CHAPTER XXV 

 III. LANDSCAPE GARDENING 



By landscape gardening is meant the preparing, laying out, 

 and planting of ornamental trees, shrubs, and flowers in 

 parks, cemeteries, public squares, school grounds, lawns, and 

 dooryards. What we shall say here will have special refer- 

 ence to lawns and dooryards. 



The farmer and the villager very often neglect the planting 

 of trees, shrubs, and flowers, considering it a thing not worth 

 while, yet every one is delighted with a house surrounded 

 by trees, vines, bushes, and flowers properly arranged. Many 

 lawns are not pleasing because the planting has been done 

 without any thought of its effect. 



The first thing to be done in decorating grounds is to pre- 

 pare the soil for the lawn and the things that are to be planted. 

 In the first place it should be drained. Unless the subsoil is 

 sandy or gravelly, under-drainage is very desirable for the 

 reasons mentioned in Chapter V. The land should be deeply 

 plowed and heavily manured. It is important to have plenty 

 of humus in the soil. Professor Troop, of Purdue University, 

 gives the following instructions for the making of a lawn: 

 ''Have deep, rich soil, thoroughly plowed and subsoiled, 

 at least fifteen inches deep. Harrow down and replow 

 across the first plowing. Harrow down again and plow 

 once more and level off. Such preparation will give an 



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