APRIL. 163 



given up first as last. No half-way mode of arriving at this 

 will do : it must be thorough. It is the only resource against 

 our summer droughts, which so seldom fail that provision 

 should always be made to meet them. Every individual 

 knows that there is no lack of freshness and verdure in the 

 early and later months of the year,- and our turf then vies 

 with the greenest of England's lawns ; but no sooner does the 

 heat of summer set in, and our rains hold off, than a sudden 

 change takes place ; the emerald green of May becomes the 

 dingy yellow of June and rusty brown of July and August. 

 For the space of two or more months there is scarcely growth 

 enough to need the use of the scythe, and that necessary oper- 

 ation to every good lawn is omitted till the refreshing rains of 

 autumn bring with them renewed verdure and beauty. 



Deep cultivation is then all important. If the space intend- 

 ed for a lawn is anything less than an acre, it should be 

 trenched — trenched deep, at least two feet, and if the subsoil 

 will admit, three feet will be better. When of greater extent, 

 the ground should be well subsoiled, running the plough at 

 least twenty inches deep, that the substratum may be com- 

 pletely pulverized to that depth. The cost should not enter 

 into consideration, if it is once determined on to have a lawn. 

 The time to think of this is before operations commence. 

 Trenching is the most satisfactory, but subsoiling is so good a 

 substitute that in large extent of grounds it may be followed 

 with good success. In trenching, a moderate quantity of 

 manure may be worked into the bottom trench, which will 

 form a reserve of nutriment for years, the after top dressings 

 keeping the surface in the best condition. With such prep- 

 arations there can be no such thing as failure. The roots of 

 grasses strike deep into the soil, and in severe droughts, when 

 the surface gives off its moisture rapidly, there will be a reservoir 

 beneath, which even the " driest time " will fail to exhaust. 

 The turf may show a very slight difference in its verdure 

 from that of early spring, but it will still be fresh and green, 

 vigorous and growing, and ready for the scythe throughout 

 the summer. 



The best season for planting a lawn is in August, particularly 



