawn. 



We can already, especially in the finer places on the Hud- 

 son, and about Boston, boast of many finely kept lawns, 

 and we hope every day, as the better class of country resi- 

 dences increases, to see this indispensable feature in tasteful 

 grounds becoming better understood and more universal. 



